We’re going to do this together. 

Whether you end up eating and exercising this way for the rest of your life, or you decide it’s not for you, this program is a great place to start when you’re trying to figure out the best lifestyle for YOUR particular body.

3 REASONS YOU GAINED WEIGHT

Here are the main reasons you’ve probably put on pounds, and what we’re going to do about it this month.  

1. Too Many Carbs

You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s true, so I’m going to say it again. Too many carbs make you fat. If you don’t use all that sugar, bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, and candy you eat during exercise or normal bodily functions, it gets stored as fat. Simple as that.

So we’re going to try to eat a little less of the sweet stuff and the bready stuff this month. I will guide you through it – I promise!

2. Foods You’re Sensitive To

When you eat certain foods you’re sensitive to, your body has an immune response, which can cause weight gain, headaches, fatigue, digestive problems, autoimmune diseases, joint pain, water retention, and a lot of other things.

I’m willing to bet you have at least one food sensitivity. And after working with thousands of people and doing a whole lot of research on the topic, I’m putting money on the fact that your body doesn’t like gluten.

No human body can really digest the stuff, so it makes sense that we shouldn’t be eating it.  

When I took gluten out of my diet, I dropped 15 pounds. No joke. I’ve seen the same thing happen over and over again, so we’re going to start there.

The other common foods that people are sensitive to are corn, soy, dairy, sugar, vegetable oils, and all grains (wheat, rice, quinoa, oats, spelt, amaranth, buckwheat – and yes, even the sprouted kinds).

3. Too Much Food

It’s simple as simple can be, really. And it’s the main thing that held me back from losing weight for a really long time: eating too much food. I’ll help you figure out how much you should be eating throughout this program. It’s not an exact science, so we’ll work through it together.

FOOD GUIDELINES

You can download your Food Guide for Fat Loss document for more complete information, but here are the basics. First and foremost this month, we’re going to remove the foods from your diet that are making you fat, and I promise you this won’t be miserable. It will be surprisingly delicious and satisfying. 

You’ll be removing some high-carbohydrate foods, therefore inherently making your diet lower carb. Don’t worry – we’re not going super low-carb! That’s NOT something I recommend and I don’t think it’s sustainable.

You’ll also be removing all the most common foods that people are sensitive to: gluten, grains, corn, soy, vegetable oils, dairy, and white sugar.

WHAT YOU WON’T BE EATING

• white sugar and man-made sweeteners
• gluten
• grains
• dairy (don’t worry – we’ll talk about this)
• vegetable oils

WHAT YOU WILL BE EATING

The foods you will be eating are just as important to your fat loss goals as the foods you take out. In order to be healthy and at your optimal body composition, you need nutrients – vitamins and minerals, which come abundantly in the form of muscle-building protein, satisfying fats, and colorful fruits and veggies. 

The foods below provide you with way more nutrition than a standard American diet, as well as tons of fiber.

• colorful veggies of all kinds
• fruits of all kinds
• red meat, poultry, fish
• eggs
• healthy fats
• natural sweeteners in moderation
• nuts and seeds

The foods we’re taking out of your diet are inflammatory, meaning they mess with a LOT of people’s immune systems and cause not only weight gain, but all kinds of other health problems. I’ll tell you exactly how to substitute for breads, pastas, grains, and sweets. You won’t miss a beat. 

At the end of the 30 days, if you want you can try the foods you’ve been avoiding on this program to see how they affect you. Then you can make the decision about whether or not to keep going.

MEAL PLANNING AND RECIPES

Here are some more specific guidelines for you, and please download your Meal Planning and Recipes for Fat Loss Guide. 

How Many Meals Per Day

You’ll want to eat 3 or 4 meals a day. At least in the beginning, make sure you eat breakfast, even if you’re not a breakfast person (you can do it). This will help to knock your blood sugar levels back into place if they’re not so great now. We’ll talk about breakfast again soon.  

Building Your Meals

In general for meals, you’ll pick a protein source – about 4 to 6 ounces of red meat, poultry, eggs, fish, seafood or some combo of those – and build on that with veggies, fruits, and the healthy fats that are listed in the food guide in your downloads found at the bottom of this post.

Recipes

There are TONS of recipes out there that follow these guidelines. Basically, you’re going to be eating Paleo or Primal or whatever you want to call it. I don’t care about names – I just know what works to help people lose weight. Download this Meal Planning and Recipes for Fat Loss Guide to find my favorite recipes, both online and in books. 

Meal Planning

Download the Meal Planning and Recipes for Fat Loss Guide, which will help you figure out what to buy at the store, how often to cook, and how much to eat.

Athletes and Active People

If you’re an athlete, you’ll need to eat more carbohydrates in the form of fruits, starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and potatoes, honey, and fruit juice, depending on how active you are. I’ll go more into that in a week or so, but in the meantime, just experiment with food amounts and carb intake to see how you feel best. Everyone is different.

HEALTH BENEFITS

These are some of the awesome things you might find happening during this month…

• fat loss
• more muscle tone
• decreased joint inflammation
• better digestion
• improved blood sugar control
• healthier cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• improved skin  
• less depression and anxiety
• more energy
• better sleep

Let’s see how good you can truly feel. 

My post will be full of advice, motivation, and information that I think you’ll be wanting (how to curb cravings, how many carbs to eat and where to get them, how much alcohol you should be drinking, how much food to eat, how to get over a fat loss plateau, etc.).

A NOTE ABOUT ALCOHOL

For this month, I strongly urge you to give up drinking alcohol. I know that might be difficult, but the point of this whole thing is to see just how healthy you can feel and how much fat you can lose.

So removing alcohol and replacing it with cool, clean water will get you there much more quickly. It’ll help your liver and all of your organs detox the way they’re supposed to, and it won’t add to your carbohydrate load.

We’ll talk about alcohol more in a later post, but for now, I’d say cut it down as much as you possibly can, especially the glutenous alcohols like beer. It’ll also help you detox much faster if your liver isn’t dealing with alcohol all the time on this challenge. We’ll talk about detoxing soon, too 😉

—>>>DOWNLOADS<<<—

Please download these documents and put them in a special place where you’ll remember them on your computer. These are guides that I’ve put together that will help you through this month and beyond. Keep ’em handy!

——> Food Guide for Fat Loss (PDF)

——> What Is Paleo? (PDF)

——> Meal Planning and Recipes Guide (PDF)

THAT’S IT FOR NOW!

Alright, now you know what to eat and what to avoid! I’m going to let you mull all this over and give you time to get to the grocery store.

Tomorrow I’ll check in to see how you’re doing. Then later we’ll get into some lifestyle and exercise tips for this month, but one thing at a time! 

Talk soon and good luck!

Neely Quinn

Nutrition Therapist
neelyquinn.com