Dr. Phil Diet

The Shape Up! Plan is inspired by Dr. Phil McGraw's book, "The Ultimate Weight Solution: Seven Keys to Weight Loss Freedom." It's billed as a balanced approach to weight management, consisting of high fiber foods – including complex carbohydrates, whole grains, fruits and vegetables – balanced with lean protein and healthy fats.

The seven keys are as follows:

• Right thinking for self control
• Healing feelings, the key to emotional controlRight thinking for self control
• No fail environmentRight thinking for self control
• Mastery over food and impulse eatingRight thinking for self control
• High-response cost, high-yield nutritionRight thinking for self control
• Intentional exerciseRight thinking for self control
• Your circle of support

One of the most crucial tenets of the plan is its reliance on a diet of what McGraw calls ""high-response-cost, high-yield foods."" An ideal food in his view is the sunflower seed, which has several steps that must be undertaken before calories are actually ingested, as opposed to a ""low-response-cost, low-yield food"" like a bean burrito with sour cream, which is easily eaten. He says to concentrate on high-response-cost foods since they require more work to take in, the body digests them more effectively, and therefore they don't become stored fat.

Diet Details

Moderation is the key with this diet. McGraw points out that restrictive diets don't work; as soon as some foods are made taboo, dieters tend to obsess about them. Hence during weak moments, these foods are obvious choices for binging. He urges dieters to watch their portion sizes, load up on foods that are high in nutrients and fiber, avoid salts and fats, and choose foods that take some work to consume. He especially recommends foods like broccoli, shelled peanuts and fish.

While no foods are taboo, McGraw recommends that followers avoid fast food, and any food that's so easily consumed that it turns the eater into a human "wood chipper."

Dr. Phil recommends keeping troublesome foods such as cookies and potato chips out of your house, stocking the kitchen with veggies and other healthy foods, shopping with a list, and giving away your "fat wardrobe" as you lose weight.

Anecdotal evidence suggest that this is among the top 10 diets in the country, although precise numbers are difficult to ascertain.

A loss of one to two pounds a week is considered excellent progress on this diet, which emphasizes slow and steady weight loss as opposed to crash diets which may initially have better results.

While the initial stages of this diet emphasize tight calorie control, the latter maintenance stages allow more quantity and a wider range of foods, so long as the dieter remains sensible and true to his seven keys of weight loss success