# Bernstein Diet



## MacDaddy (Jul 16, 2001)

I have a friend that is signing up for this 'Dr. Bernstein Diet' and I am wondering if anybody has tried this out already, or if it is another one of those scam things.

Thanks!


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

My own opinion is that any such "diet" should be avoided - nutritional common sense and regular exercise should be all that's required under normal circumstances. 

Check out this Marketplace piece from 2002 on the Bernstein Diet.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I thoight you meant a "Berenstain Diet" which would involve eating lots of honey.


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## MacDaddy (Jul 16, 2001)

Thanks for the article! greatly appreciated!


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Macfury said:


> I thoight you meant a "Berenstain Diet" which would involve eating lots of honey.


Ohhh c'mon that was bearly a joke... ha ha ha


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Good one, Macfury. My son loved those books.

A friend of mine in London, ON tried that diet, but gave up due to the cost.


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

A couple weeks ago John Tory was on CFRB's morning show speaking to Ted about losing weight on the Berstein Diet. He actually said that he only consumed 800 calories per day along with exercising in the mornings.
I would call that a starvation diet myself and very harmful. 
What is he thinking???


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## LaurieR (Feb 9, 2006)

There was a technician who occasionally used to come into my work. He lost about 100lbs on such a diet. Guess what...? He gradually gained it back. It's an unrealistic diet, as are 99% of diets.

Tell your friend to find a good nutritionist, hire a trainer for a few sessions and learn how to do it the right way.


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

Macfury said:


> I thoight you meant a "Berenstain Diet" which would involve eating lots of honey.


Good one Macfury!! :lmao:


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

My mom and I tried it over the summer (about a month and a half). We didn't go to the clinics, just got ahold  of the food lists and took a few supplements to replace some of the stuff that you need when you go on such a strict diet...you don't get the same "motivation" as going to the clinics but its extremely expensive (and my mom is involved in the healthcare industry and consulted with a doctor who runs one of the clinics so we were both pretty aware of what to do/watch out for).

Anyhow, we both found it to be amazingly effective (and neither of us is very overweight, just wanted to lose maybe 10lbs). For the first three days (when you are getting rid of all your glycogen stores by eating pretty much no carbs) you can feel a bit crappy (headaches, little energy), but once you're into ketosis (you check your urine to see if you're excreting ketones) and all your glycogen stores are gone (so then you're burning fat whenever calories out>calories in) I personally felt great. I didn't even want to eat carbs/junk food...I was quite happy with the allowed foods/quantities (you can eat alot of protein so you're not really hungry...some feel "deprived" without the carbs though). I had lots of energy (wanted to exercise more than usual). We both saw alot of weight loss and muscle gain. I still stay away from carbs (and I don't miss them) and I've stayed at a stable weight. I think the diet really made me think much more about portion sizes and the true nutritional value of what I'm eating (and I eat much healthier now for it---even at the university caf!)

Its all about eating filling foods that are low in calories (carbs suck in this respect) and exercising.

All that said, I think this diet is meant more for extremely overweight people...they are already at great risk for health problems and the risks of a "starvation" (I don't know if I would call it this...I was probably eating 1000-1200 calories) are thus not as worrisome.


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## LaurieR (Feb 9, 2006)

That is just not enough calories to consume in a day - you're right, it's like starving yourself. Not healthy at all - this will actually have a reverse effect when he starts eating again.



SilverMaple said:


> A couple weeks ago John Tory was on CFRB's morning show speaking to Ted about losing weight on the Berstein Diet. He actually said that he only consumed 800 calories per day along with exercising in the mornings.
> I would call that a starvation diet myself and very harmful.
> What is he thinking???


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## LaurieR (Feb 9, 2006)

Carbs have really gotten a bad rap. We need carbs to survive!! Instead of completely giving up carbs, people should switch to whole grains, brown rice, etc. And there is nothing wrong with potatoes - they're actually very good for you!!


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

LaurieR said:


> Carbs have really gotten a bad rap. We need carbs to survive!! Instead of completely giving up carbs, people should switch to whole grains, brown rice, etc. And there is nothing wrong with potatoes - they're actually very good for you!!


Agreed that we need carbs to survive (you need something like 50g a day for proper neuronal function I've read) but if many people took a close look at just how many carbs they consume, it is far in excess of what's needed. So much of our food is carbs (most food that easy/fast to prepare has alot of carbs), which means we have to eat alot of calories to stay full for any extended amount of time (protein is much better in this respect)>


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

CN said:


> Agreed that we need carbs to survive (you need something like 50g a day for proper neuronal function I've read) but if many people took a close look at just how many carbs they consume, it is far in excess of what's needed. So much of our food is carbs (most food that easy/fast to prepare has alot of carbs), which means we have to eat alot of calories to stay full for any extended amount of time (protein is much better in this respect)>


I agree that we probably eat too many carbs. I try to get mine through whole wheat products whenever possible.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

SilverMaple said:


> A couple weeks ago John Tory was on CFRB's morning show speaking to Ted about losing weight on the Berstein Diet. He actually said that he only consumed 800 calories per day along with exercising in the mornings.
> I would call that a starvation diet myself and very harmful.
> What is he thinking???


He was thinking, "What can I do to be more photogenic, so I can get elected?"

Not necessary, and potentially harmful; otherwise he seems to make good decisions.


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## LaurieR (Feb 9, 2006)

It's so true - most people don't realize that a serving of rice or pasta is only approx. what would fit in the palm of your cupped hand. And people seem to be hooked on those darn Tim Hortons bagels!!

And then there's all that refined sugar hidden away in processed foods...what a nightmare.



CN said:


> Agreed that we need carbs to survive (you need something like 50g a day for proper neuronal function I've read) but if many people took a close look at just how many carbs they consume, it is far in excess of what's needed. So much of our food is carbs (most food that easy/fast to prepare has alot of carbs), which means we have to eat alot of calories to stay full for any extended amount of time (protein is much better in this respect)>


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

HowEver said:


> He was thinking, "What can I do to be more photogenic, so I can get elected?"
> Not necessary, and potentially harmful; otherwise he seems to make good decisions.


Quite right HowEver!  I guess that's why he doesn't wear his glasses anymore.


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