rainbow theory
The Rainbow Theory is Marilu's way of describing behavior patterns, especially diet behavior patterns – and making them healthier!

Picture a rainbow in your mind. Each stage of the behavior cycle matches a color of the rainbow.

One morning you wake up and say to yourself, "This is it – today I start my exercise program! Nothing can stop me!" That's the Purple phase – you are determined to stick with your committment with pure perfection.

Soon enough, you decide that things are going really well, and it might be okay to lighten up a bit. You want to show off your progress. This is the Blue phase – it's a bit more social, and a bit less perfect, but still requires some discipline.

Then a day comes when everything seems to fall into place. Your behavior program has become your behavior pattern. You feel perfectly balanced. This is the Green phase.

But that balance is hard to maintain, and you find yourself bending the rules more often than not. Your behavior program is still part of your life, but in a less restrictive way. Welcome to the Yellow phase.

By the time you get to Orange or Red, your discipline has gone into hiding, and you're in trouble. Too much time at this end of the rainbow leads to weight gain, discomfort, ill-fitting clothes, skin troubles, and health issues. You're finally convinced you need to start over again – and one day (probably a Monday), you'll wake up in the Purple phase again.

Marilu's 30-Day Total Health Makeover is based on the Purple, Blue, Green and Yellow phases, with a detox phase called Countdown at the beginning. THM recipes are even color-coded according to the Rainbow Theory, to help you choose your menus according to your goals.