Doctor-Approved Crash Diets

Dr. Flavor-Full's Diet

Secret sauces and extra seasonings get the boot! Nutrition researcher David Katz, MD, won't overexcite his taste buds while trying to lose weight. "The more variety of foods and flavors you introduce, the more appetite is stimulated," Dr. Katz explains. "If your diet resembles an all-you-can-eat buffet, you're going to eat a lot." Dr. Katz also says that restricting meal options will help eliminate temptation. Redundancy is the safest bet.

Aim to consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, and stick to the plan for four to six weeks, he advises. Take a multivitamin to get the proper nutrients. Adhering to this program for the full six weeks should help you shed up to 20 pounds, he notes.

• Protein: Egg whites, beans, lentils, skinless chicken (white meat), white fish (e.g., flounder, tilapia), nonfat cottage cheese, walnuts, and almonds.
• Carbs: Mixed greens, broccoli, spinach, mixed berries, whole-grain cereal from Kashi, Health Valley, or Nature's Path.
• Fat: Olive and canola oils.
• Beverages: Water is the mainstay.

Ideally, Dr. Katz would do a two-hour walk, bike ride, or swim daily. He'd turn up the heat by strength training three times a week. "Every pound of muscle you gain consumes twice as many calories as fat," he explains.

Make strength training a staple in your workout to help maintain a toned physique, he says. "When I was 13 years old, I did 1,500 sit-ups a day. Now that I have a life and have built some muscle mass, I do a short training routine every day, and I've never lost my abs!"

Breakfast: Bowl of whole-grain cereal with skim milk and mixed berries

Lunch: Mixed green salad with lentils and egg whites

Dinner: Mixed green salad, grilled fish or chicken, cooked vegetables, and whole-grain bread, pasta, or grains

Snack: A mixed-berry salad or a handful of unsalted almonds or walnuts

-- David Katz, MD, director of Yale Prevention Research Center, author of Dr. David Katz's Flavor-Full Diet