7 steps to the body you want...

Step 1: Do the HCL test and take fish oil



This is described in detail in my forth-coming book "The little book of nutrition tips" available on amazon but safe to say most people are somewhat deficient in HCL and by supplementing your diet you will improve digestion and absorption of nutrients for fat loss. Take 1g of fish oil per percent of body fat, for every 10g of fish oil you take, take 400IU of vitamin E and 1g of carnitine.



Step 2: 2-week boot camp phase



For 14 days if it doesn’t run, swim or fly and it’s not green – don’t eat it! After the initial 14 days this will be the foundation of your eating plan with a little more variety from other food groups for a balanced diet. The boot camp phase is a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet.



This type of "low carb" boot camp phase is the staple of many successful weight loss programmes including, but not exclusively:

• Charles Poliquin – BioSignature

• Anne Louise Gittleman – Fat Flush plan

• Patrick Holford – The low GL diet



I have taken different things from the above named programmes as well as from the likes of Jonny Bowden and Mauro Di Pasquale to create the following 2-week bootcamp.



Day 1 to 14: 100% strict LOW carbohydrates (no grains, bread, fruits, dairy, starchy vegetables etc…). But eat plenty of the following:



Artichokes, asparagus, aubergine, bamboo shoots, broccoli, cabbage, raw carrots, celery, chard, collards, courgette, cucumber, fennel, green beans, kale, mushrooms, onions, parsley, peas, peppers, radicchio, radishes, sauerkraut, salad greens (all), spinach, Summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts and watercress. You can eat as much of these fibrous carbohydrates a day as you can as they have very low carbohydrate content. Their inherent high fibre brings about a very moderate insulin response, thus making them an ideal fat loss food. Aim for 5 servings a day. Fibrous carbohydrates DO NOT include any grains, breads or starches – only the vegetables on the list above.



You can also eat:



• Use 3 tablespoons of olive oil per day plus lemon juice, vinegar, horseradish and pickles.



• Herbs and spices such as ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, basil, thyme, oregano, black pepper, sage, cardamom etc…



Step 3: Determine your optimal animal protein intake

Protein is essential for weight loss. Eating protein releases a chemical in your stomach called peptide YY (PYY) that reduces hunger. Protein is also more thermogenic than fat and carbs, meaning it causes you to burn more calories. Here is a guide to how much protein to eat:



Males

Males 1.5-2g of protein per kg BW per day



Females

Females 1-2.g of protein per kg BW per day





So how do you work this out? Meat and fish contains approximately 22-25g of protein per 100g of flesh. So for example a 70kg male would need to eat 1.5-2g of protein per kg BW per day. That equals 105-140g of protein, which is roughly 600-650g of flesh throughout the day. You should aim to spread this protein intake out throughout the day by eating 5-6 meals. So divide your protein requirement by the number of meals you need to eat to meet your protein goal. For example 140g of protein divided by 6 is roughly 24g of protein at each meal, which is roughly 100g of meat or fish per meal.



Alternatively you could do the following

Breakfast: 100g

Snack: 50g

Lunch: 150g

Snack: 50g

Dinner: 200g

Snack: 100g



Your protein can come from anything that runs, swims or flies – so any meat, fish, poultry or seafood is great to eat. Just make sure you eat quality organic meat and fish to avoid oestrogens, growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides stored in animal fat.



Step 4: Cheat day

On day 15 of the boot camp eat what you like all day. Organised cheating is part of the plan, it aids the weight loss process and allows you the freedom to enjoy food without feeling guilty and stops you from falling off the wagon.



Step 5: Add back phase



From day 16 onwards you eat on a 6:1 day ratio, i.e. you eat as per boot camp for 6 days and can have a cheat meal every 7th day at 6pm. Put all the cheat food you want to eat on the table, eat it and as soon as your ass leaves the table the cheat is over – it’ not a cheat evening. From day 16 onwards for two 7-day cycles add in all berries, 2 servings a day. You can now have meat and berries for breakfast for example.



From day 30 onwards for two 7-day cycles add in 1 servings of the following fruits per day – cherries, grapefruit, apricots, pears, apples, plums, peaches, oranges and grapes.



From day 44 onwards for two 7-day cycles add in full fat plain yoghurt and live cultures. You don’t have to eat this every day, it’s just allowed. If you are dairy intolerant – avoid it.



From day 58 onwards for two 7-day cycles add in 1 serving of quinoa, brown whole grain rice or amaranth with lunch or dinner.



Step 6: Maintenance phase

Pay attention to your weight and body fat throughout the add back phase until your weight and body fat loss stops. At this point you have reached your maintenance diet. If your weight goes back up 2kg go back to boot camp phase and go back through the add back phase again until your weight loss plateaus. This will be your maintenance diet. Other examples of Paleo carbs to add back in to the nutrition plan every 10 days include baby corn, beans (haricot, mung, aduki, black eye etc…), banana, beetroot, cooked carrots, lentils, oats for breakfast, olives, Swede, turnips and other ground tubers.



Avoid neo carbs at all cost. Ask was this around 10,000 years ago? If not it’s a neo carb. For instance read labels and avoid sugar in all its forms – dextrose, maltose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, corn syrup – anything ending in ‘ose is sugar. Processed good and foods made from refined grains are neo carbs – pasta, biscuits, pastry, pies, cakes and most bakery goods. Also look out for artificial sweeteners (aspartame) colours (tartrazine), hydrogenated fats and preservative. If you avoid processed food you needn’t worry about these.



Step 7: Eat fat burning foods



When you reach your ideal weight and body fat in the maintenance phase you should be eating the following fat burning foods



1. Hot peppers contain nutrients that help increase metabolism

2. Tea of any colour, especially green tea has been shown to increase fat loss

3. Tahini – sesame seed lignans enhance fat burning by increasing liver enzymes that breakdown fats

4. Fish and fish oils stimulate fat burning genes and increase metabolism

5. Cranwater (1 part no added sugar cranberry juice with 8 parts water) stimulates the liver to burn fat

6. Eggs are rich in choline a nutrient essential for bile production that helps emulsify and burn fats

7. A strong cup of coffee favours free fatty acids metabolism and spares glycogen

8. Carnitine helps transport fatty acids into the cells' mitochondria for energy burning. Carnitine is found in meat and fish.

9. Eating half a grapefruit a day has been shown to help people lose fat and improve insulin sensitivity.

10. Fibrous vegetables



If weight loss plateaus check the following:



• Excess calories – check your food diary

• Carbs to high / too low – check food diary

• Not enough fibre – check food diary

• Not drinking enough water

• Medications – have you started any new meds that can affect weight loss?

• Too little exercise

• Food intolerance – may need to do a test

• Alcohol consumption – is it too high?

• Stress – how is work? How is your relationship? Are you relaxing enough?

• Excess calories from cheese and nuts



Thank you to Charles Poliquin (BioSignature) and Jonny Bowden (Weight loss coaching) for their information on which I have based this 7 step programme.