Someone asked me on FB what I was doing with the olive oil/Red wine for my diet? This was my response:


Thanks for your comment! I am taking everything I've learned over my last 30+ years of diet history, in addition to my degree in Nutrition, and combining it with what I know about the Mediterranean-style diet. There have been many studies on the health benefits of red wine + olive oil as well, and one in particular that prooved that red wine taken with fat (the study used cheese) will cut the body's insulin response in half during whatever meal follows, (hence the French, who consume much red wine and much cheese, yet stay slim!) I top it off with the fact that oil and wine are talked about quite a bit in the Bible, so I know that it MUST be beneficial human health. =)

I, therefore, created a program utilizing low glycemic index foods similar to and heavily relying on the old "Diet Center" program in the 1980's, (which has been modified so much at present that the current "Diet Center" program bears little resemblance)...I took the old food lists (low glycemic index foods) and quantities, which give approximately an 800-900 calorie diet, and I added to that 2 times in the day where I eat my low GI (glycemic index) crackers with 1 TBSP extra virgin, (unfiltered if I can get it) olive oil (the greener the better) and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar, into which I mince 1 clove of garlic. So that is about 240 calories of added fat (olive oil). In the afternoons I add 6 oz of red wine (about 144 calories more, for a total of around 1200 calories/day). I have lost weight consistently in the last two weeks that I have done this, and I am never hungry. I had been on the modified Diet Center program for a few months now, and found that my energy levels were so tapped out...I was so exhausted all the time, but when I added the olive oil and the red wine every day, I have had wonderful energy, I have not been tired, and many of the cravings that I used to have for sweets or ice cream or bread or whatever, have virtually disappeared.

Dave has been doing it with me, and we are HOOKED on the oil/vinegar/cracker combo as our snack, and our red wine.

It is still very measured, and very calculated.

One of the reasons we do it 2X a day (olive oil) is based on some principles that are backed up by science, regarding satiety and hunger, and fat. Scientifically, there is a "satiety center" in our brains that only responds to fat. When we eat some quantities of fat, that satiety center sends out hormones throughout the body so that we have an abiding sense of fullness in our body and our mind. Very low fat or no fat diets, or "fat free" products starve this center of it's ability to send out those hormones, hence people who are always eating "nonfat" this and "nonfat" that day in and day out have to actually eat more in quantities and calories in order to have any real sense of fullness. Not only that, but the flavor is carried in the fat. And therefore, things that are non-fat must make up for the lack of flavor in added sugars/carbs. You end up eating tons of carbs, which spike your insulin levels, which trigger your body to store any excess sugars in your blood that are not immediately required for energy use in to fat. Hence, a low-to-no fat diet just ends up making you a very efficient fat-storing machine unless you taper your calories to unsustainable levels like under 1K, which eventually slows your metabolism down to make up for that fact. And so the cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing, regaining, making it harder to lose the next time, regaining, etc. Such has been the story of my life, I am convinced I am going to stop that cycle with this next and last weight loss.

BUT, if you down a couple of teaspoons, or a tablespoon, of olive oil 15-30 minutes before a meal, (or twice a day midmorning and midafternoon like Dave and I are doing) and I guarantee you will eat less actually calories, and probably WAY less carbohydrates, in order to feel content and satiated throughout the day.

Studies have also shown that red wine ALONE also have protective cardiovascular benefits, minimizing the buildup of harmful plaques in the arteries. Olive oil alone has the beneficial effect of improving the blood-lipid profile, raising HDL's and lowering Triglycerides and VLDL's. COMBINED, they seem to have an extra beneficial effect in both of these areas. And red wine ALONE has a low glycemic index, the only one of ALL the alcohols which have a beneficial effect on the insulin-response. Even without the added cheese as in the study I spoke of above.

Since weight loss is primarily achieved when the blood sugar is kept stable throughout the day (hence NOT secreting mass amounts of insulin to promote fat storage), therefore I am using myself as a guinea pig in my very unscientific study.

I love olive oil, and I love Red Wine. And any diet I will do longterm, and any lifestyle I will continue AFTER I lose all the weight I want to lose HAS to include these items, to promote long-term livability.

So there you have it!