Lose 10 lbs in 5 days!
“It’s about when you eat—not what you eat. When you eat,” Dr. Oz explained. “You’re not counting calories, you’re counting hours.” You can even stick to your normal foods as long as you enjoy them
When it comes to turning sciencelab findings into practical diet advice, no one does it quite like Dr. Oz. And his latest real-world strategy— an incredibly simple and flexible “mini diet”— certainly impresses. “It’s a big, breakthrough idea,” he recently revealed. “Get the weight-loss results you dream about without having to go hungry.” How is that even possible? It starts with exciting research from places like LSU’S Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the University of Hohenheim in Germany, where teams have been testing an innovative way to trick our bodies into burning fat faster. The gist: You eat unlimited portions during an eighthour window. In other words, “the first meal is at 11 a.m.,” Dr. Oz explained. And between 6 and 7 p.m., “you’re going to have your last meal.” That’s all there is to it. Experts say this works with the body’s natural rhythms so well, it shrinks appetite and nearly doubles fat loss. Or as Dr. Oz put it: “Small changes with big results!”
So far, folks report that simply by limiting their eating to an eighthour window each day, they can enjoy whatever they want and still drop up to 20 pounds in 14 days. How much can you lose? Here’s everything you need to know to find out . . .
Your quick-start guide ● The basic timing trick
in a single eight-hour period. Dr. Oz recommends an 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, but studies show any eight-hour window can be effective, so choose one that suits your schedule best—perhaps 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for early birds or 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. for night owls.
● Why fat burning soars
According to NIH nutrition expert Mark Mattson, PH.D., 10-12 hours must pass after our last meal before our bodies start burning stored fat for energy. But once that happens, we keep burning fat until we eat again. On a mini diet— which stretches out the period between dinner and breakfast considerably— you’ll be burning fat for “up to six hours each day,” far more than the norm, he says. And not only is this trick safe, Mattson’s research suggests it can help us live longer. Why? For most of human existence, food was hard to come by, and our bodies seem to have adapted so that we thrive—becoming stronger, more energized and primed for robust survival—when we go longer periods without eating. In fact, an eight-hour window has been shown to optimize levels of many hormones—including fatstoring insulin and appetite-suppressing leptin. Mini diets have even been shown to spike metabolism-boosting human growth hormone as much as 1,300%! So it’s no wonder a European study found that eight-hour dieters lose about 100% more weight than dieters getting the exact same calories spread throughout the day.
Dr. Oz’s turbocharging jumpstart
To help folks take mini dieting to the next level, Dr. Oz called on mini-diet expert Kellyann Petrucci,
N.D. The pair came up with a special jumpstart plan, one emphasizing healthy foods that enhance the benefits of eight-hour eating. “You’ll fill up on metabolism-revving protein, hunger-killing healthy fats and healthy carbs that provide a lot of nutrients without triggering fattening spikes in blood sugar and insulin,” explains Dr. Kellyann, who has seen women whisk off up to 10 pounds in five days using the technique. “People are discovering the five days are far easier than expected— and the results are amazing!”
● Real-world wow
A mini-diet strategy will often work when everything else fails, say pros. One particularly hopeless woman tried Dr. Oz’s turbocharged jumpstart and found it “was the answer to all of her prayers,” he said. Dr. Kellyann says she’s had mini-dieters shed up to 150 pounds after countless other plans made no difference. And Dr. Oz recently invited Canadian talk-show host Marilyn Denis on his show once he learned she’d become a mini-dieter. Marilyn, 59, shrunk her normal eating window by closing her kitchen strictly at 7 p.m. each day. And while it took a while for her metabolism to respond, once the pounds started melting, they didn’t stop. “All of a sudden, it will come off!” she revealed. Marilyn shed 30 pounds. Says Dr. Kellyann: “Even postmenopausal women who struggle to lose an ounce on conventional diets can lose up to a pound a day this way!”