Thanks, Juliette and Karen, for all of the information.

I do have more questions, though! I have noticed that you (Juliette) are quite careful with fat, even olive oil. You also mentioned that you eat primarily fish, with the exception of skinless chicken breasts. The information which you've quoted from the latest Montignac book is much more detailed than that provided in Eat Out and Lose Weight. MUCH more detailed. Also, it seems quite different. Rules on meat consumption, to my understanding, are much more liberal in Eat Out. The focus in this book is mainly concentrated on "bad carbs", namely refined flours, sugar, potatoes, cooked carrots, etc.

And also, your reason for placing low-fat coconut milk on the bad list was high fat content. Does Montignac now advocate a more conservative approach to fat consumption, even when the carbs are minimal? This would eliminate a number of other foods I originally thought were permissible, such as homemade peanut butter.

On another note, have you considered subscribing to the Montignac program advertised on his international web site? I tried registering several times, but had technical problems with access. I do also plan to buy the books to which you keep referring, however, I couldn't find English versions here in Norway. And even though I am fluent, I would prefer the North American edition.

OK. I suppose that's all for today. However I am in a quandary now over the coconut milk issue after reading two conflicting posts! I suppose I'll simply have to decide what works for me. I must say though that I am enjoying eating meat again. And I notice a huge difference in how long I remain full after meals.

Thanks for all the tips!

Hello Awal

I do eat meat, but only a couple of times a week. Here are Montignac's guidelines for Phase I regarding a balanced weekly eating plan.

Meat or dried meats, twice a week;
Chicken (skin removed), twice a week;
Eggs, once or twice a week;
Fish, three or four times a week;
Good carbohydrates (pulses and unrefined foods) as main courses (not side dishes), three or four times a week.

Regarding fat, which Montignac calls lipids, they are divided into good and bad lipids which I have outlined in a previous posting. Apparently they are more easily stored as fat if eaten in the evening, so he doesn't like meat being eaten in the evening unless it is skinless chicken. I eat chicken with skin in the evening and meat and I have still lost weight, so I guess there is some leeway.

His book is not very clear and contradicts itself. I have read it twice, plus I am forever flipping through trying to find information in it. It certainly doesn't advocate as much fat as the Dr Atkins diet.

I can't find anything about coconut, but Karen's advice seems sound. You could look it up on one of the online GIs. If you are only going to have a small amount I would go for it. The whole point of Montignac is to eat well and feel satisfied.

Homemade peanut butter should be fine as peanuts have a low GI (20).

Phase II allows alot more lenient (which is followed in the Dine Out book) . It really does depend on how much weight you have to lose. If it is only a few kilos I would be more inclined to follow Phase II.

You might be able to order the book on www.amazon.co.uk. I have the European version in English ISBN 2 91273 700 1 which gives metric measurements and apparently is more up to date than the US one.

By the way, don't eat alcohol before a meal as this inhibits weight loss. If you are out eat a few olives, small bit of cheese or some nuts first.

Have you lost anything since starting Montignac ?

Enjoy Montignac and don't deprive yourself of your Thai dish or peanut butter, life is to short for donning a hair shirt.

Juliette

You might find these useful, especially the Australian searchable one.

http://www.glycemicindex.com/
http://www.anime.net/~go/glycemic.html

Regards
Juliette

Hi Juliette,

First, I really want to lose only a couple pounds. My main motivation for beginning with Montignac is that I am sick to death of counting calories and feeling hungry, hungry, hungry! (A little background coming...) I was always very thin and never gave a thought to what I ate. I am also very active. Suddenly two years ago, I jumped from 119 pounds to 133 in one year. I began a very low calorie diet and followed it for a year. Not fun. I began eating a bit more, still being careful in the traditional diet sense, and gained back to 125, where I am now. Sick of the calory counting, I began looking for other alternatives and remembered a colleague telling me about Montignac three years ago. I bought Eat Out and Lose Weight, as it was the only Montignac book in English in Oslo. (I know I can order from Amazon, but I'm going to the states on holiday next week and plan to pick up the version you've mentioned while there.) Since being on Montignac, I believe I've lost a pound, which I'm happy about. If I can continue to eat the way I do now and not gain, I will be extremely satisfied. Ideally, I would like to get back to 119, but it's not worth starving to get there...

