The Montignac Method Diet claims to help you lose weight and prevent you from developing life-threatening diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. The late Michel Montignac, a French independent nutritional researcher and author of diet books such as "The French Diet" and "The Glycemic Index Diet," developed the system in the 1980s to rid himself of excess weight.
Theory
High blood sugar levels caused by extraneous starch-containing carbohydrate consumption, or hyperinsulinism, is the primary cause of weight gain, according to the diet website. Therefore, you can reach and maintain your ideal weight by consuming more low glycemic index carbohydrates, such as green peas, oat bran and spinach. These foods only initiate minimal blood sugar fluctuations when eaten, claims Montignac.com, and do not provoke weight gain. Furthermore, the diet recommends eliminating or restricting high GI carbohydrates, such as potatoes, carrots and pasta from your diet. These foods cause high blood sugar spikes when ingested, which in turn cause your body to secrete excess insulin and store more fat, according to the diet website.
Methodology
The Montignac Diet consists of two phases. During Phase 1, the weight-loss phase, you only eat carbohydrates that have a glycemic index rating of 35 or lower. The glycemic index, or GI, index is an international classification system that ranks carbohydrates according to the rate in which they elevate your blood sugar when ingested. You also eat polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, and lean protein sources such as shellfish, fish and poultry. You follow Phase 1 until you reach your ideal weight.
During Phase 2, the maintenance phase, you eat a wider variety of foods. Instead of eating only low GI foods, you use the Montignac Method Diet's glycemic outcome theory to choose foods snack and meal foods; when eaten collectively, they provoke only slight blood sugar fluctuations, according to the diet website. This method allows you to incorporate high GI carbohydrates back into your diet.
Considerations
Additional factors, such as food preparation, ripeness, foods eaten at the same time and the time they were eaten, contribute to the way in which your body absorbs carbohydrates, according to MayoClinic.com. Therefore, a food's glycemic index rating alone does not give an accurate rating of how it will affect your blood sugar. Furthermore, this diet might be difficult to follow because GI ratings are not assigned to packaged foods, according to MayoClinic.com. To successfully lose weight, you should increase the calories you burn and decrease the calories you intake.
Warning
Speak with your doctor about the pros and cons of the Montignac Method Diet before you begin the program. Your doctor might recommend another diet that better supports your current medical condition and short- and long-term weight-loss goals.
