Making the Cut (9 page)

This methodology has been practiced for thousands of years, in such ancient Eastern practices such as yoga and tai chi. But for our purposes we are going to apply these principles to the vigorous strength-training regimen of
Making the Cut.
You’re going to learn here how to utilize the mind-body connection to max out the potential of your total health. A mind-body approach to fitness opens the door to a deeper experience and much greater results by practicing skills that connect action and awareness. Every act needs attention for its successful performance. What are you thinking about as your feet crash into the pavement for the thousandth time during a morning run? Are you telling yourself that you can run faster and farther, or are you focusing on how tired you feel? What’s going on inside, as you flex your muscles during a workout? Are you visualizing the muscles getting lean while you contract them, or are you distracted and not getting a full contraction out of the rep? What sensations are you aware of as you lap the community pool? Can you feel your lat muscles deftly pull your body through the water? When you integrate the power of your mind into your workouts, what you can achieve is boundless.

THE “S” GROCERY LIST

Apart from what you’ll need for the “S” recipes, here is a list of groceries that you slow oxidizers should stick to while you’re
Making the Cut.

BEVERAGES

Distilled water

EAS AdvantEdge low-carb shakes

Flavored water (Le Nature’s is a great brand: strawberry-kiwi, mango-peach)

CONDIMENTS AND SPICES

Balsamic vinegar

Carb Options barbecue sauce

Carb Options ketchup

Carb Options tomato pasta sauce

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fat-free mayo

French’s honey mustard

Ground cinnamon

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray (original flavor)

Mrs. Dash

Pam (olive and canola flavors)

Smucker’s sugar-free jams

Splenda (granulated and baking types)

DAIRY

Carb Conscious low-fat milk

Dannon Carb Control low-carb low-fat yogurt

Egg Beaters

Fat-free Reddi-wip (pink cap, not red)

Knudsen fat-free sour cream

Knudsen nonfat cottage cheese

Kraft Singles fat-free American cheese

Laughing Cow low-fat cheese

Lifetime fat-free cheddar cheese

Lifetime fat-free jack cheese

Low-fat feta cheese

Low-fat string cheese

Nonfat or 2% milk

Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Artichokes

Apples

Asian pears

Asparagus

Blueberries

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Garlic

Grapefruit

Green beans

Lettuces (except iceberg)

Mushrooms (portobello, shiitake, button)

Onions

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Peppers (bell, red, yellow)

Pickles

Plums Raspberries

Spaghetti squash

Spinach

Strawberries

Tomatoes (all types)

Zucchini

GRAINS, NUTS, AND LEGUMES

All-Bran low-sodium cereal

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, raw (not roasted or salted)

Black beans, fat-free low-sodium

Health Valley 8 Grain low-sodium cereal

Hummus

Kashi Go-Lean cereal

La Tortilla Factory tortillas, small size (50 calories per tortilla)

Peanut butter, fresh-ground

Quaker Weight Control oatmeal

Sprouted-grain bread (preferably low-sodium; Ezekiel is my favorite)

MEAT

Deli meats: low-sodium ham, low-sodium turkey

Halibut fillets

Lean ground turkey

Low-sodium canned tuna

MorningStar Farms sausage links

MorningStar Farms veggie bacon

Shrimp

Skinless chicken breasts

Swordfish steaks

Tilapia fillets

Tuna steaks

Turkey bacon (nitrate-free)

SNACKS

Popcorn (air-popped, no added salt or fat)

Sugar-free Fudgsicles (sugar-free, not “no sugar added”)

Sugar-free Jell-O

Swiss Miss diet hot chocolate

No Negative Self-Talk
Don’t beat yourself up. If you observe your thoughts, you may notice that you are constantly making statements and judgments about your life. Many of them are self-judgments and negative thoughts that you have learned in childhood from your parents, teachers, or peers or through painful experiences. Negativity will only sabotage you as you strive to achieve your goals. If you feel that you are not worthy or are inferior, your behavior will reflect it. People will not show you respect if you don’t respect yourself, just as they will not be able to love you if you don’t love yourself.

Conversely, if you think positively, you will bring positive results to pass. You must eliminate any negativity from your internal dialogue and start believing that you are a wonderful person who deserves the best life has to offer. Eliminate the phrase
I can’t
from your vocabulary. If you think you can’t, then you won’t, but if you think you can
…you will.