Regarding our discussion of meat, until the past couple weeks, I had eaten red meat maybe three times in the past year. Cheese had been banished as well, and I very rarely ate chicken. Fat too was all but eliminated from my diet. So I've really enjoyed being able to eat it once more... and I am amazed at how much more satisfied I feel. But all of your tips have been helpful as I can now see that I've been eating too many eggs, plus a couple other items. This is what I ate today:

Breakfast:
1 Slice whole wheat bread, no added fat
1 Large bowl oatmeal with 2 Tbs. cottage cheese.
1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Snack:
1Tbsp. organic peanut butter

Lunch:
Rocket salad with marinated mushroom and squash, feta cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
2 boiled eggs

Snack:
2 Tbsps. organic peanut butter
1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Dinner:
"Breakfast burrito" without the tortilla: Scrambled eggs with lean ground beef seasoned with cumin and chili powder, green onions, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms.
Steamed broccoli
Fresh strawberries

Any input of your would be greatly appreciated!

By the way, I did subscribe to the Montignac site, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. It is useful to a certain extent since I don't have the second book, but overall quite amateur and a bit more lean information-wise than I had hoped it would be.

Thanks!

Awal

Lucky you only a couple of pounds to lose.
Also lucky you going on holiday

I'd like to lose another 20lb, but I would be happy with 12-15lb if I keep feeling this good.

Your eating plan sounds very healthy. I agree that Montignac leaves you feeling satiated and full of energy. It is also very easy to follow when eating out, hence his first book which you have. You can even have chocolate providing it is one with a high cocoa content >70%.

The one thing I would mention, which you will see when you get his book is that he prefers rye to wheat bread. Try and get bread which is organic, unrefined - pumpernickel is ideal. Ryvita is also okay and when I feel peckish I often have some ryvita with cottage cheese and tomato slices or regular cheese.

My weight loss has not been rapid with Montignac, but also I haven't been tempted to stray because I don't feel hungry until meal times. I think I had got into the habit of eating when I was just slightly hungry or if I was a bored.

The one reason I chose Montignac over Atkins (which I have done in the past), is that Montignac allows much more fruit and vegetables which I think is really important to keep healthy in the long term.

I have been eating green lentils as well, something I never tried before and they are really nice. After soaking them for about 4 hours, I simmer them for 30-40 minutes, drain, then blitz or mash, adding juice of a lemon, a dash of salt, lots of fresh black pepper and a handful of chopped fresh mint. Sometimes I add a chopped onion for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. I have also added some tabasco sauce and natural yoghurt along with the other ingredients as I blend it and then add some finely chopped red capsicum and chives. I eat it both hot and cold, and I cook up 250gm at once which gives me enough for a few meals. Yummy.

Green lentils GI 22, Onion GI 10.

I also sweat an onion and sometimes a few stalks of celery in a pot until transparent and then add a large tin or two of chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. It is really useful to have alongside the lentils with a piece of meat or chicken or over spaghetti. If having it over spaghetti I might add some garlic when cooking the tomato sauce and some olives, capsicum, sliced mushrooms or something just before serving. I usally grate a little parmesan or strong cheese or sprinkle some fresh oregano or parsley over the top.

Tomatoes are very low - 10GI as are all the other vegetables in the above recipe. Use organic, unrefined wholemeal spaghetti if you can get it and cook it only until it is al dente as the GI rises the longer you cook it.

If I eat those and maybe some green beans (GI 30) or petit pois (GI 40) I don't feel too bad about leaving the skin on my chicken or having a large piece of grilled or salmon pan fried in a 1 Tbsp of oil.

By the way plums also have a low GI of only 22, so they are a good fruit to snack on.

Have you tried Quinoa, which Montignac raves on about?

Have a great holiday. The good thing with the Montignac plan is you can still enjoy yourself and keep losing weight.

Bye for now
Juliette

Nearly forgot, hardgrain spaghetti cooked al dente has a GI of 45. Other pastas are around 70.

