Weight Loss Rice Diet

The Rice Diet was developed by Walter Kempner, a German-born doctor who came to the U.S. and joined the staff at Duke University School of Medicine in 1934. It was in those years that he found that people who ate a diet centered around rice rarely had issues with hypertension, diabetes and weight. The Rice Diet is also concerned with restricting calories, salt, sugar and processed foods.

Phases of the Rice Diet

• The Rice Diet was originally conceived as an on-site program. Clients can still go to the Durham, North Carolina, clinic, but now you can participate from anywhere. Rice Diet participants journey through three distinct phases of the program.

  Phase 1 - The introductory week-long phase of the Rice Diet is the detox stage. It's quite restrictive, with no salt or sugar, which helps flush the system. You will have mostly vegetables and rice, some no-fat dairy and fruit. Day one is the basic Rice Diet (two starches, and two fruits for breakfast, lunch and dinner). The rest of the week follows a lacto-vegetarian plan, which can include dairy, but not eggs. For breakfast you have one starch, one non-fat dairy and one fruit. For your other two meals you have three starches, three vegetables and one fruit.

  Phase 2 - The second phase is the weight loss stage. This stage lasts until you reach your goal weight. One day a week, you do the two starches, two fruits approach. Then there are five days of the lacto-vegetarian approach. But this time around there is a day where protein is introduced, including fish.

  Phase 3 - Once you hit your goal weight, you are in the maintenance phase. To keep the weight off - which is where most dieters lose their way - you will need to find a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The earlier phases are very calorie-restrictive - under 1,000 calories - but now you can add an additional day of three proteins, including more fish.

Pros and Cons

• Experts say there are good and bad points of the Rice Diet. According to Toby Amidor, MS, RD, the severe calorie restriction will leave many people hungry. And the strict rules of no sodium and sugar will make it next to impossible to dine out. You will lose weight very quickly. So much so that you should consult your doctor while you're following the plan.

  But the Rice Diet focuses on many positive aspects of leading a health lifestyle. It teaches you about proper food portions and emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables. And unlike most diets, there's an emphasis on your psychological well-being, with recommendations for meditation, rest and social support.