The Holiday Diet

Diet & Nutrition

A professional entertainer or model should be as fit as possible. When you enter AMTC or the world of professional performers, you are competing in an international arena. Be the best you can be. If you have unhealthy habits, now is the best time to change them. Following are suggestions to gain your best body, and optimum health.

Note for fashion models (not Plus Fashion Models): national fashion models are quite thin. They carry no excess fat. AMTC does not endorse dieting. If your body shape and bone structure are right for modeling, but you have a few extra pounds from bad habits, we can help you. However, if you follow all healthy eating and exercise guidelines mentioned below, and you still do not “fit” international fashion requirements, don’t starve yourself. Your AMTC Director can guide you into the right type of modeling for you.

Rules of The Holiday Diet

Rule # 1: Lose Your Scales. Throw your scales away! Most of us are fascinated with our weight, especially when we’re dieting. I strongly disagree with diet books that counsel the dedicated to weigh every morning. This encourages an unhealthy preoccupation with the “numbers” and sets you up for disappointment. If you’re eating well and exercising, you should be losing weight steadily. Right? Wrong. It rarely happens that way.

During a successful diet, your body will lose pounds and often plateau at the same weight. It’s not an even process. If you see no results on the scales for a matter of days or even weeks, what happens? You may surrender the struggle for health. After all, you’re not really thinking of how you feel or long-term goals. Your focus is on the scales.

Even if your weight is normal, it won’t be stable on a daily basis. Temporary changes in water weight can cause a gain on the scales that isn’t really a gain at all. Increasing muscle mass through exercise may make the numbers inch up, although your body size is inching down.

How can you tell if you’re really losing weight? Allow your clothes to be your guide. Keep a pair of tight pants (non-stretch) on hand. Put them on once a week. You’ll know. It’s a simple idea. That’s the Holiday Diet.

Rule # 2: Never Diet Again. I define most diets as “an unnatural way of eating designed to promote weight loss.” The key word is “unnatural”. If a diet is unnatural for you, you can’t do it forever. Forever is important. You need to find an eating plan that makes you happy and healthy for the rest of your life. It’s a simple idea.

Diets of deprivation ultimately make you fatter and sicker. The more you diet, the more you slow your metabolism. Your metabolism is often compared to a furnace, as it regulates the burning of energy (food) to keep your body running. A slow metabolism is a fat person’s nightmare. Although you may eat the same amount of food as a thin person, you stay overweight. He stays thin.

When you deprive your body of fuel by an act as simple as skipping a meal, it believes it better slow down its rate of calorie burning. The body thinks, “When will I eat again? Maybe not for a while. I better hold on to what I’ve got.” The metabolism slows down. If you go on a low calorie diet, the body panics, “I’m starving. I’ll slow down as much as I can. I’ll burn some muscle first. I can replace that later when times are good. I’ll keep my fat as long as I can. It’s my last hope.”

Does this sound silly? Maybe it does to your brain, but not to your body. Your body reasons as bodies have throughout the millennia. Food was not always available. The possibility of starvation was real. Your body fears starvation and cherishes fat. With that in mind, your body reacts to low calorie diets and fasting as logically as it can. It slows your metabolism to make your food go further.

To attain your ideal weight, you need to be careful about the messages you send to your body. Don’t skip meals. Don’t starve. Don’t slow your metabolism. Eat. In fact, we will spend much time in the Holiday Diet talking about speeding up your metabolism, naturally, of course.

Your body is quite happy to know approximately when and how much “fuel” it is to be given on a regular basis. In this way your metabolism can run most efficiently. It tunes itself to maintain optimum performance. The healthiest people have regular eating habits. They never diet. The quality of their food will vary, but the quantity and timing are relatively consistent.

What about diet pills? I’m proud to say that my husband has never prescribed them. However, thousands of doctors do, under pressure from hundreds of thousands of obese patients looking for a miracle. God bestows miracles. Drugs bestow side effects.

