The 100: Count ONLY Sugar Calories and Lose Up to 18 Lbs. in 2 Weeks

My husband and I decided to try this diet after seeing it on a talk show. Like others mentioned, it does NOT have a comprehensive menu/recipe section. But that's okay. It does have the basics on what you can or cannot eat. Yes it is similar to Atkins, in that it restricts carbs, but that's where all similarities end. It isn't as restrictive, and you don't have to count exact numbers (I have fudged on my count on more than one occasion), and yet you can still lose weight.Here are our results. We have been on this diet since the end of July. My husband did not weigh himself. I did. I am over 50, 5-9 and weighed in at 164. Every time I went on a diet in the past, I'd lose a few pounds (7 average) then, once I went off I always gained a few more than I started with. In 20 years, I've never been able to diet and lose more than 10 pounds, and certainly not keep it off. In ten weeks, following a semi-close rendition of this diet, and adding walking to my daily routine (and nothing else), I lost 20 pounds. At first the weight came off fast. As I eventually neared what my (old) normal weight was, it slowed. (And I probably would have continued to lose, except for that pizza I just had to have. When you pass your fave pizza place, resist!) I went from a size 12-14 to a size 8. To me the most amazing part was that I lost weight in my stomach and hips, not my face (which on other diets has always given me a gaunt look).My husband suffered from arthritis in both knees and was talking about knee replacement. He has been on every diet under the sun. (We both have done Atkins, lost 10 pounds while on it, then bounced right back the moment we stopped. It was just too hard to stay on.) The first thing he noticed after being on this diet ONE week was that his joints stopped hurting. (We believe it is because on this diet you are essentially gluten free. But Cruise also believes that sugar is also an inflammatory agent to our bodies.) My husband refused to weigh himself because on Atkins, he would always get so frustrated when he stopped losing weight after being on it for two weeks. (That dreaded plateau.) Then after a month, he noticed his pants fitted far more comfortably in the waist. After two months, he had to wear his older clothes that he hadn't worn in over a decade or more. He finally weighed himself. In three months, he lost about 35 pounds.For me the best thing I did was weigh myself every day. I have a new scale that shows ounces, and it's digital and will record your last weight--so it literally showed you that you were losing on a daily basis. This was inspiring, even if it was only 3 ozs. On our old scale (which was always 10 pounds lighter than the doctor's), there were just pounds. I have been able to fit into clothes that I haven't worn in over ten years, but were too expensive to toss. (And I was always going to fit into them one day! That day is here!) And now when I go to the doctor's, I am never shocked to find out I really weigh more than I thought.It has now been four months. We are still on it. We have decided that this is more a lifestyle change than a diet. And since it isn't as restrictive (you can have that glass of wine for dessert, or dark chocolate, or my fave, a packet of frozen Dole dark chocolate covered banana slices), you don't feel as if you are depriving yourself. You don't get tired of the food as much. (Atkins was always so rich, that it was "sausage for dinner again?") We just passed Halloween. I'll admit to raiding the candy (Reese's PB cups) for more days than I care to remember. But after weeks of that, but still maintaining the 100 plan in other areas, I gained only a pound, and it was very easy to go back to it and drop that pound. (And really, you gain and lose a pound here and there in the initial start and especially in the maintenance phase, so don't get discouraged. Just don't let it keep going up. If it does, you're probably getting more sugar than you realize in something you thought was okay. Like that second glass of wine.)Here are a few of our meal plans, which work for us. Breakfast: He eats eggs with sausage. I will sometimes, but more often than not, I eat left over lunch or dinner. I get tired of eggs. Sometimes I'll have steel cut oatmeal with a bit of chopped dried bing cherries from Trader Joe's (which is about your days' carb count, but like I said, I don't follow it exactly--now that I've been on it for this long. I'm more in maintenance mode.) We will roast a chicken one night, have it with a vegetable. The next night with the left over chicken, we cook tacos. On our tacos: sour cream, avocado, salsa, tomatoes, chicken and cheese. My husband eats three, I eat two. We are very full. We have dark chocolate (72%) for dessert. The next night we will cook tri-tip, then tacos after that. (We do eat a lot of tacos, but we have a lot of tomatoes from the garden. In the winter, we'll be switching out those tacos for soup with left overs. (Our fave is tortilla soup, with chicken and veggies, then top it with sour cream, avocado, cheese.)For lunch we eat a lot of Chinese food. We do like salads with lots of meat, avocado, cheese.Essentially you learn to look at the food and know if you can eat it or not. Turkey sandwich with avocado lettuce and tomato? No. Wrap that sandwich in lettuce instead? You're good to go. In & Out burgers "protein style". Chipotle burrito bowls without the beans or rice. (Can you say salad?) but with all the trimmings, incl meat, cheese and guac and sour cream.You learn very fast that all calories are not created equal. You learn that this is really a lifestyle change, not a diet. You learn what it's like not to be addicted to refined carbs (crackers, cookies, bread) and you no longer find yourself standing in front of the pantry, looking for something to eat even though you just ate (or you aren't really hungry). You get past Halloween, knowing that if you cheat and eat candy for the week before, and the week after, you can get right back on the wagon and lose or maintain your weight. (Yes, I stopped losing weight when I started eating the candy. But unlike before when not on this diet, I couldn't stop myself from eating more and more. Now I have one or two pieces and I'm good.) And now that Halloween is over and the candy (that I like) is gone, I'm going to attempt to lose that last ten pounds (that no one but me seems to notice). If I do, I'll update.Update: 1-21-14. Over Thanksgiving and Christmas, we did not stick to the plan on a daily basis. (Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie!) We tended to bounce on and off, depending on the holiday and such. (Occasional desserts out, etc.) Normally, after this time of year, I've always gained back what I've lost, and then some. But because we've made this a lifestyle, it's easy to go back to the plan after indulging in holiday treats. I did gain almost two pounds over the course of Thanksgiving through New Year's, but I think part of this was because I hurt my heel and had to curtail my walking. Much better than in years past. Now that the holidays are over, my husband and I will be back on it in hopes of losing those last few pounds.Update: 1-6-15. I felt it was important to note that each time my husband has gone off this diet (usually around a holiday or special event, where he does not want to miss out), his severe joint pain in both knees returned within 3 days. When he returned to the diet, it would take more than a week for the pain to subside. But it would stay gone (for the most part) as long as he stayed on the diet.Edit this post | Permalink

