YOU: On a Diet

Search

michael roizen Getty Images

"The bulk of the book spends it's time offering a plethora of information that most diet manuals on the market don't, such as explanations on how your body reacts to what you eat, the different types of fat your body stores, how hormones play into your appetite and how your body actually digests food."

Read the YOU: On a Diet Review

At a Glance

By Myatt Murphy

"Following this two-week rebooting program will help you lose up to two inches from your waist" is the claim AOL Coach and author Dr. Michael Roizen's book "YOU: On a Diet" makes right on the jacket. The program to help dieters achieve this wishful task is very simple in its approach and a lot less extreme than most short diets tend to be.

The "YOU" diet -- the eating plan that's at the core of the book -- is a two-week program that's actually just a week-long plan. Dieters are asked to repeat the same instructions they followed for Week One in Week Two -- all they do is rotate their meals to give them the feeling of variety. Each day, dieters eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with a light snack in between for a total of five meals. They are encouraged to pick -- and stick to -- the same meals for breakfast and lunch, although the diet has them eating a different dinner each night of the week. During the week, dieters are asked to throw away any foods they may have in the house that contain simple sugars, saturated fats, trans fats and enriched flour.

Dieters are also instructed to exercise while following the program. Typical routines include walking for thirty minutes and stretching for three to five minutes daily. They are also asked to perform a 20-minute full-body workout designed to simultaneously stretch and strengthen their muscles every other day, for a total of three days a week.

After the two-week program, dieters are encouraged to continue following the program for as long as they like.

Cost: Average. The diet really doesn’t involve buying anything special meals except more fruits and vegetables than you might currently purchase.
Meals Provided: None, although the diet does offer a handful of recipes that dieters can try.
Diet Duration: The diet itself is a two-week program -- broken down into two, one-week programs. Dieters are advised that they can continue using the program as needed -- modifying it to their tastes.
Fitness Requirements: Dieters are required to walk for thirty minutes and stretch for three to five minutes for all fourteen days of the two-week program. They are also required to perform a 20-minute workout three times weekly.
Time Commitment: Moderate. Because this diet requires a minimum of 35 minutes to an hour of exercise daily (split between walking, stretching, and on certain days, performing a resistance-training program), you can expect to devote over four hours of extra time each week to whatever meal planning the diet also requires.
Eating Out: Moderate. The diet suggests a limited number of breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner options (some easier to find than others), but the book does give dieters plenty of substitutions when ordering from fast-food restaurants and ethnic restaurants in addition to these choices.
Alcohol: Dieters are allowed one glass of alcohol, preferably at the end of their dinner.
Vegetarian-Friendly: Yes. Although the diet plan isn’t vegetarian-specific, it’s filled with non-meat options, including a variety of salads, fruits and whole-grain selections.
Strict/Flexible Eating Plan: Fairly flexible. Although dieters are told what to eat for the duration of fourteen days, they can choose from a fair amount of different options when it comes to breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks. For dinner, however, they give dieters only one to two choices to pick from.