Safe and effective diet pills do not exist. With this risk lies an inescapable truth. Even if you lose weight with a diet pill and don’t get sick, how will you keep it off? Can you take the pills forever? Have we forgotten to look a step ahead? Other medical side effects of dieting may include fatigue, bone density loss, osteoporosis, skin disorders, proneness to infections, and even cancer.

Dieting is for losers. They lose pounds. They lose muscle. They lose health. Eventually, they lose the will to diet. They regain their pounds, and suffer yet another loss: self-esteem. They often feel weak, powerless, and, somehow, less than they should be. With the indomitable human spirit, these determined dieters usually summon up the strength to try again- only to have a vicious cycle repeated. So, if you don’t diet, what do you do? Read on.

Rules # 3: Plan for Success. Picture yourself thinner. Imagine the details: your flatter stomach, tighter arms, better fitting clothes. Did you have a double chin before? Well, not now. Remember that pair of pants in the back of the closet? Too little to wear. Too nice to give away. Doesn’t it feel great to be in them again?

Practice the power of positive thinking. Your brain controls your body. A good attitude encourages success in weight management. If you tell yourself, “I would like to lose fat and build muscle. I have a wonderful body that’s served me well. I am very grateful, but I believe I would feel better with less fat and more muscle,” your mind will look for opportunities to make this wish a reality. Say this to yourself every day. Tell your loved ones. You are programming them to help you too. Positive thoughts and positive words create positive actions.

Surround yourself with positive people. Your family is most important. Will they support you in your desire to gain health and lose weight? Plan your new lifestyle. Share it with them. Enlist their help. Thin or not, your family will benefit from eating healthy foods.

If your loved ones belittle you, you face a more difficult path. If they eat your favorite fattening foods in front of you, your resolve may fade. You alone can judge your determination. Friends who share bad food habits may be co-dependents. They may feel their own enjoyment of food is threatened by your new choices. They may be unwilling to consider a different or healthier lifestyle. If their current habits don’t bother you at all, no problem. If sitting in the midst of beer, chips, and fried foods is a major temptation, you may need to temporarily maintain your distance.

Look your best right now. Dress for success. Wear clothes that are well fitted. Don’t allow yourself to retreat into loose or stretch clothing. You can’t tell if you lose or gain weight. Nor is it flattering. Larger sized people look best in well-tailored clothing that is neither tight nor baggy. Never buy a larger size of clothing than you need. Always err on the side of small. You are encouraging yourself to shrink, rather than giving yourself room to grow.

As you lose weight, immediately alter or discard your “too big” clothing. Never keep it. If you do, you are giving yourself space and opportunity to regain that weight. You are actually planning for your ultimate failure, and that is not an option.

If you gain a few pounds, never hide or discard your tight clothing to buy a larger size. You are rewarding yourself for poor choices. You are comforting yourself with new clothes. Instead, you must face the consequences of your weight gain. Wear the tight clothes until they fit again. Harsh treatment? You’ll be surprised how a weight-gaining spree is stopped in its tracks, and then reversed.

Love yourself, but don’t be easy on yourself with loose clothing. Be firm in your resolve. If you don’t own any fitted clothing, buy some before you start the Holiday Diet. As you lose weight, buy smaller sizes. This purchase might be simply a non-stretch pair of blue jeans. What should you do with your too large clothing? Give it away. You’ll never need it again. You don’t want to give your subconscious the wrong idea. You’ll never be returning to your previous size. You have changed your lifestyle.

Care for your skin, face, and hair. Be well groomed. Show the world you respect yourself; it will respect you back. Weight loss occurs most naturally from a position of self-love and respect. What if you don’t feel positive about yourself? That’s okay. Just act like you do. Tell yourself you do. You are planning for success.

