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The Pound a Day Diet: Lose Up to 5 Pounds in 5 Days by Eating the Foods You Love
The Pound a Day Diet is an accelerated program designed to help dieters lose up to five pounds every five days-- without frustrating plateaus-- while enjoying all their favorite foods. It rewrites every carb/fat/calorie rule in the book! This delicious, easy-to-use, plan is specifically formulated as a Mediterranean-style diet that is carb and calorie corrected to turbocharge metabolism and weight loss. Complete with menus for 28 days (four five-day plans and four weekend plans), dieters first follow the five-day plan, switch over to the weekend plan, return to the five-day plan for the second week, and continue with the weekend plan-alternating like this right down to their goal weight. To help readers, Rocco has created 50 all-new lightning-quick 5 ingredient recipes, as well as ready-made suggestions for those who simply cannot find the time to cook; a primer on healthy and fast cooking techniques; calorie-calibrated menus and shopping lists; and a lifestyle plan for maintaining a lean, healthy body for life.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2013
122 people are currently reading
1044 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 13, 2015
picked up The Pound a Day Diet by Rocco DiSpirito not so much for the pound a day part, but rather because I had seen Rocco as a chef on shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “Extreme Weight Loss.” On one of them he mentioned that people often feel that when they want to lose weight, they can’t eat anything except grilled chicken and salads, and anyone would get tired of that after a while. That resonated with me, so I wanted to see what else he had to say and hopefully glean some ideas from him.
Part of his interest in lower calorie but tasty foods came from his own need to lose weight. When he became a chef and was working with great food all day, he packed on the pounds. When he decided to lose weight, he used his culinary skills to create recipes that were filling and flavorful yet lower in calories. Sometimes that involved substitutions for the higher-calorie counterparts; sometimes it involved using fresh foods and avoiding higher calorie ingredients. He has created a whole series of books including some of these recipes and ideas.
In this book he advocates losing weight by consuming 850 calories on weekdays and 1200 on weekends in Phase 1. He gets away with the 850 calories by having a protein smoothie in the morning. He quoted a few studies saying that losing weight more quickly than the usually recommended pound or two a week is beneficial because the progress keeps one encouraged: when weight is coming off slowly, combined with the inevitable plateaus, people get discouraged and quit.
He advocates a Mediterranean diet, which involves a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fewer and leaner meats, and a lot of his general information about what kinds of foods to eat is common sense and similar to what you might read in other healthy eating plans (like eating carbs but choosing nutrient-dense, lower calorie versions rather than the calorie-dense lower nutrient versions). He also talks about benefits of exercise, different types, etc. Probably my favorite chapter was the next-to-last one, about healthier ways of cooking, ways to boost flavor without adding empty calories, the benefits of preparing one’s own food and buying locally (pointing out that food that has traveled 5,000 miles to get here is not going to be as nutritious as what you can get locally), etc.
The bulk of the book (some 140 pages) is recipes. In the reviews I saw of the book, several of them criticized his use of things like artificial sweeteners, powdered proteins, etc. Though there is a lot of that kind of thing in the smoothies and desserts, most of the entrees and side dishes are just regular foods and spices. Though Rocco advocates preparing meals for yourself, he does include recommendations of ready-made foods that are close to the the recipes.
I like Rocco’s focus on foods and recipes because in so many of these weight-loss shows, the focus is on the workouts and the “drama,” with very little said or shown about food. Yet food is the major part of a diet, and if people can’t find a variety of things they like to eat, they’re not going to stick with any healthy eating plan long term. So I appreciate his efforts to provide not just healthy but also tasty alternatives. I’m still wary of 850 calories a day and foods that are made primarily of powdered ingredients (the high-protein chocolate breakfast shake has psyllium husk powder, fiber powder, protein powder, and egg-white powder besides the cocoa and monk fruit extract), but the general principles and a lot of the other recipes sound good. In fact, I received from my Christmas “wish list” his Now Eat This!: 150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories to glean some more ideas for pared-down favorites. You can check out some of his recipes here, and he has various YouTube videos as well.
Part of his interest in lower calorie but tasty foods came from his own need to lose weight. When he became a chef and was working with great food all day, he packed on the pounds. When he decided to lose weight, he used his culinary skills to create recipes that were filling and flavorful yet lower in calories. Sometimes that involved substitutions for the higher-calorie counterparts; sometimes it involved using fresh foods and avoiding higher calorie ingredients. He has created a whole series of books including some of these recipes and ideas.
