Picture Perfect Weight Loss - What You Need to Know

There are now thousands of ‘revolutionary' and unique weight loss programs available, each one promising to help you lose weight, improve your health and have more energy. Weight loss plans that take a natural and healthy approach to weight loss usually involve cutting back calories at a steady rate, replacing processed foods with more nutritious options, and monitoring your activity level each day to ensure you're not eating more than your body can handle. Dr. Howard Shapiro has released the book Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss, a plan that emphasizes the importance of wholesome nutrition and healthy eating instead of ‘going on a diet.'

Rather than substituting meals and foods with the latest ‘fat-free' item or eliminating entire food groups, Picture Perfect Weight Loss encourages a healthy balance of all food groups and avoids calorie restriction altogether. Can this weight loss program really help you lose weight, or is it simply too good to be true? Here's a close look at how Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss works:

Key Principles of Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss

Picture Perfect Weight Loss recognizes the drawbacks and limitations of many diet and weight loss programs on the market today, and encourages you to work on ‘eating awareness' rather than becoming obsessed with calories and food types. Eating enough food until you are full is one of the basic principles of Picture Perfect Weight Loss, so it may take some time to recognize hunger cues, learn what is causing cravings for certain foods, and reorganizing your kitchen to accommodate for healthy, natural foods so you begin to eat them on a regular basis. Breaking out of the junk food habit can be difficult, and most people simply cannot break out of the cycle because of a lack of time and eating outside of their ‘comfort zone.'

However, Dr. Shapiro emphasizes the importance of eating wholesome, nutritious foods whenever possible, and encourages everyone to make a commitment to a total lifestyle change - even if it goes beyond the comfort zone.

Drawbacks of the Picture Perfect Weight Loss System

The Picture Perfect Weight Loss System is full of valuable advice and suggestions on eating the right types of foods, but does have some limitations. The program may not be the best option for someone who is completely dependent on high-calorie, processed foods on a daily basis. If you are eating fast food at least 3-5 times per week, do not cook at home, or simply depend on processed foods such as breads, cereals and processed meats to get you through the day, this type of weight loss plan will be very difficult to begin.

The Picture Perfect Weight Loss System requires you to eliminate nearly all of these types of foods and replace them with whole grains, fresh vegetables, lean protein and foods that contain natural sugars. This can be too much of a lifestyle change for those who follow the typical American diet, and the transition can be very difficult.

Another drawback of the Picture Perfect Weight Loss System is the depth and detail of the program; it can take a few weeks to absorb all of this information and think of ways to implement the strategies into your regular lifestyle. If you're looking for some simple solutions and suggestions, this is not the best plan for you.