The cruise control diet has recently gained a bit of popularity. Created by James Ward, this diet not only claims to accelerate weight loss but also prevents it from coming back. But is there any truth to these hefty claims? Does cruise control really promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle?
Keep reading to learn all about the cruise control diet, how it works, and the pros and cons of this diet.
What is the Cruise Control Diet?
The cruise control diet focuses on eating all natural whole foods to boost weight loss. It ensures fat burning without implementing too many limitations. The diet aids in the incorporation of a newer and much more effective lifestyle, converting the dieter into a fat burning machine.
The cruise control diet plan is simple yet effective and consists of four basic rules:
- Eat natural foods only that will ensure burning of fat.
- Steer clear of foods that have either been processed or packaged as these lead to fat storage.
- Feel free to indulge in ‘guilty pleasures’ like chocolates, cookies, or candies so that the dieter does not feel too much restricted. However, this should be done once or twice a week
- Never count your caloric intake, keep any journal, calculate points, or even try fake portions to control your food consumption. Rather, let your body’s intrinsic ‘appetite control system’ guide you how much and when to eat.
The first three rules are pretty basic and are generally present in any sensible weight loss plan. The fourth rule is what makes the cruise control diet a unique approach to burning fat. This rule is also the main reason behind its success.
Cruise Control Diet Cycling Phases
There are three stages within the cruise control diet that will continue to cycle for eight weeks. They are: the metabolic reset phase, the cruise control stage, and the rapid fat-burning phase.
- The Metabolic Reset Phase
The phase of metabolic reset will teach how to control your blood sugar levels and, in turn, control the levels of insulin once again. For most of the people, this phase will last two weeks. It will also educate on how to avoid packaged and processed foods and choose natural foods only. This phase will teach you to eat foods only when you are hungry; not when you are having cravings
- The Cruise Control Stage
This second stage will ensure that you eat only well-balanced nutritious foods which you have already learned to select in the first stage. However, during this stage, you are allowed to eat junk foods twice a week. This will ensure that your body is getting the essential amount of fats and give you some mental diet relief. This stage will last for a maximum of three weeks.
- The Rapid Fat-Burning Phase
The phase of rapid-fat burning continues for six to eight weeks. This phase can be considered as a natural expansion of the second stage. This phase will help you lose weight rapidly, burn fat, and will ensure that you live a healthy and happy life.
Is the Cruise Control Diet for Everyone?
Anyone who is truly dedicated to losing weight can follow this diet program. However, the typical yo-yo dieter will find this program to be the most effective. More specifically, those who have been trying weight loss for years and have tried many diet plans and are still obese will find this diet plan to be a key to permanent fat loss.
The Cruise Control Diet can also be used by people who are looking to improve their overall health and physique. With that said, this diet is not a crash diet. So if you expecting to lose 50 pounds within a month or having other unrealistic goals, move on from this diet plan as it’s not suitable for you…for that matter any diet plan! Also, it’s not suitable for those who strictly eat vegetables only as this plan recommended eating meat from time to time.
Best Way to Follow the Cruise Control Diet
Knowing which foods to each and to avoid is most of the battle of the cruise control diet. Below is a list of foods that are allowed on this diet and those not permitted.
Foods Allowed
✔ Fruits- Lemon, lime, tangerine, oranges, pluot, apricot, strawberries, gooseberries, star fruit, blackberries, papaya, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, watermelon, banana, apple, cranberries, sweet lime, peach, plum, pomegranate, and dates
✔ Vegetables- Swiss chard, potato, sweet potato, okra, brinjal, , tomato, kale, spinach, cauliflower, gourd, squash, bottle gourd, striped gourd, snake gourd, bell pepper, scallion, bokchoi, edamame, peas, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, purple cabbage, radish, turnip, and bitter gourd.
✔ Nuts and Seeds- Pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, pistachio, cashew nuts, macadamia, chia seeds, and almonds
✔ Protein/Meat– Free-range eggs, wild-caught fish, chicken, soy chunks, soy milk, tofu, mushroom, grass-fed beef, pork, lentils, kidney beans, and soybeans
✔ Fats and Oils– Rice- bran oil, coconut oil, ghee, cheese, olive oil, almond butter, and peanut butter
✔ Dairy– Ghee, Cheese, grass-fed cow’s milk, butter
✔ Beverages– Pressed fruit and vegetable juice, water, fresh coconut water, and homemade buttermilk
Foods Not Allowed
X Sugary sodas
X Fruit juice of any kind
X Fried foods
X Energy drinks
X Potato chips
X Added artificial flavors and colors
X Deli meat and sausage
X Frozen foods
Pros and Cons of the Cruise Diet
Now that you know what a cruise control diet is, let’s take a look at what advantages and disadvantages it has.
Pros
- It is a well structured and well-organized plan
- It comes with 60 different kinds of recipes so you don’t have to start meal planning from scratch. This ensures that meal planning remains as simple as possible
- It is very straightforward and easy to follow
- It allows you to eat junk foods twice a week so you don’t feel restricted and tempted to cheat
- Most of the food items are allowed which makes your trip to grocery store easier and convenient
- The cruise control diet is for everyone, irrespective of their gender or age
- The diet requires you to eat all-natural foods that are not harmful to your health and well-being
- The stages of weight loss mentioned in the cruise control diet are supported by scientific evidence
- The cruise control diet is cost-efficient and everyone can afford it
- The dieter will no longer be counting calories and keeping a record
Cons
- The cruise control diet can only be availed online
- It only focuses on the dietary pattern with no attention to physical exercises which may aid the process of weight loss
- People having preexisting food restrictions may face difficulties in following this diet
Conclusion
Every day the health revolution is growing all over the world. More and more people are getting closer to adopting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. The cruise control diet gets you closer to this mission by providing you with four simple steps in order to experience a sustainable weight loss. Following the three phases of this program is guaranteed to help you drop any unwanted weight and prevent you from regaining it for sure.
If you are interested in trying the cruise control diet, you can check out this book on Amazon.
