Ever heard of the “5 Bite Diet“?
This isn’t a new diet on the market, but it’s been bugging me for a while.
It seems there’s no end to the fad diet madness!
And, people really seem to be sucked in by its approach. Personally, I can’t understand why–but perhaps I’m too biased to understand.
In his book, “Why Weight Around,” Dr Lewis recommends this approach to weight loss:
- Drink as much of anything you want, as long as it doesn’t contain calories.
- Take 5 bites of any food at lunch.
- Take 5 bites of any food at dinner.
- Take one multi-vitamin every day.
- Eat a bit of protein a day “on average.”
Sounds pretty simple, right?
Well, I’m hungry just thinking about it!
But, alas, the good doc says after three days on his diet, you will no longer be hungry. Then, once you’ve reached your goal weight you can go back to eating normally.
If you want to hear what Dr Lewis has to say, here’s an interview with Gregory Mantell:
He encourages people to eat Snickers bars for their meals–need I say ANY more?
All I can think right now is “QUACK!”
Well, I’d love to hear from you guys, what do you think of this diet? Could it lead to an eating disorder? Or, do you think it would be an effective way to kick-start your weight loss?
Please share your insights and knowledge…
To transform the lifestyles of a diet-obsessed world by teaching people how to eat healthy and make healthy eating a habit for life.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Any diet which suggests, “Then, once you’ve reached your goal weight you can go back to eating normally” is not to be listened to.
Daft.
Armen,
My thoughts exactly, but what would I know???
I agree with this too. Your old diet was making you fat so to go back to it would be silly and the point of changing your diet should be that you want to be healthy and happier….it should be a lifestyle change. I don’t see how any diet is going to work unless it is a lifestyle change.
I think it is also really bad that this “Dr” is recommending to eat anything. A snickers bar is not going to satisfying anyone and will probably result in bingeing.
Agh it makes me hungry just thinking about only having 5 bites. I eat a LOT – more like 100 bites haha!
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Postponement & The 5 Major Poisons Inherently Found In Animal Foods =-.
Kelly,
LOL It is just crazy. If you wanted to eat salad, why should you need to limit it to 5 bites, that’s just stupid.
It worries me what will happen to those people who do manage stay on this diet for a while.
So long as by “going back to eating normally” means ‘normal’ as in a ‘normal, healthy balanced diet’ I don’t see the issue.
Emma,
Do you think that’s possible after eating only 5 bites at each meal? Perhaps it depends on how long you stay on the diet.
Hi Mel,
I guess this guy has not thought of people like me who can take some pretty large bytes! I would not lose weight on this diet (as I can almost unhinge my jaw)…
.-= John W. Zimmer´s last blog ..Update: Workouts and BJJ! =-.
Hey John,
lol… I think there are a few others who have been confused by that too. From the Diet Blog forum I’ve read a number of peoples comments asking for a more specific measurement rather than just “bites.”
I think this is also why he suggests the Snickers bars, apparently that gives a good indication of the required volume.
My mind boggles…..
Quack quack quack.
.-= Blake´s last blog ..Women and Heart Disease =-.
Precisely!!!!! lol
An anaconda wouldn’t lose much weight on this “diet”
Glenn,
Haha… trust YOU!! You’re absolutely right though!
managed 4mins of the interview
Dr Snicker Quack – I presume!
If I do have one of these type of bars (& I do to stop craving) I eat the whole darn lot in a few bites – it’s too sticky to leave in a wrapper until later
.-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..Achievements + usual Opinions =-.
Cathy,
I agree the interview is a bit grueling!! Well done for reaching 4 mins, lol
I don’t see anything wrong with having chocolate as a treat, I do too! But, he’s completely barking mad when he recommends people eat Snickers bars for meals… it’s a joke!
I’ve decided he’s gotta be on the Snicker Bars payroll…the new way to advertise!
Probably working on getting onto some other chocolate gooey bars’ payroll as well
.-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..Not into making ‘lists’ really =-.
