The Food of The 5 Factor Diet

The one area in which Pasternak deviates from the number five is the number of days in the week you are to follow the diet plan strictly. She calls for six out of seven days, with the seventh being a built-in cheat day, where the follower can eat anything they like from morning till night. There is some dissension in the fitness community
about diets that call for such a cheat day, but it is there, and if you can stick to just one day, it will probably be okay. But let’s talk about the other six days, and what you’re supposed to be eating. According to the 5 Factor plan, each meal must consist of the five nutritional make-ups we discussed earlier. Lean protein, complex carbs, fiber, healthy fat, and a sugar free drink. An example of this type of meal could be a piece of lean beef (sirloin or such), a small salad, a serving of asparagus, and a glass (or more) of water. Of course, this is only one example. There are a myriad of possibilities on this diet, as long as they meet the requirements set forth by the author. She helpfully gives plenty of suggestions for foods meeting all of the requirements, and with a mix and match system, boredom shouldn’t be too much of a problem on this diet
plan.

 Just Another Fad Diet?

 Well, that’s hard to answer. Taken as a whole, the Atkins diet would probably not be fairly called a fad diet, yet it is the most commonly cited example of such. The first two weeks of Atkins, or the “induction” phase, would certainly fit the bill, with the limiting of carbohydrates to below 20 grams per day. However, the following phases of the diet, where carbohydrates are slowly but surely added back in, most meaningfully in the form of complex carbs and high fiber choices, would better fit the definition of a sensible diet plan. The same goes for the 5 Factor Diet. Taken as a whole, with its strategies and eating recommendations, and its call for vigorous and regular exercise, it’s hard to pick out anything about the diet that would lend itself to the terms “crash diet” or “fad diet”. Yet, on the other hand, there are always concerns along these lines. Here’s why.

Any time you have a regimented eating plan such as this,no matter how diverse, eventually it’s going to get irritating and old. The human being craves diversity and flexibility. This, however, is exactly what got many overweight people into trouble in the first place. They are
unable to control themselves and find that complete freedom leads to bad choices. That’s why diets such as these work so well–in the short term. Dieters like to feel as if they have regained a certain amount of control over their eating. However, while the weight loss is sure to come (not just on the 5 Factor Diet, but on any regimented eating plan), it’s easy to “fall off the wagon”.

For that reason, any diet that begins making very strict and planned out eating propositions must be regarded, at least in part, as a fad diet.

At the same time, let’s take nothing away from the sound eating principles involved in the 5 Factor Diet. And they are sound, and nutritionally expedient. Still, the diet, like so many others, is kind of like taking the long way around a beautiful forest. The Forest of Common Sense, let’s call it. It is a path many other diets have taken, including Atkins, South Beach, The Movie Star Diet, and so many others. The plain fact of the matter is, if you take in more calories than your burn, you will gain weight. If you taken in fewer, you will lose weight. It’s
just that simple, and all of these diets are basically low calorie diets in disguise. All this talk about burning ketones or the glycemic index or eating like Jesus did in Biblical times is just a way of masking that simple common sense principal. Is there anything wrong with
that? Perhaps not, but the reader should be aware of it before believing that they’ve suddenly found the magical fountain from which to drink.