While others were unbuttoning their pants during the holidays, these six New Yorkers were avoiding eggnog and losing weight thanks to four new diet plans. Want to pop the bubbly, not your pants? Take your pick!
Nelida Fernandez, 26
Height: 5-foot-6
Before Weight: 217
After Weight: 203
The Yonkers mom wanted to shed her baby weight with a motivational, no-nonsense program that eliminated fast food, which she ate up to four times a week. The phone-bank operator immediately identified with the philosophy of “The Digest Diet.” “Everything is available at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s,” she says. “You don’t have to do shakes or buy products from a company.”
The book’s testimonials also proved especially motivational. Her favorite? “Make sure you laugh every day.” Luckily for her, she had co-worker and fellow “Digest” Dieter, Louis Santiago, to keep her giggling. “Louis is hilarious! We always tried to pump each other up.”
These days, Fernandez can’t stop checking herself out — and neither can her husband: “It’s like when we first started dating!” she says.
Book grade: A
“I like the high nutritional value and tasty dishes.”
Personal grade: B+
“I could have followed the recipes a little better and used more of the alternate seasonings instead of salt.”
The Digest Diet (Released Oct. 2)
Average grade: A
This popular plan is divided into three stages: “Fast Release” (a four-day detox phase without solid foods), “Fade Away” (emphasizing protein for lean muscle for ten days) and “Finish Strong” (one week with fewer carbs).
The book includes meal plans featuring healthy recipes like potatoes with spicy paprika pepper sauce.
Louis Santiago, 33
Height: 6-foot-3
Before Weight: 285
After Weight: 258
The father of two and FDNY recruiter was determined to rid himself of his “kryptonite”: soda, coffee and carbs, including pizza and bagels. “Once I set my mind to it, I kept with it,” he says.
And that he did. For six straight weeks (and counting), Santiago followed “The Digest Diet” and stayed mostly faithful to the first liquid phase, which includes plenty of yogurt, shakes and loads of water. “I followed every recipe,” he says, citing the baked and lemon chicken as one of his favorites.
And his every-other-day workouts, including an hour on the treadmill and free weights — has paid off in dividends.
Book grade: A+
“She tells it like it is,” Santiago says of the author. “She was so real and inspiring. She went through it, she lost weight herself and she doesn’t sugarcoat the message.”
Personal grade: A
“I’m not stopping now!”
Paula Rosenberg, 30
Height: 5-foot-4
Before Weight: 172
After Weight: 163
Unfortunately, this community support manager and former runner felt “The Plan” was hard to incorporate into her daily life. “I work until 9 many nights, so not drinking at night was tough!” she says. “Also, the first 15 or 20 days feature prescribed meals, and you have to make everything yourself.”
It also doesn’t leave much leeway for dining out or holiday noshing. “It became tricky going out to a business dinner,” she says.
She mostly attributes her success to working out, courtesy of NYSC’s free guest membership and the book’s tools on portion control.
That said, she now eats several small meals throughout the day and continues to do so. “ ‘The Plan’ teaches you portion control — everything in moderation — along with physical activity — and this helped recharge my batteries, and got me into the right mindset again.
“I definitely don’t snack and graze as much. It’s one of those things you don’t pay attention to — grabbing a snack and soda from the pantry every hour.”
Book grade: B-
“The most annoying part by far was the daily temperature-taking.”
Personal grade: B
“I feel proud of myself — especially during the cleanse part because I didn’t cave or eat anything.”
The Plan (out Tuesday)
The Grade: B-
This 20-day program written by nutrition expert Lyn-Genet Recitas promises rapid weight loss and forces you to unlearn just about every embedded health principle: that weight loss isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition, and that not all “healthy” foods help people lose weight.
Its initial phase features a three-day cleanse, which introduces new foods into your diet and eventually makes room for more appealing choices. (A typical breakfast consists of flaxseed with coconut milk, plus blueberries and pumpkin seeds).
