The Perfect Diet: The Physician-Designed Diet for Easy Weight Loss and Optimal Health

By Otis A. Plunk

Otis A. Plunk, MD, is a board-certified sports medicine physician and practitioner of preventive medicine who prides himself on changing peoples lives for the better. He has had great success helping patients lose weight and make a start toward healthy living. Now he shares the ideas that brought about that success with a larger audience in this practical and actionable guide.

He brings the perfect diet to the masses and provides a blueprint to achieve targeted weight goals. You can add years to your life by boosting your health, avoid pitfalls that could derail your progress, and enjoy a variety of foods while losing weight.

The guide also includes a complimentary membership to the companion website, www.perfectlifediet.com.This website allows customization of the books recipes and meal plans and provides a motivational structure with functional content to ensure long-term success.

Anyone can use this diet without spending a large amount of time learning nutrition, meticulously preparing meals, or following bizarre eating rules. Get the guidance you need to lose weight, and start living healthy with The Perfect Diet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475999358

Otis A. Plunk

Otis A. Plunk, MD. a preventive medicine specialist, received his medical degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He is also the author of The Wellgood Diet. He and his wife, Kim, live in Naples, Florida. He has two adult children, Allison and Jill.

Book preview

THE PERFECT DIET

The Physician-Designed Diet for Easy Weight Loss

and Optimal Health

Copyright © 2013 by Otis A. Plunk, MD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

You should not undertake any diet/exercise regimen recommended in this book before consulting your personal physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be responsible or liable for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions contained in this book.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4759-9928-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-9929-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-9935-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013914791

iUniverse rev. date: 10/11/2013

Contents

Introduction

Rationale for The Perfect Diet

PART I

The Perfect Diet Revealed

Chapter 1: The Perfect Obesity Storm

Chapter 2: A Plan for Your Success

Chapter 3: Food Processing in America

Chapter 4: Shortcomings of the American Diet

Chapter 5: Primer on Nutrition

Chapter 6: Nutritional Food Labels

Chapter 7: Surviving the Food Jungle

Chapter 8: Do Bad Carbs Cause Obesity?

Chapter 9: Discover Protein Sources beyond Meat and Dairy

Chapter 10: Fiber—The Whole Story

Chapter 11: Sodium Is Everywhere in Our Diet

Chapter 12: Factors beyond Diet

PART II

Recipes, Sample Menus, and Meal Plans for Each Stage of The Perfect Diet

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Foods to Avoid

Recipes

Appendix A: Supplement Guide

Appendix B: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load for Common Foods

Glossary

Endnotes

I traded a yoyo diet for The Perfect Diet, and I could not be happier. I’m a professional musician. My life is spent on the road, living in a motor coach. My usual dietary pattern was similar to that of many of my musician friends. We all dieted to try to look our best for our shows and then crashed and burned. My weight was constantly fluctuating. I wasn’t fat, but I’d gain eight to ten pounds between tours. Dr. Plunk changed all of that. Many of the performers in Nashville had been to his office, and my manager heard about him and made me an appointment. I love the diet. It’s easy and my weight stays very steady. Let me tell you, it will set you free! I’ve never felt better, and I love it! Good luck to you on this wonderful diet!—Lacy J

The Perfect Diet saved me from gastric bypass surgery! For at least fifteen years of my adult life I was morbidly obese and weighed nearly 400 pounds. I’ve lost 150 pounds over the past two years and now weigh 220 pounds, which is fairly slim for a former football player and a man who is six feet, five and a half inches tall.—James Y

I cured my prediabetes with The Perfect Diet. I used to give Dr. Plunk credit for curing my case of metabolic syndrome or prediabetes, but he insists I should take credit since I did all the work. I take pride in my efforts and results—results I never thought I could experience.—Jesse W

