Structure House Diet: A Heathy Food Relationship

Background

The Structure House Weight Loss Plan was created by Gerard Musante, who is the founder and director of the 30-year-old Structure House Center for Weight Control in Durham, N.C.

Musante says that the key to losing weight lies in understanding your relationship with food. His book is a guide that will help dieters to understand the principles that are the foundation of the approach he offers at the Structure House Weight Loss Center.

Healthy Food Relationship Basics

The program is based on changing the way that you see yourself, the choices you make on a daily basis and the way you are living your life. Musante says that “Weight loss is important, but it’s not really the change that is most important.”

One aspect of the Structure House Diet involves helping you to understand how you have used food in the past in ways that go beyond its nutritional value. Musante says the problem isn’t with food as such but rather with an imbalance in your relationship with food.

Dieters are encouraged to closely evaluate eating habits and behaviors, to identify food triggers and develop new methods of coping with challenges.

This program does not require that you follow a strict diet with the idea being that when you gain control of your eating habits you will be able to make better choices more easily. There are no forbidden foods but you are advised to keep track of your calorie intake and portion sizes.

Dieters are also recommended to stick with three meals a day, avoid snacking and emphasize foods that are high in fiber, high volume, contain a high level of nutrients, and a low amount of calories. The Structure House Diet includes a seven-day meal plan.

Recommended Foods

Fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals, whole wheat bread, pasta, eggs, fish, seafood, chicken breast, turkey, low fat cheese, skim milk,

Sample Diet Plan

Breakfast 2 strawberry and cheese blintzes 1 cup melon ½ cup yogurt

Lunch ½ cup turkey salad 2 slices whole-wheat toast 1 slice tomato 1 lettuce leaf ½ cup bean chowder ½ cup grapes

Dinner 4 oz fillet mignon 1 oz mustard sauce ½ cup roasted onions and peppers 2 cups spinach salad 1/3 cup pecan brown rice ½ cup applesauce

Exercise Recommendations

An exercise plan is not built into this program but dieters are encouraged to engage in regular exercise. The Structure House Diet includes tips on how to get started with exercise as well as how to design an exercise plan that will fit in with your lifestyle.

Costs and Expenses

The Structure House Weight Loss Plan: Achieve Your Ideal Weight Through a New Relationship with Food retails at $14.

Pros

• Program designed by an experienced weight loss expert.
• Long-term solution to weight management.
• Educates dieters on what to eat for adequate nutrition.
• Includes a 7-day meal plan and recipes.
• Addresses the psychological factors necessary for successful weight loss.
• Alternative for those who are unable to visit the Structure House Weight Loss Center.

Cons

• Requires calorie counting.
• Involves additional time to be spent on meal planning and preparation.
• Discourages snacking, even on healthy foods, which can help some dieters to reduce appetite.
• May not be as effective as visiting the Structure House Weight Loss Center.

Conclusions

This book offers dieters the opportunity to benefit from Musante’s successful approach to weight loss without the need to actually visit the Structure House Weight Loss Center.

The program will appeal to dieters who prefer a structured approach to dieting but also don’t want to follow a very restrictive diet. The Structure House Diet is designed as a lifestyle approach to weight management with a focus on changing your relationship with food and eating for nutrition.