Good set of pots and pansIt’s one thing to know what to eat, which supplements to take, and how to exercise. It’s quite another to actually do all of that—over the long term.
If you’ve tried—and failed—to establish long-term, healthful habits many times before, then you know all too well what I’m talking about. Even though the Metabolism Advantage plan is based on effective, convenient, and achievable lifestyle changes, they are changes nonetheless. Change—whether it comes in the form of a job promotion, a new home, or new healthful habits—can feel stressful. That’s why I’m assigning this bit of homework before you officially embark on your Metabolism Advantage journey. It will help you get a strong start and remain on the Metabolism Advantage plan for life.
I’d like to start your homework assignment by asking you to listen to a little story about my favorite cyclist, Lance Armstrong. Why is he my favorite? Well, partly because he’s now probably the greatest cyclist of all time, and partly because in the early 1990s, he wasn’t even a contender. You see, at that time, Lance was a good professional cyclist, competing and placing reasonably well yet never emerging as a dominant force in the sport. Based on this history of performance, it was clear that Lance wasn’t a serious candidate for overall victory in the world’s biggest cycling event, the Tour de France.
Then Lance got cancer.
After battling back from almost certain death, Lance changed. Now, seven Tour de France victories later, he has cemented his place among the greatest cyclists in history. In his book It’s Not About the Bike, he explains why he was able to go from being an above-average professional cyclist to perhaps the greatest the sport has ever seen: “If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you’ve got to go all the way.”
By his own admission, Lance realized that his sport is about something more than the carbohydrate drinks, the hours spent on the bike, and the tights. It’s about perseverance in the midst of unknowns. As Lance notes in his book, the Tour de France “poses every conceivable element to the rider, and more: cold, heat, mountains, plains, ruts, flat tires, high winds, unspeakably bad luck, unthinkable beauty, yawning senselessness, and, above all, a great, deep self-questioning.”
In my humble opinion, amid the many unknowns faced and the many lessons learned, this one lesson emerges as one of the most important. Lance overcomes cancer and Lance wins Tours because he has learned how to adapt. He practices for and adapts to varied conditions rather than letting them become setbacks. It’s raining? No problem; he’s ridden this course before in the rain. Heck, he’s probably even ridden it in snow. The other riders see the rain as a huge disadvantage; not Lance. He owns both the sunshine and the rain.
So why am I going on and on about Lance? Because you and I can learn from his success. Even if you never, ever in a million years wish to cycle more than 100 miles a day over some of the steepest, highest-altitude mountains in the world, you can still learn from Lance. His story can help you advance your career, improve your family life, and, yes, even change your nutrition and exercise habits in order to speed up your metabolism.
You see, in order to successfully change, you must prepare for that change. That’s what this chapter is all about: preparation and adaptation. Sure, you may not be battling cancer or entering the Tour de France, but you are in a contest, and the prize is a faster metabolism. So listen up. To change your body, fight off disease, and battle the erosion caused by Father Time, you’re going to have to get prepared.
Even if you know what to eat, if the good foods aren’t around when you’re hungry, you’re going to eat the jelly doughnut sitting on the table in the break room, right? So you need a plan, and you need to realize that sometimes it’s not about the food, the exercise, or the supplements. Sometimes it’s about things altogether unrelated to carbs, proteins, and fats. Rather, it’s about dedication, desire, and preparation.
Here’s an example to demonstrate my point. Let’s pretend that I, along with the mad scientists at the Metabolism Advantage laboratory, came up with the perfect diet for all human beings, one that solved all the ills of the world. On this diet, everyone lost weight, felt great, and doubled their life span. Heck, it made everyone feel so good that divorce and murder rates plummeted. It was the diet to end all diets. We published this diet on the good old Internet so every man, woman, and child could reap its benefits.
If this scenario were true, you know what 99 percent of the humans on the planet would do? They’d keep eating Twinkies (which, I suspect, probably wouldn’t be a component of this perfect diet).
Don’t believe me? Think about this. How often have you seen people who have been diagnosed with heart disease or cancer fail to take the necessary steps to improve their lifestyles? I’m sure you’ve seen guys with lung cancer puffing on cigarettes and guys with oxygen tubes in their noses downing fries and cheese curls. They say they want to change. They see doctors and nutritionists who tell them how to change. Yet they end up feeling guilty for not changing.
