An new diet scraps the National Institutes of Health's recommendation that women should consume 1,200 calories per day for healthy weight loss and maintenance.
Bob Harper, The Biggest Loser personal trainer and author of The Skinny Rules, believes women need to cut back to 800 calories a day if they are serious about losing weight.
In his new Jumpstart to Skinny diet, released April 23, the 47-year-old claims that most diet experts 'keep people in the dark about calorie restriction, but they all know the truth'. His rule? 'Cut back on calories. Then cut back again.'
Choose wisely: A new diet scraps the National Institute of Health's recommendation to consume 1,200 calories per day for healthy weight loss and maintenance
Mr Harper's low calorie diet does include unlimited vegetables, however. 'Eat as many vegetables as you want,' he told the Today show. 'You can't get fat eating broccoli!'
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Jumpstart to Skinny promises women, and men, that they will drop 20lbs in just three weeks - but Mr Harper wants 'to make sure you do it in the healthiest possible way' that still achieves results.
'No comlex cartbs after breakfast,' he explained. 'Those are your grains, breads and things like that. The carbohydrates I want you to eat throughout the rest of the day are your simple crabs: fruits, all your vegetables - but no cheese or butter on those vegetables!'
Low calorie diet: Bob Harper, The Biggest Loser personal trainer and author of The Skinny Rules, believes women should cut back to 800 calories a day
Three-week diet: Jumpstart to Skinny promises women, and men, they will drop 20lbs in just three weeks - but Mr Harper wants 'to make sure you do it in the healthiest possible way' that still achieves results
Mr Harper's first rule is '40/40/20,' ensuring the low calorie diet includes the right amount of the three essential macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
'Without them, you’d be in trouble,' he said. 'Without them in the right amounts, you’ll stay fat, and you’ll never get into that dress, tux, Speedo, or bikini.'
WHAT IS IN 800 CALORIES A DAY?
Breakfast:
One small banana: 60 calories
One serving of low-fat yogurt: 120 calories
One coffee, black: 5 calories
Snack:
Two slices of wheat bread: 160 calories
One teaspoon of butter: 45 calories
One small apple: 60 calories
Lunch:
One green salad: 25 calories
One can of Tuna: 35 calories
One teaspoon of Olive Oil: 25 calories
Dinner:
One serving of couscous: 80 calories
One serving of spinach: 25 calories
One serving of avocado: 45 calories
One chicken breast: 35 calories
One glass of red wine: 74 calories
Total: 794 calories
During the Jumpstart to Skinny program, 40per cent of calories come from protein, and 40per cent from carbohydrates ('nature’s sugars are the body’s fuel,' he explains).
Mr Harper counts carbohydrates through a 'net carbs' system, which refers to the way in which fibers in food offset the carbohydrate number.
'A food like, say, blueberries, has 21 grams of carbs per cup, but 4 grams of fiber,' he said. 'So, to calculate the net carbs for a cup of blueberries, you subtract the grams of fiber from the carbs: that’s 17 net carbs!'
Fats, whether in the form of oils or solids, help maintain the essential barriers around our cells, and provide a dense source of fuel - 120 calories for every tablespoon. The Jumpstart diet allow 20per cent fats.
'It’s not just calories in, calories out that makes for weight loss. It’s also what’s in those calories that counts,' said Mr Harper.
'That’s why—as you’ll see—I’m so specific about what you should eat and when you should eat it. The 800 model works.'
Mr Harper refers to an ongoing European study that connects the dots between losing weight and maintaining that loss.
One of its recent findings concluded: 'Low calorie diet-induced changes in BMI [and] fasting insulin... are inversely associated with weight regain in the 6-month period following weight loss,' according to Mr Harper.
While the trial is not over, Mr Harper explained that the more he observes and studies his own clients, the more convinced he becomes that a low-calorie diet induces positive metabolic changes - making weight regain much less likely.