Woman Loses 170 Pounds On "Backwards Diet"

News stations across the country are running the story of Trisca Cunningham, who went from a size 22 (292 lbs) to a size 1 (125 lbs) in nine months. What was her weight-loss secret? Eat what you would normally eat for dinner for breakfast, and vice versa. WPBF (West Palm Beach, Florida) reports on Cunningham’s ‘Backwards Diet’

Tricia Cunningham used to be fat. She has lost nearly half her weight in one pretty bizarre diet she calls “the backwards diet.”

You can eat, enjoy life, and lose weight without Atkins or South Beach diets, and counting points or enrolling in expensive programs.

Cunningham has lost a whopping 172 pounds with her diet. She now weighs 125 and just came in second in a bikini contest.

“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” said Cunningham.Cunningham claims to have done this Backwards diet five years ago, and kept the weight off since. She sure looks good, but as to the report that you can lose weight without one of the programs, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is – which is the case here.

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Pittsburgh’s WTAE did a story on Cunningham (w/ video) and includes what the other stations don’t – her meal plan, and eating tips. The main rule is eat your dinner for breakfast. If you normally eat a big dinner and nothing for breakfast, then flip-flop your day. Here’s a helpful list of foods you want to avoid and main ingredients you can eat, no matter what the quantity.

Don’t Eat:

Salt, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages

Do Eat (any quantity):

All vegetables, fresh and frozen, including potatoes

Extra virgin olive oil (the darker, the better)

All seafood, chicken and turkey

All berries, peaches, pineapple, apples, grapes and plums

Eggs

Lemons

White cheese

Fat-free sour cream, salad dressing and skim milk

Low-sodium margarine

GARLIC, GARLIC, GARLIC

All spices, excluding salt, read your labels!

Post Shredded Wheat and Bran

Uncooked Old Fashion Oatmeal

Orange juice

Red meat and pasta, in moderation and small portions

Based on the meal plan and tips it appears that the “backwards diet” is basically the South Beach diet (high protein, low carb) eaten backwards. While Cunningham is to be commended for her weight loss, the health reporters covering her story failed to note the similarity of Cunningham’s regimen to other popular diets. Plenty of people have had success with South Beach (including former junk-foodaholic President Bill Clinton) – to which you can now add Trisca Cunningham, From the information available it’s almost certain that the food content of her diet was responsible for her weight loss, not the time that food was eaten.