Why is it so hard for them to make the change? Well, unless they really don’t want to change, the two biggest impediments to their success are:
1. Their habits. Their ingrained day-to-day diets and activities remain poor because they don’t have a conscious, logical plan for changing them. As Steven Covey wrote in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “we will define a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire.” Think of knowledge as the what to do, desire as the want to do, and skill as the how to do. If you really want to change (desire), and you learn from the lessons in this book (knowledge), and you apply those lessons (skill), you’ll change your habits.
2. They aren’t ready for the tough times. In many cases, even folks who want to change, know what to change, and start to apply the skills needed to change can get derailed. Often, just as things are getting better, the tough times, the distractions, and the negative pressures all hit. People get busy. Eating well becomes inconvenient. No one else supports their decision to make a change. When these inevitable circumstances come up, they don’t display adaptability. Instead, they bail. To return to the Lance analogy, they don’t learn how to ride in the rain; they just get off the bike and go home. Or more to the point, they pick up a fork and start eating pasta at noon—long before it’s time for their workout, which they skip in order to meet their buddies for brewskis after work. When it comes to the Metabolism Advantage plan, the most important thing you can do is this: Stay on the bike!
You see, habits are more powerful than desire. Habits are more powerful than information. Habits are more powerful than guilt. To succeed, you must first make a concerted, committed, conscious effort to override and change your habits.
This chapter will help you do just that. In the coming pages, you will assess your level of preparation with three questionnaires that get at the heart of three important factors in your success. Each questionnaire helps you to definitively answer one of the following three questions.
1. Are you ready to change? The first questionnaire will make you look deep within to figure out whether or not you’re ready to take your current habits and put them far behind you. If you fill out this questionnaire and decide that you’re not ready, it’s time for a serious priority shift. After all, we’re talking about your metabolism (and your health) here! So use the recommendations in the coming pages and get over to www.MetabolismAdvantage.com for additional advice on how to make this shift.
2. Is your environment supportive of this change? In the second questionnaire, you’ll take stock of your home and kitchen environment to see if they are conducive to supporting your goals. It always amazes me when people pay lip service to improving their nutrition and health yet don’t actually throw out all the bad foods in their kitchens and replace them with good ones. I mean, that’s the equivalent of taking an alcoholic who wants to stop drinking and locking him in a room full of liquor.
3. Is your social circle supportive of this change? Without adequate social support, changing habits is a losing battle. That said, it’s hard to be objective about what our friends bring into our lives, and it’s even harder to recognize the friendships that tear us down. This quiz will help you to do that.
Use these questionnaires to assess your readiness to get the Metabolism Advantage. If you score well, you’ll have no problem making the changes stick. If you score poorly, you’ll find advice throughout this chapter to help you to work on your habits, your environment, and your social circle while taking steps toward increasing your exercise and improving your nutrition.
When taking each quiz, be honest. You’re doing these self-assessments to pinpoint areas of your life that might hinder your progress. Resist the urge to guess or to choose the answer that applies to your ideal life. Rather, choose the answer that actually applies to your life as it is today.
In this questionnaire, you’ll find out if you’re really ready to make the changes needed to boost your metabolism and improve your body composition, health, and physical performance. Answer the questions by circling the one answer most appropriate to your situation. Once you’ve completed the questions, add up the numbers with the answers you’ve circled and compare your score to the score key.
1. Do you look in the mirror and get frustrated, upset, or humiliated because of how your body looks?
A) Yes (+3)
B) I’m not sure (0)
C) No (-3)
2. When you feel rundown and tired, do you blame “getting older,” or do you blame your lifestyle habits?
A) I blame getting older (-1)
B) I blame my lifestyle choices (+3)
C) I blame something else altogether (-3)
3. Are you taking any medications for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or another age-related disease that you didn’t have when you were younger?