Rules # 4: Stop the Pop! “Stop the pop.” I can see posters, placards, and billboards carrying this snappy command. I picture the stunned faces of customers coming out of the grocery store holding their 12 packs of soda. Next to them will be the smug, superior faces of the diet drink guzzlers, who are sure that this directive does not apply to them.

When did we start thinking that soft drinks should replace water? Could the “brain-wash” strategy of the advertising geniuses be working? They spend hundreds of millions of dollars to show us how much better we will feel, how much happier we will be, and, generally, how our life will be totally improved with each refreshing swallow of the delicious, chemical drinks we know as “pop.” Surely, a snazzy, sweet caffeine “zing” is preferable to the bland no-taste of water.

Of course, along with the pop comes fast foods: the “we are in a hurry and want to eat something good” foods: I call these “no thought” foods. You don’t think about them. You just eat them. They’re fast, easy and taste good. Who can resist burgers, fries, pizza, chips, and donuts? They are everywhere. Everybody eats them. The no thought choices are endless.

Do you watch television, read magazines, and see billboards? If so, you probably have seen thousands of commercials and ads about fast foods. You have been programmed to believe these quick meals and snacks are not only socially acceptable, but also the normal “bill of fare” for most people. In fact, abstaining from the food and drink of the masses can make you feel like an outcast.

You must stop eating fast foods and sodas on a regular basis. These highly advertised treats are devils in disguise. I’m not going to give you a list of acceptable fast foods, or tell you that you can find something to eat almost everywhere. Many times you can’t. You need to change from a follower to a leader, from a spontaneous eater to a planner, from a fast-food addict to a healthy role model. If you follow this rule alone, you will very likely lose weight.

Diet drinks are not okay. These artificial concoctions are filled with mystery. If you can’t read and understand the ingredients, stay away. Studies show that artificial sweeteners may stimulate the appetite and decrease the formation of natural serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a desirable chemical that does a lot of good things for our bodies. Without enough of it, you may feel depressed, anxious, sleepless, or worse. Let common sense rule. Take mind control out of the hands of the advertising industry. Reclaim your power of decision.

What should you eat?

Eat real, natural, unrefined foods. Drink water, as man has done from time immemorial. Add milk and tea for variety. Enjoy an occasional glass of juice, wine, or homemade lemonade as a treat. You can be healthier, satisfied, and maintain a desirable weight. Think about it.

Before television, marketing, and fast foods ruled our lives, most people were thin. Surprisingly, they ate pretty much what they wanted. This usually included ample amounts of fat, and even desserts. Still, they were thin. Yes, they were more active. But their diets were neither low-fat nor low calorie. However, they were natural. They ate unprocessed foods. Mother Nature was the creator, not chemists and packaging plants.

Eat complex carbohydrates. What are they? They are the “good” carbohydrates: natural fruits, vegetables, and grains, as “unprocessed” as possible. We have to chew them, and our stomach takes its time in digesting them. Even complex carbs turn into glucose; they do so more slowly, avoiding the insulin surge of their sugary cousins.

In terms of bread products, choose whole grains: whole wheat, whole rye, whole oats. The less processing, grinding, “enriching,” preservatives, sugars, and unhealthy oils the better. Whole grain breads are harder to find than you might imagine. What is labeled “whole wheat” in your grocery store is often a combination of whole and processed wheat, with a healthy dose of sugar thrown in. As tedious as this process seems (and it is) read ingredient labels- at least until you get to know some favorite brands. Remember that ingredients are listed in order of weight (or quantity.) How much carbohydrate should we eat? Most likely less than you are eating now, and only in its whole and complex form.

The Holiday Diet advocates consumption of “heart-smart” protein. Lean protein is an amazingly attractive food. In addition to providing essential nutrients for health, it makes us feel full and satisfied much longer than carbohydrates. It doesn’t raise our blood sugar at all. In fact, protein stimulates the opposite hormone in the pancreas: a hormone called glucagon. If insulin creates fat, glucagon helps burn it. Isn’t that great? You get to feel fuller, longer; you avoid yo-yo blood sugars; and you stimulate the burning of fat all at the same time.