In this book he advocates losing weight by consuming 850 calories on weekdays and 1200 on weekends in Phase 1. He gets away with the 850 calories by having a protein smoothie in the morning. He quoted a few studies saying that losing weight more quickly than the usually recommended pound or two a week is beneficial because the progress keeps one encouraged: when weight is coming off slowly, combined with the inevitable plateaus, people get discouraged and quit.
He advocates a Mediterranean diet, which involves a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fewer and leaner meats, and a lot of his general information about what kinds of foods to eat is common sense and similar to what you might read in other healthy eating plans (like eating carbs but choosing nutrient-dense, lower calorie versions rather than the calorie-dense lower nutrient versions). He also talks about benefits of exercise, different types, etc. Probably my favorite chapter was the next-to-last one, about healthier ways of cooking, ways to boost flavor without adding empty calories, the benefits of preparing one’s own food and buying locally (pointing out that food that has traveled 5,000 miles to get here is not going to be as nutritious as what you can get locally), etc.
The bulk of the book (some 140 pages) is recipes. In the reviews I saw of the book, several of them criticized his use of things like artificial sweeteners, powdered proteins, etc. Though there is a lot of that kind of thing in the smoothies and desserts, most of the entrees and side dishes are just regular foods and spices. Though Rocco advocates preparing meals for yourself, he does include recommendations of ready-made foods that are close to the the recipes.
I like Rocco’s focus on foods and recipes because in so many of these weight-loss shows, the focus is on the workouts and the “drama,” with very little said or shown about food. Yet food is the major part of a diet, and if people can’t find a variety of things they like to eat, they’re not going to stick with any healthy eating plan long term. So I appreciate his efforts to provide not just healthy but also tasty alternatives. I’m still wary of 850 calories a day and foods that are made primarily of powdered ingredients (the high-protein chocolate breakfast shake has psyllium husk powder, fiber powder, protein powder, and egg-white powder besides the cocoa and monk fruit extract), but the general principles and a lot of the other recipes sound good. In fact, I received from my Christmas “wish list” his Now Eat This!: 150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories to glean some more ideas for pared-down favorites. You can check out some of his recipes here, and he has various YouTube videos as well.
August 14, 2014
The recipes look really good, but I'm very skeptical of any eating plan that advises eating 850 calories a day. Everything I have ever learned has told me that eating below 1200 calories a day, as a woman, will put my body into starvation mode and it will want to hang on to every calorie. Plus, quite frankly, I'm pretty sure I would starve to death, or at least feel like it, if that's all I ate a day. Not to mention having energy for workouts... But I would like to try some of the recipes.
March 28, 2014
This was pretty bad. The "meals" were less than 200 calories each, only 800 total calories allowed per day. That's dangerous advice to follow.
February 10, 2020
There were some interesting principles and tidbits at the beginning and end of the book. A lot that I knew and little that was new, but probably informational enough for the target audience this book seems to have been written for... the (more and more common) obese and (excessively) sedentary American citizen who is feeding and « surviving » on (increasingly) modified and processed foods that are chalk full of sodium and sugars.
The proposed « calorie deficit » is rather intense, but they do warn early on that it should only be tried after talking to our doctor or nutritionist; that it’s not for everyone and that the weight loss can happen on a longer slower less intense plan instead. So ok I guess.
What else?
- I found the recipes ironically too complicated and not particularly inspiring. The proposed weekly shopping lists were crazy... 108 different items for week 1 alone! o.O - and like psyllium husk powder?!? Xanthum gum?! And products that I can only imagine are local to the writer, because I’ve never heard of them or ever seen any such thing in our Canadian supermarkets. Like egg white powder and numerous company/brand names. All in all, this bit of the book seemed a bit overly inflexible and unhelpful. Having a chart of the average calories of various foods could have been (a lot) better. (And more interesting.) Let the reader decide how he can or wants to combine to make a low caloric meal and/or snack instead.
Anyways.
Last, but not least: repetitive, overly enthusiastic and kinda infantilizing the whole way through like I was being coached by some borderline creepy door to door-to-door salesman. :-/
Creating « calorie deficits » do work in helping you lose weight, but this book may not be the best place to figure out how to go about doing that. Ok if you intend on fast reading the beginning and end of it, and jump over the « It worked for me testimonials » spruced throughout, but that’s about it imo.
The proposed « calorie deficit » is rather intense, but they do warn early on that it should only be tried after talking to our doctor or nutritionist; that it’s not for everyone and that the weight loss can happen on a longer slower less intense plan instead. So ok I guess.
