The Montignac diet is a method for losing weight that became extremely popular around the 1990s. The method is named after the Frenchman Michel Montignac, who invented this diet. Michel Montignac made a distinction between the good carbohydrates (fruit and whole grain products, etc.) and the bad carbohydrates (sugars and potatoes, etc.). He also found that it is better to separate fats and carbohydrates when dieting.
- The theory of the Montignac diet
- Montignac: a complicated diet
- Phases that must be completed
- Benefits of the Montignac diet
- Disadvantages Montignac diet
The theory of the Montignac diet
According to Michel Montignac, losing weight is not just about limiting calories. He says that you should attach much more importance to the so-called glycemic index of carbohydrates. The glycemic index is a measure that determines the speed at which blood glucose levels rise after consuming carbohydrates. Montignac also separates the good carbohydrates (GI lower than 50) and the bad carbohydrates (GI above 50), this is the basis of the diet. Montignac also always recommends separating carbohydrates and fats in a meal. Extensive use of vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grain products and a limitation of saturated fat.
Montignac: a complicated diet
The good advice is to eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grain products and to limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet. In the short term, this diet will always lead to weight loss because the food provides fewer calories. On the other hand, the poorly substantiated theories make the method unnecessarily complicated. A sandwich with cheese and a meal with meat, vegetables and potatoes are taboo. Eating carbohydrates and fats separately is practically impossible. For example, bread provides both carbohydrates and fat.
Phases that must be completed
Phase 1: The slimming phase
This first phase must be continued for at least 3 months, as the pancreas needs time to stabilize. After these three months, you can occasionally allow yourself to commit a sin, even if you still have to lose weight. In phase 1 there are two different types of meals: carbohydrate meals and fat meals.
Phase 2: The maintenance phase
Once you have gained weight, you can slowly start phase 2. This means that you can combine fats with all good carbohydrates (so up to a GI of 50) and can also afford the occasional violation. Take this easy, especially in the beginning, otherwise you run the risk of gaining weight again.
Benefits of the Montignac diet
- In this diet you can eat ‘unlimitedly’ as long as you do not combine fat and carbohydrates.
- There are generous portions of vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grain products on the menu.
- Diet contains a lot of healthy unsaturated fat which is excellent!
Disadvantages Montignac diet
- You get a relatively high protein and fat content.
- Separating carbohydrates and fats in food is not very practical.
- It has never been shown that separating food will cause you to lose weight.
