Morning Banana Diet, is it the Miracle Cure?

OK, about a year or so ago, I stumbled upon the following video, and decided to do some research, and eventually gave it a try.....

So the story goes, a Japanese Pharmacist created this diet, to help her fiance, a somewhat overweight individual, to lose a few pounds. In the end, he lost 37 pounds, so she concluded the diet was a success. Later, the diet was passed to a famous Japanese Opera singer, who later revealed on a Japanese social network that she had lost 27 pounds on the diet. Instantly, banana fever swept across Japan, banana sales rose over 80%, supermarkets sold out for months at a time, and anything with the word banana in it was an immediate sensation!

It should be said, of course, that Japanese girls, many of whom are already too skinny, are known to jump on any fad diet that's considered trendy, and with a well known singer getting behind it, this diet has become one of the most popular diets in history.

So last winter, I decided to do some research, and eventually tried the diet for a few weeks, with a few minor tweeks, and did have some success. Eventually, I caught a cold at work, and switched from bananas to chicken soup for a while. When the cold was gone, I had forgotten about my bananas, until recently.

The diet is simple (a little too simple), and designed to be a stress free way for those of us with busy lifestyles to drop a few pounds quick. I'll first go over the actual diet, and then my modified version.

• Eat at least 2 bananas every morning for breakfast...
• Eat whatever you want for lunch...
• Eat a snack, chocolate or a cookie, around 3pm...
• Eat whatever you want for dinner
• Have dinner every night by 6pm, 8 prefered
• Be in bed by midnight
• Throughout the day, drink room temp or warm water.

A few problems....first off, when they say whatever you want, they really mean it, pizza, burgers, fries, etc. You and I both know that if we eat pizza everyday, no matter how many bananas and warm water we had that morning, we're gonna gain weight! Combine that with the chocolate at 3pm, and your in for disaster!

This diet does however have some science behind it, and with a few tweaks, could work for some people. (disclaimer: Don't start any diet without first talking with your doctor! If you eat nothing but bananas for the next three months, it's not my fault if you end up in the hospital or dead! I mean it! )

Bananas contain a lot of good stuff, fiber, protein, potassium, resistant starch and vitamin C! The diet says to eat 2 to 4 bananas for breakfast every morning, or as many as you want, but remember, the bananas they're talking about aren't the cavendish bananas we're used to over here, they're much smaller, so for our terms, 1 to 2 bananas should be sufficient. Fiber in the bananas will help you to feel full, which should keep you from over eating, and also from eating in between breakfast and lunch. The resistant starch goes into your colon, undigested, and helps to burn extra fat and speed up your metabolism. Drinking luke warm water in the morning is calming, helps with digestion and metabolism, and is actually recommended by many dietitians.

With my busy schedule, I rarely get a chance to eat breakfast in the morning, which in turns leaves me feeling hungry on the way to work. Bananas are convenient, I can grab 2 on the go and eat them in the car if I need to, and the fiber will fill me up, making sure I don't stop for a donut or egg and cheeze muffin on the way. Plus, it's proven that your metabolism starts working sooner if you eat breakfast. If you don't eat in the morning, your body won't start burning calories until later in the day.

For lunch, I hope none of us are stupid enough to think we can eat anything we want. Eat a sensible lunch and dinner, as with any diet. You probably won't want to eat bananas for lunch too, but don't go for the pizza. Try for something healthy, and remember the green veggies!

Having a small snack at 3 will keep you from getting hungry before dinner, again, keeping you from stopping for a burger on the way home because you're too hungry to wait. I wouldn't do chocolate or a donut every day, although every once in a while would be fine. Yogurt, fruit, granola or a good trail mix would be good. Remember that nuts will fill you up too, keeping you from getting hungry before dinner.

Eat dinner by 8, 6 would be better. Hasn't my mother been telling me this for years?? This is just common sense, you want to eat early enough so that your body has time to burn some of the calories off before bed, and so that you have time to fully digest your food. Laying down with a stomach full of food is never a good thing! Besides not giving your body time to burn the calories, your more inclined to things like indigestion and acid reflux. Again, things my mom has been telling me since I was a kid.

No sweets for dinner, although having some fruit with dinner is acceptable, and no desert after dinner. Again, eating lots of calories before bed is never good.

Go to bed by midnight! Studies show people who get adequate sleep lose more weight. Your body just functions better if you get a good nights sleep. Personally, if I wake up well rested, I'm more likely to take the time to have a healthy breakfast. If I don't get enough sleep, I'm more likely to want to sleep in longer, leave for work late, and stop at the first fast food joint I come to. I'm not sure why midnight is the magic number, but get to bed at a reasonable time, and make sure you get adequate rest.

Most of this stuff is just plain common sense. Having bananas for breakfast might not be the miracle cure we're all seeking, but it can't hurt. If nothing else, it's a convenient way to make sure that you eat something healthy every morning, jumpstart your metabolism for the day, and help prevent you from overeating later in the day.

If your still not convinced, here's a video I pulled from YouTube of a girl, I believe Korean, who tried the diet. If she can do it, I think I can too lol!!