I first heard about this diet on Doctor Oz after receiving an email from Jorge. Dr. Oz continuously pushes the next diet fad almost every month. Jorge was on Dr. Oz pitching his latest fad diet. Cruise says if you count sugar calories you can lose 18 pounds in just two weeks. Although Jorge is marketing this book for carb lovers, this is a very low carb diet. If you love fruit and wheat, this diet is not for you. Jorge tells us that we can substitute wheat flour with coconut, almond, and flax flour. The only problem: He doesn't tell us how. There are no recipes in this book. While the book is not particularly laid out well, the diet does work if you can stick to it.As others mentioned, the book boils down to this premise: You are limited to only 100 sugar calories per day. By sugar calories, he is referring to all carbs. That is 25 grams of non fibrous carbs since each gram of carbohydrate is 4 calories. Fruit and starchy vegetables count as part of the 25 grams of carbs. On this diet carbs = sugar.On Atkins, you are supposed to eat a total of less than 20 grams of net carbs(carbs minus fiber) per day during the first phase. This is a refined version of Atkins.Jorge tells us in addition to the 100 sugar calories we can also eat what he calls "Freebies." Freebies include proteins, non starchy vegetables, herbs, cheese, and nuts. We are told that we can eat as much of these in reasonable portions. Don't expect to eat 12 slices of bacon, 12 bun-less hamburgers, and bun-less hot dogs on this "diet."Jorge gives us 4 weeks of Meal Plans. He lays out two options. One is essentially a menu for each day. The other is a menu planner. For each week, there is a shopping list.On his menu, you will eat breakfast, a mid morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and up to 2 glasses of red wine as a treat. It is still a calorie restricted and portion control diet, because you are not going to be eating more than 2000 calories. However, out of those only 100 can come from sugar. It doesn't seem like much food but a lot of the calories come from fat.Throughout the book he will throw in an interview with one of his friends or a success story. While the actual diet might work if you stick to it, the problem I have with the book is the way it is presented. The presentation is poor and lacks clarity. He doesn't really explain how to factor in fiber when eating carbs. Instead, you have to look at his Freebies list. Unfortunately, this list doesn't list every food. For examples, carrots are not mentioned on his food list. It's also confusing. White corn is a Freebie but yellow corn is not.When Jorge is marketing the book, we were led to believe we would be getting a book filled with recipes to make low carb versions of food we love including waffles, cakes, and muffins. Where are the low carb recipes using almond flour, coconut flour, or flax meal? Sadly, there are none besides Jorge's Skinny Muffin.Perhaps Jorge is saving that information for his next book- "The 100: The 100 Missing Recipes".This book just contains a meal plan. In the meal plan, he will give like 3 lines on how to prepare your meal like this:Lunchmeatballs with 2 tbsp of mayo, 2 tbsp of butter, topped with 2 slices of cheddar cheese, chopped onions, and 2 slices of bacon(not actual meal in book)Here is a brief look at what is covered in the book.The 1st chapter is essentially the history of our modern day diet and what is wrong with it. You will trudge through page after page of the evolution of diet. There is nothing wrong with this if it were written for researchers, but as a dieter I think this long winded chapter that could be shortened to one page. It feels like it is just here to pad the book.His conclusion is that not all calories are the same. He makes a case that sugar and a diet high in carbohydrates is what is keeping us fat.The second chapter is about the science behind insulin and carbs in the body. Jorge uses research to explain how insulin effects the body. Again, this chapter is too long for the intended audience.Chapter 3 boils down to telling us that we should not be looking at sugars on food labels. Instead, we should focus on total carbs. Jorge tells us all carbohydrates are treated like sugar inside the body. This is probably the biggest takeaway for dieters.Chapter 4 is really where the diet begins. It is presented as a menu. You are going to have to cook things like chicken, grilled steak, scrambled eggs and Jorge's Skinny Muffin. It might work, but I don't like how it is presented. Like the rest of the book, the menus are repetitive and restrictive. It will take willpower to follow this for more than 4 weeks.In Chapter 5, Jorge pitches his coaching program if you need further assistance.Chapter 6 is about motivation. There are numerous quotes.Chapter 7 talks about making the plan more accommodating to include up to 300 sugar calories per day or making allowance for more sugar calories on weekends.Chapter 8 is a food list.In Chapter 9, we are told that we don't have to exercise because it causes us to eat more.The Appendix is more filler with comparisons of other diets and other useless information.If you already bought Jorge's previous books or even looking to lose weight, be aware this is a very low carb diet. As someone who has eaten a very low carb diet before, even if you successfully complete the diet for 4 weeks, the weight will come right back once you reintroduce carbs. So unless you are prepared to eat no fruit and wheat for the rest of your life, this diet is not for you.