Seeing Science and Sense - The HiPaCC Diet

Seeing Science and Sense – The HiPaCC Diet

Formulating a successful diet

There is no perfect diet, as all diets are vulnerable to those same unique differences which make us individuals. There are however those fundamental scientific principles which form the foundations of a successful diet which are true for most all individuals. Dietary science advances by two forces, social experimentation, which we refer to as “fashions”, and by advances in basic medical science. Many diets have come and gone, rising and falling with popular acclaim, some spectacularly, each rising on its merits and failing through its extremes.

For a diet to be successful it must have five key elements. Firstly, the intake of calories must be appreciably fewer than the number consumed, or if you prefer a fundamental law of “thermodynamics”. Secondly a diet must fit in with the way we live today, there’s no use in throwing a range of supplements and foods which are expensive & difficult to obtain at the overstressed modern parent, student, worker or commuter. If the nutrition is not available in the High Street, at the restaurant or on holiday, then the diet is doomed to failure, regardless of “will power”. Besides, obsessive dietary behaviour is not the best way to make or to maintain friends! Third, a diet must be balanced, healthy, and at the same time not deny the need to snack or to take part in life’s many social breaks. Diets that rely on will power or abstinence alone are bound to fail, as the appetite is a force of nature, driven by the body’s delicate nutritional needs. There is no point in cutting calories if this impairs your social or professional function, and is there no gain in weight reduction which leads to a loss of health or vitality. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, a diet needs to harness a biological understanding of the body’s driving force appetite, to suppress it where necessary and to maintain calorific intake at levels which are lower than the number consumed. Fifth, diets which are not accompanied by at least a modest exercise programme do not encourage fat metabolism in muscle, and are less likely to succeed or to generate sustained weight loss. Surprisingly previous diets which have come and failed and gone have opened the door on our understanding of appetite, allowing in their wake the development of a new diet which takes into consideration all five of these key elements, as well as revolutionary advances in nutrition and appetite research to create a simple, affordable, healthy and sustainable weight reduction programme.

Principles of the HiPaCC diet

The formulation of the HiPaCC diet (High Protein and Cycled Carbohydrates) was influenced by the failures of notable diets of the past, as well as a number of key recent advancements in nutrition and appetite research.

Fats, proteins, complex carbohydrates and sugars (simple carbohydrates) are all in essence the same thing – metabolic building blocks which may either be used to build cells or else be metabolised (burnt/oxidised) for fuel. We apportion different names to each different class of food we eat, which are in essence all biological chains (polymers) of the basic metabolic building blocks of life such as amino acids (which make up proteins), fatty acids & glycerol (fats), and sugars (carbohydrates), and the science of nutrition is essentially studying how they are broken down into their basic components and transported for reassembly or metabolism within the liver, fat stores, muscles or brain. We group foods by the number and the nature of the atoms they contain and how the body uses them. It is the breaking of these bonds and their subsequent oxidation (burning with oxygen) within the body’s cells which creates usable energy in the form of high energy phosphate bonds stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This usable energy source may be alternately utilised for muscular contraction, for maintaining body temperature, cell function, digestion or electrical signalling between nerve cells. Of all the energy stores in the body fat is the king, as it contains almost no nitrogen or oxygen content, and a gram of fat contains almost 9KCal of energy (37KJ). Fats are fashionably maligned as they are not readily used to make amino acids for proteins, or glucose for muscle carbohydrate stores (glycogen), although as a long range muscle fuel they have no equal. However, this is far from ideal if we are to lose “excess” weight and reduce calorific intake. However our cellular membranes, brain cells, steroid hormones, and many other processes depend upon a healthy supply of a variety of fatty acids, cholesterol and glycerol, and so key fats are an important constituent of the diet and must be taken regularly, especially for healthy brain function.

Illustration. Atomic composition of the basic building blocks of metabolism.

Carbohydrates (popularly known as “carbs”) are already partially oxidised, as they have a high oxygen content, and are therefore less “energy rich” than fats, producing only 4Kcal of available energy (16KJ) per gram. The so-called “Glycemic Index” (GI) is used to rank all food types in order of their “energy bioavailability”, in other words how quickly energy contained within the different food types may be made available in the form of blood glucose, the brain’s primary fuel. When translated into English, this means pushing sugars to the top of the list because they are more rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, and demoting fats to the bottom of the league because they are slowly digested, absorbed, broken down and converted into glucose (i.e. they are slow acting).

Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are a trickier issue. Some amino acids cannot be made in the body from other biochemical intermediates and are therefore called “essential”, others such as leucine and alanine can be turned into glucose and are therefore termed “glucogenic”, whilst a few may be turned into an alternative fuel supply for the brain during starvation, or ketones, and are termed ketogenic. Most amino acids are found in proteins, some are used as brain transmitters such as GABA, glycine & glutamate, others are essential precursors for brain transmitters (such as tyrosine, tryptophan or histidine), whilst some exist only as intermediates within the cell’s metabolic fuel cycles. Clearly a diet must contain a healthy balance with all essential amino acids, and if this balance is not good then the amount of protein which may be usefully used for growth and repair (anabolism) is lower, and the protein source is said to have a low biological value. Eggs have a very high biological value, whilst red meats and some beans (taken alone and not in combination) contain disproportionate amounts of certain amino acids and so not all the amino acids from the digested protein may be usefully used for growth and repair. The excess amino acids are turned into glucose, ketone bodies or fat, or are simply excreted depending on the body’s nutritional status and energetic balance at the time.

Clearly a good diet is far more of a science and an art of “balance” than simply restricting calorie intake or cutting out fats or carbohydrates, and the HiPaCC diet has evolved by scientific reason to optimise the use of all essential food sources under a restricted calorie intake.

A. Increasing metabolism and avoiding the “starvation mode”

Many environmental and behavioural influences have a profound impact upon the rate at which the key building blocks of metabolism are used. Certain behaviours will enhance metabolic rate (the rate at which fuels are used), such as shivering in low temperatures, amorous activity or vigorous exercise. The presence of key B-group vitamins are essential for efficient metabolism; hormones such as adrenaline or thyroxin will quicken metabolism, and taking simple sugars or drugs like caffeine will also boost the metabolic rate. Androgens and estrogens, growth hormones and insulin will push the balance of metabolism towards growth (anabolism), and hormones such as thyroxin, glucagon, and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol will favour the metabolic breakdown of fat and muscle tissues (catabolism). Clearly for a diet to be successful we need to prime the balance of metabolism in our favour to avoid listlessness and lethargy, and ensure that what calories we do consume are usefully employed or oxidised (i.e. metabolised for energy production). One way in which we can achieve this is to eat many small meals and healthy snacks in preference to two or three big meals a day in order to discourage the storage of excess calories, and to ensure that excess calories are stored as muscle or liver glycogen rather than as fat. This is where the HiPaCC diet obtains much of its inspiration. Bodybuilders and athletes have achieved this goal, able to strip off excess fat stores whilst maintaining muscle strength, health and fitness. However as HiPaCC users we clearly will not be using steroids, nor will we be aiming to gain great muscle mass. We will however be aiming to trim and tone and to maintain a healthy and sustained weight loss without incurring great expense through the extensive use of supplements, i.e. weight loss and shape gain.

First before we understand the HiPaCC diet we need to understand the hierarchy of fuels which the body’s cells use (see illustration). At rest and during exercise, glycogen and fat stores supply the body’s primary metabolic substrates, and these are oxidized simultaneously. However, the relative proportions in which these two substrates are metabolized is dependent on a number of factors, including exercise intensity and duration, dietary composition, and ambient temperature. As the duration of exercise is increased there are marked increases in the proportion of energy derived from fat metabolism and corresponding decreases in that obtained from carbohydrate utilisation, and this is believed to be due to the increased availability of fatty acids and the reduced availability of carbohydrates resulting from the depletion of glycogen stores. After 40-50 minutes of exercise, when glycogen reserves are depleted, the body starts to produce ketone bodies from amino acids to compensate for the drop in blood sugar levels. Muscle fibre contraction is driven by ATP which is generated by three primary energy sources in the cell - (1) the conversion of glucose into pyruvate (glycolysis); (2) the conversion of fatty acids and pyruvate into ATP within the mitochondria (oxidative phosphorylation); and (3) the regeneration of ATP by phosphocreatine. In a short sprint, both the most rapidly available and exhausted source of ATP generation is phosphocreatine. ATP is also immediately available from glycolysis, which also supplies pyruvate for the body’s fuel cells, the mitochondria. As oxygen is used up at the end of a sprint, the pyruvate is converted to lactate for ‘emergency’ energy, which in effect becomes the muscle cell’s oxygen debt, although the muscle has a limited tolerance for lactate and ‘cramps’ at high concentrations.

