The 20/20 Diet

INC.

BOOKS,

STREET

BIRD

Also by Dr. Phil McGraw

Life Code

Real Life

INC.

Love Smart

Family First

Family First Workbook

The Ultimate Weight Solution

The Ultimate W

BOOKS,

eight Solution Cookbook

The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide

Self Matters

Self Matters Companion

Relationship Rescue

Relationship Rescue Workbook

STREET

Life Strategies

Life Strategies Workbook

BIRD

the

20/20 INC.

DIET

Turn Your

Weight L
BOOKS,

oss Vision

into Reality

20 Key Foods to Help You

Succeed Where Other Diets Fail

STREET

Dr. Phil McGraw

BIRD

Copyright © 2014 by Phillip C. McGraw

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission from the Publisher.

Published in Los Angeles, California, by Bird Street Books, Inc.

ISBN: Print 978-1-939457-31-8

EPub 978-1-939457-30-1

Mobi 978-1-939457-29-5

INC.

PDF 978-1-939457-28-8

BOOKS,

STREET

Cov

BIRD

er Design: Longerday.com

Interior Design: Stuart Smith

Interior Production: Dovetail Publishing Services

INC.

I dedicate this book to all the people who have had a lifetime

ticket on the weight loss rollercoaster but never give up trying

to get in shape and return to health. My sincere wish is that

you will use this plan to fina
BOOKS,

lly free yourself from your weight

burden and start living the life you truly deserve.

STREET

BIRD

INC.

BOOKS,

STREET

BIRD

Note to Readers

INC.

The anecdotes in this book are used to illustrate common issues and problems that I have encountered and do not necessarily portray specific people or situa-tions. No real names have been used.

As with all books, this one contains opinions and ideas of the author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medica
BOOKS,

l, health, psychological, or any other

kind of personal professional services or therapy in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, psychological, or other competent professional before adopting any of the concepts in this book or drawing inferences from it. The content of this book, by its very nature, is general, whereas each reader’s situation is unique. Therefore, as with all books of this nature, the purpose is to provide general information rather than address individual situa-tions, which books by their very nature cannot do.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or ri
STREET

sk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a conse-

quence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

BIRD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Robin. For 40 ye
INC.

ars I have

witnessed you living every day with such passion for health and

well-being. Leading by example, you inspire not only me, but also

anyone in your pathway, to live healthfully and be better people.

I thank our sons, Jay and Jordan. You give your parents powerful

reasons to take care of ourselves, and inspire us by your own pursuit

of excellence.

Thanks to Cynthia Sass, M.P.H, R.
BOOKS,

D, whose nutritional expertise

is evident in all of the meals and menus in this book. Her tireless

work creating just the right balance of nutrients was invaluable. And I

know readers will appreciate her formal culinary training because her

detailed attention to taste makes the meals within these pages truly

come to life on their plates.

Thanks to Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, Ph.D., for once again

lending your nutrition, exercise, and superb research skills to this

project. You alway
STREET

s raise the bar on content and I appreciate your

contributions to this book.

I acknowledge my friend and colleague G. Frank Lawlis, Ph.D.,

A.B.P.P., a fellow of the American Psychological Association and

chairman of the advisory board for the
Dr. Phil
show. Thanks for all the wisdom you have imparted and for being there for me both per-sonall
BIRD

y and professionally for nearly 40 years including your counsel

in the science of health management.

Carla Pennington, thank you for being at the helm of the
Dr. Phil

show team. I appreciate your daily commitment to excellence as we

work with so many deserving individuals and families. Thank you, in

viii | The 20/20 Diet

specific, for your input on this book and creating so ma
INC.

ny teachable

moments about health on the show.

And I extend a very special thanks to my good friend and colleague,

Joey Carson, as well as the entire team at Bird Street Books, especially Lisa Clark for her patience and tireless efforts on this project over the last two years. Lisa, you were the absolute key to making this book a

reality. You were a relentless researche
BOOKS,

r, editor, planner, organizer, and

“cleaner upper.” Thank you for your role in creating a responsible data-

based book.

To Oprah Winfrey, my dear friend, thank you for creating the

opportunity and platform for Dr. Phil. My family and I will always

be grateful for you.

STREET

BIRD

Acknowledgments | ix

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

INC.
viii

PART 1: Fundamentals of the 20/20 Diet

Introduction

1

1 What Makes This Diet Different

13

2 A Diet That Defies Y

BOOKS,

our Logic

25

PART 2: Prepping for Success

3 Getting Out of Your Own Way

41

4 Set the Right Goal

51

5 Extinguish Your Fake Hunger

69

6 S

STREET

tock Up on Your 20/20 Foods

81

PART 3: The Three Phases of the 20/20 Diet

7 Phase 1: The 5-Day Boost

93

BIRD

8 Phase 2: The 5-Day Sustain

105

9 Phase 3: The 20-Day Attain

121

x

INC.

