A weight management programme that tells you to ditch lettuce
but it's OK to eat chocolate? Surely every woman's (and man's)
dream! Well, that was one of the recommendations celebrity personal
fitness instructor Ali Cockayne was given when she signed up for
Novo, a revolutionary new weight management programme launched
recently by Immogenics. What's more, Ali claims she stopped calorie
counting and dropped a dress size in just four weeks when she took
Novo's advice.
"It's hard to believe that lettuce can be bad for you,
but it's one of several apparently healthy foods that just don't
agree with my system", says Ali, who has a six-year-old
son by former partner Will Carling, the ex-England rugby captain.
"The list of foods I was free to eat contained some surprises,
too, including cheese and chocolate, which would normally be
regarded as too calorific", she explained. The result after
four weeks was weight loss, less bloating and more energy, she
claims.
Immogenics
has until recently only been available to professional sports
clubs, elite athletes and nutritional experts in the UK.
It was introduced in Holland at the beginning of 2003, where
it is now widely accepted as an effective weight loss method.
Novo is described
as a holistic programme. It's based on identifying an individual's
immune response to different
types food. It introduces
the theory that we gain or lose weight depending on how our body
responds to certain foods, and the fact that any adverse immune
response will severely impact on our body's ability to convert
food and stored fat into energy. In a large number of reported
cases during trials, the exclusion of the "bad" foods
reportedly led to improved energy metabolism and significant
weight loss,
as well as other physical benefits.
Eliminating 'Bad' Foods
As certain foods pass through the gut and into the bloodstream,
they cause a reaction which can negatively impact the balance
of the proteins that normally act to release stored fat and
deliver glucose to the muscles. By reducing or eliminating
these foods, which are unique to each individual, the body
can naturally increase energy levels and convert stored fat
into energy more efficiently. That's the theory anyway.
Immogenics claims that the Novo system has repeatedly demonstrated
its ability to reduce body weight in an individual by as much
as 10% in just ten weeks, without reducing calorie intake.
"I strongly believe that what you put into your body has
a significant impact on the whole of your life and health," says
veteran football hero Sir Geoff Hurst, an advocate of the Novo
programme. "Knowing that you are doing the right thing gives
you the confidence to lead a better life."
In fact, the Novo system has been applauded by a number of well-known
sportsmen and women who've trialled it, including current top-ranking
footballers who have to stay super-lean in order to do their
job properly. It gets you thinking.
"I profess
to be astounded by the programme," says
Tottenham Hotspur FC's Physiologist, Kunle Odetoyinbo. "This
programme offers a significant way forward in the nutritional
management of sedentary and active lifestyles. I have been involved
in sport science endeavours physiologically for over 15 years
now and see this project as a significant deviation from traditional
approaches to the problems surrounding body composition."
Tottenham footballers Les Ferdinand and Gustavo Poyet have both
seen changes in their body composition through following the
programme, he reports, with body fat being reduced in exchange
for increased muscle mass.
Novo works by taking a small blood sample from each client.
Using an advanced screening technology, it makes a highly detailed
analysis of the individual's immune response to more than 100
common foods. The client then receives a fully supported bespoke
diet programme, based on eliminating those foods that cause the
greatest interference with their immune system.