Many processed and allergenic foods are also high in fats and sugars, so when we eliminate them entirely, cutting calories becomes a snap. Soon it’s incredibly easy to stay within an ideal range of fourteen hundred to sixteen hundred calories a day. Numerous studies have shown that in order to lose weight at a steady, significant rate—
without
also losing lean body mass—you want to generate a deficit of approximately five hundred calories per day. And if you combine our daily meal plans with our high-intensity workouts, that is exactly what you will achieve. The good news is that we’ve done all the guesswork for you so that you don’t have to spend time counting calories or tracking points. All you need to do is follow our recipes and guidelines, and you will automatically reduce your caloric intake and find that sweet spot where the pounds are coming off, even as you are gaining muscle.
But the very best part of our two-week plan is that eating this way is actually a pleasure. We’ve done our best to give you foods that you are going to LOVE, whether you’re looking to lose weight or just seeking a healthier lifestyle. You will be amazed to discover how delicious and satisfying simple dishes like Herbed Salmon or Baked Apples can be, or how tasty a low-calorie, low-fat dish like our Easy “Tortilla” Soup can be for lunch. Each recipe is packed with flavor as well as nutrients, and we give you plenty of tips and options to customize the dishes to
your own particular tastes and preferences. Above all, we promise that you won’t go hungry—these dishes are yummy and substantial enough to fill you up. And for the moments when you need a pick-me-up or a quick burst of energy to fuel your workouts, we’ve provided a list of healthy snacks and munchies that you can reach for throughout the day.
You will likely find that after only a few days on our meal plan, your energy will skyrocket and your cravings for sweets and junk food will begin to disappear. You will also begin to notice changes in your complexion—even your skin will have that proverbial “glow.” Eating right affects far more than just your weight, and many of our clients feel so good on our program that they continue to eat this way long after the first two weeks are up. We hope that you will want to follow in their footsteps and use our recipes to look and feel gorgeous for the rest of your life.
Here are five simple steps to get you started.
Step 1: Cut Out the Junk
For these two weeks, we want you to be especially strict about avoiding junk and the chemicals found in processed foods. Your new rule of thumb, with minimal exceptions, should be:
If it doesn’t occur in nature, don’t eat it!
We also ask you to eliminate the most allergenic foods—such as milk, wheat, corn, and soy—because even if you don’t have an identified food allergy, they can still cause inflammation in the body.
Your new eating guidelines are:
NO processed foods. This means anything packaged or modified by people other than you. Most of these foods will be found in the center aisles of your grocery store, and you will be shopping from the outer sections with the fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats instead. We do make a few exceptions for some of the seasonings in our recipes, such as tamari, hot sauce, and vanilla extract, and several of our snack options, including organic gluten-free crackers, and canned wild salmon and sardines. As long as you buy these items organic, you’ll be fine.
NO wheat. This may be challenging for those who love their carbs, but wheat is a major allergen, and most of the wheat in the United States is genetically engineered—it contains very few natural nutrients and little fiber. Fortunately, there are a variety of healthy grains that you can substitute, such as brown rice, oats, and quinoa.
NO sugar, except what occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. Processed sugar, which started off as a lush, green plant, has been stripped of all fiber and nutritional value. Eating too much will spike your insulin levels, taxing your pancreas and putting you on the road to diabetes. And when your insulin levels spike, your body releases stress hormones that in turn cause inflammation and false fat. On our plan, we enjoy natural, unprocessed sugars that come with a cushion of fiber and nutrients, such as raw honey, grade B maple syrup, and the sugars (or fructose) found in fruits, which feature prominently in our desserts.
NO corn. This includes the high-fructose corn syrup found in many processed foods. Corn is highly allergenic, and most of the corn products commercially available today are genetically modified.
NO soy. Not only is soy a major allergen, but it also contains other components, such as phytoestrogens, that can be stressful to your system. Asian cultures ferment their soy, which changes its composition and makes it easier for your body to process. The only permissible soy on our program is organic tamari (wheat-free soy sauce), which has been properly fermented and is easier for your body to digest. If you are a vegetarian, we do allow you to substitute tofu and tempeh for the animal protein in some of our dishes—just be sure you follow the guidelines for using these foods on
here
.
NO milk. Milk is a source of highly concentrated calories meant to nourish a baby calf, an animal that nature designed to grow from fifty pounds to two thousand in just six months! If you’re trying to lose weight, you want to stay away from milk and most dairy products. In addition, the synthetic hormones and antibiotics found in non-organic dairy can stress your body and create swelling.
NO low-fat or sugar-free foods. These foods have been modified from their original state and may contain chemicals or additives as a result.
NO artificial sweeteners. Anytime you eat something that your body doesn’t recognize, it creates toxicity, which keeps the weight on.
NO iodized salt. This means processed salt, which is artificially enriched with synthetic iodine, contains chemicals, and lacks the fifty trace minerals found in sea salt. By substituting sea salt, you will get not only naturally occurring iodine but plenty of additional nutrients that your body needs.