Heather and Terry Dubrow, known for their appearances on reality TV shows like The Real Housewives of Orange County and Botched, have developed a diet plan called the Dubrow Diet. The Dubrow Diet combines "interval eating" (intermittent fasting) with specific allowed foods in a three-phase plan designed to jump-start weight loss, get you to your goal weight, and help with maintenance.
While many people want a healthier, more regimented lifestyle, they find that interval eating often leaves them hungry. Now, these wellness experts offer a solution-a fusion of “Keto” diet and interval eating. The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet is the ultimate answer for anyone trying to get healthy, lose weight, and maintain a fit lifestyle, while still truly enjoying their life.
The Dubrow Diet: Interval Eating for Weight Loss and Anti-Aging
The Dubrow Diet is detailed in a book by Heather Dubrow and Terry Dubrow, MD, that was published in 2018. The full title is The Dubrow Diet: Interval Eating to Lose Weight and Feel Ageless. The diet focuses not just on what you eat, but when you eat.
How Interval Eating Works
Essentially, this is interval eating, or taking “an extended break from eating,” as Terry Dubrow writes in the book. (3) It’s also commonly called intermittent fasting, with the time spent eating called a “feeding cycle” and the eating break a “fasting cycle.”
The Dubrow Diet recommends a 16:8 schedule, meaning fasting for 16 hours with an 8-hour eating window in the initial phase. Depending on how quickly you want to lose weight, you would then choose a fast of 12, 14, or 16 hours during phase 2 and beyond.
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The Dubrows cite University of Illinois research showing that intermittent fasting can lead to temporary weight loss. One of the university’s studies found that a 16:8 eating pattern helped adults with obesity cut calories and lose 2.6 percent more of their body weight over 12 weeks compared with a control group. (4)
The Dubrows say that interval eating gives your metabolism a reset period; once your body has burned through your glucose stores in your body, it burns stored fat, leading to weight loss. “Our own test group revealed that combining this eating schedule with a greater intake of specific foods increased the [average] weekly weight loss to 1.8 pounds per week,” specifically in the abdominal area, they write.
That said, the diet is designed to be customizable depending on how quickly you want to lose weight, and the Dubrows say you can lose anywhere from 0.5 to 4 pounds per week. There are no randomized, clinical trials on the diet, though; these figures are from their test groups.
Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet
Heather and Terry Dubrow are back with a new eating regimen! Though both eating regimens are very popular, Terry and Heather, 51, sought out to make them more accessible, yet still effective and healthy, so they combined the best parts of each. “But we found a science-based plan that combines the benefits of both without the disadvantages of either,” Terry added. “It’s prescriptive, but it’s very, very simple.
“I was down on keto because you really can’t have fruits and vegetables. It’s so low carbohydrate that if you eat one apple, you’re out of the traditional ketogenesis diet, so it’s not sustainable,” the reality star argued. In other words, certain “cheats” are permitted on the Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet, such as alcohol. “How could you live without that?” Heather quipped. Terry added that this diet, which is a follow-up to 2018’s The Dubrow Diet, also allows other foods that are typically not permitted on keto. “We’ve made it very easy,” he said. Heather compared the duo’s diet to a popular exercise technique, adding: “You’ve got to think of it sort of like high-intensity interval training, which we’re all very used to when it comes to exercise. You raise and lower your heart rate and that’s how we train the body.
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The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet is the ultimate answer for anyone trying to get healthy, lose weight, and maintain a fit lifestyle, while still truly enjoying their life. The Dubrows show you how skip the guilt and eat plenty of great food-while losing weight.
Scientifically proven to be one of the most effective weight-loss regimens available, their methods have seen great success, demonstrated by their test groups who speak positively not just of the results but of the experience. This fusion diet cuts out the challenges that make the keto or intermittent fasting diets impossible to follow or sustain by combining them into one, simple yet transformative solution. With The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet, you’ll feel and look great-and you’ll experience effortless appetite control.