That is a scam for sure. Can you say “starvation mode”? This is exactly like the starvation diets that were preached in the ’80s that backfired on so many people.
.-= Carla | Green and Chic´s last blog ..My Love of Links 2010 – Vol II =-.
Hey Carla,
Yes, you’re so right. It’s so dangerous, and irritating that a doctor would be recommending.
Wow. O.O That is NOT RIGHT! Dude, I think it will lead to even more eating disorders…I should know, I had anorexia. This type of thing is less food than even I ate when I was sick, and I could’ve died… O.O Can we sue this guy?? That is just horrible!
P.S. Don’t worry, I’m better now. I’ve been at a healthy weight for one full month. =) I don’t think you care but, eh, if you do, there ya go.
if you weren’t at at healthy weight…then you wouldn’t be telling us about you trail to better living – congrats that you have returned to the land of the living – go well in your journey.
.-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..Reviewing the Wood Bay Resolutions =-.
Cricketo,
I think you’re right, for some people this will definitely lead to long-term problems and obsession. It’s so frustrating.
Well done for being on the road to recovery yourself. That’s wonderful.
I don’t think this diet is that bad as long as you are taking 5 huuuge bites. And of healthy food. Not the fast food.
Generally speaking if you know what how to choose and combine healthy foods, this doctor just sets the guidlines on how to plan meal regimen for a day. Not too bad if you approach this diet wisely.
Hi Marina,
Thanks for your comment. It’s my understanding he recommends the chocolate bar as a way of determining how your tummy should feel after a meal, I don’t think he really encourages 5 huge bites, but I’m sure that’s what I’d do if I were on this diet!!
The main thing that worries me about this diet is the lack of nutrition the body would absorb.
As an athlete, I exercise 4-6 times a week. My metabolism is very high and I find that I need to eat more just to maintain my weight and give my body what it needs for energy. With a diet like this, my body would not have enough calories to fuel itself for the workouts.
I tend to eat 5 smaller meals per day (healthy food of course). Here is an example of what works for me: http://www.volleyball-training-ground.com/fitness-nutrition-plan.html
.-= Melito´s last blog ..Beach Volleyball Dimensions for Court Size =-.
Hi Melito,
Yes, totally agree. I can’t imagine how anyone would survive unscathed with this diet. Surely the brain, skin and other organs would begin to be effected by the lack of nutrition. I think it’s scary.
This guy is a NUT!!!
It doesn’t take a physician to work out that if you only eat 2 snickers bars or equivilant, that your weight is going to fall off.
This would encourage the mental unbalance that starts eating disorders.
This guy needs to have his mentallity checked out and maybe lock him up!! Probably most people who struggle with their weight , have, at some stage of their life , went on silly diets. But this so called physician endorsing and encouraging this, is crazy. should be taken up for abuse.
Can you imagine some poor person with an eating disorder, trying this??
Ruth,
Absolute nut job, I am seriously doubting his medical qualification. Don’t know how he gets away with this.
If you visit the forum on Diet-Blog you would probably be shocked by the people who go on there saying they are trying out the diet, and wishing each other well. It seems to have a bit of a cult following.
Wow, so that’s all I need to do!!!! Yeah right, this is completely nuts!!!! & to boot if I ate a snickers a day, then in gained weight I would pay!!!
Tiffany,
I know, sounds soooo simple!! What a joke.
Actually, although I have not done this and it does sound ridiculous, it actually makes sense. I’ve researched him and a lot of gastric bypass surgeons recommend their patients to him before opting for surgery because this is basically the same exact principles that they would be using after surgery. He does state that this is not a Forever plan but that it helps you get control of your stomach. I mean lets face it there are a lot of people in America who could benefit from eating WAY less. What always amazes me is that people will be so quick to call people who are willing try a diet like this anorexic etc but the reality is that most obese people have just as much of an eating disorder and are at a much higher risk of developing complications that could lead to their death.
Missy,
I completely agree with you that many people could do with eating less. That’s for sure!