I used to hide junk food around the house—not because someone might eat it, but because if my wife found it, she’d throw it away. Dr. Plunk learned that my appetite was the result of recurrent hypoglycemia, caused by sweets and starches. I have lost more than forty-five pounds on The Perfect Diet. I gave up the junk food. I’m perfectly happy, and I plan to stay this way. Interestingly, my wife, who was never overweight, follows it too and says she feels better and has more energy. I feel like a celebrity with my new slim image.—Gregory T

My cholesterol was out of control before I started The Perfect Diet. Now I’m off most of my medications, and my cholesterol is normal.—Jake W

I had always been partial to the worst foods available in terms of nutrition: potato chips, candy bars, soft drinks, and pastries. I wasn’t interest in a diet that included foods that didn’t taste good. I’ve had great results with The Perfect Diet. I can honestly say I don’t miss the unhealthy snacks. I still eat snacks—they’re just healthier now.—Larry B

INTRODUCTION

Rationale for The Perfect Diet

In today’s society, it seems that the media bombard people with endless choices of diet plans while reporting that an alarming percentage of the American population is obese. Perhaps you need to lose weight, even though you might not consider yourself obese. Perhaps you have tried dieting and failed—or succeeded briefly, only to regain any weight that you lost. As a board-certified sports medicine physician and practitioner of preventive medicine, I hear this from patients all the time. I feel for them because I know what obesity can do to the human body. I know how it increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Because of this, I have developed The Perfect Diet, a plan that will not only help you lose weight permanently but will help you obtain optimal levels of health. While designing this diet, I paid particular attention to principles of cancer prevention. Cancer is still a major killer of Americans, and it causes an inordinate share of pain, anxiety, and suffering. Known excesses in the American diet cause heart disease and stroke, but less-publicized deficiencies cause many cancers—breast, colon, and prostate cancers, in particular. Once you understand the common sense action needed to prevent cancer, you will take that action with enthusiasm.

Knowing that the average reader might feel overwhelmed by the information in this book, I organized it so you can first read the essential information found in the introduction and first two chapters and start the diet right away. However, before I give you a quick overview of how The Perfect Diet works, I need to explain to you the importance of ordering some lab work to provide a biochemical assessment before you start a diet plan. The goal of a biochemical assessment is to establish your baseline of nutritional needs, tolerances, and limitations—in short, to ensure that you have no underlying illness or metabolic abnormality that must first be corrected before starting a serious weight-loss diet.

Lab Tests You Will Need:

•   a lipid profile to assess cholesterol and triglyceride levels and screen for risks of cardiovascular disease

•   a complete blood count, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume to assess for blood disorders including anemia

•   a serum ferritin level to assess iron level and screen for hemochromatosis, one of the most common inherited illnesses

•   a vitamin D level to assess for this common vitamin deficiency

•   a urinalysis to determine whether you have sugar or ketones in your urine as a screen for diabetes mellitus and to assess your hydration status

•   a metabolic profile to assess liver, kidney, bone, and other internal organ metabolism as a screen for general wellness

•   TSH, T4 and free T4 levels to assess thyroid gland

•   if you are over age fifty-five, vitamin B-12 and folic acid levels to screen for specific forms of macrocytic anemia

Go to www.privatemdlabs.com/nutrition-plan/lab.php to order these tests online. Enter the code TPDB558 to receive a generous discount.

No one on earth can recommend a healthy diet plan for you without knowing these numbers. Many people have abused their bodies by neglecting proper nutrition for years and may have the beginning of disease conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension without even realizing it. Others may have inherited silent conditions (conditions without obvious warning signs) requiring treatment to avoid ongoing health risks. Even infectious conditions like hepatitis may be putting not only the carrier’s health at risk but loved ones as well. Another common finding is a low-functioning thyroid gland, a condition that can make it difficult to lose weight. In short, lab work can reveal problems that must be taken into consideration, in some cases by your physician, as this book guides you through a safe diet plan.

