8 week plan / Week 7

Week 7

 

Be yourself.

No rules—just try and eat as healthily as you can and do it by feel. Trusting yourself might seem like a lot of responsibility, but by now you'll be up to it. Learning to eat by feeling what your body needs is an important step in your transformation. Consider the way you've been eating over the last 6 weeks, but don't worry about what you should and shouldn't do. Just fuel yourself. The point is to take a mental break. Relax and allow yourself to eat in a way that feels normal. You may be surprised to find yourself craving something healthy instead of a candy bar or soda. You'll be better at listening to your body because it'll tell you what it needs to eat, as opposed to what you're used to eating. Your body should feel somewhat transformed. Does it?

"Reward for a Life Well Lived" Days: 1

Weekly focus:

If you're so hungry at night that you can't sleep, try a protein shake (Casein Protein Powder – digest slowly) before bed. When it's real, and not habitual, hunger means you lack nutrients your body needs to repair itself as you sleep. You want nothing but protein powder and water. No carbs or superfluous calories. But protein at night will help the body repair damaged tissue and enhance the natural growth-hormone spike that you get while you sleep.

Strong person

A strong person is the one who knows how to be quiet, shed a tear for a moment, and then picks up their sword and fights again.

Purpose

You cannot do anything about yesterday, but you control today. Be your best, align with people who lift you up, do the things that give you a sense of purpose, choose not to merely exist but rather thrive and create a lasting wake of positivity. The past does not define you, all that matters is you take every moment today and define your future.

Past

Never regret anything that has happened in your life, it cannot be changed, undone or forgotten so take it as a lesson learned and move on.

 

unnecessary thoughts

·         "A man should take away not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for thus superfluous acts will not follow after."

·         Marcus Aurelius: Was a Roman emperor and philosopher

Courage

·         I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

·          Nelson Mandela

Do it now

·         Do it now, do it today, do it in this moment, but no matter what, take action! Go out and show the world. Be brash, be bold, declare that you are here to make your mark on the world. There is no better way to go through life than to shock the world, live on the edge, and push your limits. Just because you're breathing doesn't mean your alive. Find where the fire burns the brightest and be alive. Don't settle for anything else.

8 week plan / Week 6

Week 6

 

If man makes it, don't eat it.

This is likely to be the hardest week of your diet. You want to eat only whole foods and eliminate all processed foods, even good ones, for the week. This includes breads, most salad dressings, all cereal, luncheon meats, cheese, dried fruits, anything with preservatives, and alcoholic beverages. What you can eat are whole foods such as fruit, raw or steamed vegetables, meat (sans any type of sauce), natural whole-grain rice, poached eggs, etc. Since your eating habits have been slowly changing, this shouldn't be that big a shock to your system, but keeping in focus that you only have to do this for 7 days will make it easier. (Although each week's rules are cumulative in the plan, Week 6 is more of a "cleanse" or "reset" week where you avoid all processed food; after Week 6, you can go back to the occasional processed food, but chances are you'll take what you learned this week and tend to make healthier, smarter choices.)

Cheat Days: 1

The "cheat day" mentality isn't a bad one. Rewards like decadent desserts, a night at the buffet, or drinking with friends are good for you as long as you keep them in perspective. These are rewards for a life well lived and you should be able to feel good about doing them. Plus there's some method to this madness as well in that you still tend to crave nutrients you lack. So if you're cutting down on the calories to lose weight, allowing yourself a cheat day will give your body a chance to take in what it needs to avoid being malnourished.

Weekly focus:

Nuts make great snacks. A handful of raw almonds or cashews is a quick and easy snack that goes a long way. Don't be put off by the high fat count of nuts, because this means it takes fewer of them to satiate you. Nuts are loaded with important phytonutrients, as well as good fats, proteins, and fiber.

Follow your heart and intuition

·         "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."Steve Jobs
1955-2011, Co-Founder of Apple Computer

Price tag

·         "Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it - in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance."  John C. Maxwell

practice acting

·         "We need to practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of doubt, in spite of worry, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of inconvenience, in spite of discomfort, and even to practice acting when we’re not in the mood to act."

·         T. Harv Eker

Settle for only the best

·         When we decide to settle in life, we miss out in a life that could have been everything that we imagined. We close the door on magical dreams and toss away the chance at extraordinary things. There is no passion, no life, and no hope when we allow ourselves to settle. Life is lived by thinking big, dreaming big, and expecting big things to happen and then living big. Our best life is one in which we constantly challenge the present to create the best tomorrow possible, setting the bar high. Decide to live. Decide to go for big things, and above all else, settle for only the best.

 

On a down swing

·         “When you are on a down swing, do not feel bad. Know the swing will change and things will get better. There are good times coming.”

·         Bob Proctor

 

attitude

·         "Your attitude is either the lock on, or the key to the door of success."

·          Denis Waitley

8 week plan / Week 5

Week 5

 

Reduce starchy carbohydrates.

Starches include rice, bread, potatoes, corn, beans, and other legumes. While many of these are in no way bad foods, most people tend to consume far too many of them. So what you want to do this week is cut way down on them, if not cutting them out completely. Then add them back in when your body feels like it needs energy, which it will at some point if you're exercising (and why wouldn't you be?). But don't add a huge plate or bowl of pasta; instead, add a small single serving. Starches are great energy food, but if you eat too many, they turn the tables and make you sluggish!

