But now their worrying days could be over. The revolutionary Michel Montignac Diet Method (MMDM) is here in India and it helps a person to lose weight without going on a starvation diet or subjecting the body to strenuous exercises, and at the same time, enjoying eating and dining out.Michel Montignac has caught the fancy of the Western world where pages have been devoted to him in leadingpublications, including ime and Newsweek magazines. He has sold more than 10 million books, all of which have dominated the bestseller lists for over a decade now.

Now, after having flattened stomachs in the West, Montignac has turned his attention to India. He says, ``India is probably the easiest country where people can get quick results with my programme, since all the foods I am recommending are available in the country.'' According to Montignac, the key to his get-slim programme is a simple reorganisation of eating habits by re-discovering the most appropriate way to eat. It is easy to follow, with no restrictions on quantity. It even allows gourmet foods.

Born in the south-west of France in 1944, Montignac comes from a family with a history of obesity. Eating out frequently while working for a succession of companies, Montignac hit a high of 92 kilos before developing a serious interest in dietary matters. In 1986, he discovered that there was another side to dietary science, which was known onlyto a few isolated experts. He lost 15 kilos in just three months. As soon as he was sure of the success rate of the method, Montignac published his first book in 1986, titled Dine Out and Lose Weight, which was aimed at executives like himself, who were compelled to eat out almost every day. This was followed by a second book called Eat Yourself Slim in 1987, which was meant for the general public. The book was an instant bestseller in France with sales soon topping the 2.5 million mark.

Montignac is the first ever slimming expert who strongly questions traditional diets, which are based on reduction of calorie intake, and often stretched to the point of starvation.

``Conventional low calorie diets are among the great scientific swindles of the 20th century,'' says Montignac. He adds that depriving oneself of food drives the survival instincts of the human body to store fat reserves and at the next proper meal, a person tends to eat more than the normal amount. Many low calories diets can even wind upbeing injurious to health, leading to the contraction of diseases like bulimia and anorexia.

The key phrase in the Montignac Method is ``losing weight on a gourmet diet'' and he says that you can tuck into the goodies of life to your heart's content. However, he claims that the cornerstone of any nutritional programme is the choice of carbohydrates as some of them have perverse effects on metabolism, leading to hyper-secretion of insulin, which is the real cause of fat storage in the human body.

Montignac measures foods by their `glycemic index' or the blood sugar levels that they induce, causing the body to store fat. Foods that have a glycemic index of over 50 are forbidden. These include roast potatoes, corn flakes, white flour and rice, honey, cooked carrots, biscuits, popcorn, jam, chocolates and beer.

The Montignac food plan

Twenty minutes before breakfast, have a piece of fruit, anything that you fancy, except a banana

BREAKFAST: This should mainly consist of carbohydrates, whole-wheatbread, whole-grain cereal with skimmed milk and one egg boiled or lightly fried. You can take your pick. If you are a vegetarian, have a chapati with lightly sauteed vegetables, using half a teaspoon of oil. If you like a beverage with your breakfast, make it weak tea or decaffeinated coffee with skimmed milk.

LUNCH: This should be the main meal and should consist of proteins-a salad or a raw vegetable starter, meat/fish/eggs or cheese from skimmed milk with plenty of boiled vegetables. Vegetarians could have two whole-meal flour chapatis with rajma or any lightly cooked vegetables.

TEA: A big juicy apple or any other fruit you fancy.

DINNER: This should be lighter than lunch and can be either be protein or carbohydrate based. If you prefer the protein routine, follow the lunch guideline, but don't eat meat twice a day. If you had rice for lunch, then have chapatis for dinner.

Start with vegetable soup, then have a brown rice, lentils or any other grains with fresh tomato or mushroom sauce. Strictlyspeaking, the meal should be fat free, but could use a teaspoonful of olive oil or fresh cream.Dessert could be sugar-free yoghurt or fresh cheese or fruit. Three regular meals per day are a must and alcoholic aperitifs should be avoided as much as possible as should all fizzy drinks, cooked carrots and potatoes.

--Newsmen Features