To keep your blood sugar level and to maximize fat loss you must snack. You’re going to be eating at least two snacks (morning and afternoon) and perhaps even a third or fourth one if you eat dinner early and don’t go to bed until late. Your snacks should come 2 to 3 hours after your previous meal and no later than 1 hour before you go to bed.

In addition to preventing your blood sugar levels from dropping too low, snacking helps you control hunger so that you’re not tempted to binge at your next meal. In a study from Johannesburg, South Africa, published in the International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders frequent meals reduced appetite by 27 percent and resulted in much more favorable insulin and blood glucose profiles. And another study by Scandinavian researchers published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared two groups of competitive boxers who were trying to lose weight by reducing their calorie intake. Both groups lost the same amount of weight but those who ate two square meals a day lost more lean body mass than those who had six meals a day. Therefore: It pays to snack!

So how do you know what to snack on? That’s easy: pretty much anything you like. A snack doesn’t have to include a carb, but it can. In fact you can snack on potato chips if that’s what you like. And you don’t have to worry about whether it’s a fast carb or a slow carb because one portion isn’t going to affect your blood sugar enough to throw you into fat-storing mode. There are only two guidelines for snacks.

• If it’s a whole food—that is, if it’s a piece of fruit, a chicken breast, a potato, or anything that doesn’t come in a package, you can eat one portion or as much as you need to consume no fewer than 100 calories and no more than 200 calories (women) or 300 calories (men). For example, 1 cup of carrots is not enough; you would have to eat at least 2 cups of carrots to get 100 calories.

• If it comes in a package and has a label, you can eat anything you want so long as it’s between 100 and 200 calories for women and 100 to 300 calories for men.

That’s it!

And I mean it. You can have your snack in the form of cookies so long as they are within the correct calorie range, and I actually recommend that you eat chocolate at least once a day.

Now you have all the basics, but you’ll want to make sure your newfound fat loss method works for you. That’s what you’re going to be doing in with the support of the Diet Free Life Community!

<< BACK TO START OF 8 WEEK CHALLENGE

During the first 21 days you are encouraged to do the following when making your FAT BURNING MEALS:

1. No more than 2 slices of bread a day for the first 21 days.
2. Keep your Protein and carbs separated instead of fused/mixed/blended (e.g., chili, lasagna, casserole) for the first 21 days. The only exception is a bowl of cereal where you're fusing milk and cereal to make a meal.
3. Stick to the Proper Proportions of your Fast Carbs, Slow Carbs and Proteins.
4. KEEP PROPORTIONS SEPARATED for first 7 days: Eat a portion of Protein (e.g., fish, turkey, chicken) with your portion of Fast Carbs (e.g., potato, corn, rice) and portion of Slow Carbs (i.e., blueberries, broccoli, green peas).

UPGRADING YOUR NUTRITION

There are three basic ways you can make a proper fat-burning meal. (Condiments and fat portions are not mentioned in the chart below but may be added as flavorings. Note that you need to be especially careful since all fats are calorically dense.)

Please note that you must have at least 15 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs at every meal—and that includes breakfast. Otherwise you’re eating a snack! We’ll be talking all about snacks later in this chapter.

To make your fat-burning meal, all you have to do is decide which ratio you’re going to have, what your protein is going to be, and what carb side” you want to go with it. That’s it—as easy as 1, 2, 3!

READ THE FOLLOWING FOR THE DETAILS ...

While there are thousands of foods on this planet, I’m making it easy for you to eat common everyday real foods and still lose weight by providing a list of those most often eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They run the gamut from Italian to Mexican to Asian to Soul food and take into account regional preferences of the east, west, north, and south. When you use the foods on these lists in the proper combinations and quantities you will be maximizing your fat loss.

Make Protein the Centerpiece of Every Meal

To make sure that you are boosting your metabolism and maximizing fat loss you’ll be eating a minimum of 15 grams of protein at every meal. Protein promotes feelings of satiety and keeps you satisfied longer than carbohydrates alone, in part because it takes longer to digest and also when eaten with carbs it slows down the rate at which you metabolize them. In addition, protein is essential for the healthy maintenance of your muscles, skin, nails, and organs. Many of your hormones are made up of protein, and protein is used in the manufacture of the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Simply put, you cannot live without protein. Beyond that, however, your body burns more calories when digesting protein than it does digesting fats or carbohydrates. Therefore, eating protein is an easy way to boost your metabolism.