“The Plan” also cracks down on late-night eating (due to prescribed meals) and even hydrating (any liquids after 7:30 p.m. will show up on the scale the next day).
Finally, this diet requires a daily temperature-taking to gauge a dieter’s reactions to new foods.
Rachel Bunin, 30
Height: 5-foot-5
Before Weight: 171
After Weight: 163
Bunin, an acupuncture grad student, felt the sting of her sugar addiction for years. “Three years of grad school definitely takes a toll,” she says. “Giving up sugar was the only answer.”
Thankfully, she and the author of “The Hunger Fix” speak the same language: “She validates everything I used to think about my relationship with sugar, when I thought I was crazy and lost all control.”
The prescribed foods for the detox phase include Greek yogurt smoothies, and Bunin added frozen fruits. “It was perfectly sweet enough,” she says.
Bunin, who keeps active with biweekly swims and Pilates, also appreciated the author’s tools and strategies: “She suggests hanging up a piece of clothing you want to wear.”
Book grade: A
“I have to stay on this diet for my own sanity — otherwise I’ll be a 400-pound diabetic!”
Personal grade: B+
Everyday life took a toll on Bunin, who occasionally indulged in falafel with friends.
The Hunger Fix (Released Sept. 18)
Averge Grade: A-
The Hunger Fix claims sugar is as powerful an addiction as drugs and alcohol and aims to rid dieters of their dependency.
Author Dr. Pam Peeke tackles the neuroscience behind food addiction via a three-step plan, customized to individual needs and goals.
Exercise tips, meal plans and healthy recipes help round out the book.
Desiree Frieson, 27
Height: 5-foot-4
Before Weight: 227
After Weight: 217
Frieson, a social media consultant, would come home from work to a three-course dinner courtesy of her chef boyfriend — which became a weight-gaining nightmare.
But with the help of “The Hunger Fix,” she learned to plan ahead, which she says is the diet’s biggest pro and con: “A lot of it is prep time.”
Another downside? The diet requires fancy organic ingredients, such as $7 peanut butter, which caused her $30 weekly shopping to suddenly to swell to $75.
Still, Frieson appreciated the holistic approach. “Bad eating habits are such a psychological thing,” she says.
Although she’s still in the detox phase, she plans to continue hitting the gym up to six days a week with a mix of classes and weekly personal training sessions.
Book grade: B+
Frieson wishes it addressed dietary no-nos “like what are the best fruits with the least sugar.”
Personal grade: “I give myself an A for effort.”
Samara Schindler, 34
Height: 5-foot-3
Before Weight: 175
After Weight: 170
The academic adviser claims “The 8-Hour Diet” perfectly fit her lifestyle. “I’d start eating at 2 or 3 p.m., and stop at 8:30,” she says. “I didn’t give up any of my favorite foods, that’s why I think it was so easy.”
The diet trots out a recommended “Power 8” — eight foods, including fruits, veggies and the normal healthy staples, but otherwise participants are getting a message of carte blanche consumption that as long as you eat within the eight-hour window, consume whatever you wish. “I had all my pastas, cake — I’m a huge carb-eater — I didn’t cut out any of my favorites, and I still lost 5 pounds,” she says.
“The scientific details were a little vague,” she admits.
Still, she’s mostly happy with the results. “I thought I’d be starving, and I wasn’t. My coffee in the morning was a lifesaver.
“Before everyone else would eat dessert, and I’d have to pass. But with this diet, it’s a little more flexible because it doesn’t say you can’t eat anything!”
Personal grade: B
“I ate well during my eight hours.”
The 8-Hour Diet (Released Dec. 24)
The Grade: B+
This diet from health mogul Dave Zinczenko is as extreme as it sounds: Eat anything you want during an eight-hour window, then “fast” the rest of the 16 hours. Zinczenko says the fasting actually helps the body utilize the food most effectively.
Dieters are encouraged to follow the plan at least three days per week, and partake in eight minutes of daily exercise.
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