A) Yes, I’m on a number of these medications (+3)
B) Yes, I’m on one of these medications (+1)
C) No, I’m not on any of these medications (-3)
4. How do you explain the fact that you’re in worse shape now than when you were younger?
A) I think it’s my genetics (-1)
B) I’m less active (+3)
C) I think it’s a natural consequence of aging (-1)
D) I don’t know why it’s happening (0)
5. If you don’t have anyone to exercise with regularly, are you willing to look for a physical activity parnoindents-ter?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
6. Are you willing to join a gym today?
A) Yes (+3)
B) No (-3)
7. If someone told you that you need to throw away all the foods in your cupboard and go shopping for different foods, foods more appropriate to your goal, would you do it?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
8. If The Metabolism Advantage presents some information on diet and exercise that contradicts what you currently believe, what approach will you take?
A) Keep an open mind and give it a try (+3)
B) Ask a friend (0)
C) Ignore the advice and use only the things I agree with (-3)
9. Are you willing to have a meeting with your friends and loved ones to talk about your goals?
A) Yes, right away (+5)
B) Yes, but not just yet (-3)
C) No (-5)
10. If your work environment presents significant barriers to your sticking with the Metabolism Advantage eating, exercise, and supplement plans, would you consider speaking to your employer about changing some of these conditions or are you willing to find new employment?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
11. Are you ready to spend less time with people who offer little or no social support for your goals while spending more time with those who do offer support?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
12. Can you accept responsibility for the way your body is today and understand that while your old habits don’t make you a bad person, you still need to change them?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
13. If a friend or loved one suggests that you don’t have what it takes to get into great shape, what will be your response?
A) I can do it (+2)
B) I know I’ve got to make some changes, but I’ll take it one day at a time (+5)
C) Maybe I can’t do it (-5)
14. Are you willing to wake up a bit earlier in the morning and stay up a bit later at night to accomplish your goals?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
15. Are you willing to do at least 5 hours of physical activity each week?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
21 to 63
Revving up your metabolism and changing the way you look, feel, and perform have become very important to you, and you realize that the way you’re doing things right now simply isn’t cutting it. You’re tired of not getting results, and you’re tired of the growing waistline, the sluggish metabolism, and the fatigue. Not only are you tired of it, you’re also committed to doing something about it—today. Congratulations! Getting to this point takes a lot of work. Now, with the Metabolism Advantage plan, you have all the tools you need at your fingertips. Just follow the strategies laid out in this book and at www.MetabolismAdvantage.com, and you’ll get there. You’ve got the power and you’re in control. Go get ’em.
-20 to +20
If you scored in this range, it’s important for you to stop thinking and start doing. Yes, you’re frustrated with the way things are, but you’re afraid that a commitment to something like the Metabolism Advantage program will cause you more hassle and difficulty than just sitting back, doing nothing, and continuing to look and feel the way you do today. You’re not alone. Many people fear that a new nutrition and exercise program will cause them pain—more pain than that of losing control of the only body they’ll ever have. Step outside your shell and seek out some people who are eating well, exercising, getting results, and having fun doing it. Millions of people are following a healthy lifestyle and loving every minute of it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that they never had difficulties to overcome. At some point in time, each of them had to discard unproductive habits. Once they shed their old ways, they got into the zone. You can do the same. What are you waiting for?
-61 to -21
Are you simply toying with the idea of getting your diet and exercise habits in line with what you know they should be? If you are, this book probably isn’t for you. Instead, you need a book of statistics: heart disease statistics, diabetes statistics, stroke statistics, and cancer statistics. If you don’t make a change, you’re going to be one of those statistics. Think I’m joking? I’m not! With each passing year that you avoid good activity and nutrition habits, your risk of disease increases. As your sluggish metabolism becomes even slower, you’ll progressively gain fat, lose muscle, and look much older than your actual age. These are the consequences of remaining indifferent to the meds you’re on, the weight you’ve gained, and the environment you’ve surrounded yourself with. Don’t stay indifferent any longer. Take an honest look at how you’ve changed (inside and out) and admit that you could use a tune-up. I’m willing to help with the Metabolism Advantage plan. You can find me through www.MetabolismAdvantage.com, but you have to want the help.
There’s a fundamental law of human nutrition that I teach to my clients, and it goes like this: “If a food is in your possession or in your residence, you will eventually eat it. Whether you plan to or not, whether you want to or not, you’ll eventually eat it.”
Therefore, according to this important law of human nutrition, if you wish to be healthy and lean, you must remove all foods that aren’t part of your healthy eating program and replace them with a variety of better, healthier choices.
