A typical day looks a little like this. Start with a glass of fresh squeezed juice, some oatmeal or a whole grain bagel with peanut butter and organic sugar-free jelly. For lunch you can have a salad, a vegetable wrap or some kind of vegetable soup. Dinner options include baked tofu or veggie options of traditional meat dinners. Veggie burger, veggie dog with veggie chili, veggie burrito or a veggie lasagna are all on the approved list.
Anything that's not organic, vegan or vegetarian is suspect and probably not allowed.
The basic premise behind the diet is simple. You are what you eat so you should eat only natural unprocessed foods. The authors use fear of chemicals and disgust to help change entrenched behaviors. But there are several problems with the plan.
Vegetarian or vegan diets can be very healthy options. But don't think it's the switch from meat to vegetables that would cause you to lose weight on the Skinny Bitch Diet. At it's core, the Skinny Bitch Diet is a low calorie diet plan. As with any diet plan, cut the calories and you'll lose the weight.
I entered the nutritional information for a typical day of acceptable foods and it came out to 1,459 calories. The average American eats more than 2,500 calories a day. Reducing your caloric consumption from 2,500 to 1,459 can easily help you drop 2 pounds a week.
The simple reduction in calories isn't so bad, but the nutritional deficiencies are. In the profile I analyzed a person would only take in 44 grams of protein daily. That's less than half the suggested amount required for a 130 pound woman and less than a third needed for a 160 pound man. If you're trying to build muscle or tone up, the Skinny Bitch will work against you.
The lack of snacks in-between meals is also a problem. It's good to eat small meals or snacks several times a day to alleviate hunger pains, prevent muscle wasting and stop binges when it's time to eat. Snacks are not included in any of the Skinny Bitch suggested meal plans.
Then there's the problem of becoming a vegan or vegetarian. The Skinny Bitch Diet requires learning completely new eating habits for the majority of Americans. The changes are so drastic that many dieters will have a difficult time staying on it long enough to see results.
Over time, if you stick to the foods suggested in this diet you will lose weight, but because of the low protein levels, you could also lose a significant amount of muscle.
If you're already considering a vegetarian or vegan diet, the horrors of the meat processing plant described in the Skinny Bitch may be enough to push you over. However, if you're looking for a well balanced diet plan that includes information on exercise programs, meal plans with serving sizes, healthy recipes or tips on how to make lifestyle changes...then this book isn't for you. You won't find any of that information in it.
(For our in-depth review of the Skinny Bitch Diet, Click Here.)
