Thornaby man Ben tackles ten diets in charity bid
9:00am Tuesday 8th May 2012 in News
By Chris Webber
Before diet: Ben Azadi on his wedding day
A MAN who once weighed in at 31 stones has been inspired to try ten popular diets in ten weeks.
Ben Azadi, 28, of Thornaby, near Stockton, is taking on a new diet a week, some of which have been criticised as fads, to raise money for charity.
He has already had a week of the Atkins diet but will also try the cabbage soup diet, the caveman diet and even the Special K breakfast cereal diet.
He hopes to raise the cash in memory of his niece, Rose McNaughton, who was stillborn.
The money will be given to the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity, which helps parents and campaigns for more and better pregnancy scanning.
Mr Azadi, who works in online marketing, weighed 31 stones in November 2010, but is now down to 23-and-a-half stones after having a gastricband operation last year.
He is also stepping up a fitness regime, has taken nutritional advice and has worked out a programme and variety of techniques to make sure he does not harm himself and has enough energy and
nutrients.
Some of the diets are properly balanced and widely regarded as responsible.
Father of two Mr Azadi said: “My fundraising is part of a bigger effort by the whole family.
“Different family members are doing something different to raise cash for the cause and we will all chip in at a big night being organised to take place at the Priory Social Club, in Middlesbrough,
in July.”
He said his weight problems began when he went to university.
“I used to play rugby to a high level, training three or four nights a week, building up my body,” he said.
“But, when I went to university I was out living the high life and not getting around to exercising the same way. Then the weight started to pile on.
“I lost 9lb in my first week on the Atkins diet but I’m on the Special K diet now.
“You are allowed a small meal, but I am still not having carbs this week.
“My friend and training partner, Enis Suleyman, is a big support and we have worked out a diet that will help me.
“I am also taking supplementary pills. My eventual goal is to play rugby again.”
Mr Azadi has raised £272 so far.
To contribute, go to just giving.com/superweightloss challenge.
The Diets.
1 Atkins – the most famous diet fad of all. At one point one in 11 North American adults were reportedly on this low-carb diet.
2 Detox – the idea is to rid the body of toxins imbibed through food preservatives and colouring, tobacco and alcohol rather than weight loss. Most expert opinion is they are mostly harmless, but
there is little factual evidence they work.
3 Slimming World – a recognised sensible, balanced and flexible diet. Little calory counting, the idea is to focus on group support.
4 SlimFast – a diet where filling shakes and bars with added vitamins replace some, but not all, ordinary meals. Very popular in the early 1980s.
5 Special K – designed by maker Kellogs, the idea is to replace two or three daily meals with a bowl of the cereal.
6 Weight Watchers – various sensible diet plans. The idea is to provide a structure and group support.
7 Caveman – first popularised in the 1970s and in and out of fashion since, this is a controversial diet with strongly divided scientific opinion of its worth. The idea is to eat the diet of humans
before agriculture became widespread 10,000 years ago. Fish, lean meat and fruit are prevalent.
8 Cabbage soup diet – the most controversial of the diets, it does involve eating more than just soup.
Criticised for containing hardly any protein and many nutritionists say the soup recipe is too high in salt and much of the weight loss down to loss of water, not fat.
9 The Jenny Craig Diet – a company founded by Jenny Craig and now owned by Nestle, the idea is to send healthy, frozen or prepackaged meals to clients.
10 Dukan diet – another lowcarb, high-protein diet regime, criticised by the British Diabetic Association.
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