About the X Diet

There is a disorder called Syndrome X. It is characterised by insulin resistance, and leads to many health problems that used to be treated individually.

Now we know that they can all develop from the same insulin malfunction, and as such, we can now treat the insulin, and treat the many diseases.

The problems that insulin resistance can cause include:

  1. Obesity (especially around the midriff area)
  2. High plasma cholesterol (especially triglyceride levels)
  3. High blood pressure
  4. Pre-diabetes (hyperinsulinaemia)
  5. Type 2 Diabetes
  6. Gout and other inflammatory disorders.
  7. Infertility (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome / PCOS is a well-known infertility problem in women, but it has recently been shown that treating insulin problems in men also increases male infertility)
  8. Kidney problems (this usually occurs in later life)

This is what The X Diet is. It uses the principles of NOT controlling calories as a thrust, but rather placing emphasis on how to control insulin production (and thus treat all of the disorders from the source).

To control insulin production, we follow the following principles (around which The X Diet is designed):

  1. Regular, sufficient, Low GI carbohydrates.
  2. Very low fat intake.
  3. Supplement with therapeutic doses of essential fatty acids.
  4. Very lean protein intake, at moderate amounts.
  5. Plenty of fresh fruits, salads, vegetables and fat free dairy products.
  6. Moderate, regular exercise.

The Obesity Epidemic

The current obesity problem in the world today is an epidemic, and much of the problems are caused by inactivity and high-calorie, fatty diets.

However, it is also becoming widely accepted that the development of obesity is a multi-facetted problem, including abnormalities of hormones, genetics, appetite control, psychological and psychiatric (brain chemical) problems. It is for this reason, that Tabitha works very closely with doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists and biokineticists.

Tabitha works on a very psychodynamic level, also identifying why people find themselves on an ‘on- and off-the wagon’ mentality, motivation and reward problems and has extensively studied the interaction of certain nutrients and feeding habits with neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) and hormones.

Treating the Cause, Not the Symptom

Most people who have dieted many, many times before, have usually NOT been to a metabolically-trained registered dietician, but have visited doctors, weight loss clubs, personal trainers or nutritionists. Unfortunately, none of these people are trained to treat disorders in a dietetic capacity (otherwise they would be registered dieticians, not nutritionists!), and so the usual premise that is followed in these ‘programmes’ is to lower calorie intake. This approach works very effectively in the short-term, but is being shown to lead to long-term complications in insulin control, diabetes and obesity, as well as certain depression and anxiety problems. So, apart from moving away from the dangers of calorie and carbohydrate restriction, Tabitha focuses on a truly holistic approach, incorporating:
  • Dispelling diet myths,
  • Replacing the ‘diet mentality’ with a normal approach to hunger and food.
  • Working with the patient to restore an ‘internal locus of control’, through knowledge; rather than consistently creating a reliance on the ‘diet guru’ for direction and instruction.
  • Healing the body, brain and mind so that weight loss/plasma sugar or cholesterol levels are controlled in the long-term.
  • Teaching practical lifestyle skills to empower the patient to live the lifestyle easily and with knowledge behind WHY the changes are required. These skills include label-reading, cooking methods and recipes, dining out, visiting friends and entertaining.
  • Moving away from the concept of “going on diet”, and developing nutritional competence to incorporate a truly moderate lifestyle in a long-term sense.

Returning the sexiness and fun to food

The X Diet returns the sexiness and fun to food, eating and health, and makes it easy, quick and manageable to live a slim, healthy and social lifestyle whilst maintaining weight, plasma sugar levels, cholesterol and moods like a Pro!

Life without passion can be pretty boring. In this Podcast I talk about the inspiration behind the diet and what it means.

I outline why I am so excited about what I do and the success I have had in my practice. Fortunately, I had a time limit otherwise this podcast would be 20 minutes instead of 3.17 minutes.