Want to get rid of the hanging belly that is making you look flabby? Jorge Cruise, author of The 3 Hour Diet, take a new route in this book, the Belly Fat Cure, and claims that you can lose all your belly fat simply by cutting out sugar and processed carbs from your diet.
According to the Belly Fat Cure, it is possible to lose up to 9 lbs. per week without dieting or depriving yourself. In fact, you can eat whatever you want, be it pizza, chips or ice cream, so long as it does not contain sugar and processed carbs. This may seem a bit odd as there is little talk about the overall calorie content of the food you eat. As weight loss or gain does depend on calories in versus calories out, this does seem to be a bit strange.
According to Cruise, people put on fat – belly fat – not because they indulge in proteins or fats, but because of the hidden sweeteners in food. Sugars in foods create imbalances in insulin levels which in turn causes the body to store fat. These sugars also cause other associated problems like wrinkles, low energy levels and inflammation in cells. On the other hand, nutrients like fats and proteins do not affect the insulin levels and therefore, do not need to be limited. Again, this goes against the calorie controlled recommendations of many nutrition experts.
The Belly Fat Cure consists of five different 7-day meal plans that have been designed for different kinds of eaters, ranging from carboholics to meat lovers. This eating plan provides a broad framework for dieters to plan their meals on. To help dieters minimize carbs and sugars from their diet, the authors have designed the Carb Swap system™.
In this system, followers are allowed to take in 15gms of sugar from 6 small servings of fiber-rich carbs each day. Foods that are allowed in the plan include eggs, fresh vegetables, walnuts, cottage cheese, honey, grilled chicken and brown rice. Dark chocolate, beer and wine are allowed but candy bars are out. So are cocktails.
The diet also limits the intake of fruits because the authors believe that the natural sugars found in fruits are stored as belly fat. This is something I don’t agree with as fruits have tremendous health benefits. Many experts recommend a daily intake of fruit, regardless of their sugar content.
The Belly Fat Cure contains pictures of almost 100 or more bad foods and teaches you how to make these into good foods. Exercise doesn’t play a vital role according to Cruise, as the focus of the plan is on nutrition. However, some pages are dedicated to exercises which can help reduce stress, improve fitness and achieve a toned stomach. The book also recommends the use of a buddy system to help you stay focused and dedicated on the path of weight loss.
The Belly fat Cure – More Details, Pros and Cons
The Belly Fat Cure tries to reveal a new take on belly fat in particular. However, it seems that the approach this book takes is one dimensional and simplistic. Although focusing on sugars is a way to eliminate some unhealthy foods, the thrust of the diet plan is lost as it ignores the need to eat healthy, wholesome foods. By focusing on sugar prevention, you miss a lot of other important guidelines any health conscious person needs to follow.
Pros:
- Easy to follow
- Encourages followers to give up processed carbs
- Several recipes are included
- Exposes a number of unhealthy foods
Cons:
- Exercise is not considered vital to weight loss
- Leaves out fruits which are essential for the supply of nutrients
- Allows a massive intake of other foods, which may lead to a calorie surplus and weight gain.
In Conclusion
Jorge Cruise is a fitness guru and in keeping with his calling, his focus is on losing belly fat. However, I just can’t agree with the notion that calories matter very little. They do matter. Sugar may be bad for weight loss but there has to be a distinction between processed sugar and natural sugar, such as that found in fruits.
If healthy weight loss is what you’re after, then, you need to pay attention to the number of calories going inside and the number of calories being expended through regular exercise.
For more on this book and to read customer reviews visit the Belly Fat Cure Page on Amazon
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I like jorge. I saw him on youtube with dr oz. however, I won’t buy this book. It sounds like a piggyback ride off of Dr Atkins diet. I have found that low fat/calories does not work for me, but counting carbs does. Once a week I will eat whatever I crave, but have found that after being away from simple carbs/processed sugar for so long, it just doesn’t taste the same. Forget counting calories, I love watching my carb intake. For pasta lovers, there is a rice&noodles called shirataki that has less than 1 carb. I found it at an asian grocery store. It is delicious. I haven’t tried the rice yet. amazon.com sells it. There are sooo many substitutes out there for regular foods. Icecream? I buy the breyers net carb brand. I make rootbeer floats with diet rootbeer, strawberry,blueberry,orange, pinacolada, etc anytype of icecream by using a couple of teaspoons of carbmaster yogurt with the icecream yummy yum yum… happy carbing
I’ve been following this for a few weeks and have lost weight while increasing my calorie count. Are you sure calories are the only factor that matters? Perhaps you should try the diet you are providing your opinion about and provide your results.
I have been on a similar diet and this is true.I have not over-eaten foods such as pizza, chips and ice cream, but I can eat some and have not gained back weight. I have also lost the taste for these kinds of foods and therefore would not be tempted to over eat them. Usually, sugar provides a lot of calories, so eliminating it decreases the calorie intake in the first place. The foods you name that are in the plan are healthy foods. I have not been hungry and am quite healthy as far as I can tell.You say fruits are limited – that’s not the same as leaving them out and is this on a permanent basis?