The Starch Blocker Diet

I finished reading The Starch Blocker Diet a few days ago and went to CVS pharmacy to get the recommended supplement. After almost a week of taking two pills prior to meals I have lost three pounds and my hypoglyecemia is getting under control. I was skeptical before reading this book but there actually has been some groundbreaking research done on the new generation of Starch Blockers called "Phase 2". This book is easy to read and follow and includes specialized food lists and recipes. I recommend this book highly for anyone addicted to carbs like I am.

This is not just another Weight Loss book! It is a guide to healthy eating and living!It is an instruction manual for the body and how different foods affect your energy, mood, alertness and general health. When reading the book I was reminded of the phrase, "You Are What You Eat". When I first opened the book, I was initially disappointed with what I thought was "fluff". I thought I was buying a book that would tell me straight out, "Eat this or eat that". However, after reading the first couple of pages in the introduction, I was glad I didn't get the type of book I had expected-I just could not put it down. The Authors mix health education with mystery and history to make this book a wonderful read. Several times while I was reading, my jaw dropped over some of the information.I had tried Starch Blockers in the 1980's just before the FDA pulled them but I did not know their history (The Howard Hughes and Dead Rats connection). I thought that Starch Blockers were just another gimmick of the "Health food" industry for a quick fix to overeating. Starch Blockers got a bad (but deserved) rap in the 80's because a few "Quick Buck" artist produced an inferior product based on solid a research into controlling Blood Sugar Levels (Not Weight Loss) . I found in reading that our blood sugar levels control our moods, energy, alertness and the ability to gain or lose weight. Among other things, I have learned about food allergies and food reactions from this wonderful text. More importantly, I have learned that Starch Blockers by themselves are not a "Magic Weight Loss Bullet". This book details how (and why) to use Phase 2 in conjunction with proper food selection and exercise to create a non-self defeating weight loss (Not Diet) and wellness program. Reading this book and following its advice will make a program using the Phase 2 Starch Blockers more effective.

This book continues the truth about carbs. In the near future the big corps will be moving from the "No Fat" "Low Fat" to "No Carb" "Low Carb", people are starting to get the picture. And this book only emphasizing more and more of the carbohydrate facts and reiterates what Atkins has told us for years and years. It talks a lot about Phase 2. A weight loss ingredient that is catching on fast. I searched the web after this reading this book mentioned what to look for and found a great product called Max Strength Carb Eliminator by Baywood at .... I also found an up and coming site called ...... that is hoping to get the attention of large food corporations and restaurants to start offering more options for low carb dieters. The movement is here and people are wanting to live healthier lives and this book not only loads us up with information it suggests what food to go buy.

...The book describes a progrom that explains how you can eat carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread and potatoes and lose weight. You lose the weight by taking a starchblocker. This calorie neutralizing substance called Phase 2 binds with the enzymes that digest starch. So when you take it with your meals most starch passes through your system without releasing calories. Phase 2 is made from white kidney beans and is very safe with no side effects aside from minor bloating or gas for some people. The authors outline a 3 step program. You redistribute your calories so you eat more starchy foods so you will neutralize some of those calories. You learn to take emotional control of your eating and you burn body fat by exercising.The authors state that by taking the correct dose of the product Phase 2. you will negate about 50%-75% of the starch calories in a carbohydrate meal. If you eat carbohydrate rich meals and take the supplement several times per day you will negate those calories thus be eating less calories and lose weight... In one study, patients lost an average of 3.9% of total body weight or an average of 6.45 pounds over 30 days compared to those on a placebo who lost 3 quarters of a pound. Another study shows a weight loss of .5 to 1 pound per week using the starch blockers...The biggest qualm I had with the book is it is not consistent with other informations as to when to take the starch blockers. The book says right before a meal. At the website of the starch blocker the authors sell it says take 30 minutes before (yes the authors sell starch blockers). So exactly when to take it is unclear. And very important for someone to know to have success with the plan.After checking with representatives from several different brands and getting a number of different answers I learned that in the study the supplement was taken 30 minutes before.The authors also make a few errors in the text. They refer to 40% protein 30% fat 30% carbohydrate being a typical low carb diet..when the actual ratios are 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. On p. 69 they refer to gymnema sylvestre as a sugar blocker that is not readily available. Gymnema Sylvestre is marketed not as a sugar blocker but as a way to make it so your taste buds don't taste the sweet so you don't enjoy it. It's still available at health food stores. They suggest you supplement with chromium but do not specify chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate. They also tell you not to take more that 6 capsules a day of starch blockers. Yet in examples given they neutralize the calories from 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. Starch blockers have to be taken near the meal to work. So this would have you taking more than 6 starch blockers per day. The authors also suggest you switch your calories to more starchy ones so you can then block them. But this does not teach healthy eating habits. Perhaps it is better to try to control your intake of the energy dense starcy carbs like potatoes and brea