Word: dieting
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Montignac's method, based on "a synthesis of my scientific readings," strictly limits starches, sweets and alcohol during an initial weight-loss period of several months. Then, in the maintenance phase of the diet, he allows such goodies as red wine, sausage canapes, foie gras, cheese and the occasional chocolate dessert. Whole grains are in. Soft drinks are "poison." Alcoholic aperitifs are discouraged, and wine is to be drunk only with meals...
Much of the medical establishment is skeptical. "Montignac's diet works short term because anyone loses weight when deprived of sugar and starch," says nutritionist Dr. Jacques Fricker. "But it could be dangerous, since up to 70% of his calories come from fat, which increases the risk of heart disease." Says Felicia Busch of the American Dietetic Association in Chicago: "The most important thing we know is that fat content is what makes people fat, and his theory goes against the scientific grain." Others complain that he encourages too much alcohol consumption, which could cause liver damage. Montignac denies...
Montignac knows about weight problems firsthand. After losing his job with an American drug company in 1986, he was at loose ends. Having trimmed down from a high of 200 lbs. to 165 lbs. while reading some 300 diet books, the 5 ft. 8 in. Montignac decided to write his own. Targeting his fellow expense- account-habitues, he titled his book Dine Out and Lose Weight and published it himself. Its word-of-mouth success -- 500,000 copies sold, without advertising -- led to three sequels, and Montignac was launched...
...popularity is based partly on the fact that his idiosyncrasies strike a chord in his nation's gastronomic soul. Rare is the U.S. diet doctor who would recommend a white bean, duck and sausage stew, but Montignac declares that "cassoulet is the noblest of dishes." A dollop of creme fraiche in one's soup does no harm, he argues. No wonder such epicureans as fashion designer Christian Lacroix and chef Bernard Loiseau have embraced the Montignac method. "You are never hungry," says restaurateur Paul Bocuse, who has lost 40 lbs. a la Montignac...
...recent morning, offering a tasting of dishes on his restaurant menu, ; Montignac charmed a procession of Parisian housewives. "Your chocolate mousse with fructose is pure genius," gushed Pauline Newmann-Laugier, whose husband, a financier, introduced her to the diet. "The best thing about Montignac," she said, leering at a cheesecake on the counter, is that "you don't feel guilty...