Dr. Phil Diet

At a Glance

By Karen Asp

This diet by TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw promises to free you from your weight loss struggles with seven strategies: Believe you'll succeed, don't look to food to solve your emotional pain, free your environment from trigger foods and reminders to eat, establish a new relationship with food, choose foods that produce and reinforce lasting weight loss, prioritize exercise, and surround yourself with people who support your efforts.

It's no surprise, of course, that the bulk of the psychologist's approach focuses on changing the way you think about yourself, dieting, food and your health. To accomplish that, there are various quizzes throughout the book to determine your current thought and behavioral patterns to understand how they contribute to your weight. Once you've figured out where you stand, Dr. Phil leads you through the steps you need to take to implement changes.

But it's not just all psychology; physical activity and healthier eating are also part of the plan. Dr. Phil separates food into two categories: high-response, high-yield foods versus low-response, low-yield foods. Essentially, this means choosing low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods over high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. He provides serving recommendations and food lists to help you create the three daily meals and two snacks he recommends.