How do you know which foods have to go and which can stay? Simply read the questions below and circle the answers most appropriate to your situation. Once you’ve completed the questions, add up the numbers with the answers you’ve circled and use the score key to understand your score.
1. Do you have the following items in your kitchen?
Good set of pots and pans
Good set of knives
Spatula
Blender
Teakettle
Scale for weighing foods
Plastic containers for carrying meals
Small cooler for taking meals to work
Shaker bottle for drinks and shakes
Food processor
A) I have all of them (-5)
B) I have more than half of them (-2)
C) I have fewer than half of them (+2)
D) I don’t have any of them (+5)
2. Do you have the following items in your pantry?
Whole oats
Quinoa
Natural peanut butter
Mixed nuts
Canned or bagged beans
Extra-virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Green tea
Protein supplements
Fish-oil supplements
Greens supplements
A) I have all of them (-5)
B) I have more than half of them (-2)
C) I have fewer than half of them (+2)
D) I don’t have any of them (+5)
3. Do you have the following items in your fridge or freezer?
Extra-lean (96%) ground beef
Chicken breasts
Salmon
Omega-3 eggs
Packaged egg whites
At least four varieties of fruit
At least five varieties of veggies
Flaxseed oil
A) I have all of them (-5)
B) I have more than half of them (-2)
C) I have fewer than half of them (+2)
D) I don’t have any of them (+5)
4. Do you have the following items in your pantry?
Potato or corn chips
Fruit or granola bars
Regular or low-fat cookies
Crackers
Regular peanut butter
Chocolates or other candy
Soda
Instant foods like cake mixes and mashed potatoes
Bread crumbs, croutons, or other dried bread products
At least four types of alcohol
A) I have all of them (+5)
B) I have more than half of them (+2)
D) I have fewer than half of them (-2)
D) I don’t have any of them (-5)
5. Do you have the following items in your fridge or freezer?
At least four types of sauces
Juicy steaks or sausage
Margarine
Fruit juice
Soda
Baked goods
Frozen dinners
At least two types of breads or bagels
Takeout or restaurant leftovers
Big bowl of mashed potatoes or pasta
A) I have all of them (+5)
B) I have more than half of them (+2)
C) I have fewer than half of them (-2)
D) I don’t have any of them (-5)
6. Do you have bowls of candy, chips, crackers, or other snacks sitting around at home?
A) Yes (+5)
B) No (-5)
7. When you have parties or dinner guests, do you serve them what you think they’ll want or what you think is healthy?
A) What I think is healthy (-3)
B) What I think they want (+3)
8. When food shopping, do you buy big economy-size bags or smaller portions?
A) More than half of the time, I buy big economy-size bags (+3)
B) More than half of the time, I buy smaller portions (-3)
9. How often do you grocery shop?
A) Less than three times a month (+5)
B) About once a week (-1)
C) More than once a week (-5)
10. Do you keep food in plain view around the house?
A) Yes (+3)
B) No (-3)
11. Do you think healthy eating means “low-fat” eating?
A) Yes (+2)
B) No (-2)
12. If someone were to point to a food in your kitchen, would you know whether it was a high-carbohydrate food, a high-protein food, or a high-fat food?
A) Yes (-2)
B) No (+2)
13. Do you prepare meals from cookbooks that contain healthy recipes?
A) Most of the time (-5)
B) About half of the time (0)
C) Almost never (+5)
14. Do you prepare meals in advance to take with you to work, on day trips, or on vacations?
A) Yes, always (-5)
B) More than half of the time (-2)
C) Less than half of the time (+2)
D) Almost never (+5)
15. Are you hesitant to throw out “unhealthy” leftovers or gift foods that don’t fit into your nutritional plan?
A) Yes, I hate throwing food out (+5)
B) No, more than half of the time I throw this stuff out (0)
C) No, I always throw this stuff out (-5)
32 to 63 points
You’ve scored high on the kitchen-overhaul questionnaire, but that’s not a good thing. Your high score means you’re not doing so well. In fact, if your kitchen stays in this condition, you’ll have better luck winning the lottery than getting results from the Metabolism Advantage program. Since you’re in need of an Extreme Kitchen Makeover, here’s what to do.
