My mom just went on this diet a few months ago, and she’s lost about 30 pounds. I borrowed the books from her since I need to lose a few myself and did a bit of research, and it seems like a pretty healthy diet. Originally designed by a cardiologist, it promotes whole grains and healthy fats and limits sugar and processed foods. The whole diet revolves around the glycemic index which, although I’m still having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that white bread is worse for you than pure sugar, seems to have some evidence to back it up.
But the diet is designed to be followed for life. Not strictly, you’re just supposed to keep in mind which foods to avoid or eat sparingly (white potatoes, soda, etc) and go on your merry way. But that makes me wonder if this is really any better than the Atkins diet. That diet, IIRC, causes your body to go into ketosis, but as soon as you resume your normal eating habits you gain all the weight back and then some. Is the SBD the same way? I just find it hard to believe that a normal, healthy individual can’t eat potatoes anymore without gaining weight. That just doesn’t seem right.
I don’t know the medical facts behind it, but I will tell you, anecdotally, that my mom lost at least 30 lbs on the diet and has kept it off for at least a year, that is to say, she lost it over a year ago, and she hasn’t been on it since then, at least not strictly. She is more energetic, working out regularly. She now watches her caloric intake and makes sure she exercises. I still see her eat white rice, white bread (she hates anything whole grain, and can barely stand wheat), and potatoes. I’m not sure how she was during the diet, but my sister says that she was real strict about it.
Stage 3 of the diet is pretty flexible. If you can eat potatoes without overindulging, it’s fine. You only need to watch it if you start regaining the weight. Weight Watcher’s has a similar plan that allows potatoes, rice or pasta once a day.
The theory really boils down to two things:
The foods emphasized by the diet are the ones that are most nutritionally valuable and have the least “bad” things in them (saturated and transfats, etc.) They are also unlikely to be foods you would “binge” on (except nuts, which are accordingly restricted.)
Eating that way allows you regulates the appetite so you feel satisfied without piling on the calories.
The two-week induction is mainly a motivational gimmick to get you out of bad habits and reward you with a quick drop in the scale (mostly water.) The real work comes in Phase 2.
Oh, I forgot to mention that you are never supposed to go into ketosis on the SBD, even during inductions. That’s why things like vegetables, nonfat dairy and beans are included. You should always be getting sufficient carbohydrates to keep you out of ketosis.