Cruise Control Diet Overview
The Cruise Control Diet was started by James Ward. The diet program comes in the form of an e-book – priced at $39.99 plus $10 shipping—and claims to be a simple diet to follow with no point- or calorie-counting. It is said to be one of the most flexible diet programs out there.
Mr. Ward doesn’t claim to be a doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian – just a “reformed health nut.” He had personally gone through a lot of restrictive diets, leaving him both hungry and eager to cheat at any given moment. He claims to have “finally stumbled on to what really works when it comes to weight loss and getting in the best shape humanly possible. Now, his mission is to spread the word to anyone who’ll listen.”[1]
So let’s see what Mr. Ward claims and how effective it might be.
back to menu ↑Word On The Street
Reviewers seem to agree. One of the most candid review sites outside Amazon.com is SparkPeople.com. One reviewer sums up my wariness pretty well:
The theory of it what I just quickly read online seems fine. Eat clean, don’t starve, eat your cravings in moderation. Exactly what I do now on my own, so what are you paying for? Could not find that on the site what they sell you. What all these diets can’t sell you is the permanent lifestyle change that has to come from you once you stop paying for a “diet.” Just create what works for you on your own. That will be ever lasting, not temporary with another diet you have to pay for.
Another commented on both the cost and opaqueness:
I couldn’t see what their actual plan was to check it’s [sic] legitimacy and reasonableness because it would cost me $39.99 with $9.99 for shipping and handling.
back to menu ↑PROS and CONS
A real-food diet in an 8-week cycle is good for changing our fast-food, pre-processed lives. Allowing a small treat now and again helps dieters stick to their guns the rest of the time. A phase process eases a dieter into new habits. All good things. And Cruise Control offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on the diet book (not sure about the SlimBiotine) if it doesn’t work for you.
But if you live in one of the growing “food deserts” in our country, fresh, whole foods may not be easily available or affordable. And I am personally not fond of e-books; I’d rather have an online program to follow or a physical book to read. I like to highlight or save information. $39.99 is a lot for an e-book! And what exactly is ten dollars for shipping, when it’s a download? Keep in mind other products that the program recommends
I’m also not fond of the fact that a very large percentage of the Cruise Control website features little “sound bites” that I’ve seen from dozens of other weight-loss hawkers: foods you must not eat, little teasers about “this one food can…” without any actual answer (“buy the book now to find out!”) Strategies like this tend to make me wary.
back to menu ↑How Does The Cruise Control Diet Work?
The main point to this diet is to regulate and control the hormones that cause weight gain by the food choices that you make. The basic rules are:
- Avoid Processed Foods altogether
- Give yourself a cheat day occasionally so you don’t feel deprived of your favorite foods.
- No extra synthetic supplements required
- Avoid fruit juices
- Choose foods that help burn body fat
- Avoid carbohydrates and sugar that ultimately cause unhealthy cravings. [2]
There are three phases to the program:
- Metabolic Reset Phase: this phase lasts for 2 weeks, focusing solely on regulating the blood sugar.
- Cruise Control Phase: the main part of the program, centered on the consumption of whole foods, with a sweet or savory treat once or twice per week.
- Rapid Fat Burning Phase: this major fat burning phase takes the foundation from the first two phases and boosts them.
The list of approved foods includes:
- Vegetables: Asparagus, Avocado, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chard, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Green Peas, Leeks, Mustard Greens, Onions, Potatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Squash, Tomatoes, and Zucchini.
- Fruit: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Figs, Kiwi, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, Prunes, Raspberries, Strawberries, and Watermelon.
- Lean Meats: Lean Beef cuts, Chicken, Turkey; Cod, Halibut, Prawns, Salmon, Sardines, Shrimp, and Tuna.
- Healthy Grains: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rye, Spelt, and Wild rice.
- Healthy Seeds and Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, Flax seed, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, and Walnuts. [2]
Is The Cruise Control Diet Safe?
Whole food diets are the most healthy and safe out there. They don’t rely on supplements or shake mixes, with the exception of a recommendation for a third-party probiotic supplement called SlimBiotine. It’s expensive, ranging from $49.95 for one bottle to $239.95 for three bottles (one heck of a markup, from $50 each bottle to $80 each when you buy three). [3] It’s not a requirement, and there are other good food-based probiotic sources, so you don’t have to purchase it to do the Cruise Control Diet.
The moderation approach, which doesn’t eliminate any major food groups, doesn’t leave you feeling deprived. The program allows the customer to wade, rather than jump, into weight loss, which may set you up for long-term success.