PART 4: Your Body’s Capacity for Change

10 The 30-Second Burn Burst Exercise Program 129

11 When Your Body Won’t Follow Your Mind:

Are You Resistant to W
BOOKS,

eight Loss?

151

PART 5: Protecting Your Weight Loss for a Lifetime

12 Maintaining Your Success:

The Management Phase

163

13 Your Return to Health

177

14 Conclusion: The New You

183

A

STREET

ppendix A | Grocery Lists

185

Appendix B | Phase 3 Meals: The 20-Day Attain 191

Appendix C | The Management Phase:

Foods and Portions

214

BIRD

Bibliography 219

Contents | xi

INC.

BOOKS,

STREET

BIRD

INTRODUCTION

You create the results in life that you believe you deserv
INC.

e.

—Dr. Phil McGraw

I’m betting if you honored me by acquiring this book, you already

know enough about me to realize that I am going to tell you the

unvarnished truth, at least as I see it, whether it is what you
want
to hear or not. If that’s your thinking, then you’re right. The way I see it is if you spend your time and mone
BOOKS,

y with me, then I owe you nothing

less than the truth you
need
to hear in order to get what you want.

There is an old saying: “BS the fans,
not
the players!” I want to be on your team here. I want you to be a player—a smart, savvy player—

and I want to play this “weight game” with you. I want to help you

get
real results
. So here we go! Let’s do this right, lose the weight consistently and in a healthy manner, and learn diet strategies to last a

lifetime.

When it comes to your weight and health, I see that you have

three choices:

1. You can c
STREET

hoose to be in denial about your weight problem.

2. You can choose to fall for another “eat what you want and still

get thin” lie.

3. You can choose to lose weight in a healthy manner with diet

BIRD

strategies that you can use for the rest of your life.

If you chose the last option, I wrote this book for you. I want to

help you transform your body, your
body image
, your lifestyle, your priorities, and your self-worth, all in one fell swoop. To neglect
any
part of that list is to set you up for failure.

1

But you have to be honest with yourself
right now
, right from the beginning. You may just be going through the motions here,
acting

like you want to and will lose weight, but in truth, in that most honest part of your psyche, you’re thinking, “I will never really lose weight.

I am a failure at this, but if I don’t at least act like I am trying, then I will feel like a complete pig loser!” Or you might be thinking, “Oh,

I’m just too far gone. Too late, Dr. Phil! I’m a lost cause!”

My own sister Deana told me last year that she was s
INC.

o fat that it

took two dogs to bark at her! She said when it was hot outside, people

were gathering on her shady side. As usual, she was masking her pain

with jokes. Funny, but not slimming. She is even bigger today than

she was last year. So, maybe three dogs now? (Ouch! She will make

me pay for that!)

My whole family has always struggled with weight. This time last

year, I had two nephews who each weighed close to 500 pounds. One of

them told me, “Uncle Phil, I’m dying a s
BOOKS,

low death here. I am a recluse. I

have no life. I’m not living; I’m merely existing. I am a grown man, yet I have no social life, I haven’t been on a date in years, and I’m ashamed of myself every time I look in the mirror. I hide in shame and I am so lonely and discouraged that my days feel a week long. I go out late at night to get fast food and come back and eat it alone. It’s pathetic. I have to make my last stand right now or I know I will be dead in months. I can barely breathe. I am afraid, I am
really
afraid. I am to the point where I would rather be dead than live this way. I am ready to change this, real y ready.

Please help me an
STREET

d I promise I will not disappoint you or myself.”

I believed him, he
was
ready, and I did help. Because he needed

constant medical supervision while working to shed the extra pounds

(as any extreme weight loss should be done under the supervision of

a doctor), I sent him to a facility where he could focus full-time on

reclaiming his health. In the last year, he has lost over 200 pounds!

His h
BIRD

ealth has improved greatly; he has gotten off all his medications

for diabetes, hypertension, and so on. He has gone from not being

able to walk from one room to the next without great difficulty to

walking and jogging five miles a day out in the fresh air. He has

become an avid golfer and is dating a lovely young woman he met

while on his quest.

2 | The 20/20 Diet

His brother, on the other hand, did nothing different than what

got him to almost 500 pounds and guess what happened to him? Wait

for it . . . he got bigger. But, and this is a big but (no pun intended), inspired by his younger brother, he tells me
he
is ready now, and I know he means it. For the first time, he real y means it. His time has come.