The Solution Review

 

Author Laura Mellin is a weight loss expert at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, so she knows this for certain - most diets don't work because they're solely addressing the symptom (excess weight) and not the problem (why we become and stay overweight.) Mellin developed The 3 Day Solution Plan to address the problem: that is, the emotional issues that drive us to find comfort in food. The Solution is not so much about nutritional guidance and exercise programs as it is instructing you to look inside yourself and examine your emotional health - and then you tackle your food issues. She believes that once you better understand you, what is going on with you and what you need to do to improve your life, you're better equipped to take better care of yourself.

So Mellin states that there are six causes of weight loss - two of the body, two of the mind and two of the lifestyle - and six cures for it, which are also two each of body, mind and lifestyle. Her theory holds that you can lose weight, learn to regulate your eating and stay healthy for the long term if you study your self-destructive eating behavior and unwillingness to exercise, and nurture the issues that drive them.

You begin this process with what she calls a three day isolation plan where you concentrate exclusively on yourself and start detoxing. She suggests that you not even take phone calls, and literally shut out the regular demands of your life. During these three days she recommends you try something different each day.

Day 1: Get outside and enjoy nature
Day 2: Do something just for you
Day 3: Try a social activity

She wants you to take this time alone to really dig deep into your state of mind, and be honest in your evalution of where you are in life, where you want to be, and what you need to do differently to get there. You'll also be eating healthy and exercising. Mellin says that by the end of the three days you'll likely have lost up to six pounds, and you're ready to move forward with living her Solution Plan and a healthy life for good.

The nutritional component of the Solution Plan is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. This is standard, solid, recommended nutritional advice that you've probably seen elsewhere. But the Solution Plan insists you stick to the foods recommended in their 1-2-3 Eating System. The Solution doesn't eliminate any foods from their 1-2-3 System other than alcohol and caffeine, but you will be calorie and portion restricted. Recipes and daily menus are provided in the book.

The Solution Plan for life requires a commitment to exercise for life - one hour each day. Any and all types of exercise are encouraged, and we like and agree with Mellin's suggestion to think of it less as an obligation and more as an activity. She is an ardent advocate of getting outdoors with walks, hiking and horseback riding, as well as social events like tennis, basketball and soccer.

Health magazine named The Solution one of the 10 top medical advances of the year 2000