SomerSize with Suzanne Somers

Remember Chrissy from Three's Company? This plan was developed by her. Suzanne Somers has gotten into nutrition and fitness in a big way. It started with the Thigh Master® and has continued with what people are calling the Somersize diet.

Somersize gets its basis from the ideas behind several other plans. Eating food in certain combinations will help the participants lose weight. The body's metabolism has to learn to function properly. Eating junk food and greasy fare has ruined our metabolism and thrown our bodies out of whack.

The Somersize plan blames white flour for the problem. Foods created with white flour are high on the glycemic index. This means that consuming these foods will increase insulin production in the body. We get hungry more often and overeat to maintain energy levels.

The Somersize plan came out of Suzanne's book, Get Skinny on Fabulous Food. It sounds like a gimmick and several people consider that it is. It is not a complete plan that teaches the basis behind food composition, but does offer lists of eliminated foods.

The plan divides food into four groups. The first group is the protein/fats group. It combines these two food types because protein and fat in combination leads to slower digestion of the food.

The veggie group is self-explanatory. Most veggies can be eaten as long as they don't contain a lot of starch. This still leaves a large pool to pick from.

Carbohydrate groups lean towards whole grain sources. Since white flour products are frowned upon, any carbohydrate that comes from healthier grains is a better choice. Participants can still eat cereal, cheese, and milk, but varieties with less fat and better ingredients.

Fruits are the last group. Fruits provide healthy sugars. No fruits are off limits just don't add sugar or other sweeteners to them or you'll defeat the purpose.

There is a list of foods to eliminate while on the plan included. They are foods that most plans which stress low calorie carbohydrates tell participants to limit. The only problem with this list is that there is no plan for incorporating them back into the diet in small quantities if the participant wants to do so.

The guidelines are general. Fats and protein can be eaten together but can't be eaten with carbohydrates. Vegetables are allowed to be eaten with fats and proteins and carbohydrates. Fruit should be eaten at the beginning of the day. There needs to be a span of several hours between a carbohydrate meal before eating one with proteins and fats.

The Somersize plan is quite generic so participants definitely should do their research and be sure they understand the importance of portion control before beginning.