Info for anyone wishing to Learn About Montignac
For Anyone who wishes a brief description of the diet the info below is copied from the Montignac Website
Michel Montignac - The Method
THE OBJECTIVES
The Method has three objectives:
Lose weight: Rapid weight loss, without: calorie counting, weighing food, fatigue or deprivation, and all with balanced nutrition;
Stabilize his or her weight: Permanently stabilizing weight by managing food intake and compensating for those times when you don't follow the rules. It is by adopting proper eating habits that these occasional lapses can be allowed;
Allowing people to rediscover optimum vitality: Reduced general fatigue, increased physical and intellectual recuperation, greater professional productivity and better overall health.
THE ORIGIN OF OBESITY
Excess weight and obesity are not conditions seen in nature. These are not problems found in primitive societies nor are they found in the animal kingdom, with the exception of household pets and here for obvious reason.
Civilization is the root cause of these problems which tend to appear during its more decadent phases. To truly understand this phenomenon one must therefore look at the richest country in the Western Hemisphere today, the United States.
In fact, 65% of Americans are overweight, a rate three times that found in France. A further study of this overweight group reveals that 25% are considered obese, weighing more than 220 lbs, and that 75% of the people who fall into this obese category are under the of age 45. Moreover, the United States has the highest rate of cardiovascular disease in the Western World. These facts confirm that it is the deplorable eating habits developed in the United States since World War ll are to blame for this serious situation.
Americans, in an effort to undo the damage caused by their poor nutrition, have adopted to the point of obsession, dietary practices based on the four following principles:
Follow a calorie reduced diet;
Exercise intensively on a daily basis;
Eliminate all cholesterol completely from the diet;
Exclude all fat from the diet.
All recent studies show that this plan of action has failed to produce the desired results. To the contrary, not only has the average American continued to put on excess weight, but the level of cardiovascular disease in the United States remains the highest in the world.
THE FRENCH PARADOX
When the situation in France is compared to that which is observed in the United States, we see that only a minority of the French population follows low-calorie diets.
Further, the average French diet contains 30% more fat than the average American diet, and the French exercise very little or not at all. Yet, the weight of the average French citizen is considered ideal and France has one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world, with only Japan having a slightly lower rate.
This positive situation is presently being undemined in the youth population of France. Young people under the age of 25 have adopted American style eating habits, consuming much fast foods and sweet soft drinks.
Numerous recent studies have shown this type of diet to be unnatural and unhealthy. More importantly the traditionally accepted dieting principles have proven to be completely in error.
TRADITIONAL DIETETICS
Traditional dietetics claim that the only way to lose unwanted pounds and regain your ideal weight is to eat less and exercise more. This despite the fact that all studies carried out over the past 20 years have not only demonstrated that not only does this method fail to produce the expected weight loss, but the application of these principals has actually increased the average level of obesity. In 10 years, obesity in the United States has increased 31%, while average energy intake diminished over the same period. Therefore, the energy factor is not a determining factor in weight gain.
WHY DO WE BECOME OVERWEIGHT?
The mediocre nutritional content of today's industrialized foods and the progressive adoption over the past 50 years of unhealthy eating habits are the real causes of weight gain and the increased obesity seen today.
It is in effect the nutritional content of foods (their relative richness in vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, fiber...) which determines whether or not abnormal build-up of fat cells will occur.
PRINCIPLES OF THE METHOD
No Self-Deprivation: The human organism, like all other living organisms, is protected by a strong survival instinct. An organism when threatened will try to counteract the perceived negative effects of the threat. In other words, the more we try to reduce the caloric intake, the more the organism tries to store reserves for the future. We end up with a paradoxical situation in which the less we eat the fatter we become.
Better eating habits: It is not the excess calories which cause weight gain, but rather the overproduction of insulin, the dysfunction of the pancreas brought on by the excessive consumption of bad carbohydrates. Bad carbohydrates include nutritionally poor foods, refined foods and those foods whose nutritional content has been altered by the perverse practices of the food and agricultural industry whose sole purpose is increased productivity.
A refocusing of eating habits can be achieved by choosing carbohydrates with a low glycemic index to accompany meat, fish, eggs and cheese.
Make the right choices: Contrary to popular belief, the level of dietary cholesterol has little relation to blood cholesterol. It is the human organism itself which produces its own cholesterol from fats. Here again one must make the right choices, since we now know that certain fats reduce levels of blood cholesterol while others increase it.
It has also been shown that one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease has been the overconsumption of foods which trigger a drastic increase in blood sugar levels resulting in overproduction of insulin. It has, however, been proven that red wine can help prevent cardiovascular disease.
INDEX GLYCÉMIQUE
You may reference the table "Glycemic Index (GI)"
THE 2 PHASES OF THE MONTIGNAC'S METHOD
PHASE I
The first stage of the Method consists of a weight loss phase lasting from one to three months depending on the individual and his or her objectives. This is the amount of time required to effect a change in eating habits and for the body to rid itself of accumulated toxins. During this phase certain metabolic functions, such as pancreatic secretions, will be reduced in an effort to reach a more normal state.
This first phase is not a difficult one, as there are no restrictions in terms of the quantity of food eaten. People accustomed to following strict calorie-reduced diets are overjoyed at being able to lose weight all the while eating their fill.
Phase I of the Method is easily put into practice particularly for those who regularly eat out. The meals making up this well balanced diet are varied and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Les repas sont variés et l'alimentation équilibrée, riche en vitamines et sels minéraux.
In general, this stage of the program is implemented without difficulty since the individual no longer leaves the table hungry, instead experiencing the intense joy of seeing the daily benefits of his or her new eating habits:
Weight loss;
An end to gastric and digestive problems;
No more fatigue;
A well-rested feeling due to a better nights sleep;
Increased physical and intellectual energy.
PHASE II
This phase is the natural extension of Phase 1. The MONTIGNAC'S Method can be viewed as a type of dietary hygiene and it is only natural that good habits once learned will always be remembered.
Phase II is a more tolerant phase. Certain foods are no longer excluded and in fact previously banned foods can now be periodically reintroduced. Phase II can therefore be viewed as the correct management of such dietary lapses.
Experienced users of the Method affirm that this sort of dietary management occurs quite naturally, almost without thinking.
It is interesting to note that Phase II allows a reasonable consumption of wine, up to half a litre per day, and chocolate, providing it is dark semi-sweet variety with at least a 70% content of cacao.
CONCLUSION
The Montignac's Method is a nutritional concept based on a definite modification of eating habits.
Putting the method into practice is simple and accommodates all types of dining at home or when dining, whether eating out or at home.
This method can therefore be followed effectively during business meals or at home. It is user-friendly and non-restrictive allowing quick application of its principles while respecting social and professional obligations.
Not only does the Method prevent weight gain, but it acts on a person's overall health by encouraging a more nutritious diet, that is to say a diet with optimum amounts of vitamins, minerals, fibers and essential fatty acids.
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©All rights reserved - Michel Montignac International, NSV Nutrinautes inc. 1999
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