The Skinny Key Diet is another name for Dr. Louis Aronne's weight loss program known simply as The Skinny Diet. In Aronne's diet plan, the "key" that unlocks your ability to lose weight lies in you learning to control your eating patterns by altering your diet, sleep patterns and habits of thinking about food. The Skinny Diet offers a well-rounded approach to weight management that emphasizes exercise, lean protein and produce. However, some experts disagree with some of Aronne's claims and point to several disadvantages to following the plan.
Background
Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York's Presbyterian Hospital in New York, developed the theory of weight loss that his 2009 book, "The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry, The Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss Success" details after 23 years of watching patients struggle unsuccessfully to lose weight. Aronne theorized that it is your body's particular chemical makeup -- especially of hormones such as leptin and insulin -- that govern your ability to lose weight. According to Aronne, some people's hormones make them effectively resistant to feeling any sense of satiety. Aronne's diet is his attempt to help people control these hormones and their hunger.
Guidelines
The Skinny Diet has three aspects: eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet focused on high-fiber foods with a low glycemic index; getting enough sleep; and an exercise regimen that includes a 40 minute aerobic exercise plan and 20 minute strength training workouts. Aronne advises dieters to begin each meal with a serving of salad or vegetables, followed by lean protein, particularly ones contained in soups or that are part of a spicy dish. Carbohydrates should be consumed last and should not contain sugar, white flour or any highly processed grains or starches. You should plan your meals primarily around fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, beans, eggs, fish and lean poultry. The Skinny Diet begins with a three-month first phase in which dieters learn the basics of their new eating plan and wean themselves off of carbohydrates. During this phase, you are allowed only one starch-based serving daily. In the diet's second phase, you may add one more serving of starch per day.
Sample Meals
For breakfast, Aronne advises eating a lean protein such as an egg white or high-protein breakfast shake and avoiding any type of breads, juices, or sweetened cereals. A vegetable omelet would be an ideal breakfast on the plan. Aronne recommends a lunch that begins with at least two cups of salad dressed with vinegar, followed by more vegetables, then a cooked lean protein such as grilled chicken. At dinner, avoid eating bread and consuming alcohol before the meal. Start with a salad or light soup, then eat another serving of lean protein, followed by one-half cup of cooked whole grains. If you are hungry during the day, confine your snacks to fruits, vegetables and nuts and try to make your main beverage plain water.
Advantages
Supporters of The Skinny Diet point out that the plan strongly emphasizes a healthful lifestyle that can yield steady, sustainable weight loss in the long-term. The diet is balanced. It does not restrict large groups of foods or ignore the importance of exercise and adequate rest. The program begins slowly, giving dieters a chance to adjust to their new way of eating and includes acceptable options for eating out and ready-made foods. In addition, the program encourages keeping a food journal and meditation, and the diet can be followed by vegetarians and is inexpensive.
Disadvantages
Dieters looking for quick results will be disappointed by The Skinny Diet -- you will lose weight by following such a plan, but it won't be the 10 lb. in two weeks promised by many largely unsustainable fad diets. Additionally, some dietitians, like American Dietetic Association spokesperson Sari Greaves, say that the plan's premise -- that losing weight is difficult because of hormone problems -- is not supported by scientific evidence. Frank Sacks, a doctor at the Harvard School of Public Health, adds that few studies suggest that eating more protein helps prevent feelings of hunger.
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