You know that old saying “you are what you eat?” Its true! What you put into your body is important. That being said, you might eat all organic food and work out five times week, but still struggle with that last 5-10 pounds that you’re dying to shed. Everyone has different weight loss goals, but finding a diet that is both well-balanced and realistic for your body type is important. Some diets can be hard to stick to, unrealistic, or simply bad fits for your lifestyle. So how do you differentiate the good ones from the bad ones in order to choose the right one for you? HC BC’s Diet Diaries are going to tackle the myths and tell the real rewards of various diets that are trendy or even off your radar.
First on our list? The Cinch Diet™. The Cinch Diet™ was created and designed by licensed nutritionist Cynthia Sass. She is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Flat Belly Diet and many other diet regimen novels. She is certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and has been recognized for her work with various sports teams, including the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Philadelphia Phillies. Not only does she work with athletes, she also privately advises people from all walks of life, from models to new moms. Her trendy Cinch Diet has been seen and encouraged on various daytime shows like The Early Show and Everyday with Rachael Ray, adding to and advertising its already sufficient credibility.
Sass on “Everyday with Rachael Ray”
What I really like about this diet is that it’s well balanced, easy, and has different options! There is a “Fast Forward” plan, which I tried this summer. You can lose up to 8 pounds in 5 easy days of eating 5 core nutrient rich foods: spinach, almonds, organic yogurt, organic eggs, and raspberries (“1 scramble, 1 smoothie, 1 salad and
1 parfait are consumed every day for 5 days”). At first I thought that these 5 foods wouldn’t be enough for my appetite, but getting creative with the meal recipes made it fun to prepare my meals and I was pleased with the results (my tiny bikini thanked me)! An average day of the diet consisted of a spinach omelet for breakfast, yogurt and berries with crushed almonds for lunch, and a great spinach salad for dinner. The more extensive 25-day plan, advertised to “easily drop a size in just one month” pulls from a wider variety of foods, including appealing meals like fresh mozzarella basil ‘pizzalad,’ black bean tacos with cilantro jalapeño guacamole, and the ginger pear smoothie. In addition, the book devotes an entire chapter to dark chocolate…yes, chocolate. Sass’s website encourages Cinch Dieters to indulge: “Research shows that a daily dose can help curb your cravings for both sweet and salty foods, and dark chocolate is a treat you don’t have to feel guilty about.” Both the 5-day plan and the 25-day plan can be vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free!
Sass’s research in the realm of nutrition and health has led this plan to be successful for women of various shapes and sizes. It’s all about feeling good about yourself and sure of your weight. I don’t believe in the number on the scale, I believe in how you feel in that new dress you bought for your cousin’s wedding or in that skimpy bikini that you’ve been dying to wear.
The light food for summer was great, but I believe even with the onset of winter that this diet is practical for the average college student, especially if you have a kitchen and can prepare your own meals. Even if you don’t prepare your own meals, the weekly farmers market at BC and easy access to grocers in the area make it easy to snack on these foods instead of hitting up Late Night every week. The Fast Forward plan makes it easy for people who are not so good at sticking to a diet but want to lose a few. I strongly believe that if you get your weight down to a baseline where you are feeling confident, then you will stick to eating healthy.
Sass’s tips and philosophies to her Cinch diet can be found on her website. Questions about the diet, including questions about exercising, substitutions, diabetes, and counting calories can be found here. Sass has created a revolutionary plan that is truly a “cinch” for women and even men. From my own experience, I can report that for all of you conscious collegiettes™ out there, it’s a great way to do something easy for yourself with great results!
Photo Sources:
http://weheartit.com/entry/15173731
http://www.savoringthethyme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cinch1.jpg
http://cinchdiet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/5079flatbellykitchen320.jpg