The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet: The 5-Day Food-Cycling Formula That Resets Your Metabolism To Lose Up to 5 Pounds a Week (33 page)

It then makes more sense to have a slightly higher-carbohydrate meal because doing so can help keep cortisol levels low. I’m not saying that having pasta and bread before bed is a smart idea, but I am suggesting that having one to two fists of starchy carbs is usually better later in the day than first thing in the morning. As always, it’s important to have a well-balanced meal with clean protein, fit fats, and fibrous veggies along with your starchy carb or fruit intake.

Here are simple ideas for a fat-burning, circadian-friendly dinnertime meal.

•
Salmon with steamed greens, one fist of mashed sweet potatoes (starchy carbs), and a side salad

•
Gluten-free pasta (starchy carbs) with meatballs

•
Lentils and brown rice (starchy carbs) with a side salad and/or steamed greens

Even on your Low-Carb Days, do your best to have more of your carbs later in the day.

THE 5-DAY FOOD-CYCLING FORMULA: A QUICK GUIDE

Note that the following food portions are
per day
.

Low-Carb Day

Protein = 3 palm-size portions (women)/4 palm-size portions (men)

Starchy carbs/fruit = up to ½ fist-size portion

Fibrous veggies = at least 2 hand bowls

Fit fats = 4 thumb-size portions (women)/8 thumb-size portions (men)

Food
Guidelines

Goal = less than 50 grams of net carbs on this day

•
Avoid starchy carbs and fruit.

•
Eat protein at each meal.

•
Make fats your main energy source on this day.

•
Eat unlimited amounts of fibrous veggies.

•
Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.

Exercise Guidelines

Do interval speed bursts (5 to 10 minutes), preferably in the morning and/or on an empty stomach, followed by 30 or more minutes of low-intensity cardio (optional).

1-Day Feast

Protein = 2 palm-size portions (women)/3 palm-size portions (men)

Starchy carbs/fruit = at least 3 fist-size portions (women)/ 4 fist-size portions (men)

Fibrous veggies = at least 3 hand bowls

Fit fats = 5 thumb-size portions (women)/10 thumb-size portions (men)

Food Guidelines

Goal = a minimum of 250 grams of net carbohydrates

•
Eat healthy feast foods—ad libitum—without feeling guilty.

•
Don’t binge or stuff yourself; eat until you’re 80 percent full, not to the point of discomfort.

•
Eat your biggest meal after you work out.

•
If you can’t eat more at any given meal, then graze throughout the day on nuts, fruit, or other healthy foods.

Exercise
Guidelines

If possible, do your full-body metabolic conditioning workout 1 to 2 hours before you begin your feast day or before your biggest meal of the day.

1-Day Fast

Goal = nothing but water and herbal teas for 18 to 24 hours

Food Guidelines

•
Consume nothing but water or herbal tea. It’s that simple.

•
If you’re taking any supplements (multivitamins, fish oil, etc.), give your body a break for this one day.

•
Probiotics and digestive enzymes are okay to take since they can provide systemic benefits in the absence of food.

Exercise Guidelines

•
Take the day off and let your body work its magic, or

•
Engage in a longer-duration (60 minutes or more) form of very-low-intensity active recovery (such as walking or biking) that will rely on fat as its main fuel source.

Regular-Cal Day

Protein = 2 palm-size portions (women)/3 palm-size portions (men)

Starchy carbs/fruit = 2 fist-size portions (women)/3 fist-size portions (men)

Fibrous veggies = at least 2 hand bowls

Fit fats = 3 thumb-size portions (women)/6 thumb-size portions (men)

Food
Guidelines

•
Eat as you normally would.

•
Eat when hungry, and stop when 80 percent full.

Exercise Guidelines

Do an eccentric strength workout or bodyweight workout on an empty stomach, if possible. Have your biggest meal after you work out.

Low-Cal Day

Protein = 1 palm-size portion (women)/2 palm-size portions (men)

Starchy carbs/fruit = 1 fist-size portion (women)/2 fist-size portions (men)

Fibrous veggies = at least 2 hand bowls

Fit fats = 3 thumb-size portions (women)/6 thumb-size portions (men)

Food Guidelines

•
Aim to eat about 25 percent less than you did the day before (your Regular-Calorie Day).

•
Eat more raw foods and light soups and enjoy smoothies and fresh-pressed green juices, as these food choices are naturally lower in calories.

Exercise Guidelines

Today is a day off. Let your body relax, recover, and bounce back. If you feel compelled to exercise, then just do some yoga or stretching, go for a long walk, or perform some very light cardio for no more than 30 minutes.

