Heather Dubrow, 51, believes she has the solution for people who have succumbed to the “quarantine 19” and put on weight while in lockdown. The reality TV star says that pairing the keto diet with intermittent fasting is key.
It’s a plan that she explores in the new book that she wrote with her husband, Botched’s Dr. Terry Dubrow, “The Dubrow Diet Plan, it’s still a great plan, but it’s based on intermittent fasting,” she says of the 2018 bestseller.
“So the challenge of intermittent fasting is that you don’t get to eat for long periods of time. And, for some people, that was too difficult,” she adds. That’s why the husband and wife duo came up with their new book, The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet: The Ultimate Plan for Interval Fasting and Sustainable Fat Burning. “When you look at a ketogenic diet, there’s a lot of benefits to that, but [it’s] really not a sustainable diet,” she says of the popular high-protein plan.
Instead the couple decided to fuse both concepts together. “We call it the 12-8-4 plan. Basically 12 hours of fasting, eight hours of keto friendly food and then four hours of a diet where we’re reintroducing carbs,” she says.
So, what does that look like in terms of what to eat on a daily basis and when? Heather recommends fasting for 12 hours overnight – from the moment you finish dinner. “You’re sleeping for most of those,” she says. The former Real Housewives of Orange County star breaks her fast, moving into the keto portion of the day, by drinking a type of “keto coffee.” “You can make it the way you like it with some MCT oil, grass fed butter, a little coconut cream, heavy cream, whatever it is that floats your boat…” she says.
“And that’s great because you’re using all those healthy fats to fat burn. For lunch, I like to do either a skillet frittata, which is great… or, I love the burger. I’m a big burger girl…but I love to do a burger with bacon. For the kids, I’ll slice some avocado on top and wrap it in lettuce.”
In the afternoon she munches on kale chips or a hummus dip. “Then for dinner, when, in that four-hour window, we’re reintroducing some of those carbs, I’ll add quinoa,” she says. “I’ll do some almond flour, little crisps to go with the dinner, or I love cauliflower rice.”
For dessert Heather opts for low-glycemic fruit that’s not high in sugar, like sour cherries or grapefruit. Indulging in something sweet – and even taking a mandatory cheat day once a week – is indicative of what she thinks life is about, living. “It’s not just a diet,” Heather says of the plan. “It’s a lifestyle.”
The Dubrow Keto Fusion Diet: The Ultimate Plan for Interval Fasting and Sustainable Fat Burning is out now.