Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty (24 page)

Now that you have the basic overview of the program, let me take you through the three phases of the plan so you can see what a typical day might look like. Remember, Sexy Forever is a lifestyle plan. Your meals may vary greatly from mine, but this section will give you an idea of how you will enjoy these fabulous foods while the pounds melt away. (For a vast supply of meal plans, join
SexyForeverPlan.com/book.
)

Regardless of how cleanly we have tried to live our lives, we all have stored toxins from the many areas I have discussed at length in the first section of the book. For this reason, the first phase of the Sexy Forever eating plan is the Detox Phase, to clean out your system. During these first thirty days, it’s important that you follow the guidelines strictly, but the food has incredible flavor, and I promise you will be full! No deprivation; that only leads to cheating and failure. You will have great food, you won’t be hungry, and the best news is that you’ll see results quickly as you release the stored sugar and toxins from your cells.

Here is an example of how you will eat during these first thirty days.

Break the fast; while you have been sleeping, your body has gone without food for several hours. Now it’s time to eat! Your mother was right, breakfast is the most important meal of the day to charge your metabolism. You have several options for your day’s first meal.

Select any of the fruits from the approved list in the Food Reference Guide. Fruit salad, a fruit smoothie, half a melon—anything that sounds good to you. You just need to avoid bananas, since they are high in starch and are Insulin Triggers. Do not eat anything else with your fruit. If you are having a fruit smoothie, no yogurt, sherbet, or ice cream, just blend fruit (fresh or frozen), a little fruit juice, and ice if you want it slushy. Here are a few examples.

To drink: decaf black coffee or tea, with all-natural sweetener, if desired.

During the Detox Phase, you are allowed three servings of Carbohydrates (again from the list in the Food Reference Guide). If you choose to eat your Carbohydrates at breakfast, you may have all of them at this time. At breakfast you may combine your Carbohydrates with nonfat dairy products (which are also Carbohydrates) or Vegetables. There are a number of great options for whole-grain carbohydrates, but finding ones that comply with the plan means reading some labels carefully. Just because a product lists “whole grain” on the label doesn’t mean it’s made with 100 percent
whole grains. You must read the whole label and find breads and cereals made with 100 percent whole grains or whole-grain flours. If you see “wheat flour” it’s made with white flour. It must be listed as “whole wheat flour” to be a whole grain. Also, make sure there are no added fats, sugars, or fruits. You don’t need to worry about the carbohydrates listed on the nutritional panel; you just need to focus on the ingredient list. If all the ingredients are things you see on the Carbohydrate or Vegetable list, then you may include that product. Here are some good choices.

Variety! That’s what I love about this program. In this option, you enjoy a serving of Fruit, give your body twenty minutes to get the digestion going, and then have one or more servings of Carbohydrates. This breakfast gives you a lot of nutrition from the fresh fruit, then great fiber from the whole-grain carbohydrates. Eating your Fruit, then Carbohydrates in
the morning means the rest of your day will be predominantly made up of Protein, Healthy Fats, and Vegetables. Since fruit and carbs provide you with a lot of energy, the morning is a good time to eat them so you have time to burn off the energy they provide. Alan makes great fruit smoothies, so we usually have a smoothie, then I’ll do a little yoga or maybe have my bath, then we enjoy some toast or cereal.

If you enjoy the traditional bacon-and-eggs type of breakfast, this is an excellent choice. Again, you have so much variety here from which to choose. Eggs can be boiled, scrambled, fried, or poached, using butter or olive oil, and served with vegetables. This makes for a very satisfying breakfast. As always, if you can afford organic eggs, this is your best choice. Sauté some fresh vegetables in olive oil, like mushrooms and spinach, and add beaten eggs for an omelette or a scramble. You can even top them with a sprinkle of cheese or a dollop of sour cream. You can create all sorts of combinations, as long as you work from the approved lists in the book.

For lunch and dinner you will be starting with Protein, then adding Healthy Fats and Vegetables. This means you may choose salads with fresh vegetables, sliced meats, and full-fat dressing; soups with poultry and vegetables; seafood entrees with butter sauces and fresh vegetables; marinated and grilled steak with salads and vegetables; and roasted chicken with pan drippings and sautéed greens.

You have so much to choose from, and the best news is that these meals are loaded with flavor. You just want to make sure none of your proteins are dusted or coated with flour and that you do not add or consume any flour or thickeners in your sauces. These hidden starches are Insulin Triggers and can send this meal to the fat reserves. It’s okay to have Healthy Fats with these meals. And make sure these meals are balanced with plenty of Vegetables. Eating this way gives you all those essential nutrients and natural fiber.

Now that you see the options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, let me show you how you might put it all together for a week’s worth of meals and snacks. Remember, this is just for the Detox Phase. You will have a little more freedom when we move to Level 1. In Detox, we want to really unload those stored toxins and allow your body to release the stored sugar and fat from your cells.

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