The Reboot Diet

The ubiquitous Dr. Oz has a plan to rejuvenate our bodies.   The good doctor has a specific diet and exercise regime that can change your life.  Here is what you need to know.

Television star and author, Dr. Oz spends a lot of time talking to people about weight problems.  With obesity rampant in America and wonder diets galore, he has identified some basic steps that can improve your health, reduce your weight, and give you guidelines for living that are practical and achievable.  Given the tiny fraction of dieters that keep their lost weight off for one year, this last point is very important.  Why work hard and deny yourself delicious food if you are going to put the weight right back on after the diet ends?

Dr. Oz calls this the Reboot Diet after the "three finger salute" that reboots personal computers.  As we know, rebooting a computer unlocks jammed programs and gives your PC a fresh start.  In the same way, the reboot diet unlocks our metabolism and gives us a fresh start on healthy living.  Instead of the 2 minutes that your PC takes to reboot, the reboot diet takes a week.  Here is the program in a nutshell:

Sunday:  Get rid of the foods in your house that make you fat.  This would include foods with processed sugars and syrups, white flour and foods high in saturated or trans fats (the evil partially hydrogenated oils).  If the food isn't around, you can't eat it, right?  This is the first important step toward eating right.

Monday:  Put on your walking shoes.  Don't buy a gym membership or build an in-home weight machine, just walk.  My taking 10,000 steps a day you will burn calories, tone up your muscles, build cardio endurance and maybe even meet that new neighbor.  If you really need to buy something to stay motivated, get a pedometer.  Walking 10,000 steps a day is widely recognized as the best way for most office-bound adults to get fit without upsetting their schedule.

Tuesday:  Make it easy to eat right.  Plan ahead so that getting the right nutrition AND portion size is easy.  Think about protein shakes or fruit smoothies for breakfast, pre-packaged "lean" meals for lunch at work and really focus on portion control at dinner time.  You can still eat a delicious variety; just watch the ingredients and how much you put on your plate.  Need some encouragement?  Try using smaller plates.  That makes the proper portion look more reasonable and fools your mind into being satisfied sooner.

Wednesday:  Get yourself into a happy place.  Re-evaluate your surroundings.  Are there people you interact with that make you anxious, leading to stress eating?  Are you lonely, with food filling the void?  Get yourself a diet/exercise buddy to share encouragement and support and keep each other accountable.  Of course, WannaBuddy can help with finding a buddy, so there's no excuse for going it alone.

Thursday:  Learn to fool your body.  Seasonings can really make a difference with how you eat, and how much you eat.  Spicier foods and foods with exotic flavors are more interesting and cause you to eat more slowly.  Eating slower lets your body discover that it is satisfied sooner, which means that you don't overeat because you are eating too fast.  Learn to love peppers and hot sauce.  Very few calories, loads of flavor and you just can't eat them quickly!

Friday:  Schedule a physical.  OK, this should probably be on day one, but what doctor is in on Sunday?  Get a physical and talk with your doctor about your diet and exercise habits.  You will be surprised by the positive response you'll get if you bring it up.

Saturday:  Get some positive press.  You have started a journey toward a better life.  After a week you are probably beginning to see some small changes and are getting "into the groove" with your new meal plan.  Tell your inner circle about your new commitment, and ask them to keep you accountable.  This is a great step for you and you deserve some positive feedback.

Once the week is over, keep it up!  There aren't any hard-and-fast rules to the reboot diet, just a focus on building healthy diet and exercise habits.  Once this becomes second nature, you may notice that your friends start asking for advice on healthy living!

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