Dr. Phil McGraw, best known for his no-nonsense advice about relationships and family, has entered the weight loss arena with a plan called “The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom.”
This review will provide you with a basic overview of Dr. Phil's diet, and hopefully further enable you to decide if it's the right diet for you.
One of the strengths of Dr. Phil’s program is the emphasis he places on lifestyle changes. He asks dieters to accept the reality of obesity and take the steps necessary to change their lives for the better.
Dr. Phil’s approach is different from others in that he focuses on long-term and sustainable weight loss, rather than opting for a quick fix of pills or other products. Dr. Phil does not promise easy or fast weight loss and he does not offer any miracle cures. As he succinctly states, you may be looking for “something that melts fat off like sun melts ice,” but he notes that “losing weight is not ‘quick and easy’ and you know it.”
He describes why conventional dieting does not work, the role that family and media play in weight loss or weight gain, along with the differences between how men and women approach weight issues.
With Dr. Phil’s prescription, you first have to face your personal truth—what you think about yourself and your weight. You then have to replace “toxic” messages with positive thoughts. Dr. Phil then goes through, step by step, how you can combat emotional eating, change your environment, control impulse eating, choose foods, adopt an exercise routine, and assemble a support circle.
The advantage to this approach is that each step is explained and personalized with research studies, charts, and self-tests. His menu calls for foods high in nutrition but low in calories. The food also cannot be eaten quickly because it is high in fiber—as a result, you’re far less likely to overeat.
Dr. Phil’s general aim is to change “what you eat, why you eat, where you eat, when you eat, and how you eat.” Dr. Phil’s approach is also individualized, offering that “personal touch” that can help to inspire an otherwise reluctant dieter. As Dr. Phil himself states, “If you are overweight, you are out of control. That’s not a natural place to be.”
The most obvious advantage to Dr. Phil’s plan is that it is a comprehensive approach that emphasizes the dieter over the diet. Dr. Phil also has an impressive track record—some 30 years working with clients in an effort to help them achieve “weight loss freedom.”
The major disadvantage of Dr. Phil’s approach is that it’s long-term, requiring significant dedication. Those looking for instant gratification will be seriously disappointed. Dr. Phil’s plan also involves no calorie-counting or tracking carbohydrates or fat, so it may be difficult for you to gauge how you’re doing on a daily basis.
Still, Dr. Phil maintains that the rewards of his plan are well worth the effort. As the lifestyle coach himself says, “Permanent weight loss is about changing many things in your life, and The Ultimate Weight Solution will help you do just that—change yourself, change the way you think about dieting, change the way you think about food, change the way you think about your health.”
The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution is a pretty good choice if your overweight is a result of emotional overeating rather than poor diet habits and faulty nutritional knowledge.
Check out my review of Jim Stone's "Stop Cheating On Your Low Carb Diet" if you're looking for another perspective on maintaining your diet in the long term.
You can read that review here!
Or, for the ultimate weight loss manifesto, check out my review of Tom Venuto's Burn The Fat here!
