This Interval Eating Strategy Will Help You Shed Inches Before Summer

What made the authors of The Dubrow Diet — one of the most Googled diets ever — write a sequel to their smash hit? “We heard that some Dubrow Dieters were putting a keto spin on our plan. We looked into it, and it turned out they were really onto something,” shares Terry Dubrow, M.D., a Yale-trained surgeon who, with help from his nutrition-buff wife, Heather, has emerged as one of America’s top weight-loss gurus.

Dr. Dubrow says research and experiments led him to realize that pairing elements of his famous “interval eating” strategy with keto’s reduced carbs “not only accelerates fat burning, it also eliminates big challenges that make dieters fall off the wagon. We’ve created the easiest wagon you’ll ever ride!” Folks testing new Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet guidelines agree. They report effortlessly dropping up to 15 pounds a week!

The gist of Dr. Dubrow’s upgraded approach: You allow 12 hours to elapse between your last sitting each night and your first the next day. “You’re asleep most of the time, and you can have coffee with cream or bone broth to stave off any hunger,” notes Dr. Dubrow, who stars on E!’s medical reality show Botched.

“There’s less fasting than on our original plan, so that’s one difficult aspect gone.” For your first meal and for eight hours after, stick to keto fare, including protein, low-carb veggies, and plenty of healthy fat. Next, during the 4 hours before bed, enjoy a keto dinner and optional snack that includes a serving or two of healthy carbs like fruit, potatoes, or brown rice. “You eat all the time, you get your carbs. There’s no deprivation,” says Dr. Dubrow. “You may not even realize you’re on a diet!”

Easy, Fast Results

The foundation of the Dubrow Diet is called interval eating or time-restricted eating. “The idea is that you go for longer periods without eating, so your body burns through all its blood sugar and must begin burning stored fat for fuel,” explains Dr. Dubrow, who is backed by evidence from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago.

Keto works in a similar way. “You’re not eating carbs, which dramatically lowers blood sugar and forces the body to burn fat for fuel. They’re both fat-burning diets. But one tends to leave you hungry, and the other leaves you craving carbs,” he says. The beauty of combining the two approaches is that you don’t have to fast for as long, and you don’t have to cut carbs as much, “yet you get better results.”

How is that possible? Dr. Dubrow says that bouncing between the two strategies “causes both enzymes that help us burn sugar and enzymes that help us burn fat to become more active. So you’re burning more no matter what you eat, and you don’t have to take drastic measures.”

Proof: A series of studies at Israeli universities found that approaches similar to Dubrow Keto Fusion worked better than traditional eating patterns, in some cases melting 48 pounds versus a mere 11 pounds. “By your second or third week, the speed at which you’re burning both sugar and fat for fuel doubles,” says the doc. “Plus you’re triggering biochemical changes that improve overall health, so you see better blood sugar, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, better mood and sleep. You end up a sugar-burning, fat-burning, healthy machine!”

What to Eat to Boost Fat-Burn

The nutshell version of this diet: Let 12 hours elapse between your last sitting one day and your first the next. After that, stick to keto fare for 8 hours, followed by 4 hours during which you eat keto plus 1 to 2 servings of fruit, beans, rice or potatoes. (Dr. Dubrow tip: Cook, cool and reheat potatoes/rice to reduce their impact on blood sugar.) Once a week, allow yourself a cheat day to keep from feeling deprived. As always, get a doctor’s okay to try any new plan.

Morning Sips: Until your first meal, sip coffee/tea with cream, green drinks from a mix (like Primo Greens) and/or bone broth.

Keto Lunch: Burger with low-carb toppings like veggies and guacamole served in grilled portobello mushroom caps.

Happy Hour: Eggs deviled with low-sugar mayo; optional dry Champagne or a cocktail with clear liquor, seltzer, and lime.

Fusion Dinner: Marinated grilled chicken breast and veggies with brown rice that has been cooked, cooled and reheated.

This article originally appeared in our print magazine.