Hormonal factors also affect which metabolic substrates are used, including adrenaline and cortisol (stress), thyroxin, and insulin (released after a carbohydrate-rich meal). Ambient temperatures also alter the balance of substrate use. High temperatures may increase glycogen breakdown due to an increase in body core temperature and also by increases in circulating adrenaline and noradrenaline levels. Cold temperatures may also increase the rate of carbohydrate metabolism (e.g. shivering due to increased muscle activity).

There are certain supplements which are commonly available and which may safely enhance metabolism and the metabolism of fatty acids. These include caffeine, aspirin, Zinc, B-complex vitamins, and glutamine. As with all supplementation the advice of your medical practitioner is advised before any program is undertaken.

In addition to cutting the calorific intake of fats and carbohydrates, a successful diet must also aim to speed up the metabolism to aid the fat burning process, which may be achieved by moderate exercise, by reducing fat consumption, and by eating regular small meals (or snacks) at least every 2-3 hours. During a restrictive diet most people find their initial fat loss quite dramatic, but after a while also find that their body becomes increasingly reluctant to release fatty acids from their fat stores. This is because the body’s natural defence system is clinging onto its precious remaining fat reserves within “starvation mode”, as our survival during prolonged periods of fasting depends upon the availability of fat reserves. To “trick” the metabolism into sustained weight loss and to avoid this “starvation mode”, the HiPaCC diet includes a “cheat day” every week, which involves eating more carbohydrates and fats. This causes an increased rate of metabolism of the additional calories consumed, and helps to replenish glycogen stores within liver and muscle. Once the body is again satisfied that it does not require any substantial dietary fat intake, the body will again start to release fats from its adipose tissue stores. In addition supplementing the diet with a few essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6 & 9) throughout the ten week conditioning period will discourage it from again resuming “starvation mode”.

B. Cycling Carbohydrates

Perhaps at this point we should mention a widespread method of “deceiving” the body into weight loss, popularly known as the Atkins diet. This diet achieved its controversial results by tricking the body into believing that it was in constant “starvation” mode. Atkins achieved this by evading the body’s natural insulin release which occur in response to the surges in blood sugar levels which accompany a meal rich in carbohydrates. Insulin is the body’s primary blood sugar regulator, and when blood sugar is high the insulin released from the pancreas signals to the cells in the liver, fat stores and muscle that there is an ‘energy’ surplus which may either be stored or converted into other molecules. Insulin also prevents dangerous levels of blood sugar from causing the brain to be damaged, a problem associated with diabetes where either insufficient insulin is released (type I), or the body’s cells are insensitive to it (type II). As the Atkins diet contains very little carbohydrate, there are no large insulin surges to drive glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis within muscle, or to stimulate the uptake of fatty acids and glucose into fat cells (adipocytes) for fat synthesis. With little or no dietary carbohydrate intake, the body must either use up liver and muscle glycogen stores to produce blood glucose, or failing those reserves, must breakdown muscle protein to release amino acids to turn into glucose or ketone bodies. After a sustained low carbohydrate diet the production of glucose and ketone bodies are the only ways in which the body can maintain brain function. This is the zone in which Atkins operates. As blood glucose remains low after eating an Atkins meal, insulin is not released in quantity from the pancreas, and the liver, adipose and muscle tissues are not asked by insulin to synthesise fat or glycogen. Thus the body maintains “starvation mode”, despite continual eating of a diet rich in fat and protein. However such a diet rich in fats and proteins may leave the dieter feeling “groggy” and lethargic due to depressed blood sugar levels, and this diet may not be advantageous for those with an active lifestyle, or in those at risk from heart disease. At the other dietary extreme loading with simple sugars (a sugar “high”) causes large insulin spikes, resulting in rapid rises and falls in blood glucose as blood sugar rises from absorption into the blood stream and falls after insulin drives glucose uptake, leading to a ‘glucose depression’. HiPaCC steers between these extremes to find a healthy and effective medium.