When people are losing weight but most of the loss is coming from their lean body mass (rather than from fat), it’s often because they aren’t eating enough protein. If you’re in that situation, the easy fix is to evaluate your daily protein intake and figure out a way to bump it up a little. One great tactic I’ve used with clients time and again is to replace one or two of their common snacks with something higher in protein such as an energy bar, jerky, cottage cheese, or slices of deli meat, to name a few.

Here’s a list of the proteins and portion sizes you can choose from to make up your fat-burning meal.

Lean Protein

For common lean proteins, the recommended portion size is 4 to 6 ounces for men and 3 to 5 ounces for women. This is generally a serving size of the area from the bottom of your palm to the first knuckle. If you’re concerned about your ability to judge accurately from a visual cue, you can buy an inexpensive digital scale and weigh your portions for a while until you become more confident.

• Eggs*

• Wild game (for example, venison, bison, ostrich)

• Soy/tofu (all types)

• Skinless chicken and turkey breast

• Lean fish and shellfish (such as, tuna, halibut, tilapia, snapper, mahi mahi, shrimp, scallops)

*For men, a portion equals 2 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites or egg substitute. If you want to eat egg whites or substitute alone, the recommended portion size is 5 to 6 ounces (¾ cup). For women, the recommended portion is 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites or substitute. If you want to eat egg whites or substitute alone,  the portion size is 3 to 4 ounces (½ cup). Note: 1 ounce egg white = 2 tablespoons or ⅛ cup.

Not-as-Lean Protein

For proteins that tend to be higher in fat than those already listed, the portion size is 4 ounces for men and 3 ounces for women. That would be a serving equal to the size of your palm.

• Steak (such as, filet mignon, rib eye, sirloin, flank)

• Ground beef

• Ham

• Hot dogs

• Sausages†

• Bacon†

• Fatty fish (for example, salmon, sardines, herring, lake trout)

†The recommended portion size for sausage links and bacon is usually 2 links or 2 slices of Canadian and 4 slices of cured because of the increased amount of fat calories in these foods.

Fast and Slow Carbohydrates

As you will learn about the science of the fast and slow carb combo, the key factor is keeping your blood sugar level even and, therefore, maximizing your metabolism and your fat loss.

FAST CARBOHYDRATES

*When you combine a serving of cereal with 8 ounces (1 cup) of milk, you have a complete fat-burning meal. Even though both the cereal and the milk are fast carbs, when eaten together they provide enough protein and not too many carbs to create a fat-burning meal.
†Or 1 ear of corn on the cob.

SLOW CARBOHYDRATES

All of the following are Eat All You Want Raw Vegetables, meaning that you can have as much as you want as part of your meal. When eaten raw, these vegetables are so low in calories and high in fiber that you can pack your plate with them and still maximize fat loss.

Cauliflower

Celery

Chilies (green and red)

Cucumbers

Mushrooms (button, crimini, white)

Radishes

Raw leafy greens (arugula, bok choy, cabbage, endive, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, watercress)

Sprouts

Fats and Condiments

When you’re making up a fat-burning meal, not all condiments are fat, but fat is always considered a condiment. Think of all the fats you add to your food—such as full-fat cheeses, butter, dressings, sauces, and the oil you cook with—as flavorings only.

FATS

*When the sour cream has more carbs compared to fats and protein per serving it’s carb-rich, and vice versa when it comes to fat. Read the label to determine.

CONDIMENTS

Have as much as you want of any of the following condiments:

• Fish sauce
• Hot sauce (Tabasco)
• Horseradish (without added sugar)
• Sugar-free jams and jellies
• Lemon juice
• Mustard
• Pico de gallo
• Salsa (excluding those made with beans and corn)
• Sauerkraut
• Low-sodium soy sauce
• Tamari
• Vinegar
• Wasabi
• Worcestershire (without added sugar)

BEVERAGES

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>>NEXT STEP

Exercise may be on your mind and you may be wondering how does it fit? For the first 7 days of the fat loss challenge exercise is not part of the equation. If you’ve been totally sedentary, you don’t have to suddenly start running (or even walking) 5 miles a day. If you’ve been doing some exercise, continue to do whatever it is you’ve been doing.

