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Saturday 23 March 2013

The Cruise Phase



The Alternating Protein Diet—Protein + Vegetables
 
This phase actually consists of two alternating diets: one day, the protein + vegetable diet and then the next day, the pure protein diet, and so on until you reach your target weight.
Everything that was allowed in the pure protein diet is still allowed, with the same freedom of quantity, time of day, and combinations. Just do not make the mistake of eating only vegetables and no proteins.
 
Vegetables You Can Eat:
From now on, as well as protein-rich foods, you are allowed all cooked or raw vegetables and, here again, without restriction regarding quantity, time of day, or combination.
You can eat tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, asparagus, leeks, string beans (pastai/teci), cabbage, mushrooms, celery, fennel, Swiss chard (foi de sfecla), eggplant (vinete), zucchini (dovlecel verde), summer squash, peppers, and all salad greens, chicory (andive). You can even include carrots, beets (sfecla), and artichokes (anghinare), provided you do not eat them at every meal. These three vegetables contain a little more sugar than the others allowed in the alternating protein diet, but you can eat them liberally while you’re losing weight at a normal rate. However, if your weight loss slows or you reach a plateau, reduce or eliminate their consumption until your weight loss resumes your weight loss resumes.
Throughout this Cruise phase, you will alternate periods of proteins with vegetables with periods without any vegetables until you reach your desired weight.
 
Vegetables You Cannot Eat:
Potatoes, corn, fresh or dried peas, beans, lentils and avocado.
Rice, quinoa, barley, wheat berries, millet, and other grains are not allowed.
 
You can eat these vegetables raw or cooked.
Dressings may appear harmless, but they are a major problem for weight loss diets.
Instead you can use this basic vinaigrette:
Basic Vinaigrette 1
This easy, flavorful vinaigrette uses a tiny amount of oil.
1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon or, even better, French wholegrain
mustard)
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional:
1 large garlic clove
7 or 8 basil leaves
Take a clean, empty jar and add the mustard, balsamic vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. If you like garlic, add a large clove to marinate in the bottom of the jar, together with 7 or 8 basil leaves. Cover the jar and shake vigorously to mix the dressing before serving.
Variation:
If you do not like balsamic vinegar, you can select another one. Just use a little less: 4 tablespoons for wine, sherry, or raspberry vinegar; 3 tablespoons for champagne vinegar.
 
Yogurt Dressing
This dressing, made with nonfat yogurt, makes an easy savory sauce.
170  to 226 grams nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon, if possible)
Dash of vinegar
Salt, pepper, and herbs to taste
Beat the yogurt and mustard together until it has the consistency of mayonnaise. Add the vinegar, salt, pepper, and herbs.
 
How Many Vegetables Are You Allowed?
In principle, quantity is not limited. But it is wise not to go beyond common sense simply to take advantage of the fact that you are not restricted. I know patients who eat huge mixed salads without even feeling hungry, chomping through their meal as if they had a mouth full of chewing gum. Eat until you no longer feel hungry, but do not keep going. This does not alter the rule that quantities are unrestricted, which is at the heart of my program. Whatever quantity you eat, you will still lose weight, but at a Whatever quantity you eat, you will still lose weight, but at a slower and less encouraging rate.
Very often, weight loss is spectacular during the first phase and then, when vegetables are introduced, the scales seem to get stuck and do not go down, or may even show a slight increase in pounds. Do not worry—you are not slipping backward.
So what is happening?
During the Attack phase, eating only proteins has a powerful diuretic efect. Reserve fat is lost, as well as a large quantity of water that had been stagnating in the body for a long time. This combination of eliminated water and fat explains why your scales show an impressive loss.
But when vegetables are added to proteins, water is retained once more, which explains the weight plateau. The real weight loss continues, but it is being camouflaged by the return of water. Be patient, and as soon as the pure protein days return, the loss of water weight will start again, and you will see how many pounds you have really lost.
It is always going to be the pure protein days that get the machine moving and that are responsible for the diet’s overall effectiveness. So do not be surprised to see your weight go down at regular intervals. The weight loss levels out during the vegetable days and then drops down to another level during the pure protein days, and so on.
 
Some Additions for the Cruise Phase:

Oat Bran
During the Cruise phase, the amount of oat bran you should eat is increased from the 1½ tablespoons per day of the Attack phase to 2 tablespoons per day, prepared in the same way as for the Attack phase.
 
Exercise
Similarly, the recommended exercise is increased from the 20- minute walk of the Attack phase to a 30-minute walk in the Cruise phase. If you are on a stagnation plateau, increase this to a 60- minute walk for 4 days, just until you break through this plateau.
 
How Long Should the Alternating Protein Diet Last?
The Cruise phase is the key time in the weight loss period, the one which will take you to your goal, your True Weight. If you have over 40 pounds to lose, and if there are no other particular difficulties involved, you might hope to shed that weight over 20 weeks of the alternating protein diet—that is, in a little under 5 months.

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