But without actually buying the e-book, it’s hard to tell exactly what the diet is. Potential customers get a “write up” before they purchase, explaining why the program works while bashing all of the other probiotics on the market. So while the premise of the diet is sound, this makes me wonder if Cruise Control isn’t primarily in the business of selling SlimBiotine.
I have lost 12.5kgs on Cruise Control. And the money doesn’t just get an ebook but a hard copy too.
“Better act now before the price goes back up to what it ‘deserves’ ” .. Really?! – Wow, dude,way to screw the masses…OR…
Avoid processed foods – eat healthy foods more often throughout the day (ones that don’t spike sugar levels) and enjoy your favorite foods (ice cream, pizza, etc..) periodically.. AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! I just saved you the unnecessary cost associated with this ‘program’ as well as having to listen to the 5 hour, brain-numbing harangue – complete with story’s of people who fall into the ‘idiot’ category because they felt the need to pay for advice that is freely given by medical experts – the ones who don’t care about making a buck…You’re Welcome! 😉
Hey folks! Ole James Ward has raise the price to $99…!!
Of course…he sweetens the deal by throwing in more booklets…and a cookbook!!!
It”s worth over $200.00 ( 🙁 )….
He never Charges for $99
The Boot Camp Package is $99 the Core Program is $39.99 + $9.99 for shipping and handling.
Keto genic diet is free and recipes all over the Internet. You burn fat because you are using your body fat to make ketones for fuel instead of glucose.
It is dangerous to force the body into ketosis and in extreme cases can result in death. It is a ridiculous way to diet and does not result in any dietary changes that will maintain any incidental weight loss. Cancer can also result in weight loss, but I sure wouldn’t recommend that as part of any health program. There are plenty of good healthy diets out there that result in slow, controlled, but permanent weight loss.
Ketosis IS dangerous if you are Type 1 Diabetes (i.e totally nonfunctioning n)…. and to maintain weight loss, of course you can’t return to pre-diet junk/hi-carb/sugar eating. But, ketosis is a state nature has provided for us to use when we don’t have access to carbs… as in fasting, starvation, etc. It has many health benefits besides weight loss…. please see the research. And also the history, start with Wiki’ing Banting. (Of course, it is not popular with the sellers of sugar/carb/junk food… and, of course, they are not on the side of our health 🙂
I think that this diet just fall within the confines or restricting the intake of carbs. It will work, but handling the cravings with indulging days will lead to slowing weight loss. Eventually, the cravings will come back. I have being carbs dieting since 1979. For the first 3 years, I managed cravings with will power. In 1982 I had my first relapse; I ate several pastries. Then, I managed to stay away from “temptations” for another year. I slipped back again in 6 months. For the last 30 years, I have been on and off. As time went by, I noticed, that the “on” periods were shorter every time. I think that I am way overdue to visit a team that includes a dietitian, a psychologist, a licensed physical trainer, and of course my family doctor. Some of them could fall within my health plan, that lately, includes some incentives for what they call “Preventive Medicine”. The rest, I guess that will need to “bite the bullet” and pay it on my own. Ironically, this will leave less money for indulging in “bad food”.
I would hope that the occasional ‘treat’ day could dull the sense of ‘loss’… and the high fat component handles the general ‘hunger’.
I thought he said he never wrote a book? I can’t believe I wasted an hour or more listening to him babble about a cook book that you have to buy? It turns out it’s another scam a click bait. Instead of just getting to the point and telling us the main foods that help you lose weight, you get sucked in waiting for him get to the punch line only to be disappointed bcuz it’s another scam. Diets cook books don’t work for me bcuz I’ve tried several times and didn’t work out bcuz first of all I hate reading and secondly I hate cooking.
You have to know it’s BS because of that horrible bait commercial they use. The type that you can’t fast forward and are forced to listen to a story for close to 10 minutes before “he” tells you what he’s selling. If it’s legit, it would be straightforward.
. All of the links in the PDFs go to the South Beach Diet website. Want to know what fruits, meats, etc., are allowed? Go to the South Beach Diet website!! Of course, nothing in this hour plus long spiel online gives even a whiff of a scent that it is nothing more than the South Beach Diet…but it is. It is a scan and a fraud and will cost you over $50.00 by the time you order the book and pay postage. The South Beach Diet book is available at any bookstore or Amazon for about 25% of that!! How do I know? I bought the book about a year ago!! I am returning the unopened package containing this book and am very curious to see if I will ever receive a refund. Fortunately I paid with a credit card and have all the emails to and from their Customer Support Center wherein I wrote what I have just written here and was given instructions on how to return the material. So it behooves them to process a refund as I am instructing my credit card company to withhold payment.