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus:

Sugar is only beneficial after a hard workout. Your body doesn't need processed sugar. But if you really enjoy it and can't avoid letting some sneak into your daily diet, the 1-hour period after you exercise is the best time to indulge. During this window, your blood sugar is low, because you've used it up to finish your workout (assuming you pushed yourself), and sugar during this time will help you recover faster because it speeds into your system and initiates the recovery process. Adding a little protein, but not too much, will enhance your recovery even further. The best ratio is 1 part protein to 4 parts carbs. You should avoid fats during this immediate post-workout period, because they slow absorption—a good thing most of the time, just not during and immediately after working out.

Set your intentions

·         Don't dwell on the negative. The positive is what keeps us moving in life, towards bigger and better things. We will always experience times of doubt, times where we feel like life really can't get much worse, but always remember that it's just a temporary thing... Things always get better! Remember this quote the next time life's got you down, the next time you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, the next time you want to give up on your new diet or workout. Set your intentions and you will manifest them!

Let Down

“People can let you down, but only YOU can keep yourself permanently down. Rise above it, and get moving!”

Dodinsky

Anger

We lose ourselves when we hold on to anger thinking it is a weapon to get back at those who hurt us, instead we adversely let others have a say over our emotions. Be angry but do not keep it inside. Squeeze everything out until the only thing left is the person that was there before all the hurt.

Without judgement

How do you live without judgment? Choose what you want for you, without judging or criticizing any of the choices others are making. We've been taught to point out all the things that are bad, as though that makes us a good person. But when we point our finger at ANYTHING and say its wrong or bad, the law of attraction returns the negativity to us! Instead, point out what you LOVE!

What lies within us

·         "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters to what lies within us."

·          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't compare or compete

·         "When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
- Lao Tzu (c 604 BCE),mystic philosopher of ancient China.

8 week plan / Week 4

Week 4

 

Cook at home.

One of the best ways to control your eating is to prepare all your meals yourself. Eliminate all fast food (which should have been gone in Week 1) and most other restaurant food. You may still eat food from certain restaurants where you can be sure of the ingredients (most will be savvy enough to make a point of how healthy their food is). But avoid all fast food chains, even ones that claim to be "healthy." Restaurants need their food to taste good, so they'll often use compromised ingredients, even when they list low numbers on fats and/or calories. Fast food can contain many hidden evils in addition to calories. For example, next time you see one of those nutrition charts, check the sodium levels; most fast foods use ridiculously high amounts of salt. Avoiding fast food alone will often bring your body closer to homeostasis; its desired state of balance. This can be hard for many of us because we now have to plan our meals and prepare ahead of time, but try and treat it like vocational school—you don't learn new a new "job" without a little retraining.

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus:

Fat is essential. Remember that fat is a vital part of your diet, not just something that makes you fat. What is not vital is a lot of saturated or trans fats. Trans fats are mainly those that are artificial, and hopefully they've been eliminated from your diet by this point, since they're generally only found in junk. Saturated fats are found in dairy products and meats, and you don't need too much. For cooking, try to use olive oil when possible. Also, the addition of either flaxseed or hempseed can have a pronounced effect on your health. These seeds are loaded with essential fatty acids, omegas 3 and 6. Be careful about that amount of fat. It is dense and has 9 calories per gram, opposed to 4 for both carbs and protein. A tablespoon goes a long way!

 

Things you control

·         Start concentrating on the things you can control.
You can’t change everything, but you can always change something. Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation. Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.

 

Before you ........

·         Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try.

 

Attitude

·         "Your attitude is either the lock on, or the key to the door of success."

·          Denis Waitley

People refuse to look

·         “If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you’ve made, if they don’t realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.”

·         ― Steve Maraboli

Love yourself

Love yourself. Become your own priority. – Strive to be the ‘you’ you want to be. Nourish your mind and body. Educate yourself every day until you die.

Don't get upset

Don’t get upset with people and situations. They are powerless without your reaction.

8 week plan / Week 3

Week 3

 

Eat some colorful, low-density food at every meal.

These are foods that take up a lot of space without a lot of calories. Veggies are the most obvious example. You can eat a salad bowl overflowing with lettuce and veggies and you most likely won't exceed 100 calories. By eating low-density foods like veggies and fruits, you'll keep your portions under control naturally, because they have very few calories for their size. Conversely, high-density foods, like chocolate and butter, are loaded with calories in even the smallest amounts. So beware of salad dressings and other things you add to salads and veggies. Only add enough for flavor; don't fill up on them. When it comes to live foods, the richer the colors, the fresher the products tend to be. Try to eat a variety of colors in your diet. This simple and somewhat random act will help ensure that you're covering your bases, nutrient-wise.

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus: Protein at every meal. This becomes even more important as you eat more low-density food, because protein tends to be high-density. Many veggies have a lot of protein, but the quantity you must consume starts to become prohibitive. Try to get some protein—meat, dairy products, nuts, seeds, or legumes—each time you eat, especially when you're working out hard, because you need to repair broken-down muscle tissue. Frequency of protein consumption is even more vital for women, who aren't able to digest as much protein at one time as men are. It's almost impossible to get all your necessary protein at one or two meals, so try to get 10 to 20 grams of protein each time you eat. Reading labels is a simple way to learn how to estimate your protein intake, but if you eat natural foods, most of which don't have labels, you can look at online nutritional information guides to determine the amount of protein each serving contains.

Stay positive

·         I can't do it. :(
I think I can do it. :-/
I can do it. :)
I will do it. :-)
I am doing it. ;-)

Getting hurt

·         In life, sometimes getting hurt is a necessary path. Do not deny yourself of this experience, but never dwell in it. You have to go through it and not around it for you to get over it.

·         Dodinsky

Can't get much done

·         “You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.”