The HiPaCC diet uses findings that diets rich in high-fibre, high-carbohydrate foods may be used for effective weight reduction and to lessen insulin resistance. Complex carbohydrates rich in fibre such as brown or whole-wheat bread, muesli, rye, bran or wheat germ have a lower glycemic index and enhance weight loss by slowing the digestion and absorption of sugars into the blood stream, which in turn reduces the size of the insulin spike and the loading of fat stores. By reducing carbohydrate intake for three days at the weekends the HiPaCC diet encourages fatty acid metabolism and weight loss, and at the same time depletes muscle glycogen reserves to maintain blood sugar levels, which are then replenished during the week. Obviously a sustained and dramatic reduction of dietary carbohydrates in an Atkins type diet would lead to the rapid exhaustion of liver and muscle glycogen reserves within 3-4 days. This leads to the breakdown of muscle protein to produce ketones which the brain can use in place of blood glucose, as well as an increased fatty acid release and metabolism. Thus the revolutionary HiPaCC solution is to cycle carbohydrate intake to have four high carbohydrate intake days during the week, and three low carbohydrate days at the weekend to maintain weight loss. The HiPaCC diet thus cycles between two dietary modes, a high protein and reduced carbohydrate phase, and a high carbohydrate and low fat and protein phase.

A number of studies have convincingly shown that a short 3-7 day period of adaptation to a low carbohydrate diet greatly reduces liver and muscle glycogen stores, which will severely limit endurance exercise performance. By cycling carbohydrate intake within the HiPaCC diet, we not only encourage the preferential metabolism of excess fat stores as the body attempts to cling on to its limited glycogen stores, but we also ensure that blood glucose is preferentially stored as glycogen in liver and muscle on high carbohydrate intake days, rather than being converted into fat. A reduction in calorific intake in combination with moderate exercise is a potent means of accelerating weight loss, and this explains why weight loss in combination with exercise is so much more effective. The body is clearly opportunistic in its strategy of fuel consumption. Increasing dietary carbohydrate intake rapidly suppresses fat metabolism whilst increasing carbohydrate utilisation, and this is why high fat and high carbohydrate diets are a recipe for obesity in those who are susceptible.

C. Suppressing Appetite

Possibly the largest single battle within a successful diet is counteracting the most powerful drive of human behaviour, appetite. Appetite is the result of the body’s natural endocrine response to a perceived shortfall in energy intake or nutritional imbalance. There are a number of natural hormones which signal satiety or surplus energy balance. These include insulin release from the pancreas, leptin release from the fat cells, and intestinal hormones such as PYY. As with all checks and balances in the body, there are also hormones which stimulate appetite, including insulin’s opposite number glucagon.

Clearly if we do not attempt to enhance and maximise the body’s own natural appetite suppression mechanisms and also block its hunger pathways, we face an uncomfortable and uphill struggle when we attempt to lose weight. Filling the stomach is an excellent way to suppress appetite, and this may be achieved by drinking plenty of water, green and black tea, and by healthy snacking between meals. Consuming complex carbohydrate sources which are higher in dietary fibre adds volume to a meal. Such high fibre carbohydrate foods have a lower glycemic index and are therefore “slow release” in nature. This is a useful trick, but the latest finding, and a central feature of the HiPaCC diet is that the consumption of protein rich meals naturally suppresses appetite. One of the interesting findings as to why some Atkins dieters initially lost weight was the observation that whilst food which is high in fat or in carbohydrates increased both appetite and calorific consumption, it is the high protein intake of the Atkins diet rather than the high fat intake which causes a suppression of appetite within a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Therefore many Atkins dieters consumed fewer calories in total, even whilst consuming the high fat, low carbohydrate diet. The Atkins diet seemed to work effectively in those individuals who preferentially ‘burn’ fats to carbohydrates, although not in all subjects.

So the HiPaCC diet makes extensive use of healthy snacks and supplements, alternating weekly cycles of high fibre carbohydrate and high protein foods, in addition to the use of natural appetite suppressants such as water and green tea to combat hunger pangs. A third or a half litre of mineral water should be drunk with each meal, or about two litres a day, to ensure that waste fuels and excess salt are lost from the body, and to fill the stomach with volume void of calories. Excess calorie consumption is often essentially misplaced thirst. By incorporating a weekly “cheat” day to replenish reserves and to lift the siege mentality of the dieter, the HiPaCC diet engenders a variety that confers a "stickability" which many other diet plans lack.

