Since Flat Belly Diet! was published, my philosophies have been enhanced by a wealth of new research. I’ve attended several scientific conferences, counseled many more people, and traveled to other parts of the world to study nutrition and public health. In this book, I combine some of the research I used to develop the Flat Belly Diet! eating plan with new studies, fresh insights, added wisdom, and exciting new studies about how to lose weight and keep it off.
In a nutshell here’s how this plan is similar – This plan also:
• Emphasizes a Mediterranean-style eating plan with produce, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, including MUFAs (monounsaturated fats).
• Provides lists of quick and easy meals you can make as described in the book.
• Provides interchangeable meals. In Flat Belly Diet, all of the meals were interchangeable; in this plan, breakfast and snack are interchangeable and lunch and dinner are interchangeable.
What’s Different – Unlike Flat Belly Diet! This plan:
• Emphasizes portions and balance instead of calorie counts.
• Places a much stronger emphasis on whole, unprocessed options and local and natural foods.
• Ensures that you get a specific number of servings from each food group each day, including two fruit and four veggie servings.
• Lets you customize the size of your meals to your body’s needs.
• Adds coconut oil to the list of good-for-you fat options.
• Is vegetarian and vegan friendly and recommends more plant-based meals.
• Includes specific guidelines for water and other beverages.
• Includes S.A.S.S., Slimming and Satiating Seasonings, at every single meal.
• Offers a meal-building “puzzle” that teaches you to create your own plan-friendly meals at home or away from home.
• Includes a walking program that easily fits into your daily schedule.
• Actually insists on a daily dark chocolate indulgence!
In a nutshell this plan provides a specific strategy that teaches you exactly what to eat, why, how much, and when that you can easily follow no matter where you go - without counting a single calorie. After reading the book you’ll be able to visualize precisely how to put meals together, whether at home or at a restaurant – meals that are satisfying, nourishing, and delicious and make you feel amazing inside and out.
How does it work without counting calories?
I built the calories into the blueprint (aka the 5 piece puzzle) by using specific portions of fruits or veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and plant-based fat at every meal. Because the structure of each meal is fixed and the portion sizes are specific and uniform, your calorie intake will automatically fall into place, right where it should be. And most importantly, you’ll get the right types of calories in the right balance, along with the right nutrients. By following the plan you’ll always automatically exceed the daily recommended servings of fruits, veggies and whole grains, and eat a lean protein, plant-based fat and antioxidant rich seasonings at every meal. As a registered dietitian this ‘big picture’ approach is one of my favorite aspects of the plan. Throughout the years I’ve counseled many clients who followed weight loss plans that only emphasized calories, fat or fiber, and as a result they failed to consistently meet their needs for other nutrients or achieve an ideal balance. With this plan consistency is key.
Is it a one size fits all plan?
No. The book is based on core plan that will meet the needs of most adult women, but I’ve also included a tool that teaches you how to customize the plan for your own body’s needs. A woman who is 5’4”, fairly inactive, and 39 years old shouldn’t follow the same plan as a 5’8” 23-year-old who works out five days a week or a 5’10,” 50-year-old man. In the book I’ll show you how to ensure that your personal strategy is designed for your body. This plan is also customizable based on your dietary preferences. The meals are separated into categories, including vegan, vegetarian and omnivore lists. In addition, you can adapt any meal in the book by swapping out a ‘puzzle piece’ for another food within the same group. For example, if a meal calls for whole wheat pasta but you’re gluten intolerant you can swap the pasta for wild rice, corn or quinoa. Or if you like a meal that includes chicken but you are a pescetarian or vegetarian you can trade it for shrimp or beans. Once you have the 5 piece puzzle down pat you can create unlimited combinations tailored to your preferences or what’s in season.
What about exercise?
In the Cinch! book I dedicate an entire chapter to falling in love with walking. For numerous reasons (I outline more in that chapter) I believe walking is the perfect exercise. To name a few all you need is a great pair of shoes, you already know how to do it (you’ve probably been doing it since you were about one year old) and it’s just as effective as running for weight loss and health benefits. I fell in love with walking when I was a little girl. My family lived near a high school, and nearly every night, my mother and my best friend’s mother would head down to the school’s outdoor track and walk laps together. My friend and I tagged along to play, and we often tried to guess what they were talking about. We knew they were “exercising,” but it seemed as if they were lost in conversation as their legs moved on auto-pilot. As a child and teen, I was always active. I played softball in grade school and ran track and cross-country in high school, but to be honest, I didn’t enjoy these activities. They felt like work and pressure and competition and rules, and I didn’t stick with them. Over the years I tried every form of exercise — dancercise, step aerobics, spinning — and even completed a personal-trainer certification, but it wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I realized that the one method of moving my body that I truly enjoy and look forward to is walking. In the book I lay out a plan for how to create your own walking plan. It includes specifics about the ideal speed and frequency, and how to use walking as “you time” to create, bond and sort through important issues.