Please note that this book is written to educate and inform and is not intended as medical advice or to replace advice from your health-care professionals. Consult a qualified physician before beginning a diet or exercise program.

Assuming the above lab data allows you to safely begin the program, I also need to know about any chronic illnesses and medications you are taking, since these can significantly alter your nutritional status and response to diet. Just as certain medical conditions may require physician intervention, some medication use may make it necessary for you to consult your pharmacist or physician in order to safely proceed with your customized diet plan. Therefore, once your lab work is complete, I will also need your responses to a simple online diet survey. The website will guide you step by step.

To Take the Online Survey:

•   Go to www.perfectlifediet.com/nutrition-plan.php .

•   Enter your height, weight, and body measurements.

•   Your body mass index (BMI) will be calculated with the BMI calculator available on the site.

•   List any chronic illness you have and any medications you are taking.

•   Give a brief history of your eating habits.

•   List your food likes and dislikes as well as any food allergies.

•   Give a brief history of your physical activity and exercise level.

I originally wrote many of the chapters of this book to use as educational handouts for my patients who had specific questions regarding their personal health. Rather than simply giving patients dietary instructions, I explained why, when, and how they should comply with those instructions. I want my patients, and everyone, for that matter, to enjoy good health and long life. So for years, it has been my goal to create the perfect diet—one that produces excellent results, tastes good, promotes long-term health, and is convenient, simple, and affordable. I have succeeded. I am sure of it because I have been following my own diet plan for the past fifteen years. Over that period I have shared it with thousands of patients, and now I want to share it with you.

Anyone can use this diet without spending a large amount of time learning nutrition, meticulously preparing meals, or following bizarre eating rules. If you complete my online diet survey at www.perfectlifediet.com/nutrition-plan.php —including an inventory of current health stats and goals for your diet—I will generate for you a personalized comprehensive diet plan that will deliver results! While no single diet is perfect for everyone, this will be a perfect diet for you! For added motivation and insight into The Perfect Diet, please read the introduction and first two chapters before launching your diet.

A PASS Diet

The Perfect Diet is a preference-assimilated, supplement-supported—or PASS—diet. By preference-assimilated, I mean you get to choose the foods you like. Recent scientific studies show that the foremost predictor of a diet’s success is adherence to the diet. Any expectation of success must hinge upon the dieter’s ability to stay on a diet plan. Making an informed personal selection of delicious foods is the real key to success. The Perfect Diet is supplement-supported because we cannot achieve long-term weight loss and maintain optimal health by cutting calories alone. Sacrificing essential nutrients just to consume fewer calories leads to failed weight-loss attempts and to poor health in general. We must make certain that all essential nutrients are present in the diet. Inexpensive supplements, available at your local market or pharmacy, add the needed flexibility to promote optimal intake of critical nutrients during longer calorie-restricted weight-loss efforts. In addition, they harness the powerful nutritional benefits of the latest scientific breakthroughs. Many of today’s supplements resemble food and are packaged and sold that way. For instance, brands such as Fiber One cereal and Smart Choice buttery spread add punch to the plan’s fiber and omega-3 fatty-acid content, respectively. These and similar products contain essential fatty acids that allow us to enjoy the taste-enhancing qualities of fat while we lower our cholesterol and our risk of heart disease. Zero-calorie sweeteners can be substituted for sugar, and there are even natural ones, such as Truvia and similar brands, which are made from the stevia plant. Taking advantage of these effective weapons, we can secure great health benefits with remarkable ease.

Although The Perfect Diet recommends certain products by brand name, brand equivalents sold in your region are acceptable. We are not attempting to endorse specific brands, but we are endorsing the nutritional value of specific ingredients in those products.

The Perfect Diet also gains much of its PASS advantage by using nutritious and versatile plant-based proteins—including soybeans and seitan—to our full advantage. Soy products are ever more plentiful and better tasting—whether used in their natural state, as with tempeh or tofu, as milk or cheese alternatives, or as meat substitutes to enhance the nutritional quality of certain dishes. Seitan is growing in popularity and has a similar look and texture of meat when cooked.

