Every January, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. And every year, doctors are ready to help with an easy-to-follow diet plan! The Two-Week Rapid Weight Loss (2014) and the The Total 10 Rapid Weight Loss (2015) plans have been incredibly popular and successful. The 2016 Day-Off Diet may be one of the easiest diets you’ve tried yet! This year’s diet is simple and straight-forward yet flexible and satisfying. There’s no starving involved on this diet plan! And even better, The Day-Off Diet includes a cheat day where you can eat whatever you want, so you won’t wind up feeling frustrated and deprived.

The Day-Off Diet

The Day-Off Diet is the result of three years of research, and it combines the best aspects of several of the most successful diet plans. You can stay on this diet as long as you need to achieve the weight loss results you are looking for — whether that’s just a few weeks, a couple of months, or more. Make sure you’re eating a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables all day and a serving of fruit with breakfast to ensure that your nutritional needs are covered. If you feel you aren’t getting enough vitamins and minerals, you may want to take a daily whole-food multivitamin such as Kind Organics Once Daily from Garden of Life,  or Vitamineral Green. The Day-Off Diet is appropriate for vegetarians and vegans, as well as those on Paleo/Primal or Keto diets. Read on for the diet details.

Start Your Day Off Right

Hot water with lemon in the morning when you wake up will help kick-start your metabolism and digestive processes and detox your body. Simply heat up some filtered water and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into it.

Breakfast

Breakfast should have 25 grams protein, and can be either a smoothie or an egg with 7oz of 2% Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. Since protein is so vital on this diet, you might consider adding some protein powder to amp up your smoothies. This is also a great alternative to Greek yogurt or ground nuts for those who dislike these in their smoothies or have allergies/intolerances to these foods. A breakfast high in protein helps you feel full and satisfied and provides lasting energy.

The Day-Off Diet Breakfast Examples:

• a pepper and mushroom omelet alongside Greek yogurt and berries
• a smoothie made with almond butter, banana, Greek yogurt, and flax seeds
• an egg over spinach, served with apples dipped in Greek yogurt & cinnamon

Lunch & Dinner

Lunch and dinner consist of unlimited non-starchy veggies, 6oz per day of lean protein (chicken, fish, or tofu), and 2 servings a day of complex carbs such as beans, squash, or whole grains. You can split your daily allotment of protein and carbohydrates between lunch and dinner. Because you can prepare veggies, protein, and carbs in so many different combinations, you aren’t likely to feel bored on the Day-Off Diet.

The Day-Off Diet Lunch Examples:

• a salad with 3oz chopped tofu and a 1/2 cup chickpeas, dressed with olive oil and vinegar
• a slice of whole grain bread topped with 3oz chicken, roasted zucchini and peppers, and sprouts
• a 1/2 cup brown rice stir-fried with 3oz of shrimp, water chestnuts, pea pods, and bamboo shoots and a dash of low-sodium, non-GMO soy sauce

The Day-Off Diet Dinner Examples:

• 3oz of salmon alongside a sweet potato and sautéed broccoli
• spaghetti squash topped with marinara sauce and 3oz diced chicken, served with a slice of whole-grain garlic bread
• turkey and black bean chili with a side salad

Snacks

Snacks should contain MUFAs, or monounsaturated fatty acids: nuts, seeds, olives, or avocado. Eat 2 servings of MUFAs (one serving is an ounce of nuts, 2 tablespoons of nut butter, or about 10 large olives) each day. MUFAs have been found to lower cholesterol, increase fat burn, and reduce belly fat, which makes them an important component of this diet. You can also munch on non-starchy vegetables such as celery, pea pods, and pepper strips as much as you want throughout the day.

The Day-Off Diet Snack Examples:

• celery with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• about 23 almonds
• slices of cucumber and red pepper dipped in guacamole

Take a Day Off

Stick to the diet above for 6 days each week. Once a week you will enjoy a day off the diet, allowing you to eat whatever you want that day. Plan your days off ahead of time, particularly if you have upcoming special occasions such as birthdays, parties, or holidays. This way, you’ll still be able to enjoy social occasions and indulgences without feeling deprived or sabotaging your diet. It is not advised to skip this built-in “cheat day” to lose weight more quickly, because doing so may make it hard to keep the weight off long-term. If you want to speed up weight loss, add in some exercise or physical activity instead of skipping the day off.

Don’t go overboard, though — we’re certainly not recommending that we gorge ourselves on cake and French fries and eat entire gallons of ice cream in one day! Simply eat what you want, slowly savoring each bite, and stop when you’re full. Straying from the diet for one day a week might leave you feeling bloated or sluggish. Nourishing World recommends taking probiotics and perhaps a few capsules of Oxy-Powder at the end of your day off to help your body better process the indulgences.

Get Support

A social support network leads to lasting weight loss success, and there are plenty of Facebook support groups for those following the Day-Off Diet. You can ask questions, share problems, and get recipe ideas from others who are also trying to lose weight. Search for “Day-Off Diet” on Facebook and see if you can find a support group that suits you.

Want more weight loss tips? Check out Post-Holiday Slim Down for simple diet, supplement, and lifestyle changes to help you shed excess weight.

By Ali Wetherbee