Super Shred: The Big Results Diet: 4 Weeks 20 Pounds Lose It Faster! (3 page)

Skipping meals is a big mistake, and it can be counterproductive on SUPER SHRED. If you are not hungry enough to eat all of the meal, then don’t eat it all. Just eat some of it. But skipping it altogether is not the solution. Your body must grow accustomed to a regular eating schedule, as it is counting on those energy calories to nourish and fuel it so it can carry out the basic functions of life. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. We all know what it feels like to be so stuffed you can barely get up from the table. It might’ve tasted great going down, but then it sits in your stomach and you don’t even want to move. If you stuff yourself, you have overeaten, and that is exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish with SUPER SHRED. This plan will help you improve your relationship to food and become more in tune with your body’s true needs rather than what you think your body needs.

Substitutions

SUPER SHRED is a program that provides flexibility, which makes it accessible to almost anyone. Whether you suffer from a medical condition, have a food allergy, or have food preference restrictions, you can still follow this plan. While it’s advised to make as few changes to the plan as possible, you can definitely make substitutions where necessary. Great care has gone into structuring this program so that you can achieve maximum results, so be aware that modifying it too much can also impact your chances of succeeding.

While I have tried to cover as many scenarios as possible, no one diet can take into account all the possibilities or questions that can arise. This is why old-fashioned common sense is important and needs to be employed when you are in doubt. If you become confused or find yourself unsure, err on the side of caution. Vegetables, for example, can always be substituted in the program. You can never go wrong by choosing them. But that also means cooking them properly. For example, fried green tomatoes, while quite tasty, are not a proper substitution while on this diet. The goal is to eat as cleanly as possible, so when you are faced with a choice, choose the item that’s lower in calories, closer to how it exists in nature (less processed), and most abundant in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. The idea is that you can take SUPER SHRED on the road with you, whether eating out at a restaurant, a friend’s house, or on vacation. It’s a portable program. Even in difficult food environments you should be able to find something that will work and hold you over until you have better choices available.

Exercise

I am quite aware that for many people, exercise is the word they do not want to hear. But in SUPER SHRED, it is a part of the program you will come to enjoy. Remember that you are asking your body to deliver some extremely impressive results in an extremely short period of time. To accomplish this, all strategies need to be in synch and operating at maximum capacity. Hands down, exercise is the best way to boost your metabolism and burn up the energy that your fat cells have been storing.

Each day a certain amount of time is recommended for your exercise. You are expected to do at least that amount of time. If you are motivated to do even more, that’s great. Go ahead and do it. You will have certain days marked as rest days. If you still want to do something on those days, that’s fine also. The more work you put in with your exercise program, the better the results you will achieve.

The
SHRED 27 Burn
DVD is a 27-minute workout that has been specifically designed with the SHREDDER in mind. Find out more about it at
www.doctoriansmith.com
. Many people are surprised at how short this workout is compared to the hour or more they’ve been told to do by trainers and others. This high-intensity interval training program is great for burning calories, improving your endurance, and increasing your energy levels. Once you get the DVD, you can follow it as instructed; if you want to do another workout on some days, that is fine also. Variety in the type of workout you do is strongly encouraged and will keep your metabolism boosted while preventing you from getting bored with the program.

The SUPER SHRED exercise requirements typically center on cardio exercises. This does not mean that you can’t do resistance training—free weights or bands. You can add resistance training in your second week of the program. You shouldn’t need more than 25 to 35 minutes to do a good resistance-training program. Try to do this three times a week. Remember, however, that we are not trying to build bulky muscle, but rather nice lean muscle. That means lifting light weights for a high number of repetitions. So, for example, if you were to do arm curls with 5-pound dumbbells, you should be lifting the weights for fifteen repetitions per set. You should do three sets for that particular exercise maneuver. If you can’t do this, then that means the weight is too heavy for our purpose. It might help to get a few sessions with a trainer at a local gym so that you understand the correct form, body posture, and safety while lifting weights. Resistance training in addition to the cardio exercises that you will be doing can go a long way in boosting your metabolism and helping to burn the fat faster by creating the ever-important negative energy balance.

Maintenance

SUPER SHRED is not meant to be a long-term program. I can’t emphasize this enough. SUPER SHRED is your secret weapon when you want to lose weight quickly but in a healthy manner. I have designed this program so that you can employ it on an as-needed basis, not as a way to eat for the rest of your life. Remember,
destination dieting
. Once you have done SUPER SHRED and you want to maintain your loss or even lose a little more, then you should go back to the original SHRED diet plan.

SUPER SHRED has been constructed to fit perfectly with the original SHRED. The daily menus and the flexibility in the program have been designed to make your transition to SHRED quite seamless. Given the great results you find with SUPER SHRED, you might be inclined to go through another four-week cycle. Doing consecutive cycles is fine, but I suggest that you don’t do more than two in a row. You should at least do the six-week SHRED cycle before you attempt another SUPER SHRED cycle. It’s important that your body not grow accustomed to eating and exercising in the same manner, and this is why cycling on and off SUPER SHRED and using the original SHRED as your life plan can not only bring the best results but provide you with the best opportunity to maintain them.