STEP 1. Grab an extra-large shopping bag.
STEP 2. Without thinking about it, open up that bag and toss in every offensive food item from your fridge, freezer, and cupboards. (In case you’re not sure which foods to bag, they include all items from questions 4 and 5 of this quiz).
STEP 3. Walk outside, place the bag in your trashcan, wave goodbye, shed a tear, and step away from the trash.
STEP 4. Get to the supermarket immediately and pick up the foods listed in questions 2 and 3 (along with the Metafoods mentioned in Chapter 3).
0 to 31 points
Your kitchen is not the worst I’ve seen, but it could certainly use some improvement. Take a look at the inventory above and make sure you’ve got all the items listed in questions 1 through 3 and none of the items from questions 4 and 5. Begin shopping more frequently, eating fresher items, and being more aware of the foods that you’re eating and when. Only then will you be equipped for success on the Metabolism Advantage program.
-31 to -1 points
Nice job; you’re doing pretty well in the kitchen department. In fact, with a few minor tweaks, your kitchen will be 100 percent ready to go. Revisit the questions above and figure out exactly what it will take to get closer to a perfect score of -63.
-32 to -63 points
Don’t let the low score fool you. This quiz works like golf: The lower your score, the better. A negative score means that you don’t need much of a makeover. That’s great—congratulations on your great kitchen setup! With your kitchen full of great foods (like those listed in questions 2 and 3) and the right appliances, you’ll be the envy of your fellow Metabolism Advantage readers. Keep it up!
If you have social support, you have a network of people who support your endeavors, contribute positively to your decision-making processes, and offer advice and inspiration when you need help. Various studies suggest that this type of support can help you transcend even the worst environments and accomplish great things. Unfortunately, lack of social support makes it difficult to accomplish even modest goals. Remember this: Who you become 5 years from now has a lot to do with who you choose to spend your time with today.
The following series of questions will help you assess your level of social support. Simply answer the questions by circling the answer most appropriate to your situation. Once you’ve completed the questions, add up the numbers with the answers you’ve circled and then use the score key to understand your score.
1. Do the people you spend each day with (at work or at home) follow healthful lifestyle habits such as watching what they eat, exercising regularly, and taking nutritional supplements?
A) Yes, most of them do (+3)
B) About half do and half don’t (0)
C) No, most of them don’t (-3)
2. Does your spouse or parnoindents-ter follow healthy lifestyle habits, such as watching what he/she eats, exercising regularly, and taking nutritional supplements?
A) Yes, my spouse/parnoindents-ter does (+5)
B) No, my spouse/parnoindents-ter doesn’t (-5)
C) I don’t have a spouse or parnoindents-ter (0)
3. When you want to perform some physical activity, such as going for a workout or taking a hike, is it easy for you to find a parnoindents-ter to go with?
A) Yes, it’s easy to find a parnoindents-ter (+2)
B) No, I don’t know anyone (0)
C) No, those around me dislike activity (-2)
4. At your workplace, do your co-workers regularly bring in treats like cookies, doughnuts, and other snacks?
A) Yes, they often do (-4)
B) Yes, but very infrequently (0)
C) No, they never do (+4)
5. If you go out to eat more than once a week, do the people you dine with order healthful selections?
A) Yes, they always do (+2)
B) Only about half of the time (0)
C) No, they never do (-2)
6. Do you belong to any clubs (not including a health club), groups, or teams that meet at least twice a week and do some physical exercise?
A) Yes, I’ve been a member for years (+5)
B) Yes, I’ve just started (+2)
C) No, I don’t (0)
7. Do you belong to a health club and attend, on average, at least three times a week?
A) Yes, I’ve been a member for years (+2)
B) Yes, I’ve just joined (+1)
C) No, I don’t (0)
8. When discussing the Metabolism Advantage plan with friends, do they seem interested, or do they think you’re crazy for starting it?
A) They’re very interested (+2)
B) They’re not interested (0)
C) They think I’m crazy (-2)
9. Do the people you live with bring home foods that are considered unhealthy or bad for you?
A) Always (-5)
B) Sometimes (-3)
C) Never (0)
10. Do the people you live with bring home foods that are considered healthy or good for you?
A) Always (+5)
B) Sometimes (0)
C) Never (-5)
11. Do the people you live with or work with schedule activities for you that interfere with your preestablished exercise time?