Ultimately, adding some exercise to your life is going to help you boost your metabolism and build lean muscle. Seven days after the beginning of the 8 Week Fat Loss Challenge – after reviewing the progress you make with your food – we will provide you with an exercise plan. This said, if you want to start exercising now – GO FOR IT! But if you don’t, you’ll still see results at the end of the first week.

The only thing we ask right now is that you don’t reduce or stop whatever exercise you have been doing because that may cause you to lose lean muscle and, therefore, slow your metabolism, at least in the short run.

Now that you have established an 8 week goal, it’s time to get going!

>> NEXT STEP

You know what you look like, but as you start to look different, which you will; it’s easy to forget what you looked like before. Our brain is great at forgetting what we’d probably rather not remember, but it’s important that you do remember so that you can see for yourself how much progress you’re making.

You could ask a close friend or family member to snap your photo, but most people would rather not do that. It’s okay; you don’t have to. With the technology we have available these days, it’s easy to do it yourself.

Use a digital camera—I’m sure you can borrow one if you don’t already own one. Set it up on a tripod or on a table or countertop about 3 feet off the ground and use the self-timer function. Step back far enough so that your entire body, from head to toe, appears in the photo (if you’re doing this yourself it may take a couple attempts before you get it just right) and stand against a plain background wearing contrasting clothing that reveals the “true you.” If you’re doing this in the privacy of your own home, that could be your underwear, a bathing suit, shorts, and if you’re a woman a sports bra. You’ll be wearing these same clothes again at the end of seven days when you assess your progress. Snap yourself from the front, side, and rear. Print your pictures and tuck them away in your journal.

Take Your Measurements

Again, you need to do this so that you’ll be able to chart your progress. Using a cloth tape measure, take 14 measurements:

1. Widest part of your neck.

2. Widest part of your chest.

3 & 4. Widest part of your right and left upper arms.

5 & 6. Widest part of your right and left forearms.

7 & 8. Right and left wrists.

9. Waist (men: 1 inch below the navel.; women: 1 inch above the navel).

10. Widest part of your hips.

11 & 12. Widest part of your right and left thighs.

13 & 14. Widest part of your right and left calves.

Be sure you remain relaxed while you’re doing this. Don’t tense your muscles; don’t suck in your stomach. Be honest!

The reason it’s so important to have these measurements is that you’re going to be changing your body composition while you’re losing weight. You’re going to be dropping fat and gaining lean muscle tissue, and 1 pound of fat takes up six times more space in your body than 1 pound of muscle. Sometimes, in fact, you’ll be dropping fat and gaining lean muscle tissue even when your scale weight stays the same, so you’ll be losing inches even when you’re not losing pounds. The pounds will come off however; don’t worry about that, because the more muscle you have the faster you’ll burn fat. Now, record your measurements in your journal.

Determine Your Current Percentage of Body Fat

Fortunately, we now have a very easy way to determine your percentage of body fat: an impedance machine, or, a scale that measures both your weight and your percentage of body fat. Some models even provide an estimate of how hydrated you are. The one used at the Diet Free Life Clinic is the Tanita scale, which is available from a variety of stores, including Walmart; Target; and Bed, Bath, and Beyond, as well as online from Diet Free Life (dietfreelife.com), Amazon (amazon.com), and others. If you don’t have one of these scales and can’t afford to buy one, you can go to almost any health club, spa, or community center and get tested free of charge or for a nominal fee. My only caveat is that if you’re using a scale at one of these locations, be sure that you continue to use the same one to monitor your progress. Different scales may be calibrated slightly differently and if you go from one to another you won’t be getting an accurate picture of your progress.

There are other methods for measuring your body composition, but they may not be as convenient. For instance, the gold standard for determining body fat percentage is underwater testing (in a hydrostatic tank). While undoubtedly the most accurate, it is not always easily accessible.

If you can’t get access a hydrostatic tank or one of the impedance machines, use a cloth tape measure so that you can keep track of the inches you lose in addition to monitoring your total body weight on a traditional scale. Don’t rely solely on a traditional scale for determining whether you are making progress. Whatever method you choose to measure your progress, continue to use the same method as you go forward.

Now Determine Your Fat Weight

Once you know your percentage of body fat, there’s an easy formula for determining your fat weight. Just multiply your total weight by your percentage of body fat.

Total weight × percentage of body fat = fat weight

So if, for example, your total weight is 180 pounds and your percentage of body fat is 0.37 your fat weight is 67.7 pounds and your lean body weight is 112.30.

>> NEXT STEP