The UltraSimple Diet: Kick-Start Your Metabolism and Safely Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 7 Days

by Mark Hyman

The UltraSimple Diet is the New York Times bestselling weight loss plan for diet detox, based on UltraMetabolism , which exploded the myths of dieting, including “eat less, exercise more.” Dr. Hyman’s accelerated, safe diet plan will help you lose ten pounds in only seven days.

In The UltraSimple Diet , Dr. Hyman reveals his revolutionary accelerated plan which, if properly followed, allows a person to lose ten pounds in just seven days. Many people who thought they were just doomed to be fat, or had “no willpower,” will see that they are actually suffering from inflammation brought on by foods that have a toxic effect on the body. By cutting these toxins out of our diets, we can achieve fast and easy weight loss. Each day of the plan features menus, exercise routines, relaxation and stress reduction exercises, and a few blank pages in order for the reader to keep a journal of his or her progress. Dr. Hyman also discusses the philosophy of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, along with its practical ramifications, i.e. keeping the weight off.

The UltraSimple Diet is based on his New York Times bestselling book, UltraMetabolism , which explores the cutting-edge science of nutrigenomics—the science of how food talks to our genes. Reprogram your body to automatically lose weight by turning on the messages of weight loss and health and turning off the messages of weight gain and disease.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Diets, Self Help, Food, Cookbooks, Nutrition

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality--and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That's why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. Dr. Hyman and his team work every day to empower people, organizations, and communities to heal their bodies and minds, and improve our social and economic resilience.

Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, an eleven-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, CNN, and The View, Katie, and The Dr. Oz Show.

Dr. Hyman works with individuals and organizations, as well as policymakers and influencers. He has testified before both the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Senate Working Group on Health Care Reform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the Surgeon General on diabetes prevention and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President's Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. In addition, Dr. Hyman has worked with President Clinton, presenting at the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generation conference, and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues. He is the winner of the Linus Pauling Award, The Nantucket Project Award, and was inducted in the Books for Better Life Hall of Fame.

Dr. Hyman also works with fellow leaders in his field to help people and communities thrive--with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen, he created The Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped The Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds. He is as an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show and is on the board of Dr. Oz's HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by educating American students about nutrition. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate to provide for reimbursement of lifestyle treatment of chronic disease. And, with Tim Ryan in 2015, helped introduce the ENRICH Act into Congress to fund nutrition in medical education. Dr. Hyman plays a substantial role in a major film produced by Laurie David and Katie Couric, released in 2014, called Fed Up, which addresses childhood obesity.

Reviews

[Danielle Delahunty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to put on my Bernie Mac Hat (God rest him) for a minute, and talk to America.

America, I have a question for you.

America, please tell me why some of you believe you have these great ideas even though no one normal will publish you? And lets just say, America, that your idea is great and you somehow fall through all the cracks, and you decide to write a book you publish yourself. Can you tell me, America, why it is you need to write it like an info-mertial?

I mean,

If I were going to get excited about some new product or invention, I would not be doing it if it were shouted at me and repeated to me continuously, or if I was continuously reminded that reading the book about your idea or product is in itself, a great thing.

I'm already reading it, America. And anything you have to sell, is not worth buying.

Thank you for your time, America, I will try not to waste it like you have mine, with your low, self-esteem; oversold; often repeated diatribe that sounds like a commercial; for something I am already holding in my hand having paid for (read: checked out at the library).

Directly to the author of this book, one Dr. Mark Hyman:

1. Reduce the pages, I'm holding the information, I don't need to read even one thing twice.
2. Stop selling the book, I'm reading it, reduce the pages even further.
3. Don't ever tell me what will and will not be easy for me to stop eating as a result of your diet.

Now, after all that I will say:

Mark Hyman's book is not about starting a diet to lose several hundred pounds and I do not think that is clear in so many words. I mean the plan in this book is for no more than a month, but it really doesn't explain like the website does, that this is a way to clean out your system, get rid of allergies that you may have, and eliminate products you may be addicted to. This plan is for you to use to get to a point where you can start a real, rest-of-your-life diet and this plan is also for when you have gone astray for that future diet.

