PITTSBURGH -- It’s a diet that allows wine and dark chocolate, but is the French diet too good to be true?

Channel 11 put the French diet to the test and asked two of our volunteer dieters to follow the diet plan of the French. Was it successful?

Heather Voelker, 34, said she's tried so many diets, but not the French diet.

Laurie Dierker, 47, has never dieted before, but since her marriage five years ago she has put on 30 pounds. Her incentive now is to loose the weight for an upcoming anniversary trip to Aruba.

"I have been wanting to lose weight for a long time and I needed something to push me," Dierker said.

After both were weighed, measured and their body fat calculated, they hit the books to find out why "French Women Don't Get Fat!"

"Pasta is one of my loves, I never thought whole wheat would taste good, but it does with olive oil and garlic," said Dierker.

A typical dinner for Dierker, who's been following the French diet pretty closely, is 500 calories.

"I think the best part is it's no frozen foods; you're supposed to eat all fresh. You can have a little of everything, basically that you want, you don't have to cut out all carbs, all starches, all sweets," said Dierker.

The hardest part, according to Dierker is preparing the meals.

"The ingredients are things we as consumers in America aren't familiar with and some of the ingredients are hard to find," said Dierker about the ingredients found in French foods.

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Click here to view Laurie Dierker's Diet Diary
Click here to view Heather Voelker's Diet Diary
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The French diet is not about following a specific menu, but is about portion control and tossing out all that processed food, said Dierker.

The first couple of days you come off the sugar and caffeine you're a little shaky, but then you feel better, said Dierker.

The diet is all about fresh vegetables, yogurt, cheese, whole grain breads. Even real butter and dark chocolate are allowed on the French diet.

"I can have a glass of wine if I like to," said Dierker.

After only four days on the French diet, along with walking for exercise, Voelker lost six pounds.

Voelker is used to eating a boxed frozen lunch or throwing a slab of peanut butter on a piece of white bread. But, according to Voelker this diet has you eating real food.

Voelker points to portion control, but she says on this diet she doesn't deprive herself and she's not hungry.

Voelker’s refrigerator is full of fresh vegetables, herbs, homemade applesauce and whole wheat bread. Voelker now has leeks in her home. Before the diet, she didn’t even know what leeks were.

According to UMPC nutritionist Lesli Bonci, the difference is, "Here in the U.S. it’s all about grabbing and gulping in mass quantity."

"Looking at more European mindset, less about snacking more about eating and eating things with taste and that is critical if you eat things with taste and fat, you will feel satisfied longer," said Bonci.

Is there satisfaction when it comes to the scale?

After four weeks, Voelker has lost 10.5 pounds and Dierker seven.

The most important thing about the French diet is you can have a little chocolate and a little wine and not feel guilty.

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Have words of encouragement for Heather or Laurie? Click here to wish them well as the Great Diet Challenge enters the final week.

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