D. High protein phases and cutting down on fat intake.

The HiPaCC diet alternates high protein intakes at the weekends which help to suppress appetite during periods of low carbohydrate intake. This high protein intake also prevents muscle wastage through the breakdown of muscle protein stores during the phase of carbohydrate store depletion. This phase is counterbalanced by eating a mixture of high fibre complex carbohydrate and simple sugars during the week to replenish muscle glycogen stores, ensuring that insulin spikes generated by dietary carbohydrates drive the storage of glycogen rather than fat.

Fats are not excluded from the HiPaCC diet as they are essential to good health, and so fats are maintained at low levels in the HiPaCC diet, particularly unsaturated fatty acids. High fat and low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet may induce whole-body insulin resistance, a clinical feature of type II diabetes. Most doctors agree that a reduced-carbohydrate, high protein diet may be the most appropriate strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes relating to obesity within the population.

A wealth of research has been conducted into the benefits of high protein diets in weight loss and metabolism. Substantial evidence weighs in favour of the idea that low carbohydrate diets combined with increased levels of high quality protein are effective for weight loss. High protein, low carbohydrate diets give a metabolic edge during a diet in targeting the breakdown of body fat, whilst at the same time reducing the breakdown of muscle tissue and producing more stable blood glucose concentrations via the production of blood glucose from the glucogenic amino acids alanine and leucine. Dietary satisfaction is also believed to be greater in those consuming a high-protein diet than by those on low fat, low carbohydrate diets. It is now commonly accepted that people have an innate aversion to diets which are low in, or else completely devoid of protein, and also to those which are deficient in at least one essential amino acid. We also widely believe that a high-protein diet has a highly satiating effect. Crucially dietary proteins are believed to generate hormonal signals that regulate digestion and suppress appetite. Intriguingly, a 20% increase in protein intake during a program of weight maintenance after a diet, resulted in a 50% lower body weight regain which consisted of only fat-free mass. Thus a high protein diet is crucial to a healthy and sustainable weight loss.

Cycling dietary protein intake against a background of low fat intake is also important for a number of reasons. Prolonged and sustained high protein intakes may place strain on kidney function in individuals with chronic kidney disease, and the long-term implications of sustained high protein intakes remain to be evaluated. Indeed experts do not recommend “sustained calorie restricted high-protein diets” because they restrict the intake of “healthful” foods which provide essential and balanced nutrients, citing risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver complications. This is the major reason why dietary protein has both high and low phases in the HiPaCC program.

E. Integrating diet with lifestyle and exercise

The HiPaCC diet is high in carbohydrates during the busy working week which is combined with an exercise schedule to help maintain mental acuity and energy levels, and is low on carbohydrates and high in protein at the weekends to aid the repair of muscle tissue and growth, and to discourage the loading of fat reserves whilst resting from the week’s exertions. The HiPaCC program knows that a good social or family meal is part of a healthy balanced lifestyle at the weekend, and allows a cheat day to allow depleted reserves to be replenished and to maintain a positive mood to lift the “mental siege” which every dietary programme becomes.

All the dietary elements and recipes advocated by the HiPaCC diet are readily prepared and available, even in a busy city street or corner store, and so there is never the problem of suppliers cashing in on your diet, or of having to break the diet because pre-prepared or specialised foods are not available. The HiPaCC meal program is tailored to our natural tendencies to snack at home and in the office, and the power of this communal snack habit is harnessed by the HiPaCC plan. Lunchtime sandwiches form an ideal meal form during the HiPaCC week day, as they are convenient, flexible, readily to hand, and are high in complex carbohydrates. In short there is no component of the HiPaCC diet which should prove a stumbling block to adherence, and, unlike other diets, it will raise energy levels and produce a “feel good factor” which will help to maintain energy levels, motivation and sustain weight loss. With the HiPaCC diet a sustained fat loss of up to 2lbs (900g) a week is quite achievable, which amounts to a weight loss of some 28lb (13kg) over a 14 week seasonal programme.

Exercise is essential for the success and maintenance of any successful diet. This is not only for the additional calories which are burnt, but also because the use of fat and muscle energy reserves is encouraged, and the circulation is increased to flush waste products from the tissues. Interestingly, exercise has been shown to be more effective than food restriction in lowering plasma concentrations of insulin and of fat levels in muscle. Also the reduced uptake of glucose into muscle and brain resulting from high dietary fat intake is also completely reversed by exercise training, although only partially by reduced calorific intake. Thus even in the short-term exercise induces a greater recovery in insulin sensitivity in overweight individuals than calorie restriction, which is believed to be due to improved availability of local fatty acids for oxidation.

