Can A Doctor Really Guarantee Weight Loss?
Ever since the Atkins rage several years ago, low carb diet plans have become extremely popular. For many people they work wonders, if the folks actually stick with it. But the same is true for almost any healthy diet plan. With proper nutrition, smaller portions, a good helping of exercise, and mostly persistence, losing weight is virtually inevitable.
But one sad truth about weight loss is that many diets just plain fail — mainly because it’s so hard to stick to it. Well a few months ago I ran across an ad that really intrigued me. A doctor had put together his own weight loss plan, and he was guaranteeing success. Is that possible? Is it even ethical?
Well I’d like to give a review of his plan and let you be the judge of that.
The man behind this weight loss plan is Dr. Jonny Bowden. He’s a nutritionist, personal trainer, and psychologist, and his plan is called the Diet Boot Camp. I’ve got to admit that his claims sounded to me like a bunch of sales hype: look fitter, feel happier, and be more productive in 8 weeks … guaranteed. But after following him for some time now, reading his articles and watching his videos, I’m beginning to think that just maybe he’s onto something.
The hook to this plan is his expertise in psychology. As a nutritionist and personal trainer he definitely knows about the diet and exercise needed for weight loss. But what sets his plan apart is his background in psychology. He knows how to motivate people and help them stay on track.
For example, he begins his program with a journal full of probing questions. Some people might not like this approach. They would rather just get to work straight away on the diet and exercise. But Dr. Bowden is a firm believer in the mind-body connection. He insists that this preparatory work will lead to lasting success.
Dr. Bowden says that dieting is like a three-legged stool. The diet itself is only one leg of that stool. A person’s thoughts and emotions are the other two legs. So he focuses a great deal of attention on how you think and feel throughout the program.
As far as diet and exercise go, the Diet Boot Camp system is basically a low carb, high protein diet plan, with plenty of exercise too. But the layout of the plan looks pretty flexible. The way it is set up, you start at your own fitness level and eating habits, and work up from there. He works with you gradually to improve both your diet and your fitness level.
There are a few details in this plan that concern me, though. For one thing, Dr. Bowden makes no claims about just how quickly you’ll lose the weight. Of course, this is a healthy and realistic approach. Weight loss is different for everyone, and slow weight loss is generally healthier than sudden weight loss. But it does make me wonder how long it would take to lose 20, 30, even 50 pounds. On the other hand, though, if I could actually look fitter, feel happier, and be more productive in 8 weeks, I’d be pretty happy with that even if I hadn’t lost all the weight by then.
The other aspect of this plan that concerns me is how much you have to eat with this plan. Dr. Bowden says you need to eat every 3 hours for his system to work. I know that eating frequent meals does wonders for weight loss, but how do you fit that into a busy schedule? I would hope that the plan includes recommendations for eating this much in the real world.
And the final positive point in this review is that this plan comes with an online community for support. Exercise buddies are best for me, but one of the next best things is an online weight loss buddy. Accountability is key in any weight loss journey, and I’m glad to see that Jonny Bowden has made that part of his program.
So all in all, you might want to check out the Diet Boot Camp if you’re looking for a new weight loss program. It seems pretty promising, and Dr. Bowden comes across as very genuine. Plus, if you check out his videos and photos, you’ll notice that he certainly looks like living proof that his program really works. Maybe he actually can guarantee weight loss.