Can you imagine basking in the sun while enjoying a plate full of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats? Between each portion of food or meal do you sip a good glass of wine and are you aware that you are surrounded by hikers, cyclists and small slopes with olive trees?
Well, whether you can or not, that’s the scenario offered by one of the newest diet programs available. The Sonoma Diet by Dr. Connie Gutterson is a weight loss plan that promotes the healthy, flavorful eating styles of the Mediterranean and Sonoma Valley, California. But is all this self-promotion, self-marketing illusion designed to lure customers, or will it actually work?
This article answers that question by detailing the pros and cons of the Sonoma Diet to help prospective dieters determine if the program is right for them.
The Sonoma Diet:
advantages
- EASY:
The Sonoma Diet is extremely easy for dieters to follow. There are no formulas to calculate like the Weight Watchers program, and no daily gram or calorie counting. Rather, plate and bowl sizes are used for portion control.
- EMPHASIZE THE POSITIVE:
The focus of the Sonoma Diet program is on what you eat, not what you can’t eat. Although the program still includes a list of banned foods that dieters should avoid.
- ENJOY THE FOOD:
The Sonoma Diet focuses on eating slower and enjoying food. This is punctuated by the healthy use of fine wines with meals after the first 10 days. By using flavorful recipes, meals are enjoyed, and by slowing down the diet, overeating is prevented.
- NOURISHMENT:
The Sonoma Diet has a strong nutritional component that encourages dieters to consume a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants. This is key to nutrition as it is based on nutrition not hunger. The dieter stays healthy and keeps their metabolic rate at an effective level.
- Full Value Emphasis:
Emphasizing whole foods in the diet and very few processed foods helps dieters with health gains as well as weight loss.
- STRUCTURED NUTRITION
There are definitely several weight loss programs and diets that lack a prescribed structure for their participants. One of the strengths of the Sonoma Diet is its step-by-step instructions, but this is obviously a personal choice for each individual.
The Sonoma Diet:
Disadvantages
- LACK OF FLEXIBILITY
Analysis of the diet proves that most Wave 1 menus only offer around 950-1100 calories for women and 1050-1300 for men. Once you hit Wave 2, diets only add 200-300 extra calories. While this will be effective in weight loss, people find it difficult to live with. People will starve to death within the first week and in the long term this is unsustainable for most dieters.
- MISSING LINE AT HUNGER
Given the level of hunger some may experience while on the Sonoma Diet, instructions on what to do and eat when hungry are lacking.
- LIMITED SIZES, ESPECIALLY VEGETABLES
Compared to most other diets, the Sonoma Diet has an extremely controlled volume of food, especially when it comes to vegetables. The lack of available vegetables may be unintentional, but people will generally be in for a shock when it comes to the amount of food they can consume if they stick to Sonoma Diet portion sizes.
- FORBIDDEN FOODS
By emphasizing whole foods, the Sonoma Diet does an excellent job of providing dieters with nutrition. However, the number of banned foods does not leave dieters with as many alternatives or substitutes in terms of sugars, fats, etc. This can be difficult for dieters to handle.
- Lack of carbohydrates in wave 1
Many diets run the risk of a carbohydrate crash. However, the Sonoma Diet is designed as a low-carb diet and has no way of managing this risk, which can occur during the first phase of the diet, Wave 1.
In conclusion, it is clear that the Sonoma Diet offers both positive and negative benefits for prospective dieters. It is important that each and every dieter explores these questions in relation to their own personality and makes a decision that suits them personally. If you like a structured diet with a focus on taste, health and wellness, then the Sonoma Diet is for you. However, if you require a greater degree of flexibility and food intake, an alternative may be recommended.
Thanks to Tobius Whitman