Fat is misunderstood. Diet professionals blame fat in our diet for fat on our bodies. They would have us believe we are pasting it directly onto our stomachs and thighs. They propose that eating too much fat is the biggest culprit in the American obesity epidemic. I don’t think so. I believe the big offenders are refined carbohydrates and fast foods. In addition, it’s the low fat diet industry itself. In my opinion, great expanders of our American waistlines were the manufacturers and advocates of low fat dieting.

Not all sources of fat are created equal. They are equal only in their calories. In terms of health consequences, fats are vastly different. Some fats increase the risk of heart disease. Some fats improve it. Some fats have been known to lower the incidence of cancer and decrease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. In terms of your waistline, the moderate use of healthy fats will not make you fat. Research indicates they can improve your health, appearance, and overall food satisfaction.

Good fats include nuts, olives, olive oil, canola oil, avocados, salmon, sardines, and seeds. Good fats may carry the labels of “monounsaturated,” “polyunsaturated,” “omega 3 fats,” or “omega 6 fats.” Poorer sources of fat are saturated fats, derived largely from animal and dairy products. However, the “evil” fats are, of course, man made. They are called trans fats, a.k.a. partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oil. They carry a host of bad consequences. An old TV Commercial said, “it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Indeed, it is not!

Summary of What to Eat

Have I confused you? I hope not, because it’s really pretty simple. Eat as many natural foods as possible. If you have to cook more, and plan more, then that’s the price you pay to be thinner and healthier. You can work it out. Pack your lunch. Plan your meals. Cut out the fast foods. Stop the pop.

Rule # 5: Eat Intelligently. Something about this rule makes me mad just to see it. “I’m smart,” you might say. “I know what to do. I just don’t do it.” If you know what to do, but just don’t do it, that’s not too smart. To lose weight and maintain your best health, you have to know both what to eat and how to eat. You can “do what you want” on diet holidays (Rule #7). We all need to feel naughty sometimes. But not now. Not every day. Not most days. Following are hints, tips, and secrets of both naturally thin people and formerly fat people. These suggestions will teach you how to eat thin; how to eat smart; how to eat intelligently. Check yes before the suggestion if you’re currently eating this way. Check yes after the suggestion if you would like to begin eating this way.

Eat Pro-actively, not re-actively. This means you plan your meals. You think about your day in advance, and make sure you have the right foods to eat at the right times. If you are going out to lunch, you either “bag” your lunch that morning or know that healthy choices are available. Do not eat spontaneously when food is brought into your office. You eat a bite of a co-worker’s birthday cake, not a slice. You decline the doughnuts. You pass on the egg rolls or pizza. You know that most fast food is junk food, designed to make you temporarily full and permanently fat. Don’t let yourself get hungry, because temptation looms largest then. Don’t leave your house for work or shopping without eating. You know when you will be hungry and you have planned for it. You have packed an apple, a whole wheat sandwich, whole wheat crackers, nuts, or dried fruit.

Don’t skip meals. We’ve already talked about his, but this message bears repeating. Keep your metabolism running well. Don’t frighten your body into slowing down its rate of calorie burning.

Eat 3-5 meals or snacks each day. Eat smaller meals. Include healthy snacks. Eat more lean protein, complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole wheat products), and smart fats in moderation.

Eat your smallest meal at night. I “gotcha” with this one, didn’t I? If you’re a typical American, you eat a big meal at night. It’s family time. It’s tradition. It’s your reward for a day of work. It’s also fattening. What can you do to change this habit? Pack a substantial lunch and a mid-afternoon snack. Let supper be light. Europeans still practice this healthy habit, and the vast majority of them are thin.

