Tony Ferguson is an Australian-based pharmacist who developed a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, meal-replacement diet called the Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program. In its initial stages, the protocol involves consuming two meal-replacement items a day, a protein-rich dinner, fruit and flavored gelatin. It is a low glycemic plan with proprietary shakes and soups that are made up of 50 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fats and other nutrients.
A Typical Day
Your typical day on the Tony Ferguson diet includes a meal-replacement shake or soup for breakfast along with a fiber supplement -- Tony Ferguson's Simply Fiber. Before lunch, you can have a serving of fruit and a multivitamin, preferably Tony Ferguson's Simply Balanced multivitamin tablet. Lunch includes a meal-replacement shake or soup and vegetables you can use in a salad or the soup, or baked, grilled or steamed. You're permitted a serving of fruit mid-day. For dinner, you can have a serving of meat -- about the size of your palm, which is roughly 3 oz. -- and vegetables that can be served in a salad, soup or cooked. You're permitted to have a serving of Tony Ferguson Sugar Free Gelatin for dessert.
Glycemic Index
The Tony Ferguson diet is based on the glycemic index, or GI, which is similar to diets like The Zone and South Beach. A glycemic index diet charts and compartmentalizes foods by their carbohydrate content. The theory is that eating foods high in carbs causes your blood sugar levels to spike and can lead to weight gain. Food with low glycemic values sustains blood glucose levels, stays in the digestive tract longer and presumably suppresses cravings and hunger. The MayoClinic.com website reports that little scientific evidence exists in support of glycemic index diets for weight loss, however, and that these plans are controversial and uncertain at best.
Vegetables
Ferguson provides a list of approved vegetables, each of which are rated on the glycemic index. According to Ferguson's website, "Allowed vegetables have a low carbohydrate content and low GI, and may be consumed as often as desired throughout the day." Vegetables that qualify for the Ferguson diet include spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and zucchini. Acceptable fruit, of which two servings are permitted a day, include banana, strawberries, apples, peaches, grapes, oranges, lemons and prunes. Vegetables that have a low glycemic rating, but are not listed on Ferguson's website, include asparagus, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli and cauliflower.
Considerations
It is common to have headaches or feel dizzy in the early stages of the Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program. Symptoms are usually caused by withdrawing from caffeine and detoxing from high-fat, high-carb foods. Drinking plenty of water can help ease symptoms, which should not last longer than a few days. You may also become constipated. Ferguson's fiber supplement, along with drinking a lot of water, can ease these symptoms as well. People not qualified to go on this diet include those who are pregnant, breast-feeding, underweight or who have a history of an eating disorder. If you have diabetes, had organ failure, major surgery or are six weeks post-childbirth, you are required to provide written consent from your physician giving you permission to go on the diet. You are also required to meet with your doctor regularly if you have a medical condition such as heart disease, a malabsorption condition or food allergies.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Choosing a Diet that's Right for You; June 2010
- University of New Mexico; Glycemic Index: Weight Loss Sham or Sensation: Jerry Mayo, Ph.D., Len Kravitz, Ph.D.
- MayoClinic.com: Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control; November 2009
- Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program; September 8, 2009
- SouthBeach Diet: Low Glycemic Index Vegetables
- DietSpotlight: Tony Ferguson Review
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