January – Fast Metabolism… Get Ready

Here is a brief background sketch of the program and an easy filling soup recipe for a phase 1 lunch or dinner.

The 3 phases of each week are designed to shake up your bodies routine approach to food by keeping it surprised. It does that by flooding it with vital nutrients you may have been missing, but never in the same way for more than two or three days in a row. According to Haylie this strategy keeps your body working, surprised, and supported. It reverses the biochemical patterns that have slowed your metabolism. She calls it a wake up call that will trigger a calorie and fat burn.

If you have been on a low carbohydrate or low fat diet for years, your body has gotten used to it. It’s much like doing only one type of exercise, the other muscles haven’t been used.

Phase 1 – Days 1 and 2 – Unwind Stress and calm your adrenals

Days 1 and 2 are high in carbohydrate-rich foods, natural sugars from fruit, and B and C containing foods. We will be eating moderate amounts of protein but low fat. Days 1 and 2 are designed to calm your adrenals.

What does this look like? Three carbohydrate rich meals with moderate protein and low fat, plus 2 fruit snacks.

Phase 2 – Days 3 and 4 – Unlock stored fat and build muscle

These two days are the reverse of days 1 and 2. Days 3 and 4 are high-protein, high-vegetable, low-carbohydrate and low-fat. They are high in foods that support liver function. I personally found these two days the most difficult.

What do they looks like? Three high protein, low-carb, low-fat meals, plus 2 protein snacks

Phase 3 – Days 5, 6 and 7 – Unleash the burn, Hormones, Heart and Heat

These three days are high healthy fat, moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein, and low glycemic fruit. They are designed to support your heart and hormones, increasing your bodies fat burning ability.

What do these days look like? Breakfast has a grain, veggie, healthy fat, and fruit. Lunch is a vegetable plus fat and fruit, dinner is protein, veggie and a grain. There are two snacks of a healthy fat and vegetable.

A note on exercise: The book suggests cardio activity in phase 1, weight lifting or a muscle building activity in phase 2, and yoga or another relaxing activity (even getting a massage) in phase 3.

Guidelines

These are also called Rules, but I dislike that word. It reminds me of grammer school or the backs of doors in 3rd story walkup hotel rooms. These guidelines are important though.

Here are the do’s:

• You eat five times a day – you are turning up your metabolism, that means your body needs consistent food at regular intervals. Do not skip meals or snacks even if you are not hungry.
• Eat every three to four hours except when sleeping. This means that if you stay up late you may need to eat an additional phase appropriate snack.
• You need to eat within 30 minutes of waking. Again, you want your body to have that fuel. That means you may need to plan breakfast the night before. If you have to rush out the door, have your snack and eat breakfast later.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day, for me that means 8 cups of water. I found keeping track in a journal or on my Fitbit app was helpful.
• Eat organic when possible.
• Meats should be nitrate-free. Nitrates in food slow down the breakdown of fat, not what you are trying to do.

And the don’ts:

• No wheat (exception is sprouted wheat)
• No corn
• No dairy
• No soy except for tamari and Bragg Liquid Aminos, which are fermented. Exception: if you are a vegetarian or vegan you can use organic, non-GMO tofu or tempeh or edamame as a replacement for meat. Phase 1 and 3 have vegetarian options but this is more difficult in phase 2 without soy.
• No refined sugar
• No caffeine
• No alcohol
• No dried fruit or fruit juices
• No artificial sweetners
• No fat-free diet foods

How much food can you eat? It depends on how much weight you would like to loose. In my posted recipes I will give portion sizes for less than 20 pounds. If you would like to loose more, you can actually eat more. Email or comment to me and I will give you the portion sizes. I found an inexpensive food scale useful, as well as measuring cups.

I strongly suggest buying the book for more information. This is only an introduction. The book also has recipes in the back, as well you can purchase additional books with more recipes. I will be posting what I eat on the program, but there are other options. For example, I don’t usually eat smoothies, however she has several recipes for them in the book.

Here is a recipe for a phase 1 dinner, add a fruit for a phase 1 lunch. Make it ahead, you can even freeze it. A serving will be about 2 cups.

Turkey, white bean and kale soup

4 servings of about 2 cups each (2 1/2 quarts)

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 cup of chopped celery including some of the tops
• 1 cup of chopped carrots, not too small
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 cups of vegetable, turkey or chicken stock
• 3 cups of chunked winter squash (butternut, kaboucha, or delicata), peeled if necessary (you can often find chunked butternut squash already prepared at the grocery store).
• 3 cups of chopped kale (I used baby kale and added it whole just before serving, it was only slightly wilted)
• 2 cans of white beans or cannellini beans or 1 of each, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, saute the turkey, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of water with a teaspoon of salt until beginning to soften. Add an additional tablespoon of water if things seem to be sticking.
2. Mix in the thyme, rosemary, cumin, bay leaf, and chili powder. Let simmer for a minute or two with the turkey and vegetables.
3. Add the broth, squash, kale (if using regular sized kale), and beans. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. If using baby kale, add it to the soup just before serving so it is only slightly wilted.
6. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

For a vegetarian version, add another can of beans (maybe black bean or adzuki).