Eat slowly. Easy to say, but hard to do. You’re busy. You’re hungry. Slow down. The stomach takes 20 minutes to realize it’s full. So, where does this leave you, if you’ve finished your meal in 10 minutes? You’re not satisfied and ready for more. I’ll bet you’ve eaten with a naturally thin person who takes an annoyingly long time to eat. That irritates me, too. But, it’s healthy and it works. Slow down.

Don’t snack at bedtime. Go to bed with an empty stomach. You’ll sleep better, burn fat while you sleep, and awaken hungry for a good breakfast. Who wants breakfast when your digestive tract has been busy gurgling, churning, and processing food most of the night? If you are used to bedtime with food “in process,” being empty will feel unsettling at first- like you’re missing something. What you’re missing is weight gain. You’ll soon grow to prefer the rest you’ll be giving your body.

Stop eating when you are full. This one is really hard for me. I have a compulsion to stuff myself. It’s irrational, I know. However, many of us eat beyond our comfort level. I like the formula mentioned in the book, Diets Don’t Work. The author asks you to rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10: one is weak with hunger; ten is too full to move, and five is perfectly satisfied. All of the numbers in between represent varying levels of fullness or emptiness. Never eat beyond level five. Level five rarely requires a second helping. Let seconds become distant memories.

Food is only food. Food isn’t really your friend, your enemy, your psychiatrist, your comfort, your reward, or your salvation. Eating from boredom, depression, loneliness, or frustration is a hopeless pursuit. Seek your solace in church, true friendship, volunteer work, or meaningful employment. It is only food. Anticipate it and enjoy it, but don’t allow yourself to eat to satisfy an emotional need.

If you feel you may have emotional problems underlying your relationship with food, seek counseling. Most of us eat for emotional reasons. I have found that recognizing the process helps to eliminate it.

Drink the ultimate, natural drink and avoid the rest. Water is every model’s secret weapon. Make it yours. Drinking 6 – 8 glasses of water each day is a priority for the beautiful, the athletic, the ill, the healthy, and it should be a priority for dieters as well. Water stimulates your metabolism, flushes toxins out of your body, and performs innumerable good deeds. You might add tea, mineral waters, and, as an occasional treat, a glass of juice.

Drink coffee in moderation. Caffeine may stimulate your appetite, but it also may stimulate your metabolism and boost the effects of exercise. Lot’s of research is being done on coffee and caffeine. Limit your intake and avoid artificial sweeteners.

Eat healthy, natural, whole foods. We are living in an artificial food fantasy world, where almost everything we eat has been treated or altered with chemicals and processing. Our fat epidemic is the tip of the iceberg. Underneath this iceberg lies a huge, dark suggestion of disease. We’re not exactly sure how the chemicals we eat might affect the delicate balance within our bodies. Common sense tells us that insecticides, growth hormones, artificial sweeteners, flavors, and chemicals are not “good” for us. Even if advertising (i.e. brainwashing) tells us otherwise.

The commercial food industry is not interested in our health. They want our money. Their profit formula is to make food taste good (lots of sugar, oil and salt); give it a long shelf life (chemicals and preservatives); make it quick to fix or eat (we’re always in a hurry); do all of the above as cheaply as possible (cheap labor, health shortcuts); then advertise like crazy (so we’ll want it).

I’m not telling everyone to be a health food fanatic, wandering up and down the aisles of the health food store. But it’s not a bad idea. Sure, you can find healthy, whole foods in your grocery store, but you have to look for them. Take the time to eat natural, lean, whole, real foods, and you can’t go wrong.

Avoid temptation. Don’t put yourself in the middle of McDonalds, if your weakness is French fries. Don’t go out to eat at all, if you can’t find a healthy entree. Don’t visit Aunt Sarah without telling her to forgo baking your favorite chocolate cake. Tell your loved ones, friends, and co-workers about your eating program. Enlist their support. Avoid temptation altogether until you are strong enough to say “no thanks.”