A) Always; they don’t respect my time (-3)
B) Sometimes; they don’t think about it (-1)
C) Never; they respect this time (+3)
12. Do those around you bring nutrition, exercise, or supplement information to your attention so that you can stay informed about these topics?
A) Always (+5)
B) Sometimes (+2)
C) Never (0)
20 to 38 Points
Congratulations, you have a great support network around you. Of course, that’s not all you’ll need to succeed with the Metabolism Advantage plan, but it’s a great start. Even though you may have scored relatively high on this questionnaire, you still should do your best to support those around you. Social support works both ways. In order to make sure you keep this great group of people around you, you’ll have to offer support to them as well.
It looks like you have some social support, but there are a few areas of your life that will present challenges to your quest. Look around you and be aware of workplace, home, and relationship challenges that may stand in your way. Take a mental inventory of each area and come up with creative ways to improve your social environment.
4 to -14 Points
Your social support is lacking and needs a makeover. While some of your environment isn’t conducive to your goals, there are some areas that you can latch on to. Based on your quiz answers, figure out which areas are lacking and take steps to fix them. Join a health club, dine with friends committed to health, spend time doing non-food-related things with your other friends, and avoid the doughnut offerings at work. Although it’s easy to blame those around you for not being as supportive as you’d like, following the Metabolism Advantage plan is your choice, not necessarily theirs. Instead of blaming them, simply come up with creative and nonantagonistic ways to enlist their support.
-15 to -31 Points
This score is quite low. You have some real problems in your work and home environments as well as in your relationships. I’ve encountered some people who have succeeded on the Metabolism Advantage plan by going it alone, but not many. Therefore, without some serious changes, your environment will almost certainly make your old habits stick to you like Superglue. Make the following changes.
1. Tell your friends and family of the importance of this change in your life.
2. Get off the couch, head outside, get in your car, and drive to a health club. Pull out a credit card, sign on the dotted line, and become a member. Join a club or group that meets for regular exercise or find a workout parnoindents-ter who is as motivated as you are.
3. It’s easy to blame those around you for not being as supportive as you’d like. Instead, come up with creative and nonantagonistic ways to enlist their support. Of course, if it comes to that point, you may have to pick some new friends. Your social group is one of the most important variables in your success.
Okay, now you’ve inventoried your readiness, your environment, and your social group. You know where to make improvements, so it’s time to set some goals.
Goal setting is both a science and an art. While most people think that setting goals means just picking something you don’t have right now and going for it, there’s more to it than that. Use these tips to unlock the power of goal setting.
Set goals that are specific and measurable. “I will look really good naked” doesn’t really give you anything measurable or specific to work on. Will you know “good” when you see it? However, “I will lose 15 pounds of body fat” is specific, since it refers to losing one thing—body fat—and it’s measurable, since it specifies a number—15 pounds.
Set goals that are challenging but realistic. Goals must be big enough to inspire you to action but not so big that you get frustrated with the impossibility of accomplishing them. A goal like “I will lose 80 pounds and be on the cover of Men’s Health magazine” is a bit too lofty for most people. (Sorry I had to be the one to break it to you!) For someone who weighs 160 pounds and has 25 percent body fat, a challenging but realistic goal is something like “I will be 130 pounds and 12 percent body fat after a full year of training.”
Set goals with short-term and long-term components. Make small goals applicable today, bigger goals applicable next week, and even bigger goals applicable next month. Save the biggest goals of all for next year. In this way, you’ll create mile markers on your road to metabolism-boosting success.
Frame goals around behaviors, not outcomes. Do you know the difference between a behavior goal and an outcome goal? A behavior goal is based on something you can directly control and do yourself, whereas an outcome goal is based on the end product of a series of behaviors.
Unfortunately, most people set outcome goals such as the following.
I will lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.
I will make $100,000 next year.
While these goals are specific and measurable as well as challenging and realistic, they are outcomes. Outcomes are beyond your control. After all, you can’t control your fat cells and their rate of fat metabolism just by hoping they’ll shrink, and regrettably, you can’t force someone to pay you $100,000 a year.