A typical week living with the HiPaCC diet

Illustration. In the HiPaCC diet calories from complex carbohydrates (CarbsC) and simple carbohydrates (sugars, CarbsS) are high during the week and low at the weekend, whilst protein intake is high at the weekend and low during the week. Calories from fats are restricted, but are higher on cheat days at the weekend.

The HiPaCC cycle is essentially a straight-forward cycle which does not allow the body to become acclimatised to and thus unresponsive to a fixed regime. Over the weekend rest period carbohydrate reserves are depleted whilst protein intake is increased to induce satiety and to prevent muscle protein breakdown. During a busy week of work, commuting and exercise, dietary carbohydrates are maintained at high levels whilst proteins and fats are kept low to replenish glycogen stores and to provide immediate energy supplies in the form of low and high glycemic index carbohydrate sources.

Illustration. HiPaCC week plan showing the total calories which consumed by food type, and the relative proportion of calories provided per day by each food group. Note that total calorie intakes are low over the weekend and are higher during the week, and that protein intake is high at the weekend as carbohydrate intake is cut.

The HiPaCC diet provides approximately 2,000 calories a week fewer than are consumed, assuming that moderate muscular or cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes a day, six days a week. If more intense exercise is employed and milky drinks are excluded then weight loss will be appreciably faster, as 40 minutes of more intense cardiovascular exercise or circuit weight-training should burn off up to 500 calories a session, or an extra 900 calories a week. In terms of weight loss the HiPaCC diet creates an optimised metabolic state for the oxidation of fats, and so should achieve a loss of between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per week, which equates to between 220g (0.5lbs) and 330g (0.7lbs) of fat reserves, whilst conserving muscle protein and glycogen to maintain an attractive figure.

Critically weight loss on the HiPaCC diet is designed to be sustainable, comfortable, and healthy. This avoids the health problems, nutritional deficiencies, muscle wastage, cravings, social isolation and emotional problems which are associated with other diet plans. As the HiPaCC diet revolves around your working week and a balanced social life of office breaks, weekend dates and family meals, then the dieter does not suffer feelings of depression resulting from social exclusion or alienation as a result of meal selection or avoidance.

Breakfast, literally “break fast”, is the most important meal of the day, as carbohydrates and proteins are needed to ensure that catabolism is directed towards fat reserves and not muscle protein, and to raise blood sugar levels to ensure good energy levels and brain function. The mid-morning snack is employed to maintain blood sugar levels at levels which maintain concentration. Lunch is a key meal, as if sufficient carbohydrates and proteins are not taken, then poor energy and concentration will result during the afternoon. The all pervading sandwich with its ready availability, convenience, and versatility provides the key to lunchtime success with HiPaCC. It is perhaps ironic that no dramatic change in lifestyle is needed for dietary success, merely a few new dietary tricks and subtle modifications of existing eating habits. Besides a fine tuning of your metabolic engine and a modest service may have been well overdue anyway. Thus starting the HiPaCC diet is not so much a shock to the system, more of a gentle spring clean.

The afternoon snack and drink is essential to prepare for the evening’s half hour of exercise on the bike, weight-training at the gym or running. The evening meal is the main meal of the day as is traditional, rather than because this is optimal. However the evening meal is the social fulcrum of the week day for any single adult or family member, and thus if the diet is to be successfully maintained there must be as few social and professional impediments as possible.

Friday is the end of the working week and calories and fat intake are encouraged on this, the “treat day” to celebrate the successful completion of a week. This momentarily raises the mental siege of the diet and helps to ensure that a healthy intake of polyunsaturates and other essential fatty acids is maintained.

Over the three weekend days protein levels are increased to suppress appetite and to prevent muscle wastage whilst glycogen reserves are depleted. This rests the body from the monotony and monopoly of carbohydrates, and maintains dietary satisfaction with protein rich foods. On Monday the transition to carbohydrates is effected, and the cycle begins anew. We recommend that the diet is relaxed after twelve weeks without calorific restriction (i.e. eat ad libitum, or freely) with an increase in protein consumption and an increase in oily fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, whilst being sparing with the consumption of fatty meats and carbohydrate rich foods such as potatoes, pasta and rice. This will reset and recharge your system for another HiPaCC cycle if required. If you need to lose weight and maintain your figure then HiPaCC may be the answer.