Here’s
a quick overview of the 21-day plan, including both your workouts and food cycling days.

CHAPTER
10

THE 21-DAY MEAL PLAN AND FAT-BURNING RECIPES

L
et me introduce you to the proven 21-day meal plan that has produced the astonishing transformations you’ve read about throughout this book.

You’ll notice that this 21-day plan incorporates roughly four cycles of the 5-Day Food-Cycling Formula (and yes, Days 1 and 2 are both Low-Carb Days—that’s not a typo). For best results, I strongly recommend you follow the plan as it’s laid out here. However, feel free to swap meals (from similar days) if some of them don’t work for you.

Once you’ve eaten your way through these 21 days, you can repeat the cycle. After all, this is not a diet that you follow for just a few weeks but rather a way of eating that you can live with forever. In
Chapter 12
, I’ll show you a few different options for maintaining this food-cycling program for life. For now, commit to following this proven plan.

DAY
1: LOW CARB

Breakfast:
Veggie Omelet

Lunch:
Green Protein Salad

Dinner:
Creamy Tomato Soup with Sausage

DAY 2: LOW CARB

Breakfast:
Coco-Berry Blast

Lunch:
Creamy Kale Salad

Dinner:
Salmon with Vegetables

DAY 3: 1-DAY FEAST

Breakfast:
Green Almond Smoothie

Lunch:
Quinoa Chili

Dinner:
Seared Halibut, Peach Salsa, and Cooled Potatoes

DAY 4: 1-DAY FAST

DAY 5: Regular Cal

Breakfast:
Garden Green Smoothie

Lunch:
Southwestern Chicken Salad

Dinner:
Garlic Shrimp and Brassica

DAY 6: LOW CAL

Breakast:
Quinoa, Egg, and Smoked Salmon

Lunch:
Nori Wraps

Dinner:
Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce

DAY
7: REGULAR CAL

Breakfast:
Chocolate-Covered-Nuts Smoothie

Lunch:
Nutty Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Dinner:
Juicy Steak with Cold Cashew Mayo Potato Salad

DAY 8: LOW CARB

Breakfast:
No Oat–Meal

Lunch:
Broccoli-Kale Soup

Dinner:
Mexican Shrimp Salad

DAY 9: 1-DAY FEAST

Breakfast:
Gluten-Free Banana-Coconut Pancakes

Lunch:
Salmon Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Dinner:
Red Lentil Curry–Covered Rice

DAY 10: 1-DAY FAST

DAY 11: REGULAR CAL

Breakfast:
Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Lunch:
Greens, Mango, and Avocado Salad

Dinner:
Quinoa Veggie Bowl

DAY 12: LOW CAL

Breakfast:
Greeny Zingy Smoothie

Lunch:
Sweet and Savory Kale Salad

Dinner:
Soothing Squash Salad

DAY
13: LOW CARB

Breakfast:
Cauliflower, Meet Eggs

Lunch:
Green Navy Bowl

Dinner:
The World’s Greatest Burger

DAY 14: 1-DAY FEAST

Breakfast:
Protein Lover’s Casserole

Lunch:
Cherry Protein Smoothie

Dinner:
Choco-Coco-Oatmeal Pancakes

DAY 15: 1-DAY FAST

DAY 16: REGULAR CAL

Breakfast:
Tangy Glowing Green Smoothie

Lunch:
Sardinian Salad

Dinner:
Tomato Bean Soup

DAY 17: LOW CAL

Breakfast:
Zesty Tropical Green Smoothie

Lunch:
Thai Salad

Dinner:
Pesto Zucchini Pasta

DAY 18: LOW CARB

Breakfast:
Creamy Avocado Smoothie

Lunch:
Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Dinner:
Chicken Breast with Fresh Salsa

DAY
19: 1-DAY FEAST

Breakfast:
Strawberry-Vanilla-Oat Shake

Lunch:
Brown Rice with Steamed Greens, Roasted Veggies, and Avocado

Dinner:
Mushroom Chicken Pasta

DAY 20: 1-DAY FAST

DAY 21: REGULAR CAL

Breakfast:
Green Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Lunch:
Crunchy Green Pear Salad

Dinner:
Soothing Stew for the Soul

DAY
1: LOW CARB

Breakfast

Veggie Omelet

Makes 1 to 2 servings

1 tablespoon butter

½ small onion, chopped

½ bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms

3 eggs

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1 cup chopped spinach

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried (optional)

1.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender.