Diet Basics: A fun approach to losing weight including an eating plan that’s based around unique portion control
Diet Ground Rules: The Food Patrol, created by personal trainer George Taousanis, aims to educate those who are looking to lose weight and make healthy lifestyle choices. Following this challenge, you won’t have to cut out any of the major food groups for the purpose of burning fat, and the diet component consists of a balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
For maximum fat loss, you’re encouraged to follow the ‘12 Golden Laws’, which include eating five to six meals daily, and ensuring each meal contains one serve of protein, one serve of salad or vegetables and one serve of low GI carbohydrate.
The Food Patrol doesn’t do weighing food and calculating kilojoules. Portion control is key and this company has a unique approach to gauging appropriate serving size – each is around one third to half the size of your foot. The program includes a ‘day off’ every fortnight, during which you can eat almost anything you want – including cheesecake. After the 90-day challenge, you begin the maintenance part of the program, during which you may consume ‘off-meals’ five out of seven days during the week without adversely affecting your results.
Diet Review: Putting the fun into weight loss isn’t the only thing this weight loss program may be doing right. “It’s good to see this diet doesn’t cut out any food groups,” says practising dietitian Melanie McGrice.
“Educating about portion control is also a good idea, and I like the fact that they encourage small, regular meals and snacks, which is beneficial for appetite control.” The addition of recommended exercise is also sensible as it will help achieve results and maintain them. “My concerns with this diet are that it isn’t tailored to the individual, and the supplements they suggest may just be an up-sell.”
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