Buzz is: Look younger and slimmer with the Dubrow Diet?

Quite often, there comes a new diet that promises weight loss, with some claiming to give you younger and beautiful skin. But in the past few years, restrictive programmes that eliminate one or more food groups have emerged, with some experts debating its repercussions in the long run. Therefore, the Dubrow Diet not being restrictive comes as a relief. Experts share their opinions about it...

WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL?

The Dubrow Diet was created by American plastic surgeon and TV personality, Dr Terry Dubrow and his wife, Heather. They claim it activates anti-ageing cellular reactions due to a process called autophagy, where cells ‘remodel themselves’, as a result of which they look and feel better.  

The Dubrow Diet focusses on lean proteins, healthy fats and vegetables. It combines the 16:8 principle (fasting for 16 hours a day and eating within an eight-hour window) of Intermittent Fasting along with the Ketogenic Diet — albeit with a tweak, instead of eliminating carbs, one has to go low-carb. According to the Dubrows, the long-term effects of this process are akin to plastic surgery as it gives the body a complexion that’s youthful and lean. Heather hailed it as a “lifestyle plan that will get you to your goal weight really quickly”, also it will “give you more energy” and “make your skin tighter and your hair grow.” 

THERE ARE THREE STAGES OF THE DIET:

• Stage 1 is called ‘Red Carpet Ready’. The eating plan aims to “shock your system” and recommends fasting for 16 hours a day for two to five days each week. This phase bans alcohol but one can drink coffee, tea and water and is designed to reset the body’s hunger and fullness signals.
   
• Stage 2 is known as ‘Summer is Coming’ and should be followed until you reach your goal weight. Inducing weight loss quicker requires continuing with the 16:8 principle. A medium-term plan has been tweaked to 14:10 system. During this phase, dieters can also consume alcohol but in moderation.
   
• Stage 3 is labelled ‘Look Hot While Living Like a Human’. This is the maintenance phase for a new weight and physique. Here, the fasting schedule is modified to 12-hour fasts five days per week and 16-hour fasting days twice a week.

No need to go zero-carb

A GREAT TOOL

So, what do our experts think of the regimen? This is not really a diet, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a good option for promoting weight loss due to the reduced insulin spikes that are produced. It enables you to fit in the calories for the day in a span of eight to 10 hours, opines Dr Siddhant Bhargava, co-founder, fitness nutritional scientist — Food Darzee. “The real reason behind weight loss still remains calories expended need to be more than calories consumed. So, it’s not really the ‘diet’ causing weight loss, but the ability to focus on eating lesser than what you expend,” says he, adding that he would recommend this plan strongly since it is a great tool that can be added on to your current one for better results. 

BETTER THAN BIZARRE DIETS

This is better than most of the bizarre fads, which implies one eating only particular ingredients or food group for the entire day. For weight loss, a balanced diet with proper timings and good hydration coupled with exercise is what is required ideally, says Pallavi Srivastava, fitness nutritionist, proprietor, Q-Slim Fitness Studio. However, she adds, “Extremely long gaps may not suit everyone and cause bloating, flatulence, acidity and other gastric issues. I would instead recommend a balanced pattern that works for the person as per their medical history and diet recall.”

WHAT ABOUT SKIN BENEFITS?

Benefits of any diet are restricted to weight loss. Plastic and cosmetic surgery is an involved procedure that gives dramatic results not comparable to any non-surgical or eating habit changes. No food plan can replace them, especially the one that’s achieved after significant weight loss of 20 or more kilos, says Dr Mohan Thomas, senior cosmetic surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Institute. 

Weight loss is only possible through calorie restriction. This will cause the body to divert nutrition from non-vital areas to vital tissues. As a result, people lose hair, have dull skin, etc. Supplements in the form of vitamins, proteins and antioxidants help but cannot be utilised normally as the nutrition is low. Moreover, if weight loss is drastic, the skin is not able to shrink fully because it has expanded way beyond its elasticity, explains Dr Thomas adding the diet may work as good as surgery in mild overweight cases.