5 Pounds

CHAPTER 1

(PROTEIN + FIBER) x 5

Changing the way you eat is obviously essential to weight loss. But that alone is unlikely to result in the kind of weight loss you're looking for. It's only one of the five interlocking factors that make up my revolutionary approach to fast-track weight loss. After 22 years of working one-on-one to help people lose weight, I have a pretty good handle on human nature. If I begin with any of the other four components, I know that you will likely skip over the other content to see what you can eat, when you can eat it, and how much of it you can eat. So I'll save you the trouble. However, I want to reiterate that following just the dietary prescription and ignoring the rest of My 5, or choosing only the components you like best, will not give you the results promised in the title: goodbye to 5 £ds--fast! The My 5 eating plan "formula" for success isn't just fast. It's also simple: Eat three meals and two snacks that include protein and fiber each and every day.

Five Reasons Why My 5 Is Easy to Do

1. You don't have to count calories.

2. You don't have to weigh portions.

3. You'll find the foods you need in any well-stocked supermarket, so there's no need to seek out exotic ingredients or to order expensive special meals.

4. You won't be overcome by cravings or extreme hunger.

5. You can easily eat this way anywhere: at home, at work, and on the road.

WHAT, WHEN, AND HOW MUCH?

The food component of My 5 has three aspects:

1. Frequency: You'll eat five times a day (three meals and two snacks).

2. Food choices: Every meal must have protein, fibrous carbohydrates--think leafy greens, string beans, apples, and lots more--and healthy fats. Snacks, too, must contain protein and fibrous carbs.

3. Portion control: You'll use your hand to judge portion size.

Follow all three guidelines for optimal results. (That's a polite way of saying no straying!) I'll go into greater detail about each of these factors in the pages that follow and provide you with a week's worth of detailed meal plans, starting on page 126.

EAT FIVE TIMES A DAY

Two of my professors at the University of Toronto, David Jenkins, MD, PhD, and Thomas M.S. Wolever, MD, PhD, pioneered the research that laid out the case for eating several small meals rather than three large ones, which underlies this program.1 The pair also created the glycemic index. (See "A Glimpse at the Glycemic Index" on page 19.)

Eating three meals and two snacks spaced out evenly throughout the day is not optional; it's absolutely integral to My 5. You'll be eating roughly every 3 hours. Say you have breakfast at 7:00 a.m. Then you'd have your morning snack at 10:00 a.m., followed by lunch at 1:00 p.m. At 4:00 p.m., you'd have another snack, followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. Obviously, you can adjust these times to fit your schedule, but the point is to never allow yourself to become overly hungry by going more than 4 hours between a meal or a snack.

Why does this approach work so well? I'm sure you've had the experience of postponing lunch or dinner for hours, only to find that when you did sit down to eat, you were insatiable. You grabbed the first thing you saw and as much of it as you could--think potato chips, candy, or baked goods. That's reactive eating. Instead, I want you to eat proactively, which enables you to remain in control of your appetite and what and how much you eat. And obviously, appetite control is a key component of weight loss. But the neat thing is that you're not suppressing your appetite to control your intake. Instead, your appetite is actually reduced when you eat more frequently, and your cravings also disappear. That's why I refer to this concept as "grazing rather than gorging."

Why does eating this way help you lose weight? There's been considerable research comparing the impact of eating more, smaller meals each day (grazing) with the conventional three-meals-a-day approach. Studies show that the grazing method helps moderate blood sugar levels, resulting in lower insulin levels, which is essential to weight loss.2, 3 Grazing also reduces appetite4-9 and minimizes cravings for sweet and starchy foods. Other studies suggest that eating frequent meals leads to a steadier metabolism, which can burn more fat throughout the day10, 11 as well as give you a more consistent energy level throughout the day.12, 13 Because less body fat is stored, rapid weight loss can result and can be maintained.15, 16 Finally, in concert with eating sufficient protein, grazing rather than gorging enhances the ability to maintain muscle mass while losing weight.17-19

