This diet, much like Dr. Phil's overall philosophy as seen on most of his shows is to deal with you personal psychological problems that are preventing you from losing weight.

The "7 keys" involve getting rid of negative thoughts that bring you down and lead you to just give up on making positive changes to your diet and lifestyle. This diet tries to give you tools to counteract problems like emotional eating or impulsive eating. Then, you'll learn to make changes to your environment (home/workplace) that will encourage better eating and exercise habits. Also, you'll learn to choose healthier foods and build a habit of regular healthy exercise. Another aspect of this diet is to work on building a support network of people who can support your efforts and help you get back on track if your falter.

Each chapter provides some great stories of cases Dr. Phil knows about that illustrate the various key aspects of success when dieting. There are also some work-book aspects to get you involved and part of the process. Chapters have charts that you can fill in over time, as you make progress. Also, there are some quizzes you can take to see where you personally stand.

In terms of the actually components of the diet, what you have to do to lose weight, there's nothing really new here. Healthy, low-calorie diet and exercise are the keys. There's no real trick or shortcut here. But, Dr. Phil brings his psychological expertise and experience in to address the issues that cause people to fail when they try to lose weight.

Dr. Phil is known for his direct, no excuses, approach. The diet will force you to face yourself and your psychological issues that are blocking you from being successful.