5-Factor Diet

What is the Five Factor Diet?

The Five Factor Diet is found in a book called The 5-Factor Diet which was written by fitness trainer Harley Pasternak with Myatt Murphy.

Who is Harley Pasternak?

Harley Pasternak is a fitness trainer whose clients have included John Mayer, Halle Berry, Mandy Moore, and many other celebrities. He has appeared on television as a nutrition and fitness expert on such shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tyra Banks Show.

How much does this diet cost?

The 5-Factor Diet book is available in hardcover for about $17. It is also available as an online membership at the diet's official Web site for around $20 a month. The only additional costs for following this diet are purchasing regular grocery store foods or ingredients for recipes, as well as fitness equipment such as a set of dumbbells and a stability ball, which can be found for about $15 each.

What is the 5-Factor Diet about?

The key principle of the 5-Factor Diet is to eat five meal each day that must be made up of five components: a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate, fiber, a "good" fat, and a sugar-free drink. The food choices Pasternak recommends are based on the Glycemic Index (GI), which rates foods according to their effect on blood sugar levels. (Eating foods with a low GI, as well as high-fiber foods, may help control cravings and prevent overeating by keeping your blood sugar stable.) Pasternak provides some additional key points behind the basis of his diet, including the importance of both protein and fiber as they relate to weight loss and good nutrition in general.

Pasternak says getting regular exercise is 50% of his plan. He says you must exercise five days a week to get the "full benefit" of the plan. He suggests five exercises, to be done five days each week, that take about five minutes each to do. Photos and step-by-step instructions for exercises are provided in the book.

What is the food like on the 5-Factor Diet?

Each of the five snacks or meals required six out of seven days on the 5-Factor Diet must include what Paternak refers to as "5-Factor Foods" (low-fat protein, low- to medium-GI carbs, fiber, a healthy fat, and water or another sugar-free beverage).

Pasternak says consuming moderate-carbohydrate, high-protein meals will help you stay fuller longer, which diminishes between-meal hunger pangs. An example of a 5-Factor meal would be baked chicken, mixed vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, a half cup of lentils, and a glass of sparkling water.

There are some specific recommendations among the acceptable foods on the plan, such as choosing white meat poultry over dark and avoiding grapes because of their high ranking on the GI. So it is important that you read the eating guidelines carefully before you begin planning your meals.

Pasternak provides more than 100 recipes in the book, all of which require only five main ingredients and five minutes of preparation.

Each week, there is one day Pasternak calls a "cheat day" when you can eat absolutely anything you want.

Is the 5-Factor Diet a fad diet? Will it work?

The 5-Factor Diet would not be considered a fad diet because it provides healthful eating guidelines, recommends a variety of foods without excluding any food groups, and is adaptable to your own preferences. Additionally, it recommends regular exercise. All of these points are hallmarks of a sound diet plan.

On the other hand, all of the "five of everything" rules does make this diet seem rather "gimmicky." (And the name-dropping on Pasternak's part -- "Halle Berry loves my fajitas!" -- doesn't make it seem less so.)

There is not really any new or exclusive science behind the plan; it's actually just good, common-sense advice about making better eating choices and becoming more active. There is no "weight loss magic" to eating five meals a day, and always being required to eat all five of the "5-Factor Foods" together at one time isn't necessarily any more effective than eating them among different meals or snacks.

Weight loss comes down to calories in/calories out. Whether you eat five or three meals a day, if you burn more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight. If, for example, you completely remove high-calorie and high-sugar foods such as white bread and soda pop from your diet and replace them with whole grains and sugar-free beverages, and you work out most days a week, you are virtually guaranteed to lose weight.

How long does the 5-Factor diet last?

Pasternak presents the diet as a 5-week plan (again ... five!), but you will need to stay on it quite a bit longer if you have more than about 10 pounds to lose. It does not provide rapid results, which is actually a plus. You can expect an average loss of one to two pounds a week after the first week. This diet is safe and adaptable as a permanent lifestyle.

C'tnd Who is the 5-Factor Diet for? >>

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