I never anticipated spending so much time discussing diets in this blog but, as I sort through Google to see what people are curious about, diets are a constantly recurring topic. And it's no wonder, really. Obesity is still on the rise despite the seemingly counteractive rise in diet plans and weight loss solutions. Instead of helping, however, all these conflicting theories and plans and gizmos seem to just be confusing people all the more. And being told to simply practice a "balanced diet" doesn't appear to help because, well, what is a balanced diet?
In the new, revised release of his book with Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Mahmet Oz (of the Dr. Oz show), details what he calls "The Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet." The diet is also described on his website, in a comprehensive, step-by-step format.
Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet Protocol:
The diet is designed to work on a two week cycle with nine steps.
The first day involves purging your home (and any satellite stashes) of any foods that contain simple sugars and syrups. You are allowed to keep some table sugar, honey and maple sugar for cooking, however. Also doomed by this process are trans fats, saturated fats and any flour that is not 100 percent whole grain or whole wheat. Day one also involves going to shopping to replace all the food you just got rid of and Dr. Oz provides an extremely detailed and complete shopping list. Included in that shopping list is a pedometer to help you reach your new goal of 10,000 steps per day. This number is the number of steps the American Heart Association recommends everyone walk daily and, for the average person comes up to just around 5 miles.
Day two not only introduces the 10,000 steps but also requires to you drop 100 calories from your regular diet.
Days 3 through 7 are about building coping strategies and support systems.
Days 8 through 14 require you to take daily waist measurements and weigh yourself. Keep a journal of the results.
Repeat.
Pros, Cons and Everything in Between
The biggest plus for the Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet is that it is sensible. Cutting only 100 calories a week is easy and, although 10,000 steps sounds daunting, when you consider that it's your total steps for the day as opposed to a single bout it seems more feasible. The emphasis on building a support system from both your doctor and family/friends will help you to stick to the diet and changing harmful eating patterns will contribute to lifestyle change. Which is really what a good diet should be about.
The shopping list is full of healthy, flavorful food with only a few odd ingredients that might require some familiarization with their use and flavor. The shopping list even allows for pizza and wine. If that's not a balanced diet then I don't know what I'm doing with my life.
Unfortunately, the sensibility of the diet may be the reason for drop-out. The recommended weight loss by countless health organization is around 2 pounds per week and this diet is likely to achieve that. But the average dieter wants to lose weight much faster than that.
The plan also makes no recommendations for exercise apart from the 10,000 steps. That goal is great and will contribute to cardiovascular health but to lose a significant amount of weight and get in shape, your exercise routine also needs to be balance. Strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training should all be included.
Overall, the Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet is a healthy weight loss guide that doesn't rely on difficult tactics or "magic bullet" foods. If you decide to give the plan a try, be patient and realistic about your exercise goals. Talk to your doctor about your goals and involve him or her in the process. They can help you monitor vitals such as cholesterol and blood pressure which can be markers of fitness levels and give you encouragement.
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