There are new diets all the time. Generally speaking, our advice is to stick to the tried and true healthy, moderate diet. However, we also recognize that different methods work for different people. Some folks thrive with more rigid diets with rules that they can follow. A diet with rules gives them a framework to build their plan from.
That’s why we never eschew a diet before looking into it. But the minute we heard the name “the sugar diet,” we got nervous. And, having looked into it, we can say that this is not a diet anyone with blood sugar concerns should be following.
The sugar diet involves limiting your protein and fat while maximizing simple carbs like honey, juice and straight sugar. People claim they lose weight fast while never feeling hungry.
Registered dietician Vanessa Imus explained that the sugar diet may help a person lose weight as it puts them in a calorie deficit. “Greatly reducing fats in the diet helps to lower calorie intake significantly because fats contain nine calories per gram, over double the amount of calories that carbohydrates or sugars carry (four calories per gram). This would lead to a calorie reduction and, therefore, weight loss.”
But, Ms. Imus said that once a person starts eating fat again, they will regain any weight they lost from the crash diet. She added, “One of the risks of low protein intake over time is that your body will start to break down muscle tissue to get the protein it needs to fuel vital functions of the body. This can cause your weight loss efforts to backfire down the road, as a reduction in muscle mass can slow down your metabolism.”
When researchers took a close look at the sugar diet’s impact on men, they saw that heavily restricting protein made men require more calories to maintain their weight, even if they replaced the protein with carbs or fat. It also didn’t impact their muscle mass during the study. While some people might take that as a sign that a low-protein diet could be a good fit for them, it puts stress on your thyroid, adrenals and pancreas even if you don’t have blood sugar concerns.
We would not recommend this diet for anyone, especially not people with blood sugar concerns. The name makes it sound too good to be true. Unfortunately, in this case, it is!
