The Dr. Phil 20 20 Diet - 20 Important Foods for Weight Loss

The Dr. Phil 20/20 diet book came out in January 2015 and has already reached #1 bestseller lists and for good reason. I found this diet plan to be practical and easy to incorporate into a busy lifestyle. Others can vouch for me, seeing as there are so far 1260 Amazon customer reviews, with a rating of 4.5 stars overall for this popular diet book.

The great thing I found about this diet is that you don't have to eliminate any foods. You slowly add them in during the 3 phases of the program. You first start with 20 important foods that are at the core of this diet. The recipe plans are provided to you, so you know how to incorporate these foods into meals. There is new research to suggest that noshing on these foods will help with your weight loss plans, as they either help increase your thermogenesis or make you feel fuller.

The nice thing is that these foods are "normal" foods you would eat on a regular basis anyway, as part of your healthy foods. There's no stressing that you will eat too many calories 'cause the recipes provided have already done the work for you. These 20 foods provide a lot of nutrition with little calories, and include a balance between fat, fruits, veggies, protein and starch.

Here are the 20 super foods as listed in The Dr. Phil 20/20 diet plan:

5 thermogenic foods

Fats

• Olive oil - Extra virgin used in the recipes
• Coconut oil
• Walnuts 

Other

• Mustard - Dijon mustard is used in the recipes
• Green tea - 2-3 cups per day, with at least one caffeinated

15 filling foods

Protein

• Whey protein
• Tofu 
• Chickpeas - May help reduce the desire for high-calorie, low-nutrient junk foods
• Lentils
• Nonfat yogurt - Greek yogurt with real sugar not artificial sweetener as it's much higher in protein and lower in sugar. The nice thing is vanilla flavor is included in the recipes.
• Eggs - I would recommend buying organic or at least free-range
• Codfish

Produce

• Apples
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Greens - Any kind of leafy greens such as collard greens, red leaf spinach, red leaf lettuce, arugula, kale

Starch

• Rye - Whole grain

Fats

• Roasted & unsalted pistachios 
• Natural peanut butter - Look for peanuts as the only ingredient. If you're allergic, an alternative food is provided.
• Almonds - Whole almonds have a greater effect on satiety than almond butter, almond flour and almond oil

So there you have it - the list of 20 power house foods that will be used throughout the 20/20 Diet plan. Each recipe meal will include at least two of these key foods, so you can be sure that you're getting the optimum results for fueling your metabolism and feeling fuller for longer.

The Dr. Phil Diet Plan - 20 Foods That Will Change Your Life

Who doesn't know Dr. Phil? He is perhaps the most well known psychologist in the world. With his daytime talk show, Dr. Phil seeks to educate the millions of people around the world who watch his show and read his books.

Source: ABC News

His books on various topics, including weight loss, make it on The New York Times - #1 Best Sellers List. This includes the 256 page The 20/20 Diet book, which is a Dr. Phil diet plan centered around 20 key foods. He takes the latest theories and research since his previous diet book, The Ultimate Weight Solution, and provides a practical diet plan solution that you can use right now and for the rest of your life.

There are 20 important foods that are utilized because they are known to help enhance your caloric burn, and help you feel full. These foods are incorporated into a 30-day diet program separated into 3 phases. In the first phase, you will only be eating the 20 key foods. In the 2nd and 3rd phases, more foods are added. Recipes are included, so you will know exactly how to combine the recommended foods. And there are no counting calories 'cause the measurements are in the recipes themselves.

This 20/20 Dr. Phil diet plan also includes 5-6 days per week of exercise. The workouts are 30-minute cardio or resistance training sessions. The idea behind the cardio exercise is to increase your heart rate for 30 second intervals throughout your workout. With the weight training, you will be working out your entire body. If you're brand new to exercise, you would simply begin by walking.

The combination of diet and exercise will enable you to reach your weight loss goals, that you will then be able to incorporate into an ongoing lifestyle change. After all, the key is that you don't want to just be able to lose the weight - but keep it off too.