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ORGANIZATIONS
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone:
(800) 877-1600. Website:<http://www.eatright.org>
OTHER
Six Week Body Makeover2007.<http://www.mybody
makeover.com>(April 12, 2007).Tish DavidsonSix week body makeover
Definition
The Six Week Body Makeover is designed for
rapid weight loss over a relatively short period of
time. It promises that dieters can lose thirty pounds
and completely reshape their body in only six weeks by
following a plan of dieting and exercise designed to
boostmetabolism.Origins
The Six Week Body Makeover was designed by
Michael Thurmond. Thurmond says that growing up
Los Angeles, California, he was an obese child who ate
for emotional reasons. His parents put him on a med-
ically supervised diet when he was eleven, but although
the diet even included special drugs, he still did not lose
weight. When he was a teenager he began lifting
weights and became more muscular, but he still
could not lose the fat he wanted to.
Thurmond joined the military in his late teens and
met a bodybuilder while stationed on an aircraft car-
rier on its way to Vietnam. By training with this body-
builder he learned many of the techniques he provides
in his exercise program. Thurmond says he also spent
time experimenting with his diet and learning about
food while assigned to kitchen duty.
Thurmond began competitive bodybuilding after
he left the military. His own troubles withobesityand
weight loss inspired him to begin helping others to loseweight and get in shape. He introduced the Six Week
Body Makeover in San Francisco in 1985. It was the
culmination of the work Thurmond had been doing
with dieters on an individual basis for many years. It
grew in popularity and Thurmond was on the cover of
theSan Francisco Chronicle, and he appeared on sev-
eral television talk shows.
In 2000, Thurmond and Provida Life Sciences
produced an infomercial to sell the Six Week Body
Makeover on television. As of 2007, Thurmond also
makes regular appearances on the Home Shopping
Network, and his weight loss programs have been
featured on the television show ‘‘Extreme Makeover,’’
which airs on the ABC network.Description
The Six Week Body Makeover is intended to help
people lose a large amount of weight rapidly. It uses a
variety of diet and exercise techniques to raise metab-
olism and burn calories. The plan promises that the
dieter’s body will change shape drastically in only six
weeks.
When dieters order the Six Week Body Makeover,
they receive a package of dieting materials that includes
the ‘‘Body Blueprinting System,’’ a video guide to intro-
duce the plan, an exercise video and ‘‘sculpting bands,’’
a guide to dining out, a recipe guide and menu planner,
and an audio cassette library. In addition to these
materials, people who use this program receive 24-
hour support through an on-line forum.
The first step of the plan is body type identification
using the plan’s Body Type Blueprinting System. This is
done through a questionnaire consisting of 48 ques-
tions. Based on the answers to these questions dieters
find out their body type. The body types are divided
based on metabolism and how the body reacts to food.
Once dieters determined their body type, they then use
the provided guidelines to develop a meal plan based on
body type. The planned meals are supposed to be low in
calories and high inproteinand complexcarbohy-
drates. Individuals are supposed to eat small amounts
frequently. Thurmond says that lean protein and natu-
ral carbohydrates are slow-burning, clean foods that
are good for keeping metabolism high.
A prominent feature of the Six Week Body Make-
over diet is the frequency of meals. Dieters make a plan
that involves eating almost every time they are hungry.
Thurmond says this makes the body think that plenty
of food is available so it will stop storing fat. He also
says that frequent eating speeds up a dieter’s metabo-
lism, so that he or she will burn calories more quickly.
The number of calories consumed through out day isSix week body makeover