The No Carbs After 5pm Diet 7/10

Reviewed by Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

What’s the theory?

Also known as the carb curfew diet, this plan maintains that cutting carbs after 5pm helps cut calories without you having to try too hard. Ultimately, this lowers your overall calorie intake for the day so you lose weight. In addition, eating slightly more protein will help you to stay fuller for longer and cutting carbs can help you feel less bloated.

What does the diet involve?

This is a 28-day plan. You simply select one breakfast, lunch and Carb Curfew Meal each day, snack on fruit and veg and have 1pt of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk daily. There’s also an exercise programme that focuses on walking and tummy toning exercises.

What can I eat?

The diet encourages you to eat a carb-rich breakfast and lunch, based on low or moderate GI carbs. For dinner, you simply have a main meal without the carbs – this means no jacket potato with your chicken salad, no spaghetti with your Bolognese and no rice with your stir fry.

What else does the book include?

There’s a five-day countdown plan to get you ready for the diet and a 28-day chart for you to complete every day, recording details of your food intake and activity. Tummy exercises are illustrated and there are plenty of Carb Curfew recipes and case studies.

How much weight will I lose?

There’s no weight loss promise but you can lose 5 inches off your waist in just 28 days.

Juliette’s verdict on the No Carbs After 5pm Diet

This could be an effective way to cut calories without having to count them and it will work if you prefer to eat bigger meals in the early part of the day. But if the thought of having a smaller evening meal leaves you cold, you’ll probably struggle. It’s really easy to understand and unlike other diets that focus on reducing carbs, it doesn’t blind you with science or talk in any great detail about blood sugar levels.

7/10