Does the Cinch! book address emotional eating?
Yes. In my experience counseling people for nearly two decades it’s one of the major obstacles to weight loss success. In the Cinch! book I included an entire chapter on emotional eating. In it I lay out some of the most effective exercises I’ve used with my clients to help them better understand their relationship with food and begin to transform it. Most of us developed an emotional relationship with food as children. We were comforted, consoled, lulled, rewarded, even babysat with food. From a really young age, you probably learned to turn to food as a companion or coping mechanism for just about every feeling, from fear to joy. But the good news is you can change that. The powerful exercises I included in the emotional eating chapter can show you how.
How did you come up with this plan?
I’ve been in private practice for many years, nearly two decades, and in my experience people want and need concrete strategies (otherwise figuring out what to eat is too overwhelming), but in order to be both effective and sustainable the approach needs to meet three important criteria:
1) It has to take the big picture of nutrition into account – not just calories in, calories out, but overall balance, so you won’t miss out on key nutrients that affect energy, immunity or even satiety.
2) It has to be customizable – we live in a ‘have it your way’ society where people want to marry a concrete strategy with their own personal preferences and individualized needs. A one size fits all approach just won’t cut it, for anything from managing your finances to managing your diet.
3) It has to be easy. In part the Cinch! book got its name because so many of the people using this plan proclaimed how easy it is to understand and to follow.
4) The food has to be delicious. I may be a nutritionist but I’m human and I love food as much as anyone. I know that no matter how healthy a meal is and how good it makes you feel the real driver, especially long term is taste. I’ve never believed that losing weight means sacrificing the flavor and enjoyment of food.
In all my years as a dietitian I thought through every approach that had caught on, and each one had a flaw – one of the above was missing. Here’s what I mean:
Diet trend: Low calorie
Pros: Nearly every weight loss study ever published confirms that ultimately cutting calories is the bottom line for successful weight loss.
Cons: Too few calories can cause the loss of muscle and suppress immunity and low calorie artificial, processed foods aren’t healthy just because they’re low in calories.
Bottom line: For long-term weight loss and health it’s all about getting the right amount of both calories and nutrients.
Diet trend: Low fat
Pros: Fat packs 9 calories per gram compared to just 4 in protein and carbs, so reducing fat is an effective way to cut excess calories.
Cons: Cutting fat too low reduces satiety so you feel hungry all the time, and fat free junk foods like cookies are still loaded with calories and sugar. Finally too little “good” fat can actually increase your risk for heart disease.
Bottom line: The focus needs to be on eating the right kinds of fat and the right amount.
Diet trend: High protein, low carb
Pros: Prior to low carb diets, many women weren’t getting enough protein because the low fat fad cut out a lot of protein-rich foods. Adding protein back boosted energy and immunity as well as key nutrients like iron and zinc and protein is filling, so it helped to shut off hunger, even at a lower calorie level.
Cons: Too much protein and too few carbs can up the risk of heart disease and cancer because you miss out on fiber and the abundant antioxidants in whole grains, fruit and starchy veggies.
Bottom line: Portion controlled amounts of a balance of protein, carb and fat-rich foods make for the healthiest diet.
I wanted to create a plan that would allow people to achieve the ideal balance of everything their bodies needed (good carbs, lean protein, healthy fat and nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) – but it also had to have the simplicity and specificity that allows people to really “get it” and be able to use it no matter where they are (at home, out to dinner, on vacation). That’s where I came up with the basic puzzle principle. I added the S.A.S.S. (Slimming and Satiating Seasonings) and daily dark chocolate escape based on cutting edge research about their weight loss and health benefits (plus they’re delicious and satiating). I’m incredibly excited about and proud of the plan. Before finalizing the plan I thought it through a million times and I truly believe it includes everything you need to get you started on day one, and keep you going for a lifetime!
What are the Fast Forward Menus?