The authors provide delicious, healthy keto recipes with a simple, flexible interval eating schedule to help you transform your life with a 12:8:4 eating schedule to get you to nutritional ketosis. Focusing on both when and what you eat, the Dubrows will help you reprogram your cells to metabolize fat for fuel, normalize blood sugar, fight inflammation, increase your energy, and reach your goal weight once and for all.
Sustainable and easy, The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet features unbelievably tasty recipes from the Dubrow’s very own kitchen with meals and snacks that the entire family will enjoy. This book will not only change the way you eat-it will change your life!
Dubrow Diet Foods: What to Eat and Avoid
Below you’ll find a list of some of the main foods in the Dubrow Diet, though this is not an exhaustive list.
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Foods Recommended on the Dubrow Diet
- Protein: Eggs, turkey bacon, pork, lean cuts of red meat (such as eye of round, top and bottom round), game meats (venison, bison, and buffalo), poultry, protein powders, tofu, tempeh, fish and shellfish
- Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables (for example, spinach, arugula, lettuce, kale), green beans, leeks, any vegetable that grows “above the ground” (asparagus, Brussels sprouts, celery, broccoli, summer squash, tomatoes, butternut or acorn squash), garlic, onions, “below-ground” vegetables (limited; including radishes, turnips, and carrots)
- Fruit: Apples, berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), peach, pineapple, cherries, lemon and lime, pears
- Fats: Avocado, oils (avocado, coconut, almond, grapeseed, olive), olives
- Nuts and Seeds: Almond butter, pumpkin, sunflower, flaxseed, and hempseeds, almonds, pecans, pistachios
- Dairy: Feta and Parmesan cheese, nonfat or lowfat dairy (milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt), kefir, alternatives (coconut milk and yogurt)
- Grains and Legumes: Beans, chickpeas, oats, quinoa, bulgur, lentils, whole-wheat bread, barley, hummus
- Drinks: Water, coffee and tea, calorie-free drinks with “alternative” sweeteners (such as monk fruit, stevia, or xylitol), alcohol (during later phases)
- Condiments: Herbs and spices, hot sauce, mustard
Foods Not Advised on the Dubrow Diet
- Baked goods
- Cereal
- White pasta
- White bread
- Highly processed snack foods
- Desserts
A 3-Day Sample Menu
What you’ll eat depends on what phase of the diet you’re in. If that is a message that resonates with you, you might find the book helpful.
Potential Benefits of the Dubrow Diet
- Focus on Nutritious Foods: A big bright spot is the focus on highly nutritious foods, and the book is written in such an enthusiastic way, that you might become motivated to eat them. “I’m a fan of how they promote lean proteins, lots of vegetables, nuts, seeds, and heart-healthy fats. Overall, they recommend foods that are not artificial or in packages. It’s a whole foods-based program,” says Amy Shapiro, RD, CDN, the founder and director of Real Nutrition in New York City.
- Emphasis on Fiber: Another perk is the focus on fiber, which will keep digestion regular, something that can go a long way in helping you feel great.
- Potential for Autophagy: The Dubrows also advocate for their diet (specifically the interval eating aspect) as being something that can increase autophagy, which they describe in their book as “your cells’ self-cleaning process and an anti-aging rock star.” (3) Meaning: It’s said to increase DNA repair for inside-out anti-aging. While the idea is promising, it’s not a given yet. “I’ve seen animal research suggesting that [intermittent fasting] stimulates autophagy and that it may have value in reducing the risk of chronic diseases associated with aging. But animal research is very different from research in humans,” says Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, a dietician based in New York City.
Potential Downsides of the Dubrow Diet
- Restrictive Nature: The upside for short-term weight loss is that this is a lower-calorie diet. Yet the restriction, along with the list of acceptable foods, does not bode well for your ability to stick with the diet. “Though I appreciate that the meal plan incorporates a lot of healthy foods, because the meal plans are actually quite low in calories, many people would have difficulty meeting nutrient needs, and there’s a strong chance you’d feel hungry and sluggish if you stick to the plan that’s outlined,” says Cassetty.
