Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the diets out there? Oh my word, there are just. so. many. Losing weight is tough enough, let alone trying to figure out which diet will actually deliver on its promises! Here at The Diet Oracle, one of my goals is to help you sift through all the hype and nonsense and find the plan that will work best for you. As I’ve said before, everyone is different and there really is no single ‘right way’ to lose weight.

That being said, let’s get right to our current diet du jour, The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD. (If you’ve missed my previous posts, take a minute to learn more about Mediterranean-style diets and the research supporting them!) Stassou promises that if you’re looking to make real lifestyle change with lasting results, the Mediterranean diet (and, of course, her book!) will help you to lose weight and reach your goals.

Stassou’s plan in The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution is straightforward and takes all the guesswork out of meal planning. In her book, you’ll find 4 weeks of complete meal plans with accompanying recipes, grocery lists, and time-saving meal prep tips. Once you’ve finished your 28-day kick off, she’s got you covered with 2 additional weeks of meal plans to keep you headed in the right direction, plus blank meal planning pages for creating your own.

In reading her primer on the Mediterranean diet, Stassou explains that a healthy, well-balanced diet for weight loss should offer about 40% of calories from carbohydrate, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat (a fairly typical breakdown). She says that her meal plans align with these goals and will provide an average of 1500-1800 calories across 3 meals and up to 3 snacks per day. Though this range will help most people lose weight at a safe rate of 1-2 pounds per week, she does provide guidance for those who need to modify her meal plans based on their particular goals and needs.

In addition to meal planning, Stassou also lays out a very basic workout prescription, including both strength-training and cardiovascular exercises. Keeping true to her belief in specific goal setting, she includes an exercise calendar, specific suggested body weight exercises, self-assessment tools, and more. Stassou makes it clear that just as regular physical activity is a priority in the Mediterranean, it should be a priority for you, too!

In order to give you an honest, firsthand review of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution, I will be following Stassou’s plan for an entire week. I’ll do the grocery shopping, follow the meal plan, test the recipes, and log every bite, giving you–dear readers–my candid opinions every step of the way. I’ll also be following her other lifestyle recommendations for water intake, exercise, rest, and relaxation in order to truly immerse myself in her ‘kick-start plan’ for the full Mediterranean experience.

So will Stassou’s program deliver the promised results? Will her meal plans truly be easy to follow and prepare? And will the recipes be as delicious and satisfying and she claims? We will be answering these questions and more here at The Diet Oracle! Who knows? Perhaps a Mediterranean diet could be your weight loss solution!

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Hello and welcome back to The Diet Oracle! In our latest diet review, we’ve been taking an up-close-and-personal look at the Mediterranean diet–what it entails, the promised benefits, and whether it can really deliver weight loss success. If you’ve ever wondered whether this diet is worth all the buzz, then keep on reading!

As a dietitian, I am always on the lookout for nutrition books that provide both solid science as well as clear, goal-oriented action plans. I want the questions how? and why? answered in ways the average person can understand without false promises and bogus claims. This month, we’ve been taking the microscope to The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD.

So how does The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution measure up? And does the research really back up all the claims? Let’s find out!

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Great for Beginners!

For the person who’d like to try a Mediterranean diet but has no idea where to even start, Stassou’s got you covered. The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution provides 6 weeks of complete meal plans and well over 100 pages of recipes to take out all the guesswork. Nice!

Each week includes grocery lists and tips for making meal prep a snap, including grab-and-go options and ways to use up leftovers. In addition, Stassou’s plan also focuses on other important lifestyle changes, such as adding physical activity, improving sleep habits, and seeking out opportunities for stress-relief and relaxation.

All in all, The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution is a solid how-to for anyone interested in the Mediterranean diet for health and weight loss.

That said, her educational chapters are a bit on the skimpy side. Compared to the rest of the book, her case for the Mediterranean diet comprises less than 20% of its pages–only 10% if you exclude her discussion of exercise, rest, and relaxation. Depending on what you’re looking for, this isn’t necessarily a drawback. For me, however, I really like some meaty chapters chock-full of interesting studies and snazzy graphs. So let’s do a little digging!