Some people have asked for these. My publisher has not OKed giving out the 5 Day Fast Forward recipes because there are only 4 of them in total in the book – the exact same 4 recipes (1 scramble, 1 smoothie, 1 salad and 1 parfait) are consumed every day for 5 days. Also you really do need the book for the “rules” of the fast forward, the quiz, beverages, seasonings, expectations and diary. I do not recommend trying to figure it out on your own as I tested the Fast Forward using the specific plan in the book.
Can I make substitutions during the Fast Forward?
Blueberries share similar properties with raspberries but I did not “test” the plan (in terms of results) with any other berries. Same for yogurt. You can certainly try skim or soy milk or nonfat cottage cheese but these don’t contain the ‘good” probiotic bacteria found in yogurt, which I talk about on pg 49. However I don’t want anyone to eat anything they don’t like! The plan is all about enjoying healthy foods! If you decide to make any swaps in the Fast Forward please let me know how it goes!
Can I make substitutions during the core plan?
One of the things I love about how I constructed the core plan is that you can swap out any puzzle piece for another in the same category. So if a meal in the book calls for cheese or another dairy product you can swap it out for soy milk or tofu, etc. Same with any puzzle piece. If a meal calls for a fruit that’s not in season, swap it for one that is. If a meal calls for wild rice and you prefer brown rice or want the meal with whole wheat pasta, just make the swap! That’s part of the beauty of the 5 piece puzzle.
Can I exercise during the Fast Forward?
As I say on pg 236 I do not recommend being active during the Fast Forward. You'll actually get better results! The Fast Forward is all about ending diet chaos, rebooting and resetting your digestive system, hunger hormones and taste buds and keeping things very simple and repetitive. This is easier to do when you aren't active.
What if I’m allergic to nuts and I want to do the Fast Forward?
If you are allergic to almonds or other tree nuts but have no allergies or intolerances to peanuts or sunflower seeds you can substitute the almonds and almond butter for:
Peanuts and natural peanut butter
OR
Sunflower seeds and sunflower butter
But before doing so please check with your personal physician and read the information in this link to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network about tree nut allergies: http://www.foodallergy.org/page/tree-nut-allergy
This company claims to be completely nut free in terms of equipment: http://www.sunbutter.com/allergy-nutrition.php
Why a maximum for water?
For women the Institute of Medicine's guidelines for fluid call for 2.7 liters of total fluid per day, which includes all beverages, as well as water-rich foods such as fruits and veggies. As you've seen in the book the plan includes 4 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit and I highly encourage drinking tea. So between the 10 cups of water, 5 cups of tea, 1 cup of coffee and as those fruits and veggies it's unlikely that a healthy person would need more than 10 cups per day. However, if you drink more and would like to continue to do so please do.
What are whole oats and should the oats be cooked?
Quick cooking oats are whole oats. They work very well in the smoothies and many of the recipes/meals such as the parfaits, mock “ice creams” and apple crisp. For cooked oat breakfast and snack meals you can also use steel cut oats. In some of the recipes I use dry oats, uncooked. If the recipe/meal does not specify that the oats should be cooked they are not cooked. For example, the oats in the smoothies and parfaits are dry, uncooked and they taste great! You can also toast them on a cookie sheet if you prefer.
Can I follow the plan if I have diabetes?
People with diabetes should skip the Fast Forward. The core plan is very diabetic friendly in that it is balanced in carbs, protein and healthy fats, well timed, can be customized and there is no added sugar or salt and no processed foods. However I always have to advise you to get your physician’s OK before starting this plan, especially if you are on insulin. Please let your doctor and personal dietitian know that they can contact me directly if they have any questions.
Can I eat potatoes on the plan?
Hand cut French fries are my personal can’t-live-without splurge. I talk about how to build them (and other must haves) into your plan on pg 251, but for plain potatoes (not fried) you can swap them in occasionally in place of the whole grain. Just be sure to stick with 1/2 cup cooked, skin on.
I’m feeling hungry. Help!
Mild to moderate hunger is a good thing (please see chapters 1 and 2) but you should not feel intense hunger. During the 5 Day Fast Forward please see pg 60 about how to adjust the “detox” if needed for hunger and on pg 154 there is a “my size” quiz that shows you how to adjust the core plan (e.g. add food to it) if needed based on your gender, height, activity level, etc.
Can I follow the plan if I’m breastfeeding?
Congratulations on your new baby! Nursing moms should skip the Fast Forward and double the whole grain portions of the core meals.
What if the ‘eat like clockwork’ rule means eating right before bed?
