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Cruise deserves credit for recognizing the needs of dieters who want to lose weight but who have physical problems with exercise. And he offers plenty of good advice to help these dieters eat healthy. It would be nice to see some activities tailored just for these folks. Perhaps resistance training or 8 Minutes in the Morning (HarperResource) -- Cruise's first, workout-heavy diet plan -- are not possible, but gentle-on-the-joints activities like water walking and water aerobics might help extremely overweight or arthritic dieters become more active (after all, the Arthritis Foundation does recommend exercise to treat arthritis). Cruise could also use a little help in the recipe department. He may have a chef on his advisory board, but the recipes here aren't as mouthwatering as those in most top diet books. In fact, a slow-cooker turkey breast steeped with sugar-free cranberry gelatin and dried onion soup mix sounds downright bizarre.
Does the diet take and keep weight off? The evidence is purely anecdotal. There are no scientific studies to support that 'The 3-Hour Diet' works or that it delivers on the cover promise of losing two pounds every week.
Is the diet healthy? Probably. The diet adds up to about 1,450 calories a day-a safe and effective amount for most dieters and one that will likely promote slow, gradual weight loss.
What do the experts say? Registered dietitian Jane Kirby, author of Dieting for Dummies (For Dummies), likes Cruise's emphasis on eating more frequently. "So many of us eat mindlessly," she says. Cruise's plan "constantly makes people aware of what and how much they eat." What Kirby doesn't buy: Cruise's theory on how the 3-hour window affects metabolism. "Metabolism depends on a lot of things -- how much you eat, body composition, activity levels." Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, shoots more holes in Cruise's three-hour theory. "Our bodies are smart enough that they don't go into starvation mode after only three hours," she says.
Who should consider the diet? Dieters who skip meals, or those who overeat when they feel sad or depressed. Eating more frequent meals is a good way to control appetite and squelch the desire to pig out.
Bottom Line: Even if some of his reasons for eating more frequent meals aren't always on target, Cruise's approach to weight loss is practical and doable. At some point, though, dieters will need to start exercising.
Does the diet take and keep weight off? The evidence is purely anecdotal. There are no scientific studies to support that 'The 3-Hour Diet' works or that it delivers on the cover promise of losing two pounds every week.
Is the diet healthy? Probably. The diet adds up to about 1,450 calories a day-a safe and effective amount for most dieters and one that will likely promote slow, gradual weight loss.
What do the experts say? Registered dietitian Jane Kirby, author of Dieting for Dummies (For Dummies), likes Cruise's emphasis on eating more frequently. "So many of us eat mindlessly," she says. Cruise's plan "constantly makes people aware of what and how much they eat." What Kirby doesn't buy: Cruise's theory on how the 3-hour window affects metabolism. "Metabolism depends on a lot of things -- how much you eat, body composition, activity levels." Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, shoots more holes in Cruise's three-hour theory. "Our bodies are smart enough that they don't go into starvation mode after only three hours," she says.
Who should consider the diet? Dieters who skip meals, or those who overeat when they feel sad or depressed. Eating more frequent meals is a good way to control appetite and squelch the desire to pig out.
Bottom Line: Even if some of his reasons for eating more frequent meals aren't always on target, Cruise's approach to weight loss is practical and doable. At some point, though, dieters will need to start exercising.
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