- "Cheat" Moments: Another downside is the fact that they incorporate the idea of cheat moments, meals, or days into the diet. “Eating well isn’t like a hop-on, hop-off bus, where some days you’re on and other days you’re off. This type of diet mentality can be really harmful to your emotional well-being and might lead to yo-yo dieting, the type of weight fluctuations that may lead to poorer health outcomes over time,” adds Cassetty. Indeed, a study found a link between weight cycling and health conditions including obesity and high blood pressure. (5)
- Not Suitable for Everyone: Because of its restrictive nature and the focus on appearance, anyone with an eating disorder should not try this diet. “Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with an eating disorder, if you have a turbulent relationship [with] your body or food, you should look elsewhere,” says Cassetty. Pregnant women or people younger than 18 shouldn’t do intermittent fasting, she adds. If you’re older than 65 or have any known medical conditions, talk to your healthcare team first.
- Limited Complex Carbohydrates: Another downside is that The Dubrow Diet really limits complex carbohydrates, which many people would find restrictive. “People need education on how to bring complex carbohydrates back into their diet [after a diet like this], or to know how to come back from an imperfect meal. That piece might be missing with this diet,” says Shapiro.
The 3 Phases of the Dubrow Diet
First, for success on the Dubrow Diet, you’ll want to purchase the book to understand their methodology as well as get a full picture of the phases of the diet and the recommended foods within, since following multiple levels of rules can get complex. Below, you’ll find the three phases and a brief description of each. (3)
- Phase 1: Kickstart (2-5 days): Two to five days of strictly adhering to 16:8 interval eating. Consider this your body’s jump start.
- Phase 2: Goal Weight: This phase is targeted to your goal weight. “Slow” weight loss involves a 12:12 interval eating and one “cheat moment” (such as a snack or dessert) per week for an estimated ½ to 1 ½ pounds (lbs) of expected weight loss per week. “Medium” weight loss involves 14:10 interval eating, one cheat meal per week, and an estimated 1 to 2 ½ lbs of expected weight loss per week. Finally, “Fast” weight loss is maintaining that 16:8 interval with an entire cheat day for 2 to 4 lbs of weight loss per week.
- Phase 3: Maintenance: Maintenance phase. For five days of your choice, you eat a 12:12 interval; two days per week it’s a 16:8 interval for a reset.
The Ketogenic Diet: An Overview
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body to switch from burning glucose to burning fat for fuel. This metabolic state is called ketosis.
Nutritional Ketosis vs. Diabetic Ketoacidosis
It's important to distinguish between nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Nutritional ketosis means that our mitochondria are burning fat instead of glucose (carbohydrates) or amino acids (protein) to generate energy (ATP). We do this when access to food is limited, as would occur during famine, drought, winter, or war.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a metabolic problem that occurs when the person has too little insulin and very high blood sugar. That is a critical health problem. Nutritional ketosis is a normal response to limited access to food when the body relies on its own fat stores.
How Ketogenic Diets Work
Scientists have figured out that a high-fat diet can create nutritional ketosis without causing starvation. These diets are called ketogenic diets and have become popular for weight loss. Most ketogenic diets stress butter, cream, and eggs to achieve a diet in which 90% of calories come from fat, while the remaining calories come from protein and low carbohydrate vegetables.
This is very effective for lowering blood sugar, which can help reduce the amount of medication needed to control blood sugar if you are diabetic. Because dietary fat also controls appetite, ketogenic diets are very satiating. That makes it easier to achieve long-term weight loss without chronic hunger.
For dairy-based ketogenic diets, carbohydrates are limited to 25 grams. That is the equivalent of 3 cups of greens or other non-starchy vegetables like broccoli. Ketogenic diets based on medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) generate more ketones and allow for 50 grams of carbs, the equivalent of 6 cups of non-starchy vegetables.
