The Thomas Diet is the private diet of Mike Thomas, a mid-30s man who decided to lose weight by changing his eating habits. On his You Tube postings, Thomas identifies himself as an IT consultant. And on his website, he says he had chronic back problems that were corrected by surgery. After surgery, he developed drinking and eating habits that caused him to gain weight. Thomas started documenting his weight-loss efforts in February 2009, when he weighed 275 pounds. By May 2009, he had dropped to 220 pounds. Thomas says he has publicized the diet online in hopes of helping others.

Background

Although Thomas describes himself as a fitness advocate, he has no formal education or training as a fitness coach or nutrition expert. Thomas became a sensation on You Tube and several other online spots when he claimed to have lost 55 pounds over two months by following a diet plan he designed. Thomas concluded his weight loss program in 2010 and hasn’t made any online appearances since then.

Diet Premise

You should never exceed 2,000 calories a day, according to the official Thomas Diet. But the You Tube videos created by Thomas suggest it’s best to eat 800 to 1,200 calories per day for fast, effective weight loss. Thomas advises focusing on what he calls healthy, low-calorie food. The only two specifically banned items are fast food and soda. Another key to the program is eating every two hours. This is supposed to speed up your metabolism and help you control hunger, so that you never overeat.

Recommendations

Thomas believes the key to losing weight is eating salads several times a day. The You Tube videos, which are more specific than his own website, point out that you can also snack on celery, bananas and oranges throughout the day, as they are low in calories but contain nutrients to keep you strong and healthy. Thomas has some extreme recommendations about water. He says he drinks 16 ounces of water an hour while he’s awake. He also suggests taking fiber supplements and using protein powder. The protein powder is the only source of protein on this diet. He advises avoiding carbohydrates.

Risks

The Thomas Diet is basically a crash diet. According to the Mayo Clinic website, the ideal rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week. Mike Thomas claims to have lost 20 pounds on the first 10 days on the diet. He achieved this by dramatically reducing his calories. Fast weight loss can cause a number of problems, including the loss of lean tissue, rather than fat.