With summer just around the corner, many of us are now obsessed with the latest diet that will bring us to the top of our “bikini game.” Fad diets are not a rarity and often seem too good to be true. The Ice Cream Diet is no exception.
The original ice cream diet is based on a book written by Holly McCord. She claims that you will lose weight by adding ice cream to your daily routine. Is this because ice cream has a magical lose weight now ingredient? Sadly, no. Holly’s book is based on a calorie-restricted diet. So naturally, if you consume less calories than you burn off throughout the day, you’re going to lose weight, possibly even with a little bit of ice cream because the rest of your diet is quite calorie-restricted.
Fad diet set aside, can you still lose weight if you can’t live without ice cream?
Here we reveal the real truth about ice cream and your diet:
Ice cream doesn’t have any nutritional value
Unfortunately the healthy calcium in ice cream gets overruled by the 273 calories, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 14.5 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar….and we can only speak for vanilla. Even fat-free ice creams contains 6 grams of sugar per cup.
Frozen yogurt? Forget it. It may seem more harmless than ice cream, but just one cup of soft-serve is loaded with about 40 grams of sugar. Yikes! That high amount of sugar can over-activate your sweet tooth, causing you to want more, and the next thing you know you’re eating twice as much.
Tips:
● Go for the real deal and make sure they’re homemade style brands with simple ingredients, like milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and flavorings like vanilla beans, NOT corn syrup.
● Opt for non-dairy options like coconut milk ice cream. Even though this has the same amount of calories as milk cream from a cow, studies show that coconut fat may actually aid weight loss.
● Give yourself limits by going to your neighborhood ice cream parlor to indulge in one serving, rather than buying a pint that contains 4 servings. We can all lose control, especially if it’s a weekend movie night.
● If you don’t trust yourself, go for a cup of creamy Greek yogurt with honey.
Is it ok to have cheat days?
Because of the high caloric, fat, and sugar content, you really want to keep your cheat days to a minimum, following the tips from above.
Cheat days can be beneficial when they act as a motivator and mood-booster. As it’s recommended to plan your cheat days, imagine you’ve been committed to eating a salad with grilled chicken or fish every day this week. You’ve got your cheat day scheduled for Sunday, and you absolutely cannot wait to indulge in that creamy scoop of pistachio ice cream your neighborhood parlor is famous for. You’ll be able to enjoy every moment, guilt-free because it was well-deserved.
However, some people can fall off the wagon with just one little indulgence. Their cheat day might turn into a cheat week…or even cheat month.
The bottom line? Know yourself and your willpower. Set one cheat day per week but with guidelines. Follow our tips. Cheat on days where you have especially intense training. And the most important thing, if you’re going to cheat, do it guilt-free.
