SunSlim Diet Review
Note: the SunSlim Diet is no longer available for sale.
According to author Dr. Joy Siegrist, the SunSlim diet is…
“… scientifically designed to burn off excess fat at the fastest rate that is safe for you.”
In the introduction to the book, she says…
“Instead of eating less, you can burn off up to 176% more calories by following the eating plans in this book.”
Despite what I’ve heard about the SunSlim diet, I was a little disappointed with the introduction. After all, nowhere was Dr. Siegrist forthcoming with any evidence to justify the “176% more calories” statement.
And although for the most part the meals are properly balanced to ensure proper blood sugar balance, I wouldn’t exactly describe them as “scientifically designed”. Nonetheless, there are a couple of reasons why, despite my initial hesitations, this diet may be perfect for you. Let’s take a closer look…
After the introduction, we get the obligatory few pages on the dangers of being overweight. I’m sure they are no surprise to any of you by now. The list includes heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, gout, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, and so on.
There’s also a brief discussion on the importance of exercise and deep breathing before we get to the mechanics of measuring obesity. Although Dr. Siegrist points out its limitations, she likes the BMI (Body Mass Index) as a measure of overweight. Personally, I feel that its limitations outweigh its benefits, and that you should measure your bodyfat percentage but that’s not critical to your success or to this diet.
Over the next several pages Dr. Siegrist discusses the dangers of fad diets, miracle diet cure-alls, diet pills, and the deteriorating nutritional value of food.
Page 29 finally gets us to the SunSlim diet and a 22 point guideline for using the system. This might sound scary… it’s not. The first one for example is, “Always start your program on a Monday”. The second is “You must eat within one hour of waking up.” So it’s not an intimidating list. It’s all doable.
The program consists of two phases…
Phase I: Called the “Jump” or “Prep” phase. This phase lasts between 4-6 weeks (depending on how much weight you have to lose), and works by “jump starting your lethargic metabolism”. The 4-6 period is how long it will take until your “metabolic rhythm is in sync and your body is burning off maximum calories, safely and efficiently.”
According to Dr. Siegrist, Phase I is the toughest part of the SunSlim diet, but also the most required.
Phase II: Here’s a direct quote…
“Phase II is a breeze. You’ll have days where you can eat anything you desire.”
Actually Phase II is a cycling between the low-calorie meal plans of Phase I and the higher calorie meal plans of Phase II. You may eat as few as two or as many as 5 high calorie meals depending on how you feel at the beginning of the week.
At this point, the simplicity of the SunSlim diet comes to the fore. Now, all that’s left for you to do is to follow the meal plans to a “T”.
Most meals are balanced between protein and carbs, but there are a lot of moderate-to-high-glycemic carb-only snacks.
Rice cakes are a staple on this diet, regrettable because of the impact they have on insulin function (rice cakes have a outrageously high glycemic index rating, and are not ideal “diet food”).
Here’s a few examples of Phase I meals for your convenience (women’s menu presented, guys, you get a mouthful more)…
A typical breakfast: 3-4 tablespoons (dry measure) of grits AND 3-4 egg whites cooked any style.
A typical 2nd meal: 3 rice cakes or 1 Health Valley Bar (except breakfast bar)
A typical 3rd meal: 1 can of tuna and a green salad
A typical 4th meal: 3-4 slices of turkey (or 3-4 egg whites) and a green salad (or 2-4 rice cakes)
A typical 5th meal: 4-6 ounces fish or chicken plus 1 cup of green beans or 1-2 cups mixed vegetables.
As you can see, calorie levels are very low for this part of the diet, so it will require some willpower to stick to.
In the end, what will make the SunSlim diet appealing to many of you is this…
It’s an easy diet to understand and to implement. It’s relatively short. You can read the entire publication in less than an hour and be started shortly after.
While I feel the SunSlim diet has a few limitations (e.g., high glycemic carb-rich snacks, very low calorie meals on Phase I, a couple of “questionable” statements regarding its effectiveness), its 5 small daily meals are essential to stimulating your metabolism. Properly balanced meals do this effectively as well.
For those of you who are time-pressed and need a “near-instant” dieting fix, the SunSlim diet is worth a look.
For those of you who want something a little more comprehensive, check out my review of Tom Venuto’s excellent publication, Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle!
