As a culture, we’ve gone way overboard trying to beat the bulge.
We’ve spent too much money, time, and effort trying to get thin. We’ve gone on all sorts of diets – low cal, low carb, low fat – in the hopes of achieving our dream body. We’ve popped endless pills and cleansed our insides until nothing’s left. We’ve eaten according to our blood type, subsisted on grapefruits for months on end, and come very close to starving ourselves.
Why do we keep on getting fatter and fatter? Why is it that the country with the most gyms, health foods, low-cal salad dressings, and diet gurus on earth can’t seem to stop gaining weight?
We all know how fat we are as a country: More than one-third of US adults, a whopping 35.7 percent, are not just overweight but obese, and that already-shocking figure is expected to rise to 42 percent by the year 2030. But if we’re so aware of the problem, why can’t we seem to do anything to fix it?
Let’s agree that we’re confused. The competing information we’re being bombarded with day and night isn’t doing us any good. The Internet is great for streaming my favorite shows and keeping up with the blogs I follow, but when it comes to disseminating the right information about health and fitness, it’s infamously bewildering and sometimes even downright dangerous. Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to …
We need to hit the reset button. We need to reset the way we think about food. We need to reset our metabolisms. We need to reset our bodies. And we need to do it now. Yes, “we” means all of us, including me. That’s right: Despite having espoused a healthy, moderate lifestyle over the last 20 years, I have realized that moderation isn’t always enough, at least not as the first step toward real weight loss. Ultimately, moderation is the key to success. But while a more gradual approach to weight loss – by working out five times a week and eating five balanced meals a day – is incredibly effective for long-term weight loss, I have come to understand the urgent desperation so many of you feel: YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT NOW! Not next month, or even next week. Today. This afternoon.
That was certainly my experience working on the personal transformation show The Revolutionon ABC, which was, in many ways, a life-changing experience for me. I saw over and over again that the women who lost the most weight right away were the ones who stuck with the program over the long haul, well after the TV show had ended. I saw that instant gratification works! We need to see results to stay motivated.
This conviction was deepened by a recent study that found people who lose a significant amount of weight early on in a weight-loss plan are far likelier to stick with the plan over the long run.
I realized that I had to create a plan that brought immediate and dramatic results, without leading to that disastrous yo-yo effect (lose 10 pounds this week, regain 15 next week) associated with so many diets. (See my post on yo-yo dieting for info on how bad this cycle is for your body.) The plan I developed as a result is so simple yet so effective that even I was shocked by the results. I call it The Body Reset Diet, and it’s detailed in my new book: The Body Reset Diet: Power Your Metabolism, Blast Fat, and Shed Pounds in Just 15 Days and it’s on shelves now.
If you read my blog last week, you’re familiar with all the reasons I’ve embraced blending as a tool to make the most nutritious and filling smoothie meals. The program itself is composed of three phases: The five-day jump start includes three delicious smoothies (Red, White, and Green) and two snacks – all customizable to your preferences and dietary restrictions – that keep you satisfied while boosting your metabolism.
Here is what a typical day looks like in phase one of The Body Reset Diet …
Three specific types of smoothies make up your meals in phase one – one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner
Air-popped popcorn is one example of a snack you can eat during the five days of phase one
Hummus and cut veggies: another example of a phase one snack
In the next two phases (over 10 days), you’ll reintroduce healthy one-dish non-blended meals along with the smoothies to keep your metabolism humming, so you’ll continue to blast through calories and pounds.
The plan also incorporates walking (10,000 steps a day!) along with a short, light resistance training circuit using only your body weight. No equipment or gym memberships necessary!
Whether you’re looking to lose significant weight or just those last 5 pounds, I really, truly believe in this plan, and encourage you to check it out. I promise you’ll see results you’ll love.
For those of you doing The Body Reset Diet this week, Tweet me @harleypasternak and let me know how many pounds you lose in the first 5 days!
Weight loss 