According to the Skinny Switch Secret website, the Skinny Switch Diet is less of a traditional "diet" and more of a long-term lifestyle change that incorporates customized meals without making the foods you love forbidden. The plan differs from other weight loss regimens in many ways and has many advantages, but some nutritionists worry the Skinny Switch Diet is just another rather expensive fad--and failure-prone--diet that will not benefit your health in the long run.
History
The Skinny Switch Diet was developed by Rob Nevins, a former high school wrestler whose interest in exercise and weight control led him to pursue certification in sports nutrition and weight management from the International Fitness Professionals Association. Nevins believed that traditional exercise and diet programs weren't working because they deprived people of their favorite foods and did not focus on eating strategies--such as calorie shifting, or eating meals with varying amounts of calories--that he believed would help keep the body's metabolism high and burn fat.
Aspects
The Skinny Switch Diet does not provide dieters with set meal plans, dietary supplements or calorie charts. It uses the Internet as a tool to gather information from people who sign up for the program and creates customized daily meal plans, shopping lists and fitness plans using that data. The core of the program centers on each day's three meals and two snacks. Both the meals and the snacks contain equal proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein and weekly plans, including recipes and weekly shopping lists, are generated for users after they specify their particular food choices and select the meal options they would like from the choices provided. Dieters follow these set meal plans for three days, then enjoy a "cheat" food--one that is not allowed on the other three days of the plan, like pizza or wine--on the fourth day and return to normal meal plans for three more days. Each of the meals is set up in accordance with Nevins' belief that shifting the number of calories consumed between meals and days keeps the metabolism running at a higher level.
The customized exercise plan is based on the exercises you prefer, your current level of activity and how much weight you would like to lose. The Skinny Switch Diet recommends 30 minutes of daily exercise.
Meal Plans
According to Every Diet, the Skinny Switch Diet plan meals are based primarily on various types of fish, chicken breasts, lean meat, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, eggs, fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, avocados and low-fat salad dressings. A typical day breaks the five mealtimes into breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner. All of the meals are small and carefully designed to balance protein, carbohydrate and fat. For example, a morning snack might include one piece of mozzarella string cheese and 1/2 cup of fruit, while lunch may consist of a pita stuffed with turkey salad.
Benefits
The customized aspect of the Skinny Switch Diet is one of the program's benefits--it allows users to eat familiar foods without having to take the time to plan weekly meals and determine shopping lists. All the recipes are included in the plan and your weight loss needs are factored into the choice and makeup of each daily plan. Joining the program allows you to take part in the Skinny Switch online support community for encouragement and motivation.
Disadvantages
Joining Skinny Switch Diet program costs $150 for a six month membership. This is in addition to the meals, which include lean meat and fruits and vegetables, which may increase your grocery bills. The program also requires you to make the meals from basic ingredients, which is time-consuming. According to Every Diet, some nutritionists believe that, even though the plan incorporates fresh fruits and vegetables, the meal plans often sacrifice adequate quantities of produce to stick with equal amounts of fat, carbohydrate and protein.
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