This week, Dr. Oz’s “Eat What You Love” episode is designed to teach you how you can include some of your favorite items including chocolate, steak, pasta or even cookies into your diet and still lose weight. You don’t have to cut out certain foods or food groups, because that can lead to binges.
Dr. Oz will show that sometimes even the thought of starting a diet can lead to insatiable eating days before you start the diet creating the “last supper mentality.” The Eat What You Love program focuses more on keeping you satisfied while helping you lose weight. Dr. Oz says it’s not a diet, because it’s not something you go on or off. Instead of dreaming about the day when you can have your favorite food again, you will be consuming 1,450 calories per day including foods that are high in protein, fiber and with enough fat to keep you full. You are even encouraged to eat some of your favorite foods to satisfy cravings as long as you are aware of the comfort that food brings and how it tastes.
There are options given for eating out and you can cook one meal at home for your entire family to enjoy. Your daily meals will consist of 300 calories at breakfast, 400 at lunch, 500 for dinner and two 125 calorie snacks each day. Dr. Oz includes recipes and meal ideas as well as substitutions to help get you started.
The top four rules for the program that Dr. Oz offers are stick to portion sizes, don’t skip meals to speed weight loss, get plenty of sleep and take a walk. Along with the recipes that are provided by Dr. Oz, he offers suggestions for what to order when dining out at restaurants like Chipotle, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday and Denny’s.
Exercise isn’t left out of the equation for Eat What You Love. Those following the program are encouraged to take a walk every day for weight loss as well as when a food craving strikes. A 15 minute walk can actually help you eat less of your favorite treat.
The main focus of Eat What You Love is to allow yourself some room for your favorite foods, in moderation. Although the title might suggest to some that you can eat what you want, when you want, the program is structured and does involve tracking your calories. Following this way of eating simply teaches you the smart way to include treats and focuses on moderation, which is so important. Learning to eat all foods according to their proper portion size is the key to being able to enjoy your favorite foods without feelings of guilt or frustration. Eat What You Love provides a model that encourages a healthy attitude towards food.