Juliette

Hi I'm a newbie here (this is my first post) and Ijust wanted to jump into this topic because I just started the Montignac method with a lot of worry. I have been following the Atkins diet since April of this year and was able to lose over a stone and a half (about 25 pounds). For the last month my weight has been at a standstill. A co-worker of mine lent me the 'Eat Yourself to Slimness' book and I just started today, but after being on Atkins for so long I'm afraid of eating the fruit! I'm also afraid of introducing the bread etc as I hope it will not make me gain any weight. I'm not going to weigh myself for a week in order to give this diet a chance and see what happens. Perhaps my metabolism had adjusted to such a high protein intake and I need carbs now? Anyway I have to agree that the book is very confusing and contradictory. How can he have a recipe that uses instant coffee? Also how can you have the dark chocolate when it does contain trace amounts of sugar? I suppose hellman's mayonaise would be okay in moderation because that has the smallest amount of sugar and is the most "real" mayonaise? I'm also wondering if I can still incorporate many of my Atkins products such as muffin mixes and such into the protein portion of this diet? They are all made from low carb flours like soya and whey protein. Also is Splenda okay to use? I wonder if Soya ice cream would be okay-I don't know how much sugar it had but I remember seeing it in the health food store. Would no sugar peanut butter be okay on rye in the mornings?

I have so many questions and I was so happy to find this forum!


This is what I had today:

Breakfast: bacon and eggs ( I still have a fridgeful from Atkins dieting)

Lunch: salad with iceberg lettuce, carrots, green leaves and two cups of cottage cheese

Late snack: cherries

Dinner: the same salad I had for lunch but topped with two pieces of grilled chicken and some feta cheese. I actullly couldn't finish this because I was full from the fruit!

Hello

Sorry for the delay in replying, but I'm been away and offline for a few weeks.

Your average day's diet sounds fine to me. I have lost about 15 pounds on Montignac and I find it very easy to follow. I have done the Atkins plan before but I found it too hard to eat so much meat and fat and cut out fruit and some vegetables.

Montignac is more a plan for life than a quick loss system. Saying that I am really happy with the results, and even when I cheated a bit with the occasional piece of cake when I was away recently, I still have maintained my weight. I want to lose another 10-14lbs and I am sure I will do it with Montignac.

One thing I will mention is don't eat too many nuts. I did and found it slowed my weight loss. Just keep them to an occasional treat and don't eat too many.

Good luck

Juliette

Hi people,

I am new to this forum. I just started Montignac a few weeks ago, and so far I'm very happy with the program. I'm never especially hungry and I get to eat things I would have never dreamed of, while still loosing weight.

Sometimes I go and read things on the Atkins side of the board and I'm appalled at what they are forced to do. One poor girl was saying she had trouble eating enough calories in a day because she was sick of all the meat and creams and feeling guilty for cracking and eating some cantaloup !

I think I'm going to stay with Montignac unless it totally stops working for me. I've already gotten a confirmed 5 lbs loss (probably more but I didn't weight myself before I started). And that's in 2 weeks. So the rate of weight loss isn't that bad ...I'm just happy at having lost weight period. And delighted that it's on a diet that feels like something I can sustain forever.

Thanks for the tip on nuts. I had been indulging myself maybe a bit too much. When I feel hungry between meals, I usually have either cheese or nuts. Did you notice it was all nuts ? or just a particular kind. So far I've eaten almonds, soy nuts and peanuts.

BTW, I'm from Quebec, so I have all these revised editions books by Montignac, including 2 cookbooks adapted for North America. Maybe I could post a recipe or two, unless you are all sticklers about copyrights.

Hello

I was eating lots of nuts, and by that I mean about 200gm a day. Mainly peanuts but also a nut mix. I was eating unsalted nuts so I don't think the lack of weight loss was due to water retention. Some nights I would get home and have some nuts and not bother about cooking dinner, but then be ravenous before going to bed.

I also find that eating lots of salad type foods - tomatoes, celery, cucumber etc is a good way of keeping hunger at bay between meals. I sometimes have ryvita (a rye crispbread) with sliced tomatoes and plenty of fresh black pepper. They are really nice, sometimes I also add a bit of cheese or cottage cheese.

I found the Montignac book rather confusing at first. I don't have any of his recipe books, but there are a few recipes at the rear of the book I have. The main benefit of the diet, apart from losing weight is that I feel great and I haven't been suffering from as many headaches (migraines) as usual.

5lbs in too weeks sounds a lot of weight to lose, so don't worry if you don't sustain that speed of weight loss Angeline. Some of that could have been water and that will slow down. Montignac is probably a bit easier on the heart etc with less fat and meat and more fruit and vegetables than Atkins. I have learnt alot about good and bad carbohydrates in terms of the GI, and that I think is the secret to the success on the Montignac plan.

