The Dr. Berstein Diet

I decided to do something that at first I thought was a little radical but with some research, which included talking to a couple of people I know who had been on the diet, I decided to join the medically supervised Dr. Bernstein weight lose clinic.

Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows how hard it can be. It takes a very long time and by the time you have met your goal you are so tired of dieting and exercising that you stop both and end up packing the weight back on. If you’ve ever read a book about how the body processes, stores and burns fat ( like Fat Wars, Sugar Busters, etc ) you will know that the body is very complex and certain methods work for some and not for others.

My personal reasons for choosing to go to Dr. Bernstein were :

• I wanted exercise and weight loss to be 2 separate things for me. I needed to lose weight, but I also wanted to exercise for the enjoyment and health benefit.
• My wife and I wanted to start being more of an example to our kids. They are both at a healthy weight and we are pretty good with them not letting them eat a tonne of junk food, but still letting them enjoy treats as kids.
• It’s a little hypocritical to teach your kids to eat properly and exercise while you yourself are obese.
• I was starting to feel old and tired – 2 things I am not used to and just did not like.
• My kids are 7 & 9 and I found I just didn’t have the energy to keep up with them.
• I was starting to worry that I was going to have the big gripper one of these days.
• It made sense to me to consult experts in weight loss and do it properly for the best results. Much like taking my car to a mechanic when there is a problem.

To start the program, you must book an appointment for an initial consultation which takes about an hour to review the medical history forms and health assessment and to have the nurse explain the program and answer all of your questions. You can start the diet on the same day as your consultation. It is a calorie-reduced diet based on foods you purchase in a grocery store. You are given the Dr. Bernstein Diet manual and recipe book. Inside, there is a very specific list of foods you can and cannot eat. There is also a PDF document that lists more foods that are specific to each province which gets updates fairly regularly. The diet is supplemented with a Swiss One 50 vitamin, potassium pills and B6/B12 injections. Your goal weight is set for every 2 weeks and then you come in to a clinic 3 times a week ( usually Mon, Wed, Fri ) where you weigh in and get the vitamin B shots. You also bring in a urine sample so the nurses can check your metabolic state and see if you are in Ketosis. Being in Ketosis means that your body's primary source of energy is fat and not lean muscle tissue. This is a good thing. The other benefit of being in a state of ketosis is that body consumes roughly 3000-4000 calories a day which not only helps you lose weight, it also helps with the hunger pangs. For more information on Ketosis click here.

At first when you read the details of the diet it does sound radical but I do believe that it is safe and that they really do monitor the state of your health closely. They do blood work every 6-8 weeks, or as needed, and you meet with one of their doctors every 2 -3 weeks. Specific urine tests are done every 2 weeks looking for anomalies like infection.

For me the results have been phenomenal, but I don’t believe they are typical. In 8 weeks l have lost 50 pounds and more than 6 inches on my waist ! My energy levels have returned, and I feel great. My wife has lost 25 pounds in 7 weeks which I think is more typical. They say that on the diet you should lose 16–20 pounds a month. One thing I`ve noticed though is that the weight loss is different than any other diet I`ve done as the fat just seems to disappear !

The downside of the diet is cost. They say the average person will spend $1000 to lose 35 pounds, but I think this estimate is a little low. There is also the cost of new clothes to keep in mind. Even though it is costly, I totally recommend it. The cost pales in comparison to the physical and mental health benefits. Here is a breakdown of the costs :

The fee for the initial consultation is $315.65. This includes the program orientation, medical assessment, the Diet Manual and Recipe Book, and your first week of service. This fee is non-refundable.

Ongoing program fees :

• Eight weeks service $1123.50 (save $160.50)
• Four weeks service $599.20 (save $42.80)
• Two weeks service $310.30 (save $10.70)
• One week service $160.50

Maintenance program fees :

• One year service $749.00 (save $278.20)
• Three months service $246.10 (save $10.70)
• Two months $171.20

I start the maintenance plan next week, which is designed to re-introduce most foods back into your diet and to establishing long term eating habits, so I will post an article once I have experienced it myself.

Lastly, I would encourage people to be sure to research any diet they try before doing it, keep an open mind and make sure it`s right for you.

Click here for more information from the Dr. Berstein website.