[CHAPTER 3]

Week 1: Foundation

Welcome to your first week of SUPER SHRED. This is going to be an exciting journey, but before you go any further, you must agree that during the next four weeks you will absolutely give your best effort to stick to the plan, minimize excuses, and keep pushing yourself even when you’re discouraged or things seem difficult. The first week is critical, as it sets up your chances for success for the remaining three weeks. This is why it is called your Foundation week. You will build upon this week, and it’s important to create your good habits now so they will carry you through the rest of the program.

You are asking a lot of your body as far as achieving great results in a short period of time, so you have to give this your best. The more work you put in, the better the results you will get out. Because time is limited, you really need to hit the ground running. Each day you stick to the program is one day you get closer to your goal. Each day you overeat, skip more than one meal, or eat food that’s not on the daily menu is considered a slip, and it takes you backward, away from your goal. If you slip when you are less than halfway through the week (days 1 to 3), go back to the beginning of the week. If you slip on any of days 5 to 7, just go back one day and do it again. If you slip on day 4, do day 4 again. Minor slips, such as having one extra small snack or eating your meal 30 minutes later than scheduled, do not necessitate your starting over. No one is perfect and you’re not expected to be. But at this point you will know if you had a major slip or just a minor slip. Not being honest about it only affects you and your results, so you are cheating no one but yourself and the results you will achieve by the end of the week.

The table below shows a sample schedule for timing your meals and snacks. Timing is essential, as it distributes your calories in a way that keeps your fat-burning metabolism maximized and keeps your insulin hormone levels as stable as possible. Erratic hormone levels can cause weight gain, so the meal spacing structured in this program seeks to avoid hormone spikes as much as possible. Please note that this is only a sample. All of us get up and go to sleep at different times, so you have to set your schedule accordingly. If you keep in mind that the meals are 3 to 4 hours apart and the snacks are 1½ hours after the meal that precedes it, then you will be fine.

Make sure you read all of the guidelines before beginning the plan, and since they are so short and convenient, feel free to circle back at any time during the week to check on things that you might have a question about. If your question still isn’t answered, err on the side of caution by eating less or not eating a food that might not be allowed on the plan. Remember, we don’t have a lot of time to lose this weight, so making good decisions is critical. It’s okay to set the bar high, but it’s not okay to make choices that are going to sabotage your chances of success. Regardless of what that number reads on the scale at the end of this week, if you gave it your best shot, that is the best you can do and that’s the most you can ask of yourself. You still have three more weeks to produce results, so don’t get upset and hang your head. We all lose weight at different speeds and in different places. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Believe! Work really hard! Smile and have lots of fun, especially during the tough times!

SUPER SHRED Week 1 Grocery List

This is a list that takes into consideration the different combinations of food and beverage items offered to you this week. Because the program has a lot of flexibility and choices, no one list can be constructed for everyone. In the list below you will find food and beverage opportunities. You can make the choices that fit your preferences and purchase accordingly. Note that there are some items that you
must
have. You should be sure to buy them so that you will have them on hand when the program calls for them. If you are a vegetarian, you don’t need to eat the meat meals. Make appropriate substitutions, but be mindful of calorie counts.

FRUIT

•
Must:
2 lemons

•
Must:
6 additional servings of fruit. This can be a combination of berries and other fruits.

•
Serving size:
1 piece of fruit
=
1 serving; ½ cup of berries
=
1 serving

BREAKFAST OPTIONS

•
Must:
6 breakfast meals. Choose your combination from this list.

3 cups oatmeal (1 cup cooked
=
1 meal)

1 cup Cream of Wheat (1 cup cooked
=
1 meal)

4 cups sugar-free or low-sugar (under 5 grams) cereal: for example, Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, Cheerios, Fiber One (1 cup
=
1 meal)

2 eggs (2 eggs
=
1 meal)

1 loaf of bread

2 pancakes, preferably whole-grain (size of a CD)

1 strip of bacon (turkey or pork)

1 low-fat or fat-free 6-ounce yogurt

1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of regular cheese on 2 pieces of 100 percent whole-wheat or whole-grain bread

BEVERAGES

•
Must:
6 cups green tea or hibiscus tea.

•
Must:
32 additional drink options for the week. Water is not included; you may have as much as you want. Choose your combinations from the list below. Then purchase your choices for the week.

27 cups of fresh juice

14 cups of coffee

7 twelve-ounce cans of diet soda

21 cups of low-fat, reduced-fat, or fat-free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

21 cups of unsweetened iced tea

20 cups of lemonade

2 cups of flavored water

SALADS

•
Must:
4 large green garden salads, 1 small green garden salad

•
Optional:
You will have other opportunities to have salads. Those opportunities are listed below. You should choose which of these you want, then purchase accordingly.

3 medium green garden salads

1 large green garden salad

1 small green garden salad with turkey sandwich

VEGETABLES

•
Must:
12 servings

•
Optional:
3 servings. You will have other vegetable opportunities. If you choose them, purchase accordingly.

•
Serving size:
1 serving is approximately the size of your fist; for a tomato, 1 serving is a medium tomato.

MEAT AND FISH

•
Must:
4 servings. Choose from the list below. But note the maximum number of servings you may have for each option.