If you are from Cleveland, OH or are a basketball fan, LeBron James return to the Cavs has been the talk of the town for months. If you are unaware, LeBron lost a significant amount of weight during his off season; about 67 pounds. This diet plan he followed was classified as the LeBron James Diet-- a new fad diet to add to the list! A quick breakdown of the diet: Allowed: lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats/oils, Not Allowed: grains, refined sugars, alcohol, processed foods and dairy. It a nutshell, its very similar to the paleo/atkins diet.
I was approached by a local news station, WOIO, in Cleveland to help cover a story on the LeBron Diet. Two workers at the news station followed this diet to the best of their ability for one month. In total, they lost around twenty pounds. The role I had in the story was I walked around the grocery store with each participant discussing the diet as well as discussing the pros and cons of the diet. My main concern with helping was I did not want the news station to cut of major keys/important facts I mentioned. I also did not want to sound like I was promoting the diet. Here are a few quotes taken from the article that I was happy they included and did not distort my wording and opinions:
"Nutritionist Pelat admits this kind of diet will knock the pounds off quickly for most people. But, she is adamant about it not being the way to go for anything long term."
"She's concerned about a number of things, including eliminating certain food groups like dairy and grains. They provide nutrients we need like vitamins and even fiber."
"She also points out that going under 1200 calories a day, which could easily happen with this diet, is simply too restrictive and tough on your body. That's why she believes LeBron did the diet in his off-season when strength and energy weren't so crucial."
The news station did a great job at highlighting and stressing how I was not promoting the diet and included tips for following a well-balanced diet more so than following the LeBron (fad diet). I thought this situtaiton fit perfectly into our fad diet lesson. Below is the link to the news story and the article.
http://www.19actionnews.com/story/27406361/health-alert-the-lebron-diet-plan
Just another example of how cognitive distortion can happen-- if LeBron James follows this diet it must work! What they aren't telling you is he was under strict care of doctors and dietitians to monitor his food intake and to make sure he was getting all the right nutrients as well as had a personal chef to prepare his meals. Things most of us do not have and don't think about when beginning or trying fad diets.
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