********************************************The First Day 5/27/13Weight: 132 lbsI originally bought this diet for my mom to try out because she loves cake, waffles, and pancakes. I was disappointed that the book was missing any of these recipes with alternative flours and as a result gave it a low score. Since there were no recipes, I found it is too restrictive for her so I am actually going to follow the diet for the next four weeks. The book is poorly presented but my review failed to mention whether the "diet" works. I couldn't answer this at the time of finishing the book. I am not really overweight but need to lose about 10 pounds to lose the stubborn fat around my belly. Currently, I weigh 132 pounds and am 5 foot 7 inches.I am not a good cook so I will not be strictly following the menu plans, which really are only a guide. However, I will be counting my sugar calories , making sure they are less than 100 calories a day. I am not going to be eating any red meat or foods high in saturated fat since my family has a history of heart disease. I am not going to be eating seafood since I am allergic to most of it. I'll skip drinking wine as a treat. Here is what I will be eating: chicken, low saturated fat cheese, egg whites, almond milk, nuts, and non starchy vegetables.Just writing about it makes me realize how restrictive the diet is. This "diet" will require willpower. It's hard to eat just meat and cheese for the rest of your life. LOL! The hardest part is going to be giving up fruit. The 100 calories of sugar is limited to 1 whole wheat bun or 1 medium fruit per day. There is no room for other starchy carbs on this diet. I will continue to exercise and eat breakfast. I am pretty sure following a restrictive diet like this is going to result in weight loss. After the first day, I already feel like I am going to binge. It's going to be a challenge, but I am going to take it one day at a time.********************************************Week 1 Results 6/3/13Weight: 129 lbsI originally was disappointed with this book because I felt the promotion behind it was misleading. At the time, I didn't know whether the diet would work. After a week, I can say that if you can stick to it, it does work. I have lost 3 pounds after the first week. It is a very difficult diet and I think it is too extreme for most people. The only way I can't eat fruit is to pretend they were poisoned by witch from Snow White.LOL! The first day I thought it was impossible and I had to grit my teeth, It would have helped if I put a lock on the fridge and pantry. If I could pick one food that has helped me with this diet it would be egg white omelets. Also, be careful of eating too many nuts as I have read this could stunt your results.********************************************Week 2 Results 6/9/13Weight: 127 lbsOnly down 2 pounds this week. I have still followed the diet, sticking to under 100 sugar calories/day. It has gotten easier but I still miss fruit.********************************************Week 3 Results 6/17/13Weight: 128 lbsUp one pound this week. I stuck to the 100 calories of sugar a day. However, I binged on nuts several days. Although the book says you can eat as much as you want, portion control seems to be important. Next week, I am going to try to follow the menu plan religiously.********************************************Week 4 Final Results 6/25/13Weight: 125 lbsDown three pounds this week. I stuck to the meal plan. I am really happy with the results but still feel I have a little more weight around the belly to lose.

I have had a fatty liver for 10+ years and have been eating low fat foods for years without losing any weight. Since reading this book I have just been adopting the principal of cutting the carbs and reading packets for their carb content and without any effort and without being hungry I have lost 9lb and I am the lightest I have been for 15 years+. I have more energy and I feel less bloated. I discussed with my liver nurse first and he said the principal of cutting down on starchy carbs was a good idea. I loved reading the science behind what Jorge is saying.

Just ok

Given as a present.

Very good lots of great information xxxxxx

This is making a lot of sense!Definitely worth your time reading!