Plan to Succeed
“If you fail to create your own plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan and guess what they’ve got planned for you? Not much!” - Jim Rohn
The typical grocery store has over 47,000 different products in them and the fast food industry is $130 billion dollar a year industry. With what seems to be an unlimited amount of food options everywhere we go and bulging advertising budgets with crafty marketing messages, it’s hard to stay on the path to Extraordinary Health without a good plan on what you will eat and a strong understanding of why you’re eating it.
Today’s fast food restaurants have been portrayed as the enemy but I don’t think of them as the bad guy or the wolf in sheep’s clothing. These businesses are not in charge of America’s health care system. They’re businesses who have a marketing plan to bring products and services to the marketplace to make a profit.
Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) said “Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.”
These businesses have a moral responsibility to bring a profit to their shareholders. You could say they also have a moral responsibility to be forthright with their advertising and to be more careful what they do to hurt society but ultimately each of us has a moral responsibility to be healthy so we can bring value to our life and our shareholders (family, friends and co-workers). A personal healthy eating plan can help you stay on course in the most challenging environments but it has to be a plan you’re willing to stick with and one that works with your body’s natural design vs. one concocted in a magazine article or laboratory somewhere.
There’s been a significant amount of research on the science of eating small, low glycemic (low in carbohydrate and sugar) meals or snacks every 3 hours. This is often referred to as the “science of six fuelings”. Many diet and exercise books recommend this strategy because of its long list of benefits:
Benefits of eating every 3 hrs:
- Helps you lose weight
- Controls hunger
- Reduces blood insulin (a factor in fat storage and inflammation)
- Lowers total cholesterol levels
- Reduces LDL ("bad") cholesterol
- Depresses glucose levels
- Increases bile acid secretion
- Suppresses free fatty acids levels
- Reduces serum uric acid levels (common risk factor for coronary heart disease)
- Increases uric acid excretion
- Reduces adipose tissue enzyme levels
- Reduces fluctuations in satiety (fullness)
We don’t want to try to give you a personal plan without knowing your age, weight, level of physical activity, medical history or other important details regarding your health but following nutrition plans are suggestions you can use in helping you to refine your own personal eating plan. We’ve seen thousands of other individuals achieve their goals using a similar plan and we encourage you to experience the simplicity and scientific benefits.
Weight Loss Plan (sedentary lifestyle with less than 30 min. of exercise/active living daily)
5 Smaller Fuelings/Snacks and 1 larger Healthy Meal on a 7-9” plate
Below are a sample of 100-150 calorie items you can choose from as a healthy fueling during the day…
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Weight Loss/Transition Plan (active lifestyle with 30 min. or more of exercise daily)
4 Smaller Fuelings/Snacks/Snacks and 2 Healthy Meals on 7-9” plates
Optimal Health & Weight Management Plan (30 min. daily exercise/active lifestyle)
3 Smaller Fuelings/Snacks and 3 Healthy Meals on 7-9” plates
You can utilize one of the plans above during the 28-Day Challenge or you could simply follow the Alphabet Plan below to guide your choices:
- No Alcohol in excess (it’s an appetite stimulant and leads to more calories and weight)
- No Breads unless they are whole grain or whole wheat
- No Chips, Crackers, Cookies, Cupcakes, Candy or other simple carbohydrate foods
- No Dairy items with high fat content or large portion sizes of any dairy items.
- No Eating after 8pm unless it's vegetables or fruit in small portion sizes
- No Fried foods (i.e. bacon, fried chicken, etc.) or other items with high fat content
See more recipes and meal planning tools here!
Learn more about our simple done for you meal plans and personal coaching program here!
Don't forget to join us tonight for our Optimal Health Community Time Webinar!
eHealth Challenge Tip: Being Prepared
If you’re on a healthy eating plan, parties and events will put your commitment to the test. What if someone offers me my favorite food? What if someone gives me a hard time about my choices? What if my in-laws start to stress me out? What if I am bored or tired? By mentally “walking yourself through” the situations you’re likely to encounter at the event, you’ll be better prepared to handle them with serenity. With a little commitment, handling food-laden social festivities will become easier and more enjoyable.
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