Successful weight loss depends as much on replacing missing nutrients in the diet as it does on eliminating the excesses. Our American diets are filled with many foods we must avoid—the calorie-dense and nutrient-poor variety. Because The Perfect Diet is nutrient-rich while containing fewer calories per given volume of food, you will be eating larger amounts of food on The Perfect Diet, and this will control your hunger.

In contrast to many popular weight-loss diets, some of which can actually damage your health, The Perfect Diet teaches an approach to weight management that will maximize longevity and increase your years of productivity. The Perfect Diet includes a staged transition from initial fast weight loss in Stage 1 to a slower, steadier loss in Stage 2, and finally to maintenance in Stage 3, after you’ve reached your goal. When you arrive at your ideal body weight, you will be eating a custom-designed diet—containing many familiar foods and a few new ones. Often, while on The Perfect Diet, your tastes preferences may migrate toward exotic dishes, but you will be eating food of your own choosing and enjoying a diet that is sure to satisfy your appetite and protect your health. Experience, along with scientific studies, confirms that we must enjoy a diet or we will not stay on it for long. In addition, a diet plan must be effective yet flexible enough to allow an occasional indiscretion without bursting the plan wide open.

The Perfect Diet is comprehensive and includes recipes, sample menus, and meal plans for each stage as you move toward permanent weight loss. You can also view many delicious recipes on my website at www.perfectlifediet.com/recipes.php or in part II of this book.

Now that I have shared the rationale behind The Perfect Diet, I would like to share what it will be like when you try it.

Stage 1: The First Ten Days

As with any effective weight-loss diet, the first ten days are the toughest because you will face an abrupt change in calorie intake and will experience hunger and cravings. Stage 1 is strict, but this is the time to slay the fat dragon! You are motivated. You are sick and tired of the steady weight gain, and you know that being too heavy is extracting a high price. It has negative effects on all aspects of your life. You are ready to tackle any diet, as long as you are convinced it will work. I can assure you that The Perfect Diet has worked for many others, and it will work for you!

For a few days, you will feel as if something is missing, and from your perspective, it is. You will need time to adjust as you withdraw from your physical addiction to calorie-dense, nutrient-poor food. But you will not starve. My menus call for generous portions of the right foods, and snacks are an integral part of the plan. A sample menu for any day in Stage 1 includes your familiar foods, seasoned to your taste, in portion sizes calculated to meet your individual needs and goals. You will find it takes a big pile of vegetables accented with your choice of meat or soy protein to yield the same number of calories as a small three-ounce portion of grilled skinless chicken breast.

You will undergo a physiologic adaptation as your body starts building proteins to help mobilize your fat reserves. Until now, you have been flexing the energy-storing proteins that circulate in your bloodstream while ignoring the energy-mobilizing variety. After a few days, your stomach will shrink, further lessening your hunger urges. As you begin to burn stored fat as a significant source of energy, you will become mildly ketotic as you flush ketones, a byproduct of fat metabolism, through your kidneys. Ketosis is associated with an increase in alertness and energy. You will start to feel great.

Stage 2

At this point in The Perfect Diet, as you adjust to a more liberal menu plan, the weight comes off slower. This is healthier for you as the loss of more than a few pounds per week for an extended period puts you at risk for losing healthy muscle mass along with the unwanted fat. A sample menu for any day in Stage 2 includes foods based on your preferences with portion sizes adjusted to meet your goals.

The time you spend at Stage 2 depends on how much weight you have to lose. Your personalized menu plan will aim for two to four pounds of weight loss per week, depending on whether you are actively exercising. From a long-term health perspective, there is no hurry as long as you keep moving in the right direction. This time the diet is for real. You are in it for life because you have discovered how easy and satisfying it is. Your energy levels have greatly improved. You