Most weight loss plans are difficult precisely because they involve cutting out food, and depending on the psychological issues that may have been at the root of your weight gain in the first place, this can be a particularly difficult thing to do. You may rebel, even if you are mentally committed to the idea of losing weight. You may even find that the feeling of deprivation leads you to other self-destructive behaviors, such as smoking or drinking. If this describes you, you may well benefit from counseling to deal with your weight issues and other issues underlying your weight issues.
In the meantime, meal plans that promise to help you lose weight by adding something, rather than taking food away, may attract you, and could actually work a lot better. This may seem counterintuitive, in a way, because losing weight always seems to require eating less. However, there are some exceptions. One of them is a traditional method that consists of adding a semolina flour, a cooked grain, similar to cream of wheat, three times a day. The argument is that if you eat 300 grams of cooked semolina three times a day, you will feel too full to binge on other foods. Your intake of other foods will be minimized and you will lose weight.
This approach is a bit controversial and may work best as a temporary transition method. For one thing, advocates of a low-carb, high-protein diet would be appalled at this plan. Dr. Atkins himself would roll in his grave! Semolina is a food with a high glycemic index and carbohydrates; it is pure starch. Also, eating that much tends to make you less hungry for all other foods, including protein. Proponents of Atkins and other high-protein plans would argue that this is the worst thing you can do for your body. Of course, we must remember that the high-protein approach is controversial as well. From a nutritionist’s point of view, neither the high-protein nor the semolina plan would be ideal. However, most nutritionists’ dietary guidelines place grains at the top of the table, so the semolina plan sticks more closely to a standard dietary guide, as long as you strive to eat enough fruits, vegetables as well. and protein to maintain balance.
And if you do, that would almost automatically eliminate junk food and empty calories. Few of us could eat 300 g of semolina three times a day and enough fruits, vegetables and protein, and still be able to eat foods with an excess of calories or fat. In a sense, grits replace the other “empty” calories that many of us (if we have a weight problem to begin with) eat as a regular part of our diet. Eating grits may not represent optimal nutrition, of course, but eating foods full of fat and additives, such as French fries, chocolate, or candy, is preferable. Of course, the semolina diet does not prohibit any of these junk foods, it only specifies that you should eat a certain amount of semolina per day and make sure you are getting enough vitamins and protein in your diet. Most people would automatically eliminate a lot of junk food because we just don’t have room for it.
On its own, semolina is not that bad of a stable food, unless you subscribe to the ‘low carb’ philosophy (in which case, you would probably never choose this diet to begin with!). It is low in fat, it is a natural food and, like other cereals, it is fortified with vitamins and minerals. If you prefer to eat carbohydrates, and many of us gain weight from eating excessive amounts of pasta or bread, then grits will satisfy you. You are less likely to crave other carbohydrate-rich foods. Also, consider the fact that the grits plan is quite similar to the way many traditional cultures ate. In traditional Asian cuisine, for example, rice was a staple that was eaten at most meals. In some European cultures, porridge (oatmeal) would have had the same function. Although these diets may not seem balanced to us today, they kept people alive, and within a healthy weight range, for millennia!