What else?
- I found the recipes ironically too complicated and not particularly inspiring. The proposed weekly shopping lists were crazy... 108 different items for week 1 alone! o.O - and like psyllium husk powder?!? Xanthum gum?! And products that I can only imagine are local to the writer, because I’ve never heard of them or ever seen any such thing in our Canadian supermarkets. Like egg white powder and numerous company/brand names. All in all, this bit of the book seemed a bit overly inflexible and unhelpful. Having a chart of the average calories of various foods could have been (a lot) better. (And more interesting.) Let the reader decide how he can or wants to combine to make a low caloric meal and/or snack instead.
Anyways.
Last, but not least: repetitive, overly enthusiastic and kinda infantilizing the whole way through like I was being coached by some borderline creepy door to door-to-door salesman. :-/
Creating « calorie deficits » do work in helping you lose weight, but this book may not be the best place to figure out how to go about doing that. Ok if you intend on fast reading the beginning and end of it, and jump over the « It worked for me testimonials » spruced throughout, but that’s about it imo.
July 26, 2018
I’m all about the Mediterranean diet , which consists of lots of Whole Foods, fruits and vegetables, lean fish, meats and nuts, etc. What bothered me was a book that promotes this Mediterranean way of eating contains a lot of processed ingredients and uses the microwave quite often. I was not a big fan of this book and definitely not a fan of a way of eating that promotes eating less than 1,000 calories a day.
July 2, 2019
I learned so much from this book! It changed my whole strategy & helped me to begin losing pounds that I have kept off easily. While I don't follow this or any diet religiously, I have used the important things I have learned from this book nutritionally as well as the strategies herein to creating a caloric deficit both through nutrition & exercise, to shed pounds that have easily stayed off. Valuable read!
June 7, 2016
You are better than this diet. Rocco is better than this, too. I can't believe he would recommend an 850 calorie/day diet nearly devoid of actual food but instead full of food substitutes, like American cheese (75% fat free, no less!), Jello, packets of stevia, xanthan gum, and the ubiquitous monk fruit extract. You'll be malnourished and starving.
Seriously, if you are truly committed to 800 calories a day, do Bob Harper's Jumpstart to Skinny. At least there you are eating buckets of real food. And if you don't like real food, please consider trying to learn how to like it. You could still make a Rocco strawberry shake (ingredients include Coffee-Mate, Jello sugar-free vanilla pudding, 16 packets monk fruit extract, fat-free milk powder, and, gasp, actual strawberries) if you need something special, but at least you will have done something meaningful in repairing your relationship with food.
Seriously, if you are truly committed to 800 calories a day, do Bob Harper's Jumpstart to Skinny. At least there you are eating buckets of real food. And if you don't like real food, please consider trying to learn how to like it. You could still make a Rocco strawberry shake (ingredients include Coffee-Mate, Jello sugar-free vanilla pudding, 16 packets monk fruit extract, fat-free milk powder, and, gasp, actual strawberries) if you need something special, but at least you will have done something meaningful in repairing your relationship with food.
March 12, 2014
100% agree with Rocco's findings and recommendations of 5 mini-meals a day, so was sold on trying this out so I could get a bit more variety into my pretty boring meal assortment. Well, as much build-up as there was in the book as to how easy the meals were to prepare, once I got to the To Buy list of ingredients, my eyes kind of bugged out. After skipping ahead and reviewing many of the recipes, decided this wasn't the diet for me. Too many weird ingredients for my admittedly "vanilla" palate. Besides, really...Xanthium Gum? Who buys, much less WHERE does one buy, Xanthium Gum?!?!? Too foodie for my plane-jane palate and significantly low interest in spending time in the kitchen. HOWEVER, for those that haven't caught on to the idea of multiple mini meals a day...for that reason alone you might want to check this diet out...or at least read the bulk of the book to get the jest.
September 18, 2014
This is a very good book and approach to weight loss and maintenance. The epidemic of obesity and resultant health problems such as type 2 diabetes needs to be addressed and Rocco is here with much a much needed approach to the problem. His method to cut calories, increase activity and make if fun and tasty to boot seems right. I am one of those who slightly overweight and can see how to tackle it with this strategy. Unfortunately I am a can opener and microwave kind of guy so his recipes will not be what I am willing to take on but overall I will make changes he recommends and can see clearly that I will reach my goals and maintain them.