Also being able to have the occasional piece of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine is great, and a little slip up here and then can be easily remedied by eating low GI food. It doesn't upset the balance as much as when I was on Atkins and put on at least a pound or two for a minor dietary indiscretion.

I don't crave foods I can't have with Montignac, and I am not fooling myself by eating artitifically sweetened food or drink, apart from the occasional diet jelly (jello). I think part of the long term Montignac success secret is that, over time, it changes the food you want and desire to eat because you feel satisfied. I never felt that way with Weightwatchers, Atkins or fad diets, and as soon as I went off them, back came the weight. Montignac has permanently changed the way I eat.

Good luck with your weight loss.
Juliette

Hi Juliette, thanks for the reply and tips.

I already have some rye crips. Maybe I'll eat them with a recipe from an old weight watchers book. Back in the days before they embraced the low fat mantra, they were *almost* low carb. It's a mixture of cottage cheese and canned salmon pureed with veggies in the food processor. It's pretty nice. My mother is bringing me tomatoes from her garden so that sounds like a good time to try your suggestion.

I'm not especially worried about loosing weight fast. Right now I *almost* fit into my previous skinny clothes, so I am quite happy with that. Once I fit into the clothes anything else is cake. In fact I would worry about loosing too much, because I really rather not buy a whole new wardrobe

And while we are on the subject of artifical sweeteners, I tried a simple recipe yesterday with Splenda. OMG that stuff is GROSS. In the Atkins recipes on this site they put Splenda into everything. Taste or not, I really mistrust that stuff. It's chemical, therefore suspect.

One thing that really bothers me about the Atkins WOL, is the seeming reliance on substitute products. Artifical sweeteners for instance. Low-carb breads. Instead of using sugar and white flour, they use sweet-n-low and white gluten flour. Maybe they are just replacing one evil with another. I'm often struck by how the demon of fat has simply been replaced by the demon of carb. It was simplistic then, and it's probably simplistic now. Focusing on a single nutrient, instead of as a whole, could make us loose the big picture, that maybe it's not so much too many carbohydrates that is the problem but too many overprocessed over-refined foods displacing and/or replacing healthy foods.

That point became clear to me on a personal level when in an attempt to find something appropriate for lunch, I revisited a local fast food counter that served slouvakis. Slouvakis are chicken/pork brochettes served either on a plate or in a pita with tzaziki sauce. Of course, true to it's fast food designation they would serve the meat with plenty of french fries, rice and bread. In the past I would eat the meat and fries and have no more appetite for the salad that would end up in the garbage. Well this time, I told them our usual refrain, no rice, potatoes or bread, extra salad please. Well guess what. The salad was delicious ! Fresh and crisp with a tasty dressing. I ate every last bit with relish.

So at that moment it became clear. All the refined starchy food I've been eating more often than not simply replaced vegetables and other healthy foods. I think that's what's wrong with the way we eat today and the cause for so many health problems.

I tried this dessert recipe today, it was pretty good even though it's not quite level 1. I liked it because it wasn't too sweet.

2 egg whites
3 tbsp fructose
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cup rasberry, fresh or frozen, defrosted
1 1/2 cup Ricotta 5%
2 tbsp sliced almond

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the fructose and almond extract. Whip till firm peaks.

Process the rasberries in a food processor.

Add the cheese and rasberries to the egg white mixture and mix delicately with a spatula.

Sprinkle with the almonds.

That recipe sounds delicious Angeline. I am going to try that as we have plenty of fresh raspberries in the shops at the moment.

I also adore almonds. Yum yum.

Juliette

I hope you like it.

I used frozen rasberries and it turned out nice. Fresh rasberries are too wonderful (and expensive) to be eaten any other way than out of hand like candy....at least in these parts

I am interested in the Montignac diet as it seems to be so similar to Sugar Busters. The types of foods and their glycemic index are very similar. I think that phase 1 and 2 are a benefit in the Montignac diet though as SB does not have phases. Consequently weight loss can be slower with SB I think. However if one does not have too many "legal" carbs then it works just fine.
Has anyone tried Sugar Busters and then Montignac? And why did you settle on Montignac?

I'm not trying to switch people to SB, just wondering if anyone has done an actual comparison and if Montignac is maybe a better WOE or WOL.

Quincy.