Phase 1 - The Food

Phase 1: Meal Plan

MORNING (chose one item and also have 1 cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or lemon water)

• One serving of oatmeal with ½ cup fat free or 2% milk
  
• Any type of high fiber cereal that your little heart desires with fat free or 2% milk
  
• 1 serving of fat free or low fat Yogurt and 1 piece of fruit (any kind)
  
• Egg white omelet (3 or 4 eggs whites) with reduced fat cheese and a choice of vegetable

MID MORNING SNACK (chose one item and also have 1 cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or lemon water)

• 1 serving fat free or low fat Yogurt
  
• Apple (1 large)
  
• Apple chips
  
• 1 serving string cheese
  
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (trader Joes has the best or try Lipton’s broth cubes)
  
• Carrots (1 cup)
  
• Almonds (1 ounce serving. Trader Joes sells these in individual serving packets)
  
• Cucumber (unlimited amount anytime)
  
• Celery (unlimited amount anytime)
  
• Sunflower seeds (1 serving)
  
• 1 serving of olives (fresh olives that still have the pit are best)

AFTERNOON (chose one item and also have 1 cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or lemon water)

• Lean cuisine (any)
  
• Salad with chicken breast and oil and vinegar dressing (or balsamic)
  The lettuce part of the salad can be as big as you want. And, you may add carrots, cucumber, or celery. Limit the chicken to 6 ounces or less)

MID AFTERNOON SNACK (chose one item and also have 1 cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or lemon water)

• 1 serving fat free or low fat Yogurt
  
• Apple (1 large)
  
• Apple chips (got this idea from you!)
  
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (trader Joes has the best or try Lipton’s broth cubes)
  
• 1 serving string cheese
  
• Carrots (1 cup)
  
• Almonds (1 ounce serving. Trader Joes sells these in individual serving packets)
  
• Cucumber (unlimited amount anytime)
  
• Celery (unlimited amount anytime)
  
• Sunflower seeds (1 serving)
  
• 1 serving of olives (fresh olives that still have the pit are best)

EVENING(chose one item and also have 1 cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or lemon water)

• Salad with cucumbers, oil and vinegar dressing. Unlimited vegetables (any kind prepared steamed or roasted) and 6-8 ounces of chicken or fish or lean red meat. If you are starving include 1 serving of brown rice. If you need butter use “I can’t believe it’s not butter” spray.
  
• Lean cuisine and salad with cucumbers, oil and vinegar dressing.

DIRECTIONS:
Ok, so basically, all the words that are underlined are the things you need to buy; they are your shopping list. Again, you may not find that it’s that different from what you have been buying. The big things you will need to avoid are again, fried foods, bread, sugar, salt, caffeine, processed foods. When you buy chicken for your lunches, purchase some that’s already prepared. The meat you purchase for dinner can be prepared by you so you can buy fresh or frozen, you decide. When you buy oatmeal, again purchase the old fashioned oatmeal.

Also, when you eat, eat slowly. Chew each bite 20 + times and enjoy your food and stop immediately as soon as you feel full. I know most people can’t tell when they are full, so basically, you need to pay attention to what your stomach feels like when you are hungry. When you feel your stomach growling, you should eat and as soon as those hunger feelings go away, stop eating, that means you are full. If you are ever full after eating on a few bites of a meal, that’s fine, don’t eat anymore until you feel your tummy growling again. I know it seems silly to explain all this in detail, but most people never figure it out. Most people never learn to listen to their own body so they live in a cycle of being totally famished and then being totally full and feeling gross and they wreck their metabolism as a result. You need to learn to stay somewhere in the middle and find a balance. Eating small meals throughout the day will help you stay energized and will let you remember what it feels like to be hungry. Also, when your stomach growls, try to enjoy the feeling! Think of it as a sign that your metabolism is starting to kick in again. Let yourself be hungry for a five or ten minutes before you eat something. If your stomach is growling your body is metabolizing fat, so it’s a good thing. Feeling hungry is your bodies’ way of telling you that the fire is burning and ready for some fuel. Again, eat until the feeling goes away and stop.
I have you drinking 5 cups of decaffeinated herbal tea so basically you will feel like you’re drinking tea all the time. This is ok because we want you to be relaxed and very hydrated so that your body can metabolize effectively.

Also, since this is a diet, and since you will be abstaining from certain food items, it’s important to do good things and treat yourself well in other areas. You may want to purchase some more good smelling candles and light them often. Also, remember that you “got to love the skin your in”! So, I recommend purchasing a natural loofah or sponge and scrub down every time you take a shower. Start from your hands and slowly work the loofah in a circular path towns your heart. Then do the same in the shower. Start with your feet and work the loofah in circular paths toward your heart until you’re scrubbed your entire body.

When we diet our body will start to detoxify itself and release toxins through our skin and you want to encourage this process. Also, after your shower, use a good natural body lotion all over so invigorate, energize and relax you.