You have been dropping pounds like crazy for 14 days now. You’re looking and feeling lighter, and I hope you’re inspired by your progress so far. Once you hit week 3, you’ve reached the Main Phase of Always Eat After 7 PM. This phase lasts from week 3 until whenever you achieve your weight loss goal.
During each week of the Main Phase, you combat falling leptin levels through the addition of Super Carbs at lunch and dinner—and then conclude each week with a leptin-boosting cheat day for exercisers and a cheat meal for non-exercisers (preferably on the seventh day of the week during the Main Phase). Losing weight is about to become even more pleasant.
By periodically cheating on your diet, you circumvent the negative side effects of calorie restriction. Each week, you start fresh with baseline levels of leptin and a hormonal environment primed for burning fat, not muscle.
There’s still an emphasis on protein, non-starchy vegetables, friendly fats, and healthy desserts. You can even have a little alcohol (unless you’re driving, pregnant, or washing exterior windows on a skyscraper).
One of the goals of the Main Phase is to help you forge good, solid eating habits so that when you get to the Lifestyle Phase, keeping your weight off will be a breeze.
The Main Phase continues until you reach your target weight. How long you stay on it obviously depends on how much you’d like to lose. For some people, another 14 days will get you there; for others, several more weeks or even months will be needed. Honestly, expect your rate of weight loss to slow down a bit, but it will be steady—so don’t blow it off or vow to restart your diet until next January. You’ll get to your goal without feeling hungry or waylaid by cravings.
IMPORTANT DAILY MEAL PLAN GUIDELINES FOR THE MAIN PHASE
1.In week 3 and beyond, add Portion Volumizing Super Carbs to your regimen.
2.Intermittent fasting should be used at least six days a week from here on out. It’s completely fine to have a social breakfast with friends or coworkers here and there, but try to use intermittent fasting on as many days as you can.
3.If you have to eat breakfast after you wake up due to health or medication reasons, please select from the Breakfast Smart Snacks on page 25. Important: Breakfast eaters should cut their lunch portion sizes in half to balance out daily calories.
4.The target calorie goals for week 3 and beyond are 1,300 to 1,500 calories a day for women and 1,700 to 1,900 calories a day for men. Calorie counts are automatically figured into the meal plans.
5.If you do not exercise, reduce your lunch portion sizes by 25 percent—a 100-to 150-calorie restriction.
6.You may add 1 cup of non-starchy cruciferous veggies or a small side salad with veggies, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar to your lunches and dinner. Use just a small amount of olive oil.
7.Exercisers are allowed one cheat day per week and non-exercisers are allowed one cheat meal with dessert per week in place of dinner and a healthy dessert. Revisit chapter five if you need a refresher on how to strategically cheat for success. Remember, don’t binge or stuff yourself.
8.Stay hydrated with filtered or spring water, and drink 50 percent of your total body weight in ounces of water each day (for example, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water each day).
9.Moderate amounts of alcohol can be consumed a few days per week during the Main Phase. Make sure you don’t binge drink, and try to consume only clear liquors and red wines—preferably on the day(s) of your cheat meal(s).
10.Review the information on supplements in chapter ten. If you opt to supplement, take the following recommended dietary supplements:
•Morning supplements: During week 1 of the Main Phase, one of your breakfast snacks can be a protein shake with 2–3 scoops of BioTrust Low Carb Protein Powder Blend or 2 scoops of Harvest Complete Vegan Plant Protein Powder Blend and 1 scoop of MetaboGreens. After week 1 of the Main Phase, in place of one of the 3-Minute Fat-Burning Morning Ritual choices, you may substitute 8 ounces of water mixed with 1 scoop of MetaboGreens as part of the intermittent fasting protocol.
•Between 8 AM and noon: Add 1 scoop of Ageless Multi-Collagen Protein Powder or 1 scoop of Keto Elevate to a cup of coffee or a protein shake.
•Lunch supplements: 1 Pro-X10 capsule and 3 OmegaKrill 5X softgel capsules
•Dinner supplement: 1 Pro-X10 capsule
•Pre-bedtime snacks: Consider a protein shake made with 2–3 scoops of BioTrust Low Carb Protein Powder Blend or 2 scoops of Harvest Complete Vegan Plant Protein Powder Blend. Feel free to add 1 scoop of Ageless Multi-Collagen Protein Powder or 1 scoop of Keto Elevate.