The Balanced Oxidizer

THE “B” MENUS

Remember that while you are eating for your metabolic type, you also have to remain aware of your daily calorie allowance. Because everyone’s caloric needs are different, this is something you will have to figure out for yourself; the menus that follow are food suggestions, but you will have to design your own portion size. Where I’ve indicated amounts on the menus, they are suggestions only, and you must remember to adjust your portions, increasing or decreasing the amount of food according to your caloric needs. Recipes include serving size and nutritional information to help you stick to your limit!

THE “B” GROCERY LIST

Apart from what you’ll need for the “B” recipes, here is a list of groceries that you balanced oxidizers should stick to while you’re
Making the Cut.

BEVERAGES

Distilled water

EAS AdvantEdge low-carb shakes

Flavored water (Le Nature’s is a great brand: strawberry-kiwi, mango-peach)

CONDIMENTS AND SPICES

Balsamic vinegar

Carb Options barbecue sauce

Carb Options ketchup

Carb Options tomato pasta sauce

Egg Beaters

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fat-free mayo

French’s honey mustard

Ground cinnamon

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray (original flavor)

Mrs. Dash

Pam (olive and canola flavors)

Smucker’s sugar-free jams

Splenda (granulated and baking types)

DAIRY

Carb Conscious low-fat milk

Fat-free Reddi-wip

Knudsen low-fat cottage cheese

Knudsen low-fat sour cream

Kraft Singles fat-free American cheese

Laughing Cow low-fat cheese

Lifetime fat-free cheddar cheese

Lifetime fat-free jack cheese

Low-fat feta cheese

Low-fat or 2% milk

Low-fat string cheese

Philadelphia reduced-fat cream cheese

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Apples

Artichokes

Asian pears

Asparagus

Blueberries

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Garlic

Grapefruit

Green beans

Lettuces (except iceberg)

Mushrooms (portobello, shiitake, button)

Onions

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Peppers (bell, red, yellow)

Pickles

Plums

Raspberries

Spaghetti squash

Spinach

Strawberries

Tomatoes (all types)

Zucchini

GRAINS, NUTS, AND LEGUMES

All-Bran low-sodium cereal

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, raw (not roasted or salted)

Black beans, fat-free and low-sodium

Health Valley 8 Grain low-sodium cereal

Hummus

Kashi Go-Lean cereal

La Tortilla Factory tortillas, small size (50 calories per tortilla)

Peanut butter, fresh-ground or natural

Quaker Weight Control oatmeal

Whole-grain bread (preferably low-sodium; Ezekiel is my favorite)

MEAT

Deli meats: low-sodium ham, low-sodium turkey

Halibut fillets

Lean ground beef

Lean ground turkey

Low-sodium canned tuna

MorningStar Farms sausage links

MorningStar Farms veggie bacon

Pork chops

Salmon fillets

Shrimp

Skinless chicken breasts

Steak fillets (lean cuts)

Swordfish steaks

Tilapia fillets

Tuna steaks

Turkey and chicken breakfast sausages

Turkey bacon (nitrate-free)

SNACKS

Popcorn (air-popped, no added salt or oil)

Sugar-free Fudgsicles (sugar-free, not “no sugar added”)

Sugar-free Jell-O

Swiss Miss diet hot chocolate

No Energy Leaks
It is crucial that you figure out a healthy way to release worry, anxiety, and tension. Stress robs you of valuable energy that could be channeled instead into positive self-transforming outlets. Anxiety is born of fear, and fear is our number-one saboteur when it comes to achieving our goals. When that energy is freed up, you can use it to create anything you want.

To conquer anxiety and conflict, you have to focus on the solution, not the problem. Assess each situation you find yourself in, and transform it into an opportunity. There is hidden meaning in all the events of your life, especially the struggles; this meaning can serve your evolution most
—if
you choose to let it. For example, if you get fired, see it as a sign that you were meant for more—perhaps a better job awaits you where you’ll make more money and enjoy your work. Use perceived failures and misfortunes as a catalyst to push you toward bigger and better things.

The Fast Oxidizer

THE “F” MENUS

Remember that while you are eating for your metabolic type, you also have to remain aware of your daily calorie allowance. Because everyone’s caloric needs are different, this is something you will have to figure out for yourself; the menus that follow are food suggestions, but you will have to design your own portion size. Where I’ve indicated amounts on the menus, they are suggestions only, and you must remember to adjust your portions, increasing or decreasing the amount of food according to your caloric needs. Recipes include serving size and nutritional information to help you stick to your limit!