Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito promises his Pound a Day Diet lives up to its name and produces fast weight loss.
Rocco’s “Pound a Day Diet” is a low carb Mediterranean-style diet that emphasizes lean proteins and healthy fats, which he says can help you lose a pound a day every five days without plateaus.
In phase one, dieters consume six low carb protein-rich meals totaling 850 calories on weekdays and 1,200 calories on the weekends.
The following week, you consume more calories, but every week the diet changes, so your body never gets used to it, helping you avoid the inevitable weight-loss plateaus that frustrate so many people.
DiSpirito credits his “Pound a Day Diet” for his own 50-pound weight loss several years ago, and insists the menu he created for the low-carb eating plan helps you slim down without deprivation. Whoopi Goldberg recently lost 35 pounds on the “Pound a Day Diet.”
Some nutritionists have criticized Rocco’s diet for being too low in calories, saying diets that promise rapid weight loss are quick fixes, but DiSpirito disagrees. He said his plan works because it delivers fast results, which fuels motivation to stick with the diet.
The 6-foot-1 Rocco slimmed down from 230 pounds to 180 pounds by following the Pound a Day Diet and said he has successfully maintained his weight loss for years despite being around delicious food all day long.
DiSpirito said eating a balanced, nutrient-dense diet has curbed his tendency to overeat. “My recipes were carefully engineered using low-calorie density foods that are nutritionally dense and voluminous,” he said. “That means they are really good for you and there’s a lot of it, thanks to water and fiber — the magic pill in weight loss.”
DiSpirito was so motivated by his weight loss that he began competing in triathlons, and has completed over seven triathlons to date. His favorite exercise is cycling outdoors when it’s warm and spinning workouts during the winter.
Rocco said the most important he has learned during his weight-loss journey and while writing his book is that you can stay in shape while eating your favorite foods.
“Healthy and delicious are no longer mutually exclusive,” said DiSpirito, who also wrote the bestselling, Now Eat This! Diet.
Related: Rocco DiSpirito’s ‘Negative Calorie Diet’ fuels rapid weight loss: Lose 10 lbs in 10 days