Pioppi – Fad or Fab?

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.

Orson Welles

As you may have read, I had a fabulous Christmas last year! I did all the things that make Christmas great, ate too much, drank too much, partied too much and then sat on my arse in front of the telly too much – What a fabulous Christmas!

Fast forward to January and for god knows what reason, I thought I’d better hop on the scales. Oh dear, all that excess had taken its toll and the price was now stuck on my arse, stomach and hips. As those of you that know me, I’m not a giant, more like a Hobbit, albeit a pretty Hobbit! I’m five feet and a half inch, (do not forget the half, it’s very important to me!!), and when I’m at my ideal I’m around 7st 10lbs, which is about 108lbs or 49kgs so, Hobbitesque!

Anyway, I had a bit of a shock when I jumped on the scales, I’d jumped right up to 120lbs, over eight stone…… eeeeeeeeek!!! So, I went to the Gym, which I love and got myself a new programme which included some Body Combat and Zumba. All good but actually, not entirely effective, the weight wasn’t going and it was beginning to piss me off. Now, I’ve tried loads of diets in the past, some work, some don’t, some are just not sustainable so, when a diabetic friend told me of one that not only helped her lose weight, it helped her diabetes go into remission and she’s now off all her meds, I was interested!

Enter the Pioppi Diet

The Pioppi Diet was created by Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist, and Donal O'Neill, a former international athlete and documentary film-maker, an unlikely combination however, they seem to have come up with a bit of a winner.

The Diet is named after a tiny village in southern Italy where the population are said to enjoy a longer life expectancy. The village of Pioppi was recognised by UNESCO as being the home of the Mediterranean diet – described as more than just a diet, but a lifestyle and heritage hailed as one of the healthiest in the world.

Although the name of the Pioppi Diet implies a close link with the food and habits of the village, the diet is somewhat different which has generated some negative criticism from some members of the dietetic establishment. It is a low-carb, higher-fat plan which Malhotra and O'Neill claim follows the principles of a Mediterranean diet.

Although there is no one “Mediterranean diet”, most traditional diets from the region are high in heart-healthy fats such as the monounsaturated fats from olives and olive oil. Of course, the traditional Italian diet also incorporates many starchy foods, such as bread and pasta. By comparison, in the book "The Pioppi Diet", Malhotra and O'Neill recommend a low-carb diet that is rich in fat, including saturated fats from ingredients like coconut oil which are not typically part of an Italian diet. It also limits starchy foods such as bread and pasta. Hence the criticism!

So, two questions;

Is the Pioppi diet effective for weight loss?

Well, there are lots of people that claim they’ve shed pounds, and why wouldn’t you. You are likely to be consuming less food and calories on the plan and as such, no shit Sherlock, you may well lose weight, especially if you start to exercise more and fast weekly, (I’m still not sure about that bit!). However, this all depends on your starting weight and your existing dietary and exercise habits.

Speaking from personal experience, in the two months I’ve been on the diet, I’ve not simply met my “comfort” weight, I’m now down to my ideal weight, 7st 0Lbs – I’ve not been that size for ages!! I’ve even dropped a dress size, I’ve not been an eight for years! On top of that, I feel great, I’m loving exercise again and I’m much, much happier – yay me!!

Second question – is it sustainable?

It’s a diet that allows wine and chocolate – what’s not to love about that!! Joking aside, some of the recipes are a little time consuming at first and some of the ingredients are a little hard to come by however, with a little perseverance, it gets much, much easier! You hear people groaning on about some diets being a lifestyle choice, blah, blah… and actually, Pioppi is but, it’s a choice I’m enjoying and as such, I think it is going to be sustainable, I’ve even bought a couple of new bikinis in anticipation of my hols in June, two months ago, I was dreading going to the beach!

I’ll report back in a few months to answer the sustainability piece and also to let you know if the weight has stayed off.

What’s on today?