Decoding the Dubrow Diet that Claims to Help You Lose Weight

Weight LossOctober 8, 2019

Celebrities and diet trends go together hand-in-hand. Stars Halle Berry, Kelly Clarkson, and the Kardashians have often shared healthy, sometimes not so much weight loss approaches used to be strong and fit. Some celebs go the extra mile to tell fans about their current diet, but also create and sell their diet plans.

Heather Dubrow, actress, podcast host, and business entrepreneur along with her husband, plastic surgeon Terry Dubrow, MD, wrote; “The Dubrow Diet: Interval Eating to Lose Weight and Feel Ageless”. The TV couple claim their system helps you tighten your skin, promotes hair growth, lose weight, and gives you energy. But does it actually work, and is the plan in the book safe? Here’s the lowdown on the diet, with expert inputs from registered dietitians.

What is the Dubrow Diet?

The Dubrow’s three-phase diet plan is that when you eat is just as important as what you eat. The concept of “interval eating” means you consume your calories within a certain period of time, paired with a low-calorie diet. The eat-in windows range from 12 to 16 hours depending on what diet phase you’re in. The first is a quick start phase, followed by a goal weight phase, and, a maintenance phase. The plan does incorporate “cheat” days and nutrition-rich meals throughout.

The three phases depend on how much weight you aim to lose per week:

Phase one: This kick-starts by fasting for 16 hours a day for five days and you might only eat between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., an 8-hour window. The eating is pretty restrictive with no alcohol or simple carbs.
Phase two:You remain in phase two until your goal weight is reached, in different ways depending on how quickly you hit your goal. You choose a 12-hour fast five days a week or a 16-hour fast two days a week. The foods you eat are akin to those of phase one.
Phase three: The phase-two plan is followed indefinitely, but you can allow yourself a cheat meal as your body is more accustomed to the plan and in maintenance mode.

If put off by the term interval eating, it is only a form of intermittent fasting. In interviews, Dr. Dubrow’s clinical trial of a 100 participants to test the plan’s success rate had an average weight loss of 44 pounds.The Dubrows do not provide specific mealtime plans but offer lists of food suggestions emphasizing quality foods, like protein, veggies, and fruits with calorie intakes, which change as you cycle through the phases.

Mixed Reviews for the Dubrow Diet

A reviewer says that this is intermittent fasting and nothing new. Save your $$$! Reviewers report having success on the plan but the description of interval eating does not seem novel. One reviewer called the book mostly ‘fluff’. Others say it fails to contribute anything revolutionary to the theory of intermittent fasting for weight loss. The Dubrows acknowledge that their diet is based on research by Dr. Jason Fung, a kidney specialist who studied intermittent fasting and its effect to control insulin levels, and author of ‘The Obesity Code” on intermittent fasting as a weight-loss tool. Many feel that the Dubrow Diet feels like a retread of weight-loss recommendations widely circulated for years.