Younan Nowzaradan, popularly known as Dr. Now, is a famous Iranian-American surgeon, TV star, and author of books about weight loss. Vascular surgery and bariatric surgery are where he specializes in. He became very popular in the United States after the hit TV show “My 600-lb life”, where he helped morbidly obese people to lose enough weight to go to surgery. After surgery, he would continue to work with them until they were at a healthy weight, planning out their diets.
What’s interesting about Dr. Now is that he has a very unique approach to his clients, people who watch his shows for the first time might think he is being rude or disrespectful, but that’s the “tough-love” approach as he likes to describe it.
Who is Dr. Nowzaradan?
As we have mentioned in the first few sentences, Dr. Now is a very famous surgeon who gained his popularity through very popular weight loss shows on TLC.
Dr. Now currently lives in the USA, but he was born in Iran. He went to college at the University of Tehran, where he eventually got his Doctor of Medicine degree. A few years after he came to America, he became a member of the American College of Surgery.
Today, he works with the “Houston Obesity Surgery” center and is also affiliated with a few local hospitals.
After the show gained momentum, he decided to write several books on weight loss. His most popular books are “Last Chance to Live” and “The Scale Does Not Lie, People Do”. Aside from these two bestsellers, he is also the author of a few scholarly publications that revolve around obesity and laparoscopy.
What is the Dr. Now Diet?
Generally, diet plans are usually tailored for individual patients based on their weight and eating habits, this ensures the maximum efficiency of each diet.
Dr. Now also designs an individual diet plan for each of his patients. However, they all have a lot of similarities since they all revolve around taking about 1,000 to 1,200 calories each day. If the patient is in a really extreme condition they might take slightly less. This diet plan should be the first step to leading a new healthy lifestyle that will limit the calories they consume and get them ready for surgery. Dr. Now is very strict about following this diet pre-surgery because he says that surgery could be extremely dangerous if they don’t lose some weight beforehand.
There is also another reason he does this, of a more psychological nature. He believes that if they can stick to their diet before the surgery, they will have a much easier time continuing the healthy lifestyle post-surgery, helping them avoid returning to their previous condition.
The Dr. Now diet consists of 1,000 and 1,200 calorie intake per day. Some may find this extreme, but you have to remember that these patients aren’t slightly overweight. Their weight is hugely affecting their health. As we mentioned, the diet also prepares them for how their eating habits should be after surgery.
There is a list of “banned foods” that Dr. Now is very serious about avoiding. Sugar, sweets, chocolate, chips, French fries, fast-foods, nuts, white rice, pasta, juice, white bread are all on the list. Even fruits that have a lot of sugar, such as watermelon, should be avoided.
There are two main components in the Dr. Now diet plan, and those are real foods and smaller portions.
If you want to learn more details about this specific diet, visit medicalherald.com.
Why do patients love Dr. Nowzaradan so much?
One of the main reasons why Dr. Now’s patients are so fond of him is that he takes on any individual no matter how obese they are. Keep in mind that these people have usually been rejected by numerous doctors before coming to Dr. Now for help. He explains that he doesn’t have a selection process of who he will treat, unlike many other doctors, anyone who comes in for help will be taken care of.
His strict treatment of patients, as he refers to as “tough-love” is another reason. People generally aren’t fond of someone who has this kind of approach, but when it comes to those who are morbidly obese, it’s exactly the kind of remedy they will need in order to change their lives. This approach doesn’t mean that he is unkind, he is just very honest with every patient. He typically used words such as “death” so he can demonstrate to his patients just how serious their condition is. He always wants what is best for them, and survival is the main objective.
He has literally saved hundreds of lives, and his patients will always be thankful to him for that. Because of all this, it isn’t a surprise that so many people love Dr. Now and his approach towards weight loss.
“My 600-lbs Life”
Dr. Now has starred in the TLC show My 600-lbs Life since 2012. It shows how people who are “super-morbidly obese” spend their everyday lives. It films their struggle before surgery, and the progress they make after the surgery. Since most of them have been rejected by numerous doctors, their lives are practically in the hands of Dr. Now, who has to explain to them how serious their condition is and find a way to make them stick to their diet plan. These critical medical interventions don’t just improve their lives, they also save them. Even though the show broadcasts the most intimate parts of the patient’s lives it’s what makes the effect so strong. The truth is ugly, and people who have such extreme health conditions should know that it isn’t to be taken lightly.
Conclusion
Although a lot of doctors have a limit weight when it comes to the people they treat, that’s not the case with Dr. Now. He has proven to be a responsible doctor who is more than committed to helping treat his patients, no matter the number on the scale. He is responsible for saving numerous lives and that is something everyone can respect about him.