What does the research say?

Even a cursory search on the ole’ internet will show you that if there’s one diet with some hefty research cred behind it, it’s the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet has been the focus of numerous studies, both large and small and with varying degrees of quality.

Below I’ve rounded up for you a handful of studies worth looking at. From disease prevention and risk reduction to weight loss and reversal of metabolic syndrome, these studies highlight the potential benefits offered by a Mediterranean-style diet.

1. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts
2. The Final Report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study
3. Effect of Mediterranean-Style Diet on Endothelial Dysfunction and Markers of Vascular Inflammation in the Metabolic Syndrome
4. Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes
5. Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet
6. Comparison of Weight Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrate
7. Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Long-Term Changes in Weight and Waist Circumference in the EPIC-Italy Cohort

So what’s the bottom line?

Though the Mediterranean diet is no miracle cure or fail-proof weight loss strategy, multiple studies do show that following this diet can potentially:

• Reduce the risk for heart attack and repeat heart attacks, stroke, cardiovascular risk factors and deaths, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (1,2,3)
• Improve blood glucose and insulin levels, and reduce the need for diabetic medications (4, 5, 6)
• Enhance weight loss efforts (3, 5, 6, 7)
• Protect against weight gain and increases in waist circumference (7)

Now that we’ve done our homework and know just what’s up for grabs with a Mediterranean-style diet, let’s take Stassou’s plan out for a spin drive! Over the next few posts, I’ll share with you the nuts and bolts of her 28-day plan and will give you a front row seat as I try it out for an entire week. Whether or not she delivers with this ‘kick-start’ plan, I have to admit that I’m looking forward to what I hope will be a week of delicious recipes!

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For most Americans, fasting conjures up images of deprivation and the devout. From Jesus to Gandhi, fasting has been used to draw one closer to God or to make a social statement. It’s serious business because humans like to eat, drink, and be merry. Skipping meals? Not so much.

So a diet book that actually recommends fasting as a means of wellness is a bit jarring to some. After all, we are constantly being told by various health experts that eating regular meals–especially breakfast–is essential to a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. Some even go so far as to say we should be eating every couple hours, claiming this keeps the metabolism humming and burning away calories. Dr. Jason Fung, however, would disagree and argues in his book that fasting is actually the key to effective and sustainable weight loss.

Though you might be tempted to think, Well duh. If you don’t eat, you’re going to lose weight! Fung makes the case in his book that the weight loss benefits of fasting do not simply boil down to mere caloric restriction (that is, by eating fewer calories than you need, you’ll burn fat and lose weight). Rather, he argues that the effect of fasting on the body actually triggers a series of hormonal and metabolic changes that enhance a person’s ability to tap into fat stores and lose weight more readily.

But that’s not all! In The Complete Guide to Fasting, the authors make numerous claims regarding the many benefits of fasting, including:

• how and why fasting is good for your health
• how fasting helps you lose weight without slowing down your metabolism
• why fasting can improve type 2 diabetes
• why fasting is good for your heart and slows the ageing process
• how fasting can take your workouts to the next level, allowing you to burn fat while building muscle
• how fasting can boost your energy levels and mental clarity
• and perhaps most importantly, how a person can enjoy all the benefits of fasting without feeling hungry!

Naturally, fasting is not for everyone and the authors include a chapter addressing this important topic. In particular, they advise that children, pregnant or nursing women, and anyone who is severely malnourished or has a history of anorexia nervosa should not attempt a fasting regimen. They also discuss particular medical conditions that might preclude a person from fasting. Though the authors firmly believe that most people can reap the benefits of a fasting regimen, fasting is not appropriate for every individual.

Interested in learning more? Stay tuned for all of June as we take a closer look at these claims as well as my own experiences following this intermittent fasting plan!

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