CSIRO Diet - Approved High Protein Diet?

Strange, when I picked this book up at the local bookstore, I seem to remember it focused on a study that demonstrated better fat loss from problem health areas - particularly the abdomen - not a study that demonstrated significantly higher loss.

I worry if this is sponsored by the meat industry however - CSIRO diet recommendations are the basis for healthy eating programs taught in schools.

Hi there

I've been on the Csiro diet for 2.5 weeks as well as maintaining my 2 hours at the gym . I started at the gym 7 months ago and didn't go on a diet , I lost 10 kgs , however now my weight loss is faster using Csiro diet- even though I am now 60kgs so there isn't much more I desire to lose . I've never ever been on a diet before and usually only eat 2 meals a day according to Csiro plan and then eat a third meal of whatever I want including desert .I recommend the diet as most of us eat too much and aren't aware of the fact! At least it is a guide line and eventually my habits will change!I don't stick to the meat and eat heaps of tuna and salmon and chicken . I've read lots of articles about the meat board sponsorship but on my photocopy sheet which came from a mag the meals are balanced with fish and poultry .

Hi,
I'm on week 2 day 1 of the diet. This is the first diet that doesn't leave me crawling the walls with cravings for food.It's great food & excellent variety. I have even picked up some new menu ideas. I am disappointed because I have only lost 1/2 a kilo.

Hello,
I am just finishing week 12 of the CSIRO diet and have already lost 9kgs. I feel great! I have found the diet easy to follow and have not had any problems with hunger or fatigue. At first, the amount of meat required seemed impossible to get through, however, now it is not a problem. I have not always stuck rigidly to the diet, having been away on a holiday half way through (tempting buffet breakfasts, ice cream etc.), this doesn’t seem to have made any difference. I didn’t gain any weight while I was away but I didn’t lose any either.

I am going to stick to the diet for another couple of weeks before I move to the maintenance stage. During this time I hope to find some alternative to the amount of red meat and diary products.

this is a crap diet becouse its soooooooooooo un healthy for my best friend

I have been going to the gym and been on the CSIRO diet also. I am never hungry, and feel as though it is a magic diet! So easy to follow, I am at my desired weight after 2 months of exercise and following this diet, I have lost 8 kilos. From a size 12/14 to a size 10 now and feel great with summer coming up. I highly recommend it.

I've just started the diet, and it is quite clear from the book that you can substitute foods that are more acceptable to your own palate or dietary preferences - equivalent weights of tofu or fish, or up to 130 g beans or legumes for every 100 g protein food. It's a relief to me, because I'm struggling to get through 200g of meat at a single sitting, but I have to say, I don't feel hungry and I don't crave sweet or starchy food.

The book simply states that they've not tested alternative foods, so can't guarantee results. Despite the funding and promotion by the meat industry, it would appear that CSIRO really does believe in the diet.

Am I the only one who feels light-headed, dizzy and cranky when starting a new diet? This is the reason I have been unable to get past the first week on the CSIRO diet. Does anyone have similiar problems?

Richard and I have been on this diet for one week. Richard has lost 3kg and I have lost 1kg. The diet is the least demanding diet I have ever been on or read about in my life. The recipes work and are delicious. I know the CSIRO are getting bad press about the amount of meat on their diet but we consider this a better alternative to the vast amounts of fast food and alcohol we were drinking beforehand. Highly recommend this diet.

This is similar to the way I eat, minus the red wine. For me it would be more like nuts 2-3x a week. I eat 3 meals a day with 100g meat/chicken or 150g grams fish, not 200g at once, but the end result is the same. I also eat the fat-free dairy and use exactly 3tsp a day of canola or olive oil. If you make it 5 cups of vegetables, add cottage cheese, eggs, and whey protein powder as sources of protein, and add a bit of carb to the meals, you have my diet exactly.

When I read the brochure for this diet I thought, 'This sounds like a low fat version of Atkins!" Let's face it, it's simple old news rehashed. As a veteran dieter, the facts are this: Diets don't work. If they did we would all be walking around looking like models. The cold hard facts are these: You need to take in more than you're burning off. The reason people gain weight is because they eat too much and don't get enough exercise. This diet didn't impress me at all.

Terri, Atkins doesn't have 2 slices bread a day, or fruit - but I get your point, it is The Zone rehashed.

As for simply eating less, while that is a factor, I personally don't believe it is all about calories in, calories out. If you try out eating 1,500 calories of any food you want, and exercising, for a month, and then try eating "clean" (no processed foods, lean protein, only whole grains, in 6 small meals - the way that diets like Body For Life etc. recommend eating) and eating 1,700 calories, with the same activities, you'll find out you lost more weight and fat with the higher calories. I used those figures simply as examples, but you get the point. The stable blood sugars from a better diet, and the energy taken to digest the food itself will make your metabolism work better, and make you more efficient at weight loss.

Terri, you say Diets don't work, but then say The cold hard facts are these: You need to take in more than you're burning off. This is plainly contradictory! All a diet is is a way to balance what you eat against what you are burning off. People get fat by eating more than they are burning and we lose weight by burning mroe than we are eating. The CSIRO diet (like all good diets) has followers calculate how much they are burning and adjust what they are eating accordingly. It then suggests a meal plan that fits nutritional guidelines while limiting the amount eaten.

I have been doing the CSIRO diet regularly and have found that this is the only healthy eating programme where I have not craved to eat sweets or fatty foods. I find it hard to control my desire for chocolate etc so I need structure - and this diet has helped me do that - maintain control over my eating habits. I don't see it as a diet - I see it as a lifestyle change; for the better I hasten to add. I look great and I feel great on the inside and out. PS: I does wonders for your digestion. One hint though, eat the fruit before your meals... it does help with digestion! Anyone looking to give it a try - go for it!