11.Use the Main Phase until you’ve reached your goal body weight. Once you’ve hit that weight, move on to the Lifestyle Phase as your permanent diet. Any time you fall off track and gain unwanted weight, you can always go back and repeat Phases 1 and 2 to accelerate your results.
EATING OUT ON THE PLAN
Food is, and always has been, the centerpiece of our social lives. You’ll find it at every social occasion. And the number of restaurants in every town and city seems to prove that eating is truly America’s pastime—not baseball!
Many people, though, don’t know how to dine out in a healthy way that honors their bodies. They often fail to identify the healthiest items on the menu. And often, they’ll finish off whatever arrives on the plate (especially if it’s a bargain!) rather than eating only until satisfied. If a dish is marketed as “king-size,” “two for one,” “whopper,” or the like, all the better. And so it goes.
Fortunately, with the Always Eat After 7 PM plan, it’s easy to stick to the parameters because the diet offers so many choices. When eating out, simply keep the following basics in mind:
Identify approved foods on the menu. Most restaurants offer foods you can eat on this plan. Look for proteins such as fish, poultry, and meat, and make sure they’re not fried or awash in sauces or gravy. For extra fiber and nutrients, order a salad when it’s offered. At salad bars, choose toppings such as peas, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and colorful vegetables. Choose Super Carbs such as rice, baked potatoes, and sweet potatoes when ordering.
Stick to the prescribed portions. You do not have to eat everything on your plate. Use your hand to eyeball correct portions. If you have leftovers on your plate, bring the rest home for a quick, reheatable meal the next day.
Keep a check on your drinking. There’s always the temptation to enjoy too much wine or too many cocktails while dining out. But be careful. Although alcohol is allowed in Phases 2 and 3, it stimulates your appetite and adds empty calories. Curtail your drinking or avoid alcohol altogether while you’re trying to shed pounds.
Go ethnic. Search out ethnic restaurants, which often have a healthy variety of foods. Asian restaurants use lots of vegetables, seaweed, raw fish, sushi, and rice. Middle Eastern restaurants usually have grilled meats, green leafy vegetables, and vegetarian alternatives like hummus and tabbouleh. Mexican restaurants can be great sources of bean protein. If the restaurant is Italian, watch out for pastas that are cooked in buckets of white sauce or butter. A tomato-based marinara sauce served over wheat pasta or spaghetti squash will shave off the calories. Go for salads at Italian eateries.
Go light at fast-food restaurants and delis. At fast-food restaurants, order smaller burgers, grilled chicken, or fruit. Other approved choices are sandwich wraps, salads, and fruit cups. At delis and sandwich shops, ask for leaner meats, less meat, and extra lettuce and tomato, on whole-wheat, oatmeal, or rye bread. Just be careful to avoid anything not on the approved food lists.
Have a buffet strategy. The temptation at a buffet is to pile your plate so high that you can’t see over it. It’s better to design your plate selectively with lean proteins, vegetables, Super Carbs, and a fruit for dessert, and not roam the buffet for second helpings.
Travel healthy. While staying at a hotel, find out if there is a farmers’ market, whole foods grocery, or health food store nearby. All are terrific sources of fresh, wholesome, healthy meals and snacks, in case you don’t want to order off a tempting menu.
Skip the appetizers and desserts. Your meal should cover your protein, vegetable, Super Carb, and fat needs, so there’s no need to add more via appetizers and desserts. One exception: you can make a meal of a healthy appetizer and side salad with a light dressing.
If you keep the above basic guidelines in mind, you’ll never have to turn down an invitation to dine out at a restaurant. Be social, have fun, and enjoy spending time with those you love—all while being healthy. It can be done—especially on this plan—much more easily than you might think.
THE MAIN PHASE OVERVIEW AND MEAL TEMPLATE
In the Main Phase, use the following template and plan your meals accordingly, selecting from the food lists on pages 40–42 or the recipes on pages 112–204.
I’ve provided two weeks’ worth of sample menus for the Main Phase on pages 82–85. Remember, this phase lasts until you reach your target weight, so it might take you longer than two weeks. If repeating the same menus over and over seems unexciting, this is a great opportunity to learn to mix and match your own menus—a skill that will serve you well in the Lifestyle Phase.
SAMPLE MEAL PLANS
