We all know about Dr. Oz – he’s something of a pioneer when it comes to weight loss. However, most of the time he’s the man who tells us about OTHER company’s products.
Therefore, we were somewhat captivated when we heard he was developing a rare one of his own. In fact, it’s not a product as such as there’s no fee involved – it’s his own diet plan.
Considering his reputation, it’s caused something of a storm. Therefore, without further ado, we’ll now take a look at his Day-Off Diet and see if it really can be used successfully for those of you who want to shed the pounds and turn heads.
In a nutshell, what is the Day-Off Diet?
If there ever was a case of a diet’s name doing all of the talking, this is it. The Day-Off Diet goes against most other diets in the way that it doesn’t deprive you of all of the foods that you really crave.
The problem with these diets is that while you might lose weight in the short-term, over time you will start to miss those foods and reach back for them – eventually putting on weight.
The Day-Off Diet provides you with one day off per week. In other words, you can reach for those comfort foods once every seven days, and satisfy your cravings.
It’s all about moderation; cutting down these foods to an extent where you’re only consuming them once every week and using the other time to eat healthy offerings.
Do you need to do any exercise?
We’d love to say that you don’t need to do any exercise, but there’s no doubt that the best results do come when you start to put some work in.
With that being said, Dr. Oz has said that you can still lose significant amounts of weight without breaking sweat. Admittedly, the losses aren’t going to be as big as if you were hitting the gym frequently, but the fact that you are curbing the amount of calories you are consuming is going to help you no-end.
So, in simple terms – no, you don’t need to do any exercise. If you do, you’ll just experience even better results.
What about snacking?
If you’re like most guys, you’ll simply love to snack. This is one of the key problems with a lot of diets; they tell you exactly what to eat at meal times but that’s where the advice stops.
With the Day-Off Diet, you are provided umpteen snacking ideas that will keep you going until the next meal time. All of these ideas will help your weight loss journey and you’ll be munching on the likes of nuts, olives, avocados and even seeds.
The result is that your fat will dwindle (the six pack may start to emerge), while your energy levels will be retained.
How successful can the diet be for you?
It was only launched fairly recently, so you’re not going to be gifted with tens of thousands of research facts about the Day-Off Diet.
However, so far, the results do appear to be encouraging. It’s worth mentioning that Dr. Oz has been working on this diet for three years, so during this time he has managed to conduct experiments and find what works for people.
Thousands of people have been the subject of research for this diet and the beauty about it is that each had different weight loss goals.
For example, some were looking for a “quick hit” – losing as much as possible in a couple of weeks, potentially for that emergency beach body.
There were then those who were looking for a long-term approach, aiming to slowly drop a shirt size and keep their new figure permanently.
The results, across all groups, showed that there was an average of 7 lbs lost in the first week. From that point on, an average of 2 lbs week was dropped – showing that over time the weight loss could be significant.
The six-pronged formula for the diet
While the day-off element is of course significant for this diet, there are other elements which contribute to its effectiveness. Dr. Oz has pointed out six separate steps that form part of the diet and make it work:
Step #1 – Start the day with hot water and lemon
It’s become something of an old classic over the last few years, but that’s because it works. Starting the day with a drink of hot water and lemon will boost your digestive system in the morning and help you absorb nutrients for the remainder of the day.
Step #2 – Breakfast with a protein kick
The key to his breakfast suggestions is loading it with protein. The meal suggestions (which are all provided for ease of use) have recipes which contain 25g of protein each.
According to studies, this should minimize the chance that you crave food later in the day.
We do recommend our own recipe, the no-bake protein bars.
Step #3 – The lunch and dinner secret
Again, countless recipes are provided as part of the diet for lunch and dinner. All of these show that you should be turning to protein, complex carbs and non-starchy vegetables.
Rather than frantically trying to find out what foods can satisfy this – we’ll again reiterate, the diet comes pre-packed with plans which tell you what foods to eat. Think chicken, turkey and fish, alongside chickpeas, sweet potatoes and vegetables. It’s tasty, as well as healthy.
Step #4 – The fun part
This is when you start to plan your day off. Eat whatever you want – your body will have received enough goodness to lower its guard for a day.
Step #5 – Don’t forget snacks
You won’t be turning to any old snacks, but the likes of Monounsaturated fatty acids instead (think nuts, seeds, olives etc). These will boost your energy levels, whilst contributing to your weight loss at the same time.
Step #6 – Fruit shouldn’t be ignored
While the likes of proteins and Monounsaturated fatty acids are massive in this diet, don’t forget the fruit portions either. The diet suggests you have at least one serving a day – and it can be fruit of any variety.
Will the Day-Off Diet work for you?
The funny thing about the Day-Off Diet is that it’s not based on any difficult science or techniques – it’s all relatively straightforward.
We’d love to say that it’s suitable for everyone but unfortunately, it’s just not. You simply have to have some willpower and if you’re a guy who just can’t say no to the wrong foods regardless, there’s little chance that this is going to work for you.
However, it does require LESS willpower than most diets out there. This is because you do get rewarded with the fried foods, sugary snacks and everything else – albeit on one day of the week.
Therefore, you don’t have to mope around trying to come to terms with your new life, you can simply look forward to the one day where you can reward your body for making the right choices.
If you think you have at least some willpower, there is every chance that the Day-Off Diet will work for you and help you finally shed those excess pounds.