Peanut Butter Diet Review

 

As featured with quite a bit of fanfare in Prevention Magazine, author Holly McCord (a Prevention writer) presents a weight loss program with a tasty twist - peanut butter.
Now, don't go getting all excited by the prospect that you can grab a tub of crunchy Skippy and a spoon, or that peanut butter possesses some heretofore unknown powers of fat burning. Neither is the case, but you can't be faulted for thinking so when you see the title. And that is our fundamental problem with "The Peanut Butter Diet". It is - in a word - misleading. It's not a "peanut butter diet", it is a diet that allows for a small amount of peanut butter in its meal plans and recipes. Otherwise, it's your standard calorie-restriction and daily exercise regimen. You could substitute peanut butter with guacamole, or dark chocolate, or some other yummy, healthy fat and have the same program.

But on to the details....Nuts are a good source of mono-unsaturated fat, protein and other nutrients like vitamin E, and as such are touted in nearly all healthy dietary recommendations, including the Food Guide Pyramid. Nuts are, however, calorie rich and should only be eaten in moderation. And thus you will discover - should you embark on the Peanut Butter Diet - that you are only permitted 4 to 6 tablespoons of peanut butter distributed throughout your meals per day.

Other than that you're eating standard diet fare like fruits, vegetables, skim milk and skinless chicken breasts. Women are limited to a lean 1500 calories per day and men to 2200 calories per day, with strict portion control enforced for all. You're also instructed to engage in at least 45 minutes of aerobic (walking, cycling, etc.) exercise per day.
Author McCord claims that dieters will lose approximately 1/2 pound per week, which is conservative and certainly in line with what medical experts consider a healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss. Frankly, if you stick to 1500 calories and really give your all to the aerobic exercise component of the diet, you'll in all likelihood lose more than that.

The fundamentals of this plan are inarguable, it's just kind of a shame that Prevention and McCord opted to put a sexier, more comforting title on the thing. You will lose weight and get healthier on this diet to be sure, but it's got nothing to do with peanut butter. We don't want you to feel like you got the bait and switch when you discover that this plan isn't yummy like it sounds, but is in fact a serious cutback in calories and 45 minutes a day of aerobicizing.