I did buy the book and the first two weeks are torture. Because he only wants you to fruit and vegetables, any meat, fish or foul, organs, eggs and only GI fruit. I could not make it two weeks following his plan to a T but I did watch my sugar and carbs (but ate any fruit I wanted except bananas and pineapples and I did eat cheese). And I did loss weight. I am still following it somewhat and I am still losing. I have not been able to loss weight in over ten years. But now limiting my carbs and sugars seem to be working for me (I still eat them once or twice a week) I am lossing. Slowly but I am losing. Thank God, so if asking does it work. I believe it does. Is it something a person can kind of stick to for life I think I can. Hope this helps. Oh, I am not being paid to write. Just hope it helps someone who was struggle like I was.
Please don’t buy any books. Read this and change your lifestyle easily with no gimmicks. My doctor put me on a low sodium diet eight years ago. I don’t eat processed foods, gravies, or canned foods*. I make my own soups or use the low sodium options with stock. I never count calories, fat, or carbs, just keep sodium level down to 1500-2000 mg per day. Occasionally I eat Hardee’s hamburgers and Wendy’s salads and Arby’s sandwiches and Dominis pizza! I just keep track of the sodium and adjust thru the week. If sodium levels are unknown, I assume they will be high and adjust my eating the day before and after, and increase my fluid intake to flush the extra sodium.
My menu consists of FRESH fruits and vegetables, white meat, eggs, and fish, frozen vegetables, any kinds of crackers, cheese, and HOMEMADE soups, stews, chili, and pastas of all kinds! *I use canned tomatoes and tomato sauces that are sodium-free. The key is to use lots of lemon, herbs and spices, real unsalted butter, and No-Salt for flavoring. Bread, juice, and sugary foods are minimal but not denied. I just have no desire for them any longer.
I eat 4-5 meals a day, regular portions, and never eat dessert. I no longer have a sweet tooth, but will occasionally have a small bite of something that looks interesting.
During the first three months I lost over 30 lbs. eight years ago. Today I weigh five lbs more because I have been inactive for three months due to a fall. The only other times I have ever gained any weight back has been when I have increased the sodium levels. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars are all normal/low. I am 60 years old and do construction and house renovation. I hope this will encourage those of you who want to be healthier to get started and don’t feel like you can’t trust anyone out there to tell you the truth. No one is paying me to write this and I haven’t published any books. I’m just a woman who got great advice from an awesome doctor. God bless you.
Is your doctor Joel Furman?
No. As I said, I don’t advocate buying books. This is common sense advice from my own physician due to a condition called Menieres Syndrome, but I have friends with other issues such as heart and hbp who have benefited from this diet. This is just the way we eat now. If we get stuck in a situation once in a while we adapt and readjust. I don’t miss the foods I can’t eat. I see them as enemies to my body. I don’t want to consume anything that will harm me. When it is my time to be called to Heaven, I want it to be because the Lord decides it is time, not because I did something stupid.
This has to be the worst piece of commercial trash I EVER listened to (in video format) in my whole life, which happens to be a long one…!!!
EXACTLY! Many of us are soooooooo gullible. But then, maybe we all just believe what we want to believe… and if we believe wholeheartedly, the ‘placebo effect’ will kick in, and our brain/body will accomplish the ‘order’ it gets. And scammers will claim the results.
I purchased this program and followed it pretty close except I don’t eat sugar on my cheat days. Im a 60 year old man and was weighing about 245 when I started last november, I’m down to 207 and feel so much better. I love the cheat days, keeps me going knowing I can cheat once a week. I usually have pasta or pizza on cheat days. I try only to drink on weekends, and usually wine. My goal was to get to 200lbs but now I’m close to that I will keep on going and never go back to my old eating habits.
Amen!!
I purchased this program and like others couldn’t download it but sent an email & they sent a link. I read the Introduction & where 4 pages in it pushes you to purchase a ‘branded’ protein powder to use for your 1st 2 weeks ($69/ jar). I immediately demanded a refund before even receiving the books…was told to refuse shipment to be refunded – this morning The refund is $12 less I paid-can only leave a voicemail message at their tel #.
i purchased this but was not able to download the informational books at that time—-now I cannot find the download links—where are the links?
Get the South Bean book from the LIBRARY … for free! You may have better uses for the saved $$ : )
Just Google “South Beach Diet” and you will get all the information you need to follow this diet. It is nothing more than a rebranded South Beach Diet and you can buy the book for much much less than the $50 plus postage for this James Ward book. All of the links you are directed to are the South Beach Diet website for information. Of course, if you listen to the James Ward spiel, there is absolutely zero mention of the South Beach Diet but that is where you are directed for lists of allowed meats, fruits, etc., etc. All of this is already available in the “handy dandy” paperback book, “The South Beach Diet:” It is a scam and a fraud, period!!