There is nothing outrageous or complicated here. The method and the choices are sound. I believe this plan is a good thing and not dangerous in any way, and will give you great benefits.

what I do not understand is why this book was written in a way that simply makes the intelligent reader automatically reject it. Check out the guy's website. Tthough it looks like his "online community" may be defunct, the website is not infomertial-like and also, you get all the download instructions and reproducibles without even one sales pitch.

But finally: know this: there is a little business woven through this, I mean what doctor is THAT altruistic? This guy weaves a tini, iddy bit of doubt into this program about it's effectiveness or your ability to carry on after it UNLESS you use the exact vitamins he HAPPENS to sell in his online store for MORE MONEY THAN GROCERIES FOR A WHOLE MONTH. He says at some point in your life you need to make these things a priority and make it a part of your monthly bills. Even if I was single, had no kids and had a really high paying job, I would have serious issues with affording these pills.

So there is some good here, and it's not a horrible mertial-rape, but it's sort of, in the end, a general mertial "fondle."

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After one week...one week...I no longer want coffee. That alone is huge for me. But, my skin is clearer, and I have never slept this well or had this much energy. Oh, and I lost 5 pounds and 1.9% body fat...in one week!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just skimmed this book after stumbling upon the website, so I can't speak to the ultra-repetition (hehe) other reviewers wrote about. This is the most sound approach to healing through food that I have found. Dr. Hyman was an ER doctor, which is one of the few exceptions to my "doctors are idiots" rule of thumb, and he has the science down here. The diet isn't overly restrictive and it works. I found out that I have sensitivities to milk and gluten, and eliminating them has seemingly cleared the mild ezcema I've dealt with MY WHOLE LIFE. For real. It's pretty neat. And I didn't even really follow the diet, I just eliminated gluten, milk, sugar, and all processed foods. I had a hunch it was the dairy or gluten causing my issues, and I wasn't about to go without eggs and tomatoes and all that jazz.
The only thing that super sucks is I can't really bake now and I love baking!!!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a great book. This was more of a cleansing - but you could defiantly stay on it longer than a week. It talks about how many toxins and inflammation from food will not only make you gain weight but other symptoms as well. (Out of the 15 listed - I had 13) I also took a test in the book regarding my body... if you scored from 51-100 your 'severely' inflamed and toxicities. Well I scored a 155! How scary is that. So after the week cleansing, I went to 3 symptoms and only a 45. (And of course the 8 pounds in one week was nice)Wow, do I feel great. And whether you stick to the plan for the rest of your life or just for the week, (He suggests to repeat every 90) it’s a great cleansing and everyone should do it!

[Shavawn M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't much to this book in terms of content, although the information is solid and helpful. It is repetitive in terms of repeating the same schedule of meals and that sort of thing throughout the book. The method itself is worth reading about and I am currently doing the detox, which seems to work quite nicely. I think the supplemental stuff on the website makes this more worthwhile. There is a guide that is 181 pages long that includes dozens of recipes, recommendations, etc. The two together are worth your time.

[Caro Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The diet comes down to a rice protein shake with fruit for breakfast; 2c veggies, 1/2 c brown rice, 1/2c fruit and some broth for lunch, and 4-6 oz protein, 1/2c rice and some more broth for dinner. That’s about 900-1,000 calories per day. Add some supplements, an “ultra bath” and gentle exercises.

This sounds more like a recipe for disordered eating than revitalizing your health. The great news is this author churns out a new diet every year or two, so I’m betting his next one says to avoid ultra low calorie diets like this.

[Sindy Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good challenge to really look at your eating habits. The foods recommended don't match what I have read about some night shade veggies but for the most part doable. The fact that it is a 7 day diet helps I think. Gives you an end date for the cleanse and then you can add or subtract items that don't work for you. He is a very knowledgable man and deals with diabetes and leaky gut syndrome. As a functional medicine doctor I like his approach.
It has been updated to a 10 day cleanse in his newest addition.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in this book's detox and inflammation elimination plan, looks doable.

[Anastasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember reading this and it’s basically a diet book. That’s it. Its not terrible and can help set a groundwork for what to eat. But you can find free eating plans anywhere now.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only gave this book four stars b/c the writing was soooo terribly repetitious, but the information was solid. Some of this I've read before, but I found it interesting that so many things that you eat or do that are good for your metabolism are also good for the environment. In fact so much of the diet was the exact same from the Gorgeously Green book I read that I have to wonder if the author of that book got a lot of her ideas from this one.