You can control your behaviors, however. How do you pick better goals based on behaviors? Try these on for size.
I will exercise for at least 5 hours per week.
I will eat five or six meals each day.
I will eat vegetables with each meal.
I will eat lean protein with each meal.
And, even though it’s beyond the scope of this book, let’s talk about that financial thing. Here are some more appropriate goals.
I will go back to school and get an advanced degree in my field.
I will spend most of my time on big, high-return projects.
I will improve one aspect of my job performance each day.
I will duplicate the behaviors of others who are making the amount of money I want to make.
In the end, if you make goals out of behaviors (behaviors you can control yourself), your outcome goals (things like your metabolism, body composition, salary, and so on) will fall right in line—without your having to worry about them.
Tell someone about your goals. Once you set specific goals that you’re committed to sticking to, tell someone about them right away and ask that person to hold you accountable. If you keep your goals a secret, it will be easier to blow them off. If you have someone holding you accountable to a higher standard, you’ll be more likely to get it done.
Okay, now that you have the goal-setting basics, let’s set some behavior goals. Follow these steps.
STEP 1. Look over the results of your social support questionnaire, your kitchen inventory, and your readiness questionnaire. Also, think about your current eating and exercise behaviors. Once you have these in your mind, think about the areas that are in need of immediate improvement.
STEP 2. Pick two specific and measurable behavior goals related to these changes. One goal might be eating six meals each day. Another might be eating protein with every meal. These should be things you can accomplish this week. Write them down here.
GOAL 1:
GOAL 2:
STEP 3. Tell someone about your short-term goals. Tell this person what you intend to accomplish and ask this person to hold you accountable for achieving these goals.
Next, let’s set some longer-term goals using the same three steps.
STEP 1. Considering the questionnaires you filled out and your current lifestyle habits, think of two specific and measurable behaviors that you can improve upon over the course of the next few months. You might aim to discover enough vegetables that you like in order to eat 6 to 10 vegetable servings a day. Or you might decide to buy all the Metabolism Advantage supplements and take them every day.
STEP 2. Write these behavior goals here.
GOAL 4:
STEP 3. Again, tell someone about these goals and ask this person to hold you accountable for them.
Now, let’s come up with two desired outcomes that you think will occur as a result of the behavior goals you just established. Keep in mind that these desired outcomes are not your goals! They are things that you hope will happen as a result of accomplishing your behavior goals. Also, choose an outcome that you can measure. Building a faster metabolism is a great goal but not a measurable one unless you have easy access to a biochemistry lab. Yes, of course, this book is all about revving up your metabolism—and you will do just that—but pick something that you can monitor more easily, such as your pants size or waist measurement.
STEP 1. Think of the outcome you’d most like to achieve by the end of 8 weeks on the Metabolism Advantage plan. Write it down here.
DESIRED OUTCOME #1:
STEP 2. Think of the outcome you’d most like to achieve by the end of a full year of following the Metabolism Advantage plan. Write it down here.
DESIRED OUTCOME #2:
STEP 3. If you don’t achieve your outcomes, reassess where your challenges lie and figure out a new set of behavior goals that will better help you achieve your desired outcomes.
Once you’ve set your goals, you are ready to embark on the Metabolism Advantage plan. The first step is taking some time to get your kitchen in Metabolism Advantage shape. It’s always a mystery to me how people expect to change their eating habits without changing their cooking and shopping habits. After all, how can you expect to eat better if your fridge and cupboards are full of the wrong foods? Well, Old Mother Hubbard, you can’t.
The next chapter will start off by showing you how to do a kitchen overhaul—and then how to turn your list of Metafoods into convenient, delicious meals that will make it easy to stay on the Metabolism Advantage nutrition program.
Then turn to Chapter 8 to find 8 weeks of meal plans and workouts. If you’re the type of person who enjoys a no-brainer blueprint to a faster metabolism, in that chapter you’ll find just about everything you need to know. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who prefers to customize your program to fit your individual interests, skim over Chapter 8 and then read Chapter 9 in depth. It will tell you how to modify the main Metabolism Advantage program for your personal goals and lifestyle. No matter which method you choose—the no-brainer blueprint or the customized approach—you’ll reap fantastic results in 8 short weeks.