The Shred Diet

We've all experienced the dreaded weight loss plateau. The weight has been dropping steadily and then, boom, the scale shows you the same number week after depressing week. What can be done? Possibly a bit of diet confusion could be a good thing. What is diet confusion? It is the basis for the Shred Diet, the diet that its author modestly describes as REVOLUTIONARY. Maybe you saw this on Dr. Oz?

Dr. Ian Smith created the Shred diet (many times shown in ALL CAPS) to trick the body into blasting through weight loss plateaus and shedding those last few stubborn pounds. You may recognize him as the creator of the Fat Smash Diet. His latest book SHRED: The Revolutionary Diet, draws from many previous diet plans, but keeps changing the meal plan so that our body never completely adjusts to what’s going on.

Dr. Smith says that this diet will let your drop 2 dress sizes (that's about 4 inches around the belly, guys) in a mere 6 weeks. His “diet confusion” strategy comes from his belief that our bodies can adjust to any consistent eating pattern. That leads to weight loss plateaus. By constantly changing what we eat, we avoid this compensation and the pounds keep falling off.

The Shred Diet has 6 steps, each assigned to its own week. Each week has a catchy name (Prime, Challenge, Transformation, Ascend, Cleanse and Explode) to keep things interesting. There are three primary guidelines/rules that are followed each week.

Rule 1: Space it out. On the Shred Diet, you eat four meals and three snacks every day. Each meal is small, but one goal is to avoid hunger, and seven eating events a day will certainly address that! Special attention is given to low-glycemic index foods so that your blood sugar remains stable. This will decrease cravings and reduce the conversion of sugar into fat in our cells.

Rule 2: Mix it up. You start by tapering down your calorie intake. Just when your body is figuring out the new routine (week 3) you ramp the calories back up.  Think of it as a metabolic version of Wack-A-Mole.

Rule 3: Detox your body. Careful readers may notice that the Cleanse phase doesn't show up until week 5. During week 5 you still eat almost continuously, and you get to add three lovely cleansing beverages. One is made from lemon water with flax seed oil. Another is hibiscus tea and the third is pure cranberry juice.

The Shred Diet book also sets out an exercise plan, with a half hour cardio routine that you should follow at least 5 days a week. This can really accelerate your weight loss and help you build strength and endurance while you shed the fat.

What if you follow the Shred Diet religiously for 6 weeks and still haven’t reached your goal? Dr. Smith says that you can loop back to week 1 and start all over again. Once you have reached that magical goal, you shift to dieting one week every month, then one week every two months. Pick whatever phase you like, just follow it for seven days. Dr. Smith says that you will maintain your ideal weight and ensure a long and vibrant life. Time to get shredded?