The Simple Diet: A Doctor's Science-Based Plan

In 3.5 weeks I've lost over 10 pounds. The diet plan is incredibly easy to follow which is exactly what I need. No counting calories, fat grams, sugar amounts, subtracting fiber from carbs, trying to remember what I had for lunch to convert it to points or plugging it into an app, etc. I don't want to turn my diet into a science experiment, I'm not training for the Olympics - I just want to lose weight at a reasonable pace without a grueling "system" that I have to manage and completely upend my lifestyle. The Simple Diet is definitely working for me, the last time I was at this weight was over a decade ago. I have been following the diet to the letter Mon-Fri while playing it a shade fast & loose on weekends. I'm not going totally off the rails, but I definitely cheat a little bit here & there. Still, I'm seeing great results and couldn't be happier.I have tried various iterations of low-carb and no-carb (paleo / keto / Atkins / South Beach) here and there over the years and I've concluded those plans are just not for me. I love meat and vegetables, but eliminating all/most carbs just doesn't seem to work out. I usually stick with those kinds of diets for a few days but by the second weekend I'm totally over it. This book laid out a really simple plan that is easy to follow and almost a month in I'm still going strong without starving myself of any major food groups (besides dessert, ha!).Here are some pros that I've found:Lots of fruit & vegetables - I love eating fresh fruit and tasty veggies! There's no arduous restrictions on the types of fruits/veggies except when you're nearing your goal weight. Besides this limited restriction, you can go to town.Variety (or lack thereof) for dinners - if you only like one or two things to eat for dinner that will work. Or, if you're like me and crave variety, you can have a different meal multiple times per day. This plan is really, really flexible which I appreciate.No cutting carbs - of course, there's no room for pie or cake or muffins or chips or other junk food but you're able to eat things like rice, pasta and tortillas. You know, normal everyday carbs that you're simply going to encounter in the real world.Protein - it's not a vegetarian plan (though you could go that route!). You have the ability to eat meat. This isn't like Atkins where you're wolfing down bacon by the pound, and frankly I am sorely missing a good rack of ribs or a porterhouse, but since you're not cutting out whole macro food groups you will be able to enjoy protein. The meals you're eating will be well-balanced.Easy - did I mention this is easy and simple to follow? I skipped a lot of the personal success stories and background fluff in the book that I don't care about - my attitude is just give me the plan and let me get on with it. There's only about three chapters that are critical to understand in order to get started and you can read those in well under an hour. From there it's just a trip to the grocery store before you're off and running. Could. Not. Be. Any. Easier.Exercise - you'll have to start walking at least, but I have always liked biking and weight lifting so I do not have any complaints. Walking for 30-40 minutes is about the simplest thing to work into your routine. You don't have to join a gym, buy equipment, follow a crazy gimmick DVD, get an expensive personal trainer or purchase any other stupid stuff that is just going to end up on a shelf collecting dust. Some workout plans I've tried caused me to injure myself and I still have lasting issues in a few places. Injuries also caused me to stop working out for months -- not to mention thousands of dollars in MRIs, X-rays, doctor visits, physical therapy and lost time at work. Walking is about as low-risk as you can get.A plan for eating out - you're eventually going to visit a restaurant, go to a friend's house or attend other function where food off the plan is available. The book gives you some sound advice on how to handle these situations. I've been successful avoiding fast food and since I don't want to sabotage my great results I've easily found the willpower to push away a lot of food at social functions that I would otherwise have enthusiastically tossed down the hatch without a second thought.Cons:Cooking - I love to cook, it is probably my #1 hobby, and this diet eliminates a lot of meal preparation if you're going to stick to the plan. I miss making delicious food, but part of my weight problem is that I especially like to cook shamelessly decadent meals that inherently come with colossal calorie counts. If you take even a passing interest in putting meals together, you're going to have to give that up basically for the duration of the diet. For me this isn't a deal-breaker, but I can't wait to get back to cooking my kind of food again (although eating more responsible portions).No alcohol - I love brewing and enjoying beer. I love making cocktails. I love pairing wine with my shamelessly decadent dinners. As with almost any conceivable weight loss plan, however, alcohol is off-limits. This probably isn't a con, just a reality of losing weight, but I thought I'd mention it.Without a shred of doubt, I think the real enlightening bit of information I've learned on this diet is portion control. In hindsight now, my pre-diet portion sizes were absolutely monstrous. To an outside observer I must have been eating a positively gross amount of food at each meal. Reflecting back further, I've never had very good eating habits even at a young age. I don't want to pass on an unhealthy relationship with food to my kids, so as soon as my clothes started to get tight enough that buying a new wardrobe was imminent (along with failing yet again at another keto diet), I knew I had to come up with something different and find a sensible approach to managing my weight. Even though I was active, biking and lifting weights, I have evidently always been able to out-eat whatever I was burning off with exercise.Ultimately, I want to get back to the weight I was over the summer after my senior year in high school. While that may seem laughable to some people, I really believe that outcome is not only within the realm of possibility at this point but also a very obtainable goal in a few months. Additionally, I think I'll be able to keep the weight off since I know what an actual meal is supposed to look like in terms of balance and volume. And should I put some pounds back on, now I know a great method to remove them.Great book, great plan - simple, effective, inexpensive.

