The Doctor's Diet: Dr. Travis Stork's STAT Program to Help You Lose Weight & Restore Your Health (57 page)

I’m really excited to introduce you to the MAINTAIN Plan because it gives you the space to experiment a little more and have some fun with the healthy new foods you’ve discovered.

This is how I live my life. I don’t think of it as a diet at all—I just think of it as how I eat every day! I
enjoy
my meals not only because they taste good, but because I know they’re contributing to my good health. I don’t stress out about counting calories (but I am very aware of my portion sizes). Sure, I make modifications here and there when I know my activity level is lower or higher, but it’s not the least bit complicated. I
think you’ll also find this is surprisingly easy and a whole heck of a lot of fun.

The MAINTAIN Plan is designed around the secret to long-term weight-loss success: continuing to make smart choices about what you eat, keeping a close eye on portion sizes, and being as active as possible.

With the MAINTAIN Plan, there’s no looking back. It’s all about looking forward to having a slimmer, healthier body for the rest of your life. The best way to do that is to keep eating the foods that have brought you success so far.

The MAINTAIN Plan is a simple prescription for good health that will last you a lifetime. You can do this part of the The Doctor’s Diet forever—for the rest of your long, healthy life. Sure, you may “slip up” now and then, but because this isn’t one of those super-restrictive, unappetizing fad diets, you won’t deviate nearly as much as you have on plans you’ve tried in the past. In fact, by now, I’m willing to bet that you’re so in love with healthy foods and how they make you feel that you aren’t even thinking about those less-healthy choices you used to make.

The MAINTAIN Plan is a culmination of all the great advice, tips, approaches, and information you’ve learned about so far. But it also builds in some extra freedom and flexibility that allow you to tailor it completely to your personal tastes. The MAINTAIN Plan is so customizable that you can truly make it your own.

The MAINTAIN Plan is built around eight winning strategies that pave the way for continued success. Follow these eight strategies and you’ll maintain your weight loss forever. That sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?

Food lists on MAINTAIN are the same as STAT and RESTORE. And if you like a daily glass of wine or other Alcohol-based Beverages, there’s room for it in the MAINTAIN Plan.

More than anything else, the MAINTAIN Plan is about
choice
.

The MAINTAIN Plan allows you to make your own choices about what to eat. Ultimately, I want YOU to fill in all the blanks and create healthy meals that you love and look forward to. There’s so much flexibility in the MAINTAIN Plan that anyone who follows it will have a different daily menu. At this stage if you want to occasionally add in regular potatoes as a high-density vegetable, by all means do so, but just remember, regular potatoes can raise blood sugar quickly and should be eaten in moderation.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like all that flexibility and freedom, it’s fine to stick with the RESTORE menus. Pick and choose your favorite foods. Just make sure you keep an eye on portion sizes and the types of foods you eat. In general, the key to the MAINTAIN plan is discovering the correct portion sizes of the healthy foods you enjoy that allow you to stay at your ideal body weight.

The STAT and RESTORE Plan gave you two weeks of daily menus. Because the MAINTAIN Plan is more flexible, I’m going to open things up a bit and list a variety of options for each meal. That gives you the freedom to choose what you like best—and to add your own creations as well.

Smoothies made with fruit and milk or yogurt

Scrambled eggs or egg whites

Omelets made with vegetables

Yogurt mixed with fruit and nuts

Oatmeal

Whole-grain toast, or whole-grain English muffins spread with nut butter

Apples or pears spread with nut butter