The UltraSimple Diet: Kick-Start Your Metabolism and Safely Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 7 Days

When I say I no longer eat meat, dairy, gluten, sugar, nightshades or citrus, people ask either "What the heck is a nightshade?" or "What the heck is left?" This book answers those questions, so I recommend it, with one major caveat.The laxative regimen Dr. Hyman suggests is probably something most people should probably not undertake. Anybody could lose seven pounds in a week dosing themselves with laxatives, but they are also likely to end up with cramps or worse. Laxatives are nothing to fool around with, and the potential for abuse is well documented. If you follow this diet, you are going to be eating so much healthy fiber and vegetables, the last thing you are going to need is a laxative, and you'll get great results without 'em.The other thing that is weird about the book is that it refers you several times to online tools which do not seem to exist anymore. When you go to the links, they take you straight to Dr. Hyman's site which is mainly about selling you his vitamin packages. There are some articles there, but after many tries I was unable to register to receive the additional materials or to find them anywhere online. He offers a phone number you can call but I didn't take it that far. The main material I needed was in the book.The Kindle edition may differ from the physical book. At least, I hope so. The edition I read repeats pretty much verbatim the information for day one for each of the seven days or whatever of the diet. This seems like an egregious waste of paper if that is the case.I have never followed a diet regimen before, but for some reason this one intrigued me so I downloaded the free first chapter, and when I finished that I bought the book. One of my friends has subsequently pointed out that she got everything she needed to know from the free first chapter, so if you're interested you might want to check that out.Some reviewers have complained about the expense of this diet, so I will point out the changes I made to make it not only affordable but downright cheap. I did not buy any of the supplements he recommends. As a vegetarian, I use a good quality protein powder in my green drinks and smoothies, and I always take a good multivitamin and a calcium/magnesium supplement recommended by my primary doc. I also take an Omega-3 supplement, so I had all these on hand and didn't have to lay out money for those. There was no way I was going to buy a magnesium citrate laxative, which is the stuff you have to take before a colonoscopy, shudder. The UltraBroth recipe is worth the price of the book, and it is not expensive to make considering how much you are saving by skipping the meat and dairy aisle at the grocery store. I used to use Trader Joe's Organic Vegetable Broth as the basis of all my soups, but it is loaded with sodium. This broth recipe makes a super nutritious facsimile thereof, and I add no salt to it except what's in the sheet of nori I throw in towards the end. I have made four or five batches so far, and it is fantastic to have on hand. My family loves it. It's fast and easy to make because it's not like you're carefully slicing and dicing for a beautiful vegetable soup. You toss most of the ingredients into the soup pot whole or whacked roughly into chunks, and strain it all when the cooking time is up. Speaking of ingredients, I omitted the garlic, onions, daikon and ginger because the idea is you make a big vat of this soup and have it around for a few days, and those flavors can get kind of acrid in storage. The broth is perfectly delicious without them.Something else you get to enjoy frequently is brown rice with steamed vegetables. I make several different combinations I think call Buddha Bowls, and this is where you can get really creative and have fun. I bought a Sanyo Fuzzy Logic rice cooker here on amazon earlier this year, and it is a real lifesaver with this diet, because you are gonna eat a lot of brown rice and this cooker makes it effortless to prepare. I throw two cups of organic brown rice into four cups of water in this cooker every few days to make sure we have a fresh supply around for these Buddha Bowls and for the brown rice burgers I'm making about once a week. If you try this diet, your life will be a lot easier with a rice cooker.One thing you will notice on this plan is that you are never hungry. By eliminating low-quality carb-harboring gluten products, you are dismantling the mechanism that makes you go around hungry all the time. Have you ever noticed how about an hour after you eat a big bowl of cereal with milk you are starving? High-quality, nutritious food keeps you full much longer. He recommends a plan of small meals and snacks that will keep you feeling this amazing not-hungry EVER feeling, perhaps, if you're like me, for the first time in your life. I used to be hungry all the time, but this was like flipping a switch. I haven't been hungry one minute since starting this plan three weeks ago. Incredible.Inflammation plays a huge role in the development of so many of the painful and debilitating conditions that make our lives miserable, especially as we get older. This is an anti-inflammation diet that works, and there is no downside medically to at least trying it out. I have been trying to manage chronic pain and multiple allergies for years, and was astonished to see them all disappear within a few days of beginning this diet. Nightshades are strongly suspected to be the culprit in causing arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, but there has never been a major study of this because there is no pharmaceutical company that will fund it. There is no money to be made in telling the millions of people who suffer from arthritis that if they would cut out tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and green peppers that they could life pain-free, though survey-type studies based on patients' own reporting indicate that up to 90% experience complete remission. I have been in pain for decades, and now I'm totally 100% pain-free. My countless allergies have vanished, and my spring pollen allergies never even showed up. Nightshades contain nerve toxins, and just because you don't go into anaphylactic shock when you eat them doesn't mean you're not allergic. I'm never going near them again.Though I can't report the seven-pounds-a-week weight loss that some have experienced, alas, I'm happy to be losing a steady half pound a day, almost every day. I have been trying to lose weight for ten years with little luck. I didn't gain, but I didn't seem able to dislodge a single pound, and since I could hardly walk some days, a vigorous exercise routine was out of the question. A steady weight loss like this would have seemed impossible a month ago, but then again, so did life without pizza. Now, I honestly don't care if I never eat pizza again. I'm THAT over feeling horrible all the time.I could prattle on like this for hours, but then you might think I am some kind of dazed, blissed-out hippie health food chick with nothing better to do than lecture passers-by about my latest whacky path to nirvana, so I won't. But I really am urging all my friends to take a look at this diet, because it really is simple, cheap, effective, and maybe even life-changing. One of my docs said she is going to try it herself. I gotta go stir my soup. Peace.

I just completed the one week program and, while I'm quite happy with it, I'm only giving the book 3 stars b/c anyone who didn't do the research and was expecting a truly simple plan would be hugely disappointed. "UltraSimple" in no way, shape, or form applies to this book. In fact, if you are to follow the plan completely, you would have to take a week off of work. I don't think anyone would find the following "simple":*Making your own broth from 8+ different vegetables (yes--he gives you an out with store bought "if you must")*Practicing yoga at least 2x/day*Journaling for 30-60 minutes a day*Multiple different supplements--some taken before eating, some with meals, some at bedtime*Midday walks or naps*Broth "snacks" throughout the day*Nightly baths*Preparing gobs and gobs of fresh vegetables in order to consume a minimum of 4 cups/dayI skipped the yoga and journaling, but pretty much followed the rest--and I really did enjoy it. That said--I work from home and it's not a busy time for me now--so I had the time and energy to dedicate to it.My ExperienceI was already at healthy weight and eat quite healthfully to begin with--but coming off the holiday--and a regular habit of plenty of wine and caffeine--seemed to still leave me with plenty to detoxify. The first couple days I felt like crap. Lightheadedness, lack of focus, killer headaches, body aches, and difficulty sleeping. This was odd for me b/c every other time I've done a fast or cleanse I've felt like a million bucks. I can't help but think that this program actually did more to detoxify than others--and I felt it. I think that the (kind of gross) shot of olive oil and lemon juice in the morning really might have be cleansing my liver and gall bladder. I stopped talking my OTC allergy medicine in the spirit of "cleanse" and I thought THAT was contributing to my headaches. By the 3rd day I was about to give in and start taking it again, but. . . I started to feel better. I noticed that my headaches were gone, body aches gone by day 4-5, and my allergy symptoms weren't bothering me--despite no meds. So, in a nutshell, after one week:*Lost 5lbs (even though already at "ideal" weight--though not MY ideal)*Lost 2 inches total in waist and hips*Allergies abated*Puffiness and heaviness around eyes gone (I was actually thinking about blepharoplasty prior to this program--but now that I see what I look like without the effects of alcohol and caffeine--and other dietary "inflamers", bright-eyed and younger looking--it took that offer my list of To Dos)*I've not had any real mood/emotional problems--but definitely can get "edgy" and irritable. I feel very Zen now. Very calm and relaxed. (Must admit I don't know if it's chicken-or-egg)--am I just calmer b/c I chose a time in my life/schedule to do this program when I knew I wasn't going to be busy--is it just a coincidence of less stress?)* My Quiz score went from 48 to 18.If you're up for the dedication that this plan requires--go for it. You'll feel virtuous for having done it, if nothing else. I'm actually sticking with it as the holidays approach. I'm slowing introducing eliminated foods back--which means the whole process (including the "pre" diet) is actually 4-6 weeks, not 1.

A guide to reducing inflammation and toxic load by losing weight and vice versa. Obesity itself is an inflammatory state and the more toxins you are exposed to, the more the adipocytes increase in size to store them and keep your vital organs safe. To break free from this cycle,, you must reduce the toxic load from all sources especially from food and reduce inflammation by avoiding those foods that are most likely to trigger gut permeability and hence inflammation. The list is a long one and the diet chouces limited but perhaps not limited enough for some, as some lectin containing foods are allowed, though the effects of these can be reduced by careful preparation. The biochemistry is explained, especially the effects of poor food choices, toxic substances and unregulated stress on the liver, thyroid and mitochondria. Not sure of the advisability of losing 10 lbs in a week, as some suggest. Important to ensure organs of elimination are in full working order before attempting any detox programme in order to prevent reabsorption and reduce side effects and symptoms. This could have been emphasised more. The links to Dr Hyman’s website do not work in the kindle edition. Almost any diet is effective if followed faithfully. This one is restrictive and hence difficult to stick to but thr science is sound.

I haven't followed this diet strictly. I found many of the points made interesting and relevant to my health. I know some reviewers criticised the paper quality, but I honestly couldn't care what it is written on if it provides relevant information and makes some useful suggestions.

There wasn't much in this book really. It could have been a pamphlet. It just keeps repeating itself. The main message seems to be "Rubbish in makes you feel bad. Stop putting rubbish in your body and you'll feel better"

I was really looking forward to receiving this book. However, it was much smaller than I expected, the paper was cheap and the font small making it hard to see. I have given up on trying to read it and really wish I had purchased it as a kindle version. I can't comment on the content as I haven't read all of the book.

Simple read, makes total sense, and great book for auto-immune sufferers