RHOC Star Heather Dubrow Follows This Diet To Stay Slim

Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow has done it again! No — she hasn't built an even bigger dream closet complete with its own YouTube channel. Instead, she and her ultra-successful plastic surgeon hubby-turned-reality television star, Terry Dubrow, have released a new book and diet plan available to all the common folks... like us. Enter the Dubrow Diet: an interval eating plan that is designed to supposedly improve blood sugar issues, promote weight loss, and even slow down the aging process, according to Health Digest. 

And while, some may be quick to write it off as just another fad diet, others are probably equally intrigued. After all, Heather has given birth to four children, including one set of twins, and she's still sporting quite the fit figure. So maybe it's worth a shot after all. But what does the diet entail? And is it sustainable for normal, everyday people who do not rely on the use of say... a private chef and a nanny or two? Keep reading after the jump to find out!

Intermittent fasting has quickly gained popularity and it appears that Heather and Terry Dubrow are keenly aware of that as well — hence their "interval eating" plan. So, what's the skinny (see what we did there?) on intermittent fasting/interval eating? Basically the idea is to consume all of your meals and snacks during a designated window of time and fast for the rest of the time. Sounds pretty simple, right?

The only problem is there's not been many studies done on whether intermittent fasting actually works. In fact, per Health Digest, to date the only studies done on intermittent fasting utilized rodents. Not exactly confidence-boosting, eh?!

And registered dietician Toby Amidor penned her own misgivings about intermittent fasting in an article for Food Network in 2019. "To date, there is much debate around the concept of intermittent fasting and weight loss and there is uncertainty as to whether it's the fasting or the calorie restriction that leads to weight loss," Amidor explained. She also added that the Dubrow Diet lacked "scientific merit." Ruh roh.

Heather and Terry Dubrow, however, are all in when it comes to their diet plan. As reported by Health Digest, the Dubrow Diet consists of three particular phases. 

During the first phase, or what the Dubrows refer to as the "Red Carpet Ready" phase, participants are asked to adhere to a strict interval eating plan following the 16/8 formula. During this time the participants fast for 16 hours and eat during a strict eight-hour window.

Per Good Housekeeping, in their book the Dubrows recommend participants consume two to three servings of 3 to 4 ounces of protein, one to two servings of fat, one serving of nuts or seeds, one serving of dairy, two to three servings of vegetables that can only be found "above ground," one serving of fruit, one serving of complex carbs, and one savory treat — all of which must be chosen from an approved list detailed in the Dubrows' book. 

The second phase of the Dubrow Diet is a bit more lenient allowing participants to opt for a 12, 14, or 16-hour fasting window. However, they are quick to remind readers that the longer you fast, the quicker one is apt to lose the weight. And just like with phase one, there are still dietary restrictions the participants must adhere to, but they are able to increase both their fat and fruit intake by one serving. And during this phase, "above ground" veggies are no longer off-limits. Give us all the sweet potatoes!

The key to the third phase, however, is simply maintenance a.k.a. what the Dubrows refer to as "Look Hot While Living Like a Human." In this phase, the Dubrow Diet advises participants to continue with their "interval eating," but now they are no longer restricted to an approved list of foods, portions are no longer restricted, and they don't have to adhere to certain types of foods. So, yeah... pretty much just intermittent fasting... forever.

The kicker to the Dubrow Diet is perhaps what it promises outside of the scale. Per Health Digest, Heather and Terry Dubrow claim on HeatherDubrow.com that by following their diet plan, participants can also slow down the aging process. According to the Dubrows, their diet can "activate a process known as autophagy, your cells' self-cleaning process and an anti-aging game changer." Okay, then. Done deal. Sign us up!

But wait, not so fast — scientists aren't so sure about those particular claims. Per Medical News Today, "scientists do not have a full picture of the health implications of autophagy, nor of how individuals might induce it." They were also quick to point out that though research has shown that diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes intake may induce autophagy, "most studies have taken place on non-human animals." 

And there ya have it, folks. The Dubrow Diet in a nutshell... but ya know, just make it one serving of nuts, of course.