July 26, 2015
Eat 850 calories a day for two weeks. Have protein powder shakes for breakfast. Eat foods you love such as the "Protein-Packed Breakfast Sandwich" - which consists of a "light whole-wheat hamburger bun (such as Sara Lee Delightful Wheat)" with a slice of "fat-free American cheese(such as Kraft)", a "lean turkey breast sausage patty (such as Bob Evans)" and 1/4 cup of "egg replacement (such as Egg Beaters)cooked and heated in a pan with olive oil cooking spray, served with salt, pepper and sriacha. Or just get a Weight Watchers Smart ones one instead.
If you love to eat fake processed food-like substances, then this is the diet for you!
If you love to eat fake processed food-like substances, then this is the diet for you!
November 27, 2015
Although common wisdom dictates a person has at least 1200 calories per day, a lower calorie count doesn't really bother me if I don't feel famished all day long. The daily meal plan did appear to suggest eating multiple times today and originally looked promising to me.
Then I got to the shopping list. One week's worth of food for this plan required a 3-1/2 page typed shopping list, which includes 5 40-count boxes of monk fruit extract. I don't even think my usual grocery store sells monk fruit extract! (I don't even know if I want to TRY monk fruit extract!).
Based on the shopping lists alone, this doesn't appear sustainable or appealing, so one star only from me.
Then I got to the shopping list. One week's worth of food for this plan required a 3-1/2 page typed shopping list, which includes 5 40-count boxes of monk fruit extract. I don't even think my usual grocery store sells monk fruit extract! (I don't even know if I want to TRY monk fruit extract!).
Based on the shopping lists alone, this doesn't appear sustainable or appealing, so one star only from me.
November 15, 2014
Very pleased with this book. The foods are filling and delicious. I especially love the green monkey. Yes the daily calories are low but I felt really energized on this and saw the difference right away! It took me a few days to gather the ingredients. The shiretaki noodles are the key. I found them at an asian market and in the health food section of one of our larger markets. I took the night off tonight and had pizza but I'm starting back on the regimen again tomorrow.
October 24, 2014
I was very disappointed by the advice in this book mainly because he advises people to eat such a low calorie diet. I do not feel this diet is safe or allows you long term results.I did enjoy the recipes and that he backed up his advice with research but I just do not think this is sound advice for the average person.
May 18, 2015
Meh.... Typical diet book, no startling new information...some okay "recipes", but also written with a lot of passion by Rocco DiSpirito who did lose quite a bit of weight and, more importantly, has kept it off. He touts his ideas as not a diet, and not deprivation...but 850 calories a day to start begs to differ. I will try some of the changes he suggests and see how it works out for me.
September 30, 2015
Spot on...Rocco writes with truthfulness and sincerity and an obvious passion for what he holds most dear, his culinary art while conveying his fervent desire to see all of us leaner and healthier.right on!
loved this book. Rocco has spoken truthfully and with conviction. The F.D.A " Must be furious " ! Truth is so simple.
loved this book. Rocco has spoken truthfully and with conviction. The F.D.A " Must be furious " ! Truth is so simple.
July 14, 2016
This book a like many other low calorie diet books that I have read. Some of the recipes are good but it follows the Mediterranean diet and whole foods. It does give you two days a week of an increased calories during your first part and it does tell you how to maintain your weight loss which many don't tell you.
June 3, 2014
Pretty much the same as all diet books, calories in v. calories out. Recipes are good but most are pretty expensive, if you're going to to the diet strictly as listed I am sure it would work but it would be really costly.
December 16, 2014
He makes valid points about our contemporary culture's eating habits: bad food and portions blown out of control. His solutions are rather standard. I did copy out the smoothie receipes as I am always collecting them.
January 28, 2014
I think this is one diet I can follow without feeling deprived or hungry all the time.
February 1, 2014
Not bad, mostly common sense and healthy eating. We all know that works?
February 14, 2014
thorough information
March 13, 2014
Haven't done the diet yet, may change my review afterwords.
June 14, 2014
Pass. Weird ingredients and 800 calorie a day diet. No thanks.
March 19, 2015
Didn't learn anything new. Would have liked pictures to go along with each recipe
May 11, 2017
The recipes were so difficult. I spent so much money on new items and had to really search for the very unique ingredients. When I tried the food I fixed, it was awful. My family hated the food.
January 2, 2018
Some great ideas and recipes, but trouble finding some ingredients.
April 25, 2016
The food looks great, but this will be a very expensive diet to follow.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews