You: On a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Review

You: On a Diet: What It Is

You: On a Diet is a best-selling diet book from the surgeon Oprah made famous: Dr. Mehmet Oz, and co-author Dr. Michael Roizen. A science-based plan aimed primarily at reducing heart-unhealthy fat around the waist, You: On a Diet promises to unlock the mysteries of weight control and shave two inches from your waist in two weeks.

What sets You: On a Diet apart from other diet books is the emphasis on waist measurement, not weight and its relationship to health. According to the authors, waist size is more important than weight: Waist not, want not.

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Ditch the scale in favor of a soft tape measure, recommend the authors, because it is a better tool for assessing health and determining risks associated with being overweight.

You: On a Diet contains eating plans, exercises, and recommended prescriptions for losing weight and shrinking your waistline. The physician co-authors do a great job making sense of weight control, fat storage, fat burning, genetics and its relationship to weight, the importance of physical activity, and in general demystifying and explaining how the body works.

Tips and tools are included to help crack the code on achieving improved health and weight loss by making changes that will trim inches off your waist.

You: On a Diet: What You Can Eat

You start You: On a Diet with a two-week re-booting program that includes eating healthier, whole foods and walking regularly. This stage is meant to break the cycle of craving unhealthy refined carbohydrates, such as sugar and white bread, and enable dieters to feel full and satisfied.

"It is important to dump the unhealthy foods containing trans fats, sugars, high fructose corn syrup and stock your kitchen with more desirable foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables," says Roizen.

At this stage you'll eat three meals and snacks every few hours, with your last snack at least three hours before bedtime so it won't interfere with a good night's sleep. Treats or desserts are allowed every other day.

One hitch some might find with You: On a Diet is that foods for breakfast, lunch, and snacks can only be chosen from a small list of options. "Too much variety triggers overeating, so we recommend automating your choices for most meals and snacks so dieters are less likely to splurge," says Roizen. Dieters enjoy more options for the dinner meal.

You: On a Diet: How It Works

"The average American is 34 pounds overweight and has a waistline 6 inches larger than it should be" says Roizen. You: On a Diet's aim is to turn off your hunger and turn on your fat burners, using a 4-step process: