This diet was the answer to all of my dreams and longings. Well, not quite, but I do really like it after completing the Bone Broth Diet designed by Dr. Kellyann Petrucci for the 21 prescribed days yesterday. I had pretty decent results, especially compared to other weight loss plans I have tried.
I felt like a guinea pig embarking on this Bone Broth diet, and also persuaded 3 more “guinea pigs” to join me. Dr. Kellyann touts that this diet can help one “lose up to 15 pounds, 4 inches, and wrinkles in just 21 days”. It also is supposed to be great for reducing inflammation and healing leaky guts. Could this be possible? The 4 of us set out to find out.
Basically, the diet is a version of the paleo diet, adhering to no grains, sugar, alcohol, beans/legumes, dairy, soy, bad oils, or processed foods. You mostly eat meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts/seeds. Oh, and bone broth. There is this bone broth component, 1-2 cups daily five days a week, and then fasting on 2 non-consecutive days consuming only 6 cups of bone broth each day. There were also other elements to the diet such as moderate exercise, getting good sleep, and lowering stress.
So we all tried to stick to it as much as possible, and we did pretty well, just not 100%. According to Dr. Kellyann, if you slip up or deviate, you have to start over, but none of us did. Rebels we are.
One very helpful thing we did was to set up a private Facebook group. We all ended up using this a lot, daily in fact, to moan, to encourage each other, trade food photos, track progress, and answer each other’s questions about how we were supposed to go about things.
Today I collected data from me and the 3 other “guinea pigs”. Now mind you, the four of us all only needed to lose between 15-30 pounds to be at an ideal weight, so no one was morbidly obese. In the 21 days of imperfectness, one person lost 5.8 lbs, 2 people lost 7 lbs, and one person lost 8.5 lbs. Inches lost were on average about 4 inches total (just like Dr. Kellyann said!) per person. This was pretty good especially factoring in that most of us, if not all, have thyroid problems and are quite resistant to weight loss. We also saw improvements in joint pain and substantial improvement or elimination of GERD. Some reported skin improvements, although one person developed a rash and her skin worsened. One person saw a huge improvement with sleep; another had less congestion and felt like her mood was more stable.
No one really seemed to think that their wrinkles improved though. Bummer. (Update 1/18/19: I did see improvement with wrinkles after a few months. Gladly!)
In case you are interested in the bone broth fasting days there seems to be a mixed sentiment. I for one did not really mind them. I felt hungry at times, but then that hunger was soon able to be satisfied by a cup of bone broth. On those days I did not suffer any lack of energy or brainpower, both of which I had been worried about prior to starting this diet. One person hated bone broth fast days; she felt awful, headachy, and had no energy. The other two seemed not to mind these days much. Personally, it gave me a new respect and appreciation for food, for at the end of each of the fast days I would be thinking with gladness, “Tomorrow I get to eat”.
Now comes the bottom line questions: Would we recommend this diet to a friend? Would we do it again? Are we glad that we did it? Everyone more or less gave a YES to all of the questions, although some people qualified it more than others. And it sounded like most of us were going to pretty much continue with this eating plan except with less of the bone broth fasts and adding back in some of the forbidden foods occasionally.
So, in conclusion, if you are looking for a healthy diet that will given good, steady results, I highly recommend the diet (and the book) Bone Broth Diet. I would even love for you to be a guinea pig. Try it and let me know how it works for you.
You might want to try my Bone Broth Recipe. It is really good!
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Some other articles you might be interested in that I have written:
Dirty Genes: A Book Review & Author Interview
Too Much Fat, Not Enough Muscle
Dealing with Breakfast Boredom
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Last edit: 8/16/21 – Added link to another article.
Those are all really positive reasons to try this diet – and 21 days is not very long to see those kinds of results!
I’m glad I stumbled on your review! I have 15 lbs to lose to be at an ideal weight and was worried this was only for people with a significant amount of weight to lose.
I’ve been following Keto – and have had mixed results. I’ve never been overweight per se, but a year at home…. I really just need to lose about 10-20 pounds and tone, but my sleep pattern is way off, and my hair and skin could really use a boost. Would you recommend this to me?
( I also have thyroid:)
I cannot give up dairy but use oat milk so would rather incorporate keto /some paleo with it to experiment …
TLR
I have had good results from the Bone Broth Diet. You might want to try it for the 21 days that Dr. Kellyann advises. Bone broth is great for gut healing, hair, and skin. However, check with your health provider to make sure this approach would be a good one for you.
Best wishes!
THIS IS THE MOST DISCUSSING TASTE! Is there something you can mix it with. I tried it for two days and had the worst heartburn OF MY LIFE!. This might be a thought to put it in a capsule then drink a hot beverage behind it.
There’s got to be something with a better taste!
Heartburn may be an indication of a histamine reaction. Bone broth is high in histamines and is a problem for some.
Thank you for this post. I need to lose five pounds to be in my healthy weight range, but 25 pounds would be my own personal ideal. I have thyroid issues and it is very difficult to lose weight. I’m looking forward to seeing how this works out! Thank you for your authentic review!
You made you own bine broth and wondered how it was different from Dr. PETRUCCIS?
Tina, I am not sure of the differences, but most bone broth recipes are fairly similar. In a nutshell, put bones in a pot, add salt, cover with water, and simmer for a long time. It can be enhanced taste-wise and nutruient-wise with additions like apple cider vinegar and/or vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, carrots, kale, etc.)