If you like variety and hate calorie counting, the 4 Day Diet may be the diet plan for you.  You don’t necessarily lose weight in 4 days but you follow a series of 7 phases, each of which lasts 4 days, with a probable weight loss of 10 – 12 pounds over 28 days.  During each phase the focus is on specific foods or food categories and includes exercise recommendations.  You must begin with phases 1 and 2, after that you can follow the remaining phases in any order you wish.

“People often quit their diets because they get bored with the monotony of eating the same foods,” explains Ian K. Smith, MD, author of the book The 4 Day Diet. Smith is a diet expert for the VHI show Celebrity Fit Club.

The 4 Day Diet provides strategies to help dieters manage the psychological factors of weight loss. It suggests ideas such as thinking like a thin person, using affirmations to reach your goals, and looking beyond the scale to measure success.

Meal plans vary significantly between the seven phases.

Phase 1, the “Induction” module, is designed to remove “toxins” that may have accumulated in your body. During this phase, dieters may eat fruits, leafy greens, and other non-starchy vegetables, beans, brown rice, and low-fat or nonfat yogurt or milk. There is no meat, poultry, or fish allowed. The only added fats allowed come from low-fat or nonfat salad dressing and a very small amount of oil in one of the recipes provided in the book.

There is no scientific evidence that our bodies need to detox, but  Smith says this module is more about quick weight loss and wiping the slate clean.

“Whether the first few pounds are water or fat or a combination, when you see the numbers on the scale go down, it serves as a motivator to continue on the plan,” says Smith.

Sample daily meal plan for the induction phase:

• 2 cups coffee (limit sugar to one packet; limit cream or milk to one teaspoon per cup)
• 2 cups green, leafy vegetables, raw or cooked
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemonade with no more than 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
• 4 servings fruit
• 6 ounces plain, fat-free yogurt
• 2 cups green salad with 3 tablespoons fat-free dressing
• 1 cup cooked beans (chickpeas, lentils, etc.)
• 1 1/2  cups cooked brown rice
• Unlimited plain water

Phase 2, or “Transition,” is the introduction of a new way of eating. The menu for this phase includes lots of unprocessed high fiber to help you feel full on fewer calories (about 1,300 a day). The menu includes:

• 3 servings fruit
• 4 cups raw vegetables
• 1 cup beans
• 4 ounces fish or poultry
• 1 diet soda
• 2 snacks from a list of more than 50 options, including low-fat cheese, fruit, nuts, lean roast beef, and some fun foods like marshmallows and pudding

Phase 3, or “Protein Stretch” adds lean meats, fish, milk, and eggs to the diet to avoid weight loss plateaus. The menu for these four days includes:

• 2 eggs or egg whites
• 1 strip turkey bacon
• 2 servings fruit
• 1 cup raw and 2 servings cooked veggies
• 1 sandwich with lean meat and 1 tablespoon low-fat mayo
• 1 cup beans
• 1 cup brown rice

Phase 4, or “Smooth” assumes you have learned some things about normal portions and healthy eating by now, so allows you to eat what you like in moderation.  Sample menus suggest foods such as pizza and a turkey burger on a bun.

Phase 5, or “Push,” takes you back to a more restrictive diet as you approach the final stretch.  Four daily menus outline what you can eat. For example, one day allows you:

• 3 servings fruit
• 1 cup beans
• 2 cups green salad
• 2 cups carrots
• 1 cup fresh lemonade
• 5 ounces skinless poultry
• 2 servings cooked veggies

Phase 6, or “Pace” allows you a few more foods. A sample day includes:

• 2 pancakes
• 2 pieces of fruit
• Green tea
• 2 cups green salad
• 1 cup veggie soup
• 2 servings cooked veggies
• 5 ounces fish
• A diet soda

The final phase, “Vigorous” is a strict plan to help you lose those last few pounds. A sample daily menu allows you:

• 3 pieces fruit
• Half a cucumber
• 3 cups green salad
• 1 1/2 cups broth-based soup
• 2 servings cooked veggies
• 2 snacks

Each phase has precise exercise options that combine aerobics and strength training. Dieters are advised to exercise according to their fitness levels, and can break up the fitness routines into shorter intervals if they feel the need.  On most days of the week, more than 30 minutes of exercise is suggested.

Scattered throughout The 4 Day Diet are tips and strategies to help dieters learn to deal with situations that test self-control. For example, you might try visualizing how much exercise it would take to burn off the calories from a bowl of fettuccine Alfredo, or imagine the fat from the sauce pouring straight into your arteries. Other strategies include removing high-calorie foods from your home and place of business, and planning ahead how to cope with potential downfalls.

No maintenance is addressed, but Smith says he hopes that spending a month on the program will help teach dieters to eat healthier and become more active for the long term.

Smith suggests keeping a food journal before starting The 4 Day Diet to get mentally ready for the undertaking. “As much as most people want to focus on calories and exercise, unless you are mentally prepared and keep a journal for about 10 days before starting, you are less likely to succeed,” he says.

He also notes that it’s OK to splurge on small portions of decadent foods on occasion. “Eating the extra cookie on occasion won’t sabotage your diet, as long as 80% of the time you are eating healthy and only 20% is off the program,” he says.