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Dr. Now Diet Program Review

By CANDICE GREY ConsumersCompare.org Update: Apr 13, 2022

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Dr. Now Diet Program Review

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• You can follow a template of the Dr. Now diet for free by looking online
• All food groups included and you should get all the vitamins and minerals you need
• You can find recipes online
• Designed by a bariatric expert
• Low carb
• Quick weight loss

About The Dr. Now Diet

The Dr. Now diet is short for Dr. Nowzaradan, Dr. Now certainly slips off the tongue a little easier. Dr. Nowzaradan is a vascular and bariatric surgeon who practices in bariatric hospitals in Houston, Texas. He came to be famous after starring in My 600-pound life. Dr. Nowzaradan is one of few surgeons who will operate on patients who weigh over 600 pounds due to the risks. Before surgery, Dr. Now sets patients a customized diet plan of 1200 calories. When you weigh over 600 pounds despite not doing any exercise, you’ll still have a Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) of over 3000 calories. So even a diet of 2000 calories would lead to weight loss.

How Does the Dr. Now Diet Work?

Despite patients being used to consuming thousands of calories per day, he still insists on a low-calorie diet of 1200 calories. It seems harsh, but there are two clear aims. Dr. Now is trying to get patients to lose weight quickly so that the surgery is less risky. Also, once patients have bariatric surgery, they will have to get used to eating a reduced-calorie diet of around 1200. Dr. Now tests a patient’s dedication to committing to a healthy way of eating. Surgery itself does not solve all the problems of someone who has managed to get to 600 pounds. Thus, this is a strict diet to stick to.

Can You Lose Weight on the Dr. Now Diet?

The diet is designed as a weight-loss diet, so you can expect to lose a significant amount of weight on the diet. It all depends on what your TDEE is as to how much weight you will lose. If you have a TDEE of 2000 calories, you will have an under-eat of 800 calories per day, so you can expect to lose around two pounds a week and eight pounds in a month. The diet has been carefully designed by Dr. Now to give you all the vitamins and minerals you need. He does not recommend going below 1200 calories as he says this will not give the body enough nutrients. The diet is carefully planned to deliver all the protein, fats, and fiber you need. It is a low carb diet but not a keto diet. All the food groups are included, including grains. If you were looking at bariatric surgery and got in touch with Dr. Now, then he would customize the plan for you. However, the diet template is available online and anyone can use it. It looks a bit like this:

Grains  (5 or 6 1 oz servings)

1 slice of bread 

1 cup of cereal 

½ cup of pasta or cooked rice

Fruits and Vegetables (5-9 servings )

1 serving=½ cup of starchy veg such as corn or potatoes

2 cups of dark green low starch veg such as greens

1 small piece of fruit

½ cup of berries

Dairy 3 cups of dairy products

Sugar 1 teaspoon 

Protein 4 to 6 oz of meat, legumes or other protein sources

Fats 7 serving of fats or oils, 1 serving=1 teaspoon

Salt under 2300 mg per day

Fiber  20-25 grams sources include whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables

The diet is not meant to be a form of deprivation even though to many, it may come across that way. Dr. Now identifies several trigger foods which he forbids on the diet. They are sugar, sweets and candy, crackers, chocolate, French fries, potato chips, nuts, popcorn, natural sweeteners like honey, and high sugar fruits. Rather than trying to incorporate treats, Dr. Now believes in not eating these trigger foods. Period. A typical diet plan might look like this: 

Breakfast

Turkey sausage, egg whites, beans, oatmeal, whole grain bread, or yogurt. 

Lunch

You can have a 3-ounce piece of meat or fish such as tuna, deli meat and serve it with non-starchy veg and salads without dressing.

Dinner

Is similar to lunch with a piece of protein served with non-starchy veg and a small amount of starchy veg such as corn or potato or a small serving of grains such as pasta or rice. 

Snacks

You can have a snack such as plain Greek yogurt or a turkey or ham roll-up. 

Conclusion

This is certainly not a diet that reeks of fun. It is very straightforward and is designed to deliver the nutrients you need. While you can jazz food up with herbs, portions are small, and I’d find it very hard to stick to. The diet is strictly for the committed. But you don’t have to be a bariatric patient to use the diet. While you could use the diet before bariatric surgery to show your dedication, you could also use the diet to shift stubborn pounds. Assuming you exercise and have a calorie deficit, then the diet would be useful for anybody. You can customize it to suit you, and you can still eat bread, pasta, and rice. The diet is going to be a struggle for those with a sweet tooth with sugar cut to 1 teaspoon. It’s possible to adapt this diet. If you can handle eating a small piece of chocolate without it causing you to fall off the plan and eat a 5-ounce bar, you can add some treats. Add whatever is your bag, such as cakes and bakes made in a low sugar, low-fat fashion. Or whatever it is you like, such as a small bag of potato chips. Slimming World has some recipes that include clever treat recipes. 

Dr. Now has had some bad press and a few lawsuits filed in his directions over the last few years. I think that it is likely because he has chosen to work in a risky area of medicine, where very few doctors would dare to. Ultimately some of My 600-pound life patients have passed away. Once again, I don’t think it is a reflection on Dr. Now, just the fact that being 600 pounds is exceptionally dangerous. In a nutshell, if you are significantly overweight and considering bariatric surgery, you should seek the advice of a bariatric surgeon and practitioner to oversee a preoperative diet. If you have a few pounds to lose, then this diet is perfectly safe, albeit rather strict. To succeed on any diet, you need a goal and a focus, and if it’s not bariatric surgery, then you need to choose a suitable goal for yourself as an individual. For example, getting into an old pair of jeans, or a swimsuit, or feeling confident. Another downside to this plan is to create a calorie deficit; you’ll need to plan an exercise program. Because this is a plan for morbidly obese patients, it doesn’t include an exercise plan. Make a plan of activities such as cardio, walking, and weights to get the best results. If you are interested in bariatric surgery with Dr. Now, you can get hold of him at his website, which includes details of insurance plans and bariatric procedures. Best of luck!