I didn’t know that surgeons send their patients to him, but I do know he recommends a similar volume of food to that of gastric surgery patients. However, I do feel that a diet such as this is best dealt with under the supervision of a medical practitioner, don’t you? And, some people really do think it’s okay to eat Snickers bars for their meals, surely you don’t agree with that?
why do people make dumb ass remarks when they have not fully read the book or spoken to someone who has tried the 5 bite diet. You DONT go back to eating normally, what he says IN HIS BOOK if you bothered to read it is that you go back to eating the food you ate before with a controlled portion that you have now learned from restraining yourself and not eating until you are about to explode. you don’t continue to eat just 5 bites and you don’t go back to eating the AMOUNT you use to eat. when you work with Dr. Lewis you learn the healthy AMOUNT of food you should eat to maintain the weight you are currently at after the diet.
I suppose no one really gets it until you read the book and fully understand the process, if you had an obese relative who wanted to have a surgery that butchers their stomach in order to eat less so they can lose the weight then that would be okay? why not tell them that there is a way to do it without surgery and instead use self control, what a thought?? Gastric bypass patients are told to eat 3 bites of food 3 times a day. My mother spend thousands on a lap band surgery and gained her weight back because the surgery did not teach her self control and it did not help her take control of the food she was stuffing into her mouth the surgery simply made it impossible for her to eat for a few weeks without gaging and slowly she just started stuffing herself again.
don’t judge a book by it’s cover…
Mimi,
I am all in favour of teaching people how to control portions. And, as I pointed out in my article, I know Dr Lewis recommends that people go back to eating normally when they have completed the diet.
There’s no way I can support a diet like this for the general public, though. Every day on the Diet-Blog forum people comment about how they are getting on with this method — one day they do well, the next day they fall off the wagon again, and on and on it goes. It’s a roller-coaster diet!
I am completely in favour of someone using measures like this (under correct supervision) rather than getting surgery. But, this diet should not be advocated for everyone. Your mother should have been under the care of a dietitian when she had her surgery — at least in the UK that’s what we do. There’s no way you do that kind of surgery, and don’t try to teach people how to eat afterwards, that’s just crazy.
And, the issue about the Snickers bars — I know for a fact some people actually eat 3 bars a day rather than meals — don’t tell me that’s healthy!
This diet is about changing your stomach’s expectation. Here in the States, it seems there has been a steady increase in what our stomachs will hold at any meal. You only need to look at television shows from the late 70’s to see the difference in body shapes from then to now (disregard the fashion of course).
Yes, very true. Portions sizes have grown incredibly over the years, I think it’s even more apparent in the States. When I visited there a few years ago, I was quite amazed!
Wat I wanted to know was if wen you get off the diet do you gain the weight back?
.-= mmpam1´s last blog ..6 Power Packed Pre-Workout Snacks =-.
I can’t say for sure, but I don’t imagine you would be able to keep the weight off long-term. That’s the problem with most diets like this. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this type of dieting approach.
Ok so this guy says we should all aim for a BMI of 18.5!
I have a large skeletal frame at that BMI I look like a walking skeleton, sorry but really cannot see how that is healthy.
Plus women need at least 10% body fat but really should not go below 12% otherwise it causes infertility and impaired brain function. So I am 5′7″, at a BMI of 18.5 I weigh 118lb, then if I had 10% fat which is the bare minimum for a female that means I only have a lean body mass of 106.2lb. My lean body mass alone is currently 130lb and I am not at all fat, so in order for me to fit into his little box of the ideal I would have to lose 23.8lb of my lean body mass. How can that be healthy?
I totally understand! As a true mesomorph, if I were to try to get down to 18.5 BMI, I would have to STOP going to the gym, stop weight training and just sit around so I can lose muscle. How is that healthy?
.-= Carla´s last blog ..Guest Post- Six Natural Mosquito Repellents =-.
It isn’t healthy, Maigre. It’s very scary indeed that this guy is out there propagating stuff like this.