The information on why grass-fed meat is better and why Omega 3 foods are important is good, and I loved the sumo wrestler training metaphor to how so many Americans eat. I think it's probably the most comprehensive collection of metabolism information I've read and I think anyone struggling with their weight would benefit from it.

[Jacquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While immediately effective (I lost 4-5 lbs in the week, and I was far from perfect), I found this diet approach to be very difficult to sustain. It took a great deal of time (and money) to buy all the ingredients, cook the food, etc., etc. I did appreciate that all the ingredients were readily availalbe -- there was no sales pitch to buy the author's "special" product. I am continuing to use his recipes for "ultrashakes" in the morning sometimes -- they're tasty, no sugar added, and keep me satisfied until lunch. Sad news, of course, is that I went on vacation and gained everything I lost. I'm going to go back to the Jorge Cruise approach to weight loss -- I can handle 8-10 mins. of strength training in the morning and eating healthy foods in smaller portions every 3 hours.

[Denise Tarasuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The UltraSimple Diet is UltraSimple. Dr. Mark Hyman is a great writer and wants the reader to make healthy lifestyle changes. He writes his book in an easy format that is user friendly and helpful. The book is properly laid out, filled with tips and yummy recipes. Most of all this book helps the reader, page by page, change habits that can lead to health, and longevity. Dr. Mark Hyman is invested in helping others. I threw out all the junk food in my kitchen, started cooking, and have enjoyed every bite.
P.S. I lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks and 1 inch off my waist!
P.P.S. You can do it too!
Dr. Denise (Author of Monsoon Medicine)

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'm going to try this. I very much enjoyed reading about toxins and how we need to treat inflammation first.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been good at sticking to a diet but amazingly I stuck to this one! Once you start giving your body what it really needs it's amazing how quickly you lose your cravings for junk food. Not only is it great for your body to rid it from toxins but you will lose weight and fast! I lost 10 lbs my first week!
The key to this diet is to follow it to the letter! And don't think "I'm going to start this on Monday" and wait till Monday to open the book, you really have to prepare for this one but it is so well worth it!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My chiropractor recommended this book to me after I complained about my asthma and how it was kicking my butt. It's an easy-to-read book, and though I haven't started putting it into practice yet (I just finished it so will have to do the planning and preparation before I can begin the diet part), I do plan to put it to the test & will update my review after.

One more thing about the book, it's repetitious. I found myself skipping ahead or just quickly reading through a section because it was something he already covered earlier.

[Nasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from someone who reads a fair amount about nutrition... I had hoped for some more of the scientific detail and reasoning for his suggestions, but the plan is good and the recipes are not bad. I do feel better eating this food than junk food of course. For those who do read a lot about nutrition, note this is really a diet book. I know it's weight loss that sells and not detox, but it's really about detox. If you're interested in detox, try this!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not about "diet" as we usually think of the term. It is about making the right food choices to move toward cleansing as a way of life. Yes, cleansing does result in losing weight as we flush toxins and the tissues that harbor them. But this book is about so much more. Anyone serious about feeling better should take a look at this book. I've already ordered some of his tapes and a cookbook...

[Mie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it and tried one week and I lost 2 pounds. I am still keeping smoothie for breakfast. Guest what, I have lost 7 pounds after trying 2.5 months and it seems I am still losing weight, not backward.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this last April and lost 12 pounds in two weeks. It is time to read it again and get the winter weight off!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book truly helped me get on the healthy path that has now become my lifestyle. I still make the fruit/nut smoothie suggested in this book every morning.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some good data that I didn't have before. I would like to do the program but it scares me a little with all that you have to do.

[Trish]

Um - so far this is SO not simple. There may be something to it; I may try it out; but it is NOT SIMPLE.

[K]

What to take off the menu and what to put on the menu for this 7-day diet.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this man is brilliant.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book outlining a way to detox from toxic, inflammatory foods. Looking forward to applying the information in the next couple of weeks.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is ok. Great detox ritual, but The Blood Sugar Solution is a much better book. If you have not made a purchase, get TBSS over this one.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the idea of the detox bath and the soup sounds good,but has lots of ingredients, may be too hard to make.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

His book The Ultra Metabolism Diet is a much better diet. This book was a waste of money.