Make your home a sanctuary. Clean the junk food from your cabinets and your refrigerator. You are not doing your family any favors by keeping their “chips and soda.” No matter if they are thin. Set an example. Enlist their support. The Bible says “avoid temptation.” Keep tempting, unhealthy foods out of your home. Eat them only when you are on a diet holiday.

Enjoy every bite. Eat what you like. Like what you eat. Don’t eat something just to be polite. If you begin to lose your taste for a food after a few bites, leave the rest. When you stop enjoying it, stop eating it. A weight loss program does not have to be punishing or cruel in its content. Plan to eat the foods you enjoy. Simply postpone the pleasure of unhealthy foods for your diet holiday.

Rule # 6: Turn Up the Heat. If you thought the Holiday Diet was just about food, sorry. Exercise is essential. You weren’t given legs for a walk to the refrigerator. Your body needs to move. Sustained aerobic exercise not only burns calories during a workout, but it also stimulates your metabolism to keep burning extra calories long after exercise has stopped. A peppy metabolism is an eater’s delight. A slow metabolism is a dieter’s nightmare.

You have to exercise. It’s that simple. In studies of people who lose weight and maintain it, they have one uniting factor: exercise. Some of my favorite weight loss authors feel exercise is optional. I do not. Exercise on the Holiday Diet is mandatory. Our goals are health, strength, and weight normalcy. I don’t believe these goals can be achieved without exercise. We suggest you consult your physician to be cleared for moderately strenuous exercise.

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, it will be a difficult commitment. But if you want to lose weight and gain health, commit you must. Don’t tell me you don’t have the time. We all make the time for our priorities. If this isn’t one of yours, I suggest finding another eating plan. Mine won’t work.

There’s no excuse you can give that I haven’t given. “It’s too hard;” “I don’t have time;” “My knees are bad;” “Any little thing just wipes me out;” “Everyone is looking at me;” “I don’t like to exercise alone;” “It’s too hot outside;” “It’s too cold outside.” Do what you enjoy. Do what you can. But do it 5-6 days per week. As you get in better shape, do more. Please remember, exercise, like the Holiday Diet, is a lifelong commitment.

Increase your metabolism by weight lifting. Remember, a pound of fat burns 2 small calories a day; a pound of muscle burns 50. That’s a big difference. If you can replace some of your loose and useless fat with hard and compact muscle, hooray! You’ll look better and burn more calories every day. Also, we lose muscle in the aging process. We must fight against that. I advise you to work with a certified trainer until you can design and remember a safe and effective weight lifting program. An injury is the last thing you need on the Holiday Diet. The ability to exercise is vital. We recommend that you weight lift 2 days per week in addition to your aerobic workout.

Rule # 7: Enjoy Your Holiday. The Holiday Diet is an eating program with planned indulgences. You have permission to be naughty. Eat your favorite treats: desserts, fried food or junk food. Terrific. They’re fine. Most importantly, the guilt associated with eating them is gone. You are absolved. Now you must absolve yourself. Enjoy your holiday.

Stop beating yourself up. Guilt and self-hatred have no place in your positive lifestyle. They don’t belong on the Holiday Diet. Why do 95% of devoted dieters fail?

Unsuccessful dieters don’t like diet foods. How can they remain faithful to foods they don’t like? On the Holiday Diet, you design your own menu, within the context of health.

Unsuccessful dieters grow tired of the complication or expense of buying special meals, attending meetings, reading charts, or measuring portions. After you develop your routine, the Holiday Diet is simple.

Unsuccessful dieters don’t enlist the support of their family, friends and co-workers. Dieters dread telling people they are “on a diet,” for fear of failure. Or perhaps their friends are non-supportive because the dieter’s healthier eating habits are a nagging reminder of what they, the friends, are doing wrong.

Unsuccessful dieters don’t exercise. Many diet plans don’t think exercise is vital. They are afraid of pushing the dieter too hard. On the Holiday Diet, we are afraid you’re not pushing hard enough. Exercise is vital. You must move.