Potential Benefits of Ketogenic Diets
Ketogenic diets are being studied in the setting of seizures, diabetes, obesity, cancer, polycystic ovarian disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. The research is promising. However, seasonal ketosis may be more feasible physiologically than ongoing ketosis for the remainder of one’s life.
Medical professionals have successfully treated epilepsy with keto for almost one hundred years. More recently, a ketogenic diet has been shown to be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, [14-15] multiple sclerosis, [16] and even cancer.
Potential Risks of Ketogenic Diets
The hazards of ketogenic diets include excessive weight loss, low sex hormone levels and infertility, increased infection risk, microbiome disruption, excessive electrolyte loss, and nutritional inadequacy. Reduce the risk of microbiome disruption by using an MCT ketogenic diet, eating 50 grams of carbs, and consuming additional fiber such as inulin.
Wahls Protocol and Metabolic Switching
One of the ancestral community’s best-kept secrets is Dr. Terry Wahls’ dramatic success at reversing her own multiple sclerosis symptoms with a “Paleolithic ketogenic” diet. Seven years into her M.S. After only five months on her exhaustively researched proprietary diet and lifestyle intervention, she could walk unassisted and rode a bicycle for the first time in 10 years. She remains fully active today and devotes her time to peer-reviewed research supporting this non-invasive approach to autoimmune conditions.
In her book, Wahls credited her recovery from M.S. to the year-round ketogenic regimen she utilized. However, since the book’s publication, her experience and ongoing research have changed her perspective on what ultimately aided her recovery. She no longer recommends sustained ketogenic dieting-favoring instead what she terms metabolic resilience [3], stimulated by seasonal high-fat (potentially ketogenic) dieting supplemented by fasting strategies, while staying on a year-round low-glycemic Paleo Diet.
Her new book emphasizes this approach. The current working title is REVISED AND EXPANDED: The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles.
Wahls now recommends matching a high-fat, intermittently ketogenic diet to the traditional winter months of a patient’s genetic heritage. Ketosis could be induced, if desired, by including additional dietary fats or MCT oil. Olive oil is preferred over dairy fat and should be emphasized if triglyceride or total cholesterol levels spike.
Fasting is central in the new protocol. The revised book will also discuss the benefits of hormesis in diet and physical activity. This concept is characterized by biphasic dose response: low-dose exposure is beneficial while high-dose exposure is toxic.
She will also address how behavior-change psychology and addiction medicine can combat overconsumption of engineered, hyper-palatable foods, as well as new information on both electro-stimulation benefits and stem cell research.
This metabolic switching promotes neuroplasticity, optimizing lifelong brain function and resilience, especially neuronal circuits related to cognition and mood. [7] Other studies have separately shown that calorie reduction or fasting increases autophagy (cellular hygiene) [8] and that ketosis promotes mitochondrial biogenesis.
The switching also protects against some lesser-known downsides of sustained ketosis. “I shift away from prolonged ketosis except for specific indication, as ketosis sends a cellular signal that we are lacking sufficient nutrition. Other drawbacks of sustained ketosis are the possibility of mineral deficiency-induced metabolic acidosis, as noted by Professor Cordain [10], and reduced microbiome diversity.
Wahls' Personal Protocol
Wahls has incorporated metabolic switching into her daily routine; the result is that she weighs the same as she did when she won a bronze medal in Taekwondo during the trials for the 1978 Pan American Games.
- December-March: high fat, lower carb macro ratios, including only non-starchy, raw, or fermented vegetables.
- April-November: low glycemic carbohydrates increase, mostly in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables-often from Wahls’ own garden (including cherries, berries, and paw-paws.) Fresh pesto, heavy on the olive oil and self-grown herbs, is a staple.
- Ongoing: Electrical stimulation therapy, vibration-plate and strength training, and vitamin D supplementation.
Readers should note that Wahls follows this strict regimen to keep her M.S. symptoms at bay.