Also known as the "I" diet, The Instinct Diet is written and championed by Susan Roberts and Betty Kelly Sargent. This diet is culled from the last 20 years of clinical study conducted by Susan Roberts, Ph. D., who is a respected nutritionist from the Tufts University. Dr. Roberts backed up her research by conducting an intensive review of available data on weight loss.

The diet focuses on knowing accurately the 5 built-in food instincts that assist in controlling eating habits. The instincts are hunger (the need to feel full), availability (eating because the food there,) calorie density (the love affair with high-calorie foods), familiarity (the desire for comfort foods) and variety(tendency to eat more when there are more choices).

By doing so, the control now lies in the hand of the weightwatcher and losing 15 pounds in a 2-month time or about 30 pounds within 5-6 months is the expected outcome. A new lifestyle is practice wherein the dieter is conscious of the correct foods to consume, eating them heartily, which lowers cravings for those sinfully high calorific foods.

Support program for the diet has been formulated to carry on weight loss. There are around 100 recipes with full nutritional information. Meal plans are available in 1,200 calories per day for those who are targeting a weight loss of less than 160 pounds, 1,600 calories for those who want to take away 160-200 pounds and 1,800 calories for those who are eager to ward off 200 pounds. The meals include ingredients which repressed hunger such as those which are high in fiber or low in glycemic index scale. For 8-weeks, the weightwatchers are told to have multivitamins, calcium and fish oil. Tips are given to understand better food instincts. To execute this diet, there are 3 stages to be subscribed to.

Stage 1 is established as the two-week starter that serves as the preparatory setting by indulging in a variety of foods that inhibits hunger. It includes a 3-day meal with menus that can be repeated four times. This is referred to as a reduced-variety approach, which actually means an extra way of hunger suppression. The content of the meal inhibits hunger whereas the variety teaches instinct management.

Stage 2 takes place for 6 weeks that permits greater variety of foods accompanied by acquiring good eating habits. The calories are almost the same with stage 1. It has more variations, a daily dose of 100 calorie free choice treat, with a 7-day menu plan accompanied by blending and complementing choices for higher flexibility.

The final phase is Stage 3 which is referred to as skills acquisition to retain the weight away in a permanent basis. It is a maintenance plan for weight dropping which is good for 8 weeks. Exercise for 15-30 minutes is done at this point as it supports maintenance.

The book calls for the usual, proven to uncommon strategies of managing food instincts. Some of these are a diet full of fiber, protein and water to tapping the forehead when a craving occurs. There are suggestions which can retrain the taste buds to prefer healthier foods. The menu plan was designed to support structures eating patterns as a way of managing cravings.

It is acknowledged by experts that Dr. Turner presented a comprehensive way of managing weight decrease with an emphasis on making them conscious what made them choose certain foods over the others. Having an understanding of the food instincts makes dieter aware of their weaknesses and strengths and they are presented with strategies to confront them. In a way, the diet helps people to lose weight and at the same time understand overeating and being able to overcome it.

Dr. Turner introduces exercise in the last stage which is somehow refuted by experts. She believes that focus must be in preparing and eating healthier foods rather that including exercise in the first 2 stages as well. Experts put premium on the value of what can an exercise does to a healthy lifestyle, that it should have been included throughout the 3 stages.

Another downside of this diet is that the slow process of losing weight in the stage one might be a big challenge to weightwatchers through its meal plans. But then if the dieter is really serious about it, will power triumphs over hardness.