Unsuccessful dieters can’t give up their favorite foods. Diets that require fanatical, unnatural routines devoid of your comfort foods are unrealistic. With the Holiday Diet, you don’t have to give up anything for long. Look forward to your holiday. Suffer no regret.

Unsuccessful dieters eat a forbidden meal at the wrong time and lose hope. When they indulge in a comfort food, they feel guilty and may give up entirely. You will learn on the Holiday Diet that an occasional indulgence, a fattening meal, or even a whole day of gluttony does not prevent your weight loss progression. Only the loss of hope stops you. When you fall “off the wagon” of healthy eating, dust yourself off and get right back up there. No one expects perfection. Nor should you. However, learn to plan your indulgences. This control gives you self-confidence.

Unsuccessful dieters are too hungry or weak to continue. Low calorie diets burn muscle, and make the dieter weak and miserable. The long-term effects are almost always negative, both physically and psychologically. The Holiday Diet is not a low calorie diet. In fact, it’s not really a diet at all. You will eat.

Unsuccessful dieters believe they will fail. I realize that you have probably tried other diets before. They didn’t work. Why is the Holiday Diet different? It’s different because now you understand what to do, and it makes sense. It’s different because you have made a logical decision to change your lifestyle. Failure is not an option. When you agree, the time is right for you to start.

Unsuccessful dieters may work hard and lose weight, but they eventually regain it. They did not develop a lifestyle with foods they enjoy. The Holiday Diet is a lifestyle, and you must take the time to plan it yourself.

So, how does the holiday work? You have 2 initial options. But first, you must

Stay true to your eating and exercise plan for 6-8 full weeks. No holidays yet. Six to eight weeks will allow you to adjust to healthy living– a different lifestyle. You may experience withdrawal symptoms from sugar, not to mention psychological addictions to your favorite foods. You may feel lonely or at odds with your lifestyle. Exercise may be difficult. You’re trying to navigate through the grocery store to shop for new items, while passing by your favorite shelves. It’s disappointing at first. You feel an emptiness that your comfort foods used to fill. All of this will pass.

When you feel this emptiness… Read a book. Go for a walk. Take a hot bath. Play with your child. Call a true friend. Go to church. Stay away from food. Don’t do anything that you associate with your old eating habits, like watching TV or renting a movie. Avoid food commercials, ads, and fast food restaurants. Don’t look at them. Don’t listen to them. They are speaking both to your conscious desires and your subconscious needs.

Understand that your body is confused. You’ve changed your eating patterns and started exercising it in a way it’s forgotten. You’re giving it whole foods that require more work to digest. Your body was used to the old way. It had grown to accept and expect the easy food. It would store the excess calories and keep you warm, snug, and safe. Change is difficult for your mind and your body.

Yes, everything is different. You’re using organs and muscles in a different way. You are making demands on your body and asking for performance. It may not give you the energy you want at first, not easily. You are retraining it to a new and higher metabolic level, and that takes time. You are asking your body to begin dipping into its fat reserves. It hates that. It will wait and make very sure that this new attitude of yours is real. Be patient. When your body fully accepts its new responsibilities, it will cooperate.

What about your holiday? It looms in front of you like a beacon. You miss your old foods, and you know they’re coming. On the Holiday Diet, they’re just around the corner. You always have something to look forward to. After you’ve spent 6-8 weeks retraining your body and firing up your metabolic furnace, it’s time to give yourself a break, and you have 2 initial choices.

Diet Holiday– Option #1

You may enjoy your holiday one full day, every other week. Most people prefer Saturday, every 14th day to be exact. Eat anything you’d like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plan your favorite foods. Anticipation is more than half the fun. Dream about and enjoy your forbidden favorites. Guilt is not allowed, and your weight loss and health gain will not slow down.

Diet Holiday– Option #2

You may choose to enjoy your holiday for one meal every week. Every 7 days to be exact. You may choose to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or supper, but not all three. As with Option #1, eat anything you would like.