If possible it is ideal to have 1-2 hrs between dinner and bedtime, but it’s much more important not to let over 5 hrs go by without eating whenever possible. So if you had breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, a snack at 4pm and 8pm and went to bed at 9pm it would be OK.
How I can I ‘eat like clockwork’ if I work a 12 hour shift?
If you’re awake over 16 hours try to eat about every 5 hrs if you can, even if that meals adding one extra meal to your schedule. If you’re working a very long shift, like 7pm to 7am you will need the extra fuel!
What should I do if I usually work out before breakfast?
If you work out very early in the morning and don’t want to eat your entire core meal before exercising I recommend having the fruit and lean protein puzzle pieces before your workout and the other 3 puzzle pieces after (such as a small banana and nonfat yogurt or milk before and a slice of whole grain toast with almond butter & cinnamon after). This will fuel your workout (and thus prevent burning muscle mass during exercise) and refuel/heal your body in the hours after exercise.
Can I drink herbal tea? Can the coffee &/or tea be decaf?
On pg 20 in the beverage list I did include herbal tea. And yes the coffee and tea can be decaf.
What about other natural sweeteners?
I only recommend 1 tsp or packet or raw sugar daily total. I personally do not recommend any additional added sweeteners of any kind because in my experience they may stoke a sweet tooth and/or disrupt appetite regulation and affect taste. This is just my opinion/experience and what I personally recommend. I have learned to love my coffee just with organic vanilla soy milk and spices and I hope you’ll be able to do the same!
Will I regain some weight when I move from the Fast Forward to the core plan?
I have not found that people re-gain after transitioning from the Fast Forward to the core plan. The Fast Forward is more strict but because the whole grains in the core plan are portion controlled, spread out with proper timing and because there is no added salt and sugar nearly everyone has been able to transition to the core plan without a weight rebound. That was my goal – the addition of whole grains should only be enough to fuel your body, not enough to feed your fat cells or even store excess carbs that are unneeded in the hours after the meals! For info about weight fluctuations however please see page 249.
What if I’m on a limited budget?
There are many meals in the plan that call for readily available foods such as whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, and corn, chicken, tuna, eggs, etc. If you are concerned about the plan on a limited budget and you have not purchased the book yet you may want to take a look through the book at the book store before you decide if it’s the best plan for you. Also please remember that in the core plan you can swap out any puzzle piece for another in the same category. So if a meal in the book calls for organic chicken (higher cost) you can swap that out for canned tuna or beans (lower cost). If a meal calls for quinoa (higher cost) you can trade that whole grain puzzle piece for brown rice (lower cost). I believe that makes the plan customizable based on both your preferences, food availability and budget.
My e-reader won’t print pages, help!
I have never purchased a book in electronic form so I did not know that pages aren’t printable. I’ve passed this question on to my publisher and they are looking into a solution for possibly being able to print the food diaries, et. Once I know something I’ll post to facebook.com.
Can men follow the plan?
Yes, men can follow the plan. On pg 154 I included a “my size” quiz that explains how to adjust the plan if needed based on height, gender, weight, activity, etc. Men may want to skip the optional Fast Forward. If you do decide to try the Fast Forward please see page 56-61 about what to expect and how to adjust for hunger if needed.
Can I follow the plan if I must avoid gluten?
I think it’s very doable to follow the plan gluten free. The book includes meals that use buckwheat, corn, quinoa, and wild and brown rice and for items like crackers, cereal, oats, etc. and other foods that may include gluten you can certainly use gluten free brands such as:
BREAD
Food for Life Wheat & Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread
ENGLISH MUFFINS
Food for Life Wheat and Gluten Free Multi Seed English Muffins
TORTILLAS
Food for Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Tortillas
HOT CEREAL
Arrowhead Mills Rice and Shine Hot Cereal
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal
PANCAKE MIX
Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix
CRACKERS
Mary’s Gone Crackers Sea Salt Sticks & Twigs
NUT BUTTERS
Arrowhead Mills
BEANS
Arrowhead Mills
WHOLE GRAINS
Arrowhead Mills
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Rolled Oats
Also one of the things I love about how I constructed the plan is that you can swap out any puzzle piece for another in the same category. So if a meal in the book calls for whole wheat pasta you can swap it out for quinoa or wild rice, etc. Same with any puzzle piece. If a meal calls for a fruit that’s not in season, swap it for one that is. If a meal calls for wild rice and you prefer brown rice, make the swap! This should make it easy for you to follow the plan gluten free and based on your preferences.