Five Benefits of Grazing

1. Better control of blood sugar and insulin levels.

2. A more consistent metabolism and energy level throughout the day.

3. The lack of extreme hunger and cravings for sweet or starchy foods.

4. Rapid weight loss because less fat is stored.

5. The ability to maintain lean muscle mass while losing weight.

NO CALORIE COUNTING

Awareness of calories is important to portion control, but you won't actually have to count them on the My 5 Plan as long as you follow the meal plan guidelines and use your hand to gauge portion sizes. (You'll learn how in Chapter 6.) However, if not counting calories makes you nervous, you'll be reassured to know that each day you'll consume roughly 1,300 to 1,400 calories if you currently weigh less than 175 £ds and 1,600 to 1,700 calories if you currently weigh 175 £ds or more. That breaks down to 350 to 450 calories a meal, again, depending on your size, and about 150 calories per snack. These calorie levels facilitate expedited weight loss, in concert with regular activity.20

While I'm on the subject of calories, let me add that the overwhelming focus on calories has sidetracked nutritionists, physicians, and the food industry for more than half a century. (I could say the same for carbohydrates.) What matters most is the nutritional value of foods. I'm not saying we should ignore calories--eating too much of any food will pack on the £ds. But the focus on calories has obscured the fact that equally important is that different types of foods and when we eat them affect our hormones and even our brain messaging.21, 22

Protein calories don't behave in your body the same way that fat or carb calories do.23-25 In fact, a high-protein diet can burn up to 100 extra calories a day without any additional activity. Certain foods are more satiating, meaning they're more filling, namely those with high levels of fat, protein, and/or fiber. Eating 200 calories of eggs will make you feel fuller or feel fuller sooner than eating the same number of calories of a donut.26 So, once and for all, calories are important, but they are only one piece of the puzzle inherent in achieving weight loss.

MEET THE MACRONUTRIENTS

The three major macronutrients (food groups) we build a diet around are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. We cannot thrive for very long without one or more of these food groups. Each one is essential to our health and contributes to organ function, energy, cell repair, hormone creation, and a host of other effects, all the way down to creating healthy hair and nails. The relative amounts of these three macronutrients in your meals play a role in weight loss, as does their quality.

While some foods are exclusively or almost exclusively one category of macronutrient (egg white is protein, olive oil is fat, grapes are carbohydrate), most are a combination of two or three macronutrients. For example, chicken is part protein and part fat, while milk and lentils and other beans contain carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The meals and snacks you'll be eating on the My 5 Plan contain all three macronutrients in a certain balance. Let's look briefly at each macronutrient before discussing how they'll come together in your meals and snacks and work in concert to help you lose weight.

THE PROTEIN PACKAGE

Think of protein as a train with many adjoining cars, and each train car as one amino acid. Most of our body mass that isn't water is made up of protein, including our organs, muscles, and skin. Protein contains 4 calories per gram, and because our body cannot store protein (as it does fat and carbohydrate), higher protein consumption doesn't easily translate to gaining body fat. Any excess the body doesn't use is simply excreted. (In some extreme cases, protein can be converted to carbohydrate, which can be then converted into fat.) In other words, most people don't gain weight by overeating fish, chicken breast, eggs, or Greek yogurt. With My 5, you'll be eating protein at every meal and snack, and overall getting 30 percent of your calories from protein.

Research on moderately high protein intake provides all sorts of good news to anyone concerned about his or her weight:

• Eating protein (and less carbohydrate) at each meal results in more weight loss than not eating protein throughout the day.27-30

• Eating protein at every meal helps preserve muscle mass even as fat is lost.31

• Eating adequate protein protects lean muscle mass.32-35

• Eating sufficient protein increases fat loss, improving body mass index (BMI).36, 37

• Eating protein specifically at breakfast reduces food cravings and intake throughout the rest of the day.38

• Eating plenty of protein aids satiety (the opposite of hunger), making it less likely you'll overeat.39

Four Reasons to Eat Protein

Here's how protein-rich meals help you slim down fast:

1. They contribute to satiety, so you can eat less and still feel full.

2. They raise your metabolism so you burn more calories.

3. They build and protect (fat-burning) muscle mass.

4. Unlike high-carb meals or snacks, they don't create high insulin levels.

Bottom line: If there's no protein on your plate, it isn't a meal!

PROTEIN ON THE MENU

You'll be eating quality sources of protein on the My 5 Plan:

• Seafood

• Poultry (chicken and turkey)

• Nonfat and low-fat organic dairy

• Beef, pork, and game

• Eggs and egg whites

• Legumes and beans

• Protein powder

PROTEIN FROM THE SEA

Fish and shellfish are wonderful protein sources, as well as great sources of healthy fats, particularly fatty coldwater fish rich in valuable omega-3 and omega-6 fats. It's a good idea to focus on the smaller species that are low on the food chain. They're less likely to contain dangerous levels of mercury. Consume large species only once a week, but not if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. (See "Seafood Selections" below. Also visit the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector at edf.org/seafood.)

SEAFOOD SELECTIONS

COLDWATER FISH SHELLFISH OTHER OPTIONS LARGE SPECIES TO AVOID

Anchovies Crawfish Catfish Halibut

Artic char King crab Flounder King mackerel

Atlantic mackerel Oysters Sand dabs Marlin

Herring Scallops Sea bass Shark

Sardines Shrimp Sole Swordfish

Striped bass Sturgeon Tilefish

Trout Tilapia Tuna

Wild Alaska salmon

Wild Pacific salmon

POULTRY PROTEIN

Chicken and turkey are wonderfully versatile sources of protein that can be grilled, stir-fried, or baked. A few pointers:

• Lean toward white (breast) meat, which receives more of its calories from protein than dark (thigh and leg) meat.

• Purchase skinned breasts or remove the skin before eating.

• Ground lean turkey or chicken breast makes great burgers.

• Turkey jerky is a convenient snack to have on hand.

• Avoid breaded or deep-fried prepared poultry dishes.

THE LOWDOWN ON DAIRY

Did you know that five of the 10 countries with the longest average life span have a diet very high in dairy products? In case you're curious, they're Sweden, France, Italy, Israel, and Greece. Follow these guidelines when purchasing dairy products:

• Use reduced or low-fat products, which are higher in protein and lower in calories.

• Although organic dairy products are more expensive, it's a good idea to use them. The United States is one of the few countries that still allows farmers to inject rBGH (synthetic bovine growth hormone) into cows. A Canadian study indicates that milk from rBGH-treated cows contains significantly elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and presents human health safety concerns.40 There's also some evidence that a higher milk intake is linked to girls beginning to menstruate early.41 Organic dairy products contain no rBGH.

• If dairy products give you gas or stomach distress--to a large extent, your ethnic heritage influences how well you can digest milk--use lactose- free products. Greek yogurt, goat milk yogurt, and some low-fat cheeses are also essentially lactose-free.

All Yogurt Is Not Created Equal

Is yogurt a sweet treat filled with fruit and sugar? Or is it a tangy, protein-rich condiment? It's both, of course, but there's a world of difference between regular flavored yogurt and unflavored Greek yogurt, which has been strained to make it thicker. Among the many brands of Greek yogurt in your supermarket are Oikos, Chobani, Fage, and Stonyfield. The chart below compares the nutritional information on the label of a brand of low-fat conventional yogurt with that of a nonfat Greek-style yogurt. Note the dramatic differences in protein and sugar content.

OIKOS PLAIN GREEK YOGURT DANNON FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM BLUEBERRY YOGURT

CONTAINER SIZE 5.3 oz 6 oz

CALORIES 80 150

FAT 0 g 1.5 g

CARBOHYDRATE 6 g 29 g

SUGARS 6 g 24 g

PROTEIN 15 g 6 g

You might also want to try Icelandic-style skyr, a kind of strained yogurt. The brand Siggi's does a good job of minimizing the sugar content, even in flavored yogurt. Whenever possible, choose unflavored yogurt and add some berries.

PROTEIN FROM MEAT

Beef, pork, and game are high-quality, iron-rich sources of protein, but many cuts can also be high in unhealthy fats and calories. Opt for leaner cuts, as well as smaller portions. Good cuts include eye of round, top round, and bottom round, either as a roast or a steak. Use ground sirloin tip or top sirloin for burgers. Most pork (but not bacon) is leaner today than it used to be. Lamb tends to have a high fat content, but there are cuts that pass muster. In general, the tenderloin, loin chops, and leg are the leaner cuts in pork and lamb. Other lean alternatives include game meats such as bison, ostrich, and venison.