The Dukan Diet: 5 things to know

The Dukan Diet--another twist on high-protein/low-carb--is one of the latest best sellers among fad-diet books. Fad diets are always sold as some magical breakthrough, or magical combination of eating the "right things, in the right way." The reality is that high-protein diets date back over 150 years (to 1860!), and if they actually worked--in the long term--we wouldn't have two-thirds of our population overweight or obese.

Here's five things to think about before choosing to take the plunge:

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Glycemic index, insulin and weight loss: what are the facts?

The glycemic index (GI) originated as a research tool more than two decades ago. It is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate food is broken down to simple sugars and absorbed into the bloodstream after eating.

GI became popularized through diet books that claim that controlling GI controls insulin and that in turn prevents hunger, fat storage, and weight gain.

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Most diet books waste your time on nonsense that won’t—ever—produce results

How many diet books have you read over the years?
Most diet books waste your time on nonsense that won’t—ever—produce results. Every book has its “magic formula,” usually some special combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates that only the author has the secret to. All nonsense. What counts are actions/behaviors that directly impact your weight. In other words, they directly impact your calorie intake or output. I’ll continue on this thread the next few days, introducing you to what I call the “Critical Control Factors” of weight management, what they are and why each is critical.