After purchasing this book as a last ditch effort for weight loss before committing to another (very expensive) program, I decided after a thorough reading that I would give this plan exactly 90 days. I also decided that I would follow the plan to the letter...absolutely no cheating. If, after the 90 days were up, I didn't lose weight I could say I actually had done everything I could before dropping 3K on a different program. And that is exactly what I did. I followed this program to the letter for exactly 90 days. And, to my surprise and pleasure, I lost 25 pounds.I embraced the food requirements of the plan immediately. I did not add exercise until 2-3 weeks after being on plan. I faithfully weighed every Monday morning. Some weeks I lost more weight than others. But I lost every week.Here is some advice:1. Get yourself some really good protein shakes. I purchased Total Lean from GNC after struggling for 3 weeks with some really yucky ones I bought here. I bought a variety of flavors and mixed them all with ice and water in the Nutribullet. Quality protein shakes will get you through this.2. The first few weeks you will be hungry if you don't add extra fruits/vegetables/meals. Don't feel bad about doing this. It is better to eat on the program than cheat.3. Look for deals on meals. My local Target sold them cheap but lacked in variety. The grocery store also had deals weekly. Don't just look at the diet meals...some traditional meals also fit the macro nutrient profile and made for a nice change of pace. I did allow myself a +10-20 calorie overage occasionally for meals that were like a "cheat" (french bread pizza).4. Only do exercise that you enjoy. Walking is great. I also did Just Dance on the Wii. You are supposed to burn 2000 calories per week with exercise. Why not do something that brings you pleasure?5. I did not use the suggested fat free dressing for salads. Just a small amount of olive oil and vinegar.6. Add variety with your fruits and veggies. Since this is the only fresh food you will be eating make sure it is good quality and something you love.There are some cons to this diet. The amount of protein I was eating caused occasional constipation. I just increased my H2O consumption and started taking probiotics.There can be a lack of variety in meals. Sometimes I felt very little pleasure in the food I was eating. But the results made it worth it.If you enjoy sweet stuff, you will like this diet. I am not the biggest fan of sweets and there were some days that the idea of another sweet protein shake made me want to cry. I guess on Dr. Anderson's Facebook page he does say you can substitute greek yogurt for the shakes. I have never done this but it sounds like a great idea.The Simple Diet is extremely easy to use and was effective for me. 5 more pounds and I am entering maintenance. Good luck to everyone who tries this.

Just another book on dieting. Was a little disappointed.

excellent book

Glad I bought this book which is well explained and full of lots of good information.