Heather and Terry Dubrow Swear If You Want to Lose Weight, You Have to Try Their Diet
If you’re a reality TV fan, you may know Heather Dubrow and her plastic surgeon husband, Terry, from The Real Housewives of Orange County. Last year, the power couple came out with a book detailing how they attained their svelte figures, and The Dubrow Diet promptly flew off store shelves. But what exactly is their weight loss plan? We got our hands on a copy of the book to figure it out.
What is the Dubrow Diet?
Essentially, Heather and Dr. Dubrow’s diet revolves around intermittent fasting, which they claim can lead to weight loss and lower inflammation, as well as help fight aging, reduce your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, promote DNA repair, and provide a brain boost.
Intermittent fasting can be beneficial to your health. One study found that when obese individuals only ate food between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., they ate around 350 fewer calories per day compared with a control group. The result? They lost weight and lowered their systolic blood pressure. Another study found that intermittent fasting kickstarts white blood cells that help fight inflammation and push fat cells to burn stored fats.
While there’s no research on humans to say intermittent fasting will turn back the clock or make you sharper, a study on mice found that increasing the time between meals — even if calorie intake remained the same — improved their longevity. In another study, mice on an intermittent fasting diet exhibited better learning and memory than mice in a control group. But remember, those were mice, not humans.
When and what do you eat on the Dubrow diet?
Usually, intermittent fasting diets focus on simple time restrictions (eat between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., for instance), but the Dubrows complicate matters with their program and divide it into three phases.
First phase: Red Carpet Ready
They suggest people kickstart their weight loss by staying in this phase for 2 to 5 days, depending on how much weight you want to lose (2 for less than 10 pounds and 5 for more than 30 pounds). During this time, you’ll fast for 16 hours a day and confine your eating to 8 hours, following these dietary guidelines:
2 to 3 servings of 3 to 4 ounces of protein on an approved list
1 to 2 servings of fat on an approved list
1 serving of nuts or seeds on an approved list
1 serving of dairy or dairy alternative on an approved list
2 to 3 servings of “above ground” vegetables on an approved list
1 serving of fruit on an approved list
1 serving of complex carbohydrates on an approved list
1 savory treat on an approved list
Second phase: Summer Is Coming
The Dubrows say the plan works best if you stay in this phase until you reach your goal weight. However, you can choose your speed by fasting for 12 hours (losing .5 to 1.5 pounds per week), 14 hours (losing 1 to 2.5 pounds per week), or 16 hours a day (losing 2 to 4 pounds per week), and following these dietary guidelines:
2 to 3 servings of 3 to 4 ounces of protein on an approved list
2 to 3 servings of fat on an approved list
1 serving of nuts or seeds on an approved list
1 serving of dairy or dairy alternative on an approved list
2 to 3 servings of vegetables on an approved list
1 to 2 servings of fruit on an approved list
1 serving of complex carbohydrates on an approved list
1 savory treat on an approved list
1 alcoholic drink (1 to 2 for men) on an approved list
Third phase: Look Hot While Living Like a Human
The goal of the third and final phase is to help you maintain your goal weight so you would theoretically stick with it forever. The Dubrows suggest fasting for 12 hours a day 5 days a week and 16 hours a day 2 days a week. They don’t have specific food recommendations, but they say to return to previous phases if you start to see your weight creep back up.
Is the Dubrow Diet healthy?
While there’s lots of research to show intermittent fasting can be good for you, and there’s nothing inherently unhealthy about the Dubrow Diet, it may be a bit complicated for the average person to stick with. Not only does it require you to change your eating schedule, you would have to photocopy pages of the book that have the lists of approved foods and carry it around in your purse. If you’re new to intermittent fasting and want to make sure you’re doing it correctly, the book does provide a good introduction and even includes tips for sticking to your plan while going on vacation. However, it may get a little stressful to follow it strictly.
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