Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works

    The ketogenic diet? Outdated! In the United States, all eyes are currently on a new food program: the Dubrow Diet. If in America they talk about it so much, the credit (also) goes to the popularity of its two creators: the couple made up of Heather e Terry Dubrow.

    In the country their names are not very well known, but overseas the duo depopulated: she, 49, is the star of The Real Housewives of Orange County, a TV program with thirteen seasons; he, 60, is the plastic surgeon star of the hit reality show Botched.




    More metabolism sprint

    For the Dubrow couple, the perfect solution to keep fit and not suffer the signs of aging is interval eating, or intermittent fasting. As they explain in the introduction to their manual The Dubrow Diet (published by Ghost Mountain Books, can be purchased on Amazon): a program to awaken the metabolism, helping the body to burn fat and activate the anti-aging processes of the cells. And to trigger this change and make it lasting, we need to start regaining control of the metabolism. "

    Which means understanding how foods cause certain hormonal responses, starting with sugary and starchy foods, which stimulate the release of insulin.


    Meno chili in 3 step

    The diet is divided into three phases, to be followed one after the other, without interruptions (find the program below). The password is then forget the calorie count: according to the Dubrow, for the success of their diet it is in fact “when” and not “how much” you eat.

    Furthermore, a parallel effort is required in the gym for significant results and long lasting. "Doing physical activity is essential for good metabolic functioning," say the creators, who particularly advocate HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), a high intensity workout.




    Checkmate to fat

    Why Choose Intermittent Fasting? The Dubrows have no doubts about the benefits of this practice (Terry started to follow it first, soon involving his wife,): «Present in many cultures for centuries - let's think of Lent or Ramadan - abstinence from food helps the body to attack excess fat: the cells, stinted, will go in search of the stored fat to be used as fuel, giving an incredible acceleration to the metabolism ", assure the spouses.

    "After about 12 hours of fasting (time varies slightly from person to person), the body will have run out of glucose in the blood and that stored in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. Running out of energy, our bodies will be so forced to burn fat to meet all your needs ".


    The word to science

    Intermittent fasting has been a long-debated topic. "In the first studies on this subject (dating back to a few decades ago) we talked about caloric restriction as a way to strengthen the organism», Says the doctor and scientific popularizer Filippo Ongaro, expert in anti-aging techniques.

    «The reduction of the energy intake was considered as a stimulus of the" hormetic "type, that is a small stress able to increase the resistance of the cells. Interval eating adds to the caloric factor that of prolonging a state of fasting that maintains a particular hormonal condition for a long time, with particularly low insulin levels. Scientific data seems to indicate that this approach can actually optimize metabolism, also slowing down aging. However, it is also fair to say that other confirmations are necessary ».



    How it works

    «In absolute terms, interval eating plans to isolate food intake in a specific time window, remaining fasting for the remaining hours », continues the expert.


    «And in general the so-called is practiced 16/8 regime, i.e. 16 hours without food, with the intake of meals concentrated in the remaining 8 hours. Basically it is about skip dinner or breakfast, depending on your preferences ". In the Dubrow diet, however, the hours of fasting vary phase by phase: they are more at the beginning and decrease during maintenance.


    The safety rules

    "It is essential to remember that no form of abstinence from food can compensate for the damage of an incorrect diet," warns Filippo Ongaro.

    «Even in the case of intermittent fasting, therefore, it is essential to make sure that meals are balanced and balanced during the hours in which you eat, favoring vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, fish, lean meats and healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil. On the other hand, it is wrong to seek fulfillment in sugars, drinks and industrial foods, which are harmful to the figure and health. I emphasize this because a diet like Dubrow could also lead to less food control: after many hours without food, in short, one could be led to seek immediate caloric recovery, exaggerating with the doses ».

    The risk should not be underestimated, especially if you have a lot of pounds to lose. But not even exaggerated.


    Among the supporters of the village of intermittent fasting is Dr. Fabio Piccini, a psychoanalyst, expert in eating disorders. He has experienced it firsthand and it is more than a conviction that fasting is good for you: "As long as the stress imposed on the organism does not become chronic, which in fact cannot happen with interval eating".

    Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works

    During the "attack" phase, aimed at rebalancing the stimuli of hunger and satiety, it is recommended to fast for 16 hours a day for 2, 3 or 5 days (depending on how many kilos you want to shed) for 1-2 weeks.


    If the overweight is mild (a couple of kilos), it is enough to fast for 2 days. If, on the other hand, it exceeds 10 kg, it must be done for 5. At this stage alcohol must be banned, but you can drink coffee and tea. In addition to natural water, the coconut milk, which helps burn glucose.

    Foods to bring to the table: they advocate fresh food naturally rich in chlorophyll, primarily the green vegetables (spinach, rocket, kale, green beans, leeks, seaweed ...). Promoting the sense of satiety, they help the slimming process and guarantee the prolonged release of energy (they should be taken at the beginning of meals).

    The protein quota can be satisfied by chicken, fish, meat, eggs, dairy, nuts and beans. To limit the supply of condiments to a minimum (1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil per day).

    Granted 1 serving of fresh fruit per day and 1 serving of carbohydrates (choosing from barley, oat bran, wholemeal bread or multigrain). Spices to taste to flavor the dishes.

    The extra help: recommended with vitamin D and red beet tablets (rich in folate, manganese, potassium and vitamin C).

    Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works

    The second phase varies according to your personal weight loss goals. If you have to lose 1 to 3 kg, a 12-hour fast awaits you, to be followed every day of the week. Assuming an evening meal that ends at 24pm, you will have to wait until 20am the next morning to eat again.

    If, on the other hand, the kilos to be disposed of are at least 5, you have to fast every day of the week 14 hours a day. Does dinner end at 24 in the evening? You will not be able to sit at the table before 8 the following morning.

    In both cases it is granted one free meal per week ("Cheat Meal"). This phase continues until the set goal is reached.

    Foods to bring to the table: they are always recommended green vegetables, but beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, squash are also introduced.

    The choice of foods becomes wider: the animal protein sources of Phase 1 are joined clams, mussels and scallops; walnut and almond oil are added to the condiments allowed. Alcohol is not prohibited, but it is suggested not to exceed 1 glass for women, 2 for men (only in the evening).

    As complex carbohydrates you can take 1 serving per day of your choice bulgur, couscous, chickpeas, oats, quinoa or beans. Fruit is limited to 1 portion per day (as in the previous step, varying the choices as much as possible and preferring organic products).

    Dubrow Diet: How Intermittent Fasting Works

    Once you have reached your target weight, it begins the maintenance phase, which can be followed indefinitely.

    The Dubrow advise doing fasting for 12 hours 5 days a week and 16 hours for the remaining 2 days (preferably on Mondays and Thursdays).

    Foods to bring to the table: all those of the previous phases with some modifications. The fruits become 2 per day.

    Ditto the portions of complex carbohydrates (whole grains and legumes). Finally, no restrictions on vegetables, to be consumed as a snack too.


    Many advantages not only for the line

    • Zero (or almost) rolls: after 6-8 hours without food, the body, to obtain the glucose it needs to function properly, burns glycogen stores present in the liver and then, once it has run out, it begins to affect the fat deposits.

    Ketone bodies are thus produced (the same ones that cause acetone in children), which however, if the fast is not prolonged beyond 24 hours, do not reach a concentration that is harmful.


    • Toned and strong muscles: contrary to what you might think, fasting (if intermittent) it does not affect the musculature.

    By stimulating the release of growth hormone, with its powerful anabolic action, it favors the development of muscle fibers and the maintenance of a healthy metabolism.

    • More resistance to disease: fasting causes acute stress to the body, which prepares itself for survival in conditions considered difficult (such as hunger), by modifying the release of certain hormones and alerting the immune defenses (the activity of white blood cells increases and the production of antibodies increases).


    • Even the brain at the top: fasting stimulates the production of Bdnf (Brain derived neurotrophic factor), a neurotrophin that acts as a growth hormone for the central nervous system, promoting both the survival of existing neurons (brain cells) and the birth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses.



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