Losing weight isn't easy, but it is doable when broken down into manageable parts. Dr. Ian Smith simplifies weight loss in his new book, The 4 Day Diet. As the resident doctor on VH1's show Celebrity Fit Club and the author of The Fat Smash Diet and the Extreme Fat Smash Diet, Smith understands how to motivate people to stick with a simple weight loss program and shed unwanted pounds.
The idea behind The 4 Day Diet is to give dieters a chance to succeed and to be able to do it on their own terms. Four days is a short amount of time to commit to something. Each rotation of the diet is only four days long. This constant change in your diet will keep you from getting bored or feeling deprived and will keep your body guessing so you can lose weight faster and avoid plateaus.
Smith says in his intro, “ Losing weight is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical.” That's not to say that we should give up on exercise, but we need to keep our head in the game. He talks about using affirmations to help reach your goal, look beyond the scale when measuring weight loss success and having a plan in place to help keep you on track with your weight loss goals.
The mind-body connection is powerful and when both are working together it is easier to achieve weight loss goals. Real success means banishing your fears, accepting your new body and having a list of things you can do instead of eating when you feel tempted. Smith talks about your relationship to food. Discover what type of eater you are so you can prepare yourself for change. Put an end to mindless eating and stop using food like a drug.
The 4 Day Diet is sprinkled with stories of real people who have struggled and lost weight. Smith helped them through their journeys and shares these stories in an effort to help others reach their goals too.
Smith developed a Modular Eating Plan that includes seven phases to choose from. Once you complete the Induction Mode, or detox diet, and the Transition Mode you are free to switch between the phases as you like. Other phases include the Protein Stretch Module, Smooth Module, Push Module, Pace Module and Vigorous Module.
The point of The 4 Day Diet is to continually change your routine to speed up your metabolism and weight loss. “The more your body adjusts to its environment, the more energy it will expend, and the more calories it will need to burn to provide that energy” (48.) Smith describes this as the optimal state for weight loss.
Smith includes details on each phase of the diet, a list of healthy snack options and recipes. Unlike The Fat Smash Diet and The Extreme Fat Smash Diet, The 4 Day Diet is a very simple weight loss program that is broken down into manageable chucks. Though there are several days of the detox diet at the beginning, the other phases of the diet vary from extremely strict to fairly laid back.
The 4 Day Diet, Ian Smith, M.D., St. Martin's Press, 2008
Tracy Rose - Tracy Rose is a powerflifter who holds the state record in deadlifting and has had success in her own weight loss journey.
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