Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty (22 page)

Insulin resistance is the true enemy when it comes to numerous health problems, including high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, poor cholesterol levels, chronic inflammation, increased risk of heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Numerous studies document the correlation of high insulin levels with these diseases, yet many people are still more worried about eating a steak or a dollop of sour cream than they are with eating chemically processed, sugary foods that send your insulin levels soaring.
Fat is not the enemy!
Sugar, starches, and the other insulin triggers are the foods you should be most concerned about limiting.

Now you understand why it is vitally important to eliminate Insulin Triggers to improve your health and keep your metabolism burning on high. Take a look at every food in your house; carefully check the ingredient lists. If it contains any form of sugar, white flour, or any of the foods on the Insulin Triggers list (
this page
), it needs to be removed from your diet. Rid your pantry and your refrigerator of these foods, including sodas, candy, crackers, white pasta, white bread, poor-quality protein bars, chips, and more.

Don’t worry—you will look and feel sooooo good, it will all be worth it. The Sexy Forever plan will teach you the habits we all should have been raised with to enjoy good nutrition for life. Use this opportunity to create a new lifestyle that creates radiantly good health for you and your family. You may not have had the information before … but now, no more excuses! Take this chance to change your life.

In addition to high-glycemic-index foods, we will eliminate unhealthy fats. As I have mentioned, the worst offenders are trans fats. Trans fats come mostly from partially hydrogenated oil, which changes the structure of the oil to make it solid and make products that contain it more shelf-stable. Trans fats are the worst type of fat. All those products that claim to taste like butter but are not actually butter—trash them and get the real thing.

I have commented at length about the importance of omega-3 fatty acids. The best oils to include in your diet are olive, perilla, flaxseed, and
fish oils. In addition to trans fats, eliminate corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, sunflower, and vegetable oils.

You know how I feel about this. Now it is your turn to make a commitment to selecting the highest-quality food you can find. I know how expensive it is to eat this way. Do what you can, and where you do not have access or cannot afford these products, use the tricks outlined in the previous chapters to avoid the worst offenders.

And by all means, make some noise! Demand more organic products at your store. If we demand more organic foods, the prices will eventually come down. We must start somewhere. Demand information on the protein sources you purchase—are meats grass-fed? Remember, we do not want corn-fed protein! Ask about your fish—is it farmed? Insist on wild-caught selections. Fruits and vegetables—find nearby farmer’s markets, or plant some seeds in the backyard or in a pot garden and grow a few of your own fruits and vegetables. Yes, it’s an effort; it’s also
your life
.

Sprays, pesticides, poor-quality protein sources, chemical fillers, preservatives, genetically modified foods, and artificial sweeteners all add to our toxic burden.
Sexy Forever
will help you release that toxic burden so you can finally lose the weight and get healthy. Once you get your system cleaned out, do your best to avoid those foods and conditions that created this unhealthy environment in the first place.

You will find a complete list of toxins to eliminate in the Food Reference Guide (
this page
). Some get overwhelmed by the list and put on blinders. Every choice you make to ingest one less chemical is a step in the right direction. Do what you can! Again, you want to do your best here, knowing none of us can possibly eliminate all the toxins we come across each day.

In the Food Reference Guide, you will see I have clearly divided real, healthy, nutritious foods into the following categories: Protein, Healthy Fats, Carbohydrates, Vegetables, and Fruits. These are the foods that nurture
our bodies. This is the real food our bodies need to thrive. This is the food that will turn off the overactive hunger signal because the body will have the fuel it needs to work optimally.

At breakfast you may choose to have Carbohydrates or Protein, but at lunch and dinner, you will always start with Protein, then add Healthy Fats, plus lots of fresh low-starch Vegetables. This combination of foods fuels your metabolism. Putting it into action simply means you will start with any of the foods on the Protein list, then add any of the foods on the Healthy Fats list, plus any of the foods on the Vegetables list. For example, start with chicken, cooked in olive oil, and served with broccoli; this type of simple combination of Protein, Healthy Fats, and Vegetables will become the mainstay of your meals. You will learn how to add Carbohydrates along the way, but the foundation is the Protein/Fat/Vegetable combo. (Assistance with meal plans and an extensive selection of recipes are available at
SexyForeverPlan.com/book.
)

Protein provides essential amino acids; the building blocks needed for most every human function from thinking to walking to breathing. Humans need about 9 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. (For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you’d need to consume about 72 grams of protein each day.) I suggest a 6- to 8-ounce serving of protein at each meal. This means that a piece of chicken, meat, or fish about the size of the palm of your hand is what you are aiming for. One of these servings will net you anywhere between 36 and 48 grams of protein, dependent on the source. This will help fill you up and make you feel satisfied. Protein sources include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheese, and more. Again, you will find a list of approved Protein sources in the Food Reference Guide (
this page
).

Next, add some Healthy Fats. I use olive oil at most meals. I use it to marinate and cook my protein. I sauté my vegetables in it. I drizzle it on my salads. For certain meals, I will use coconut oil, or when I want a neutral
taste, grapeseed oil. I also use butter and full-fat dairy products like sour cream. I eat Healthy Fats freely, but I don’t go crazy eating sticks of butter just because I can. Fortunately, your body will not allow you to overeat these foods. Unlike with refined carbohydrates—where you can eat bag after bag of chips, crackers, and cookies—eating fats sends a signal to your body that you are satiated. Additional Healthy Fats can be found in the Food Reference Guide (
this page
).

The Vegetables in the plan are all low-starch vegetables to supercharge your day with antioxidants and fiber. Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, kale, tomatoes, fennel, lettuce, celery, and so many more choices will fill your meals. While there is no limit to how many servings of these vegetables you include, you
must
include at least six servings of vegetables each day. I know it sounds like a lot, but a serving is 1 cup of raw vegetables or greens, or ½ cup cooked. That’s really not that much. If you have a big salad for lunch, that’s probably four servings right there. Then you have a cup of cooked green beans for dinner and you are there. I eat more than six servings per day, but this is the minimum to make sure you are getting enough natural fiber and antioxidants.

This is a shift from my Somersize guidelines. The reason I am adjusting the program is that I don’t want you filling up on proteins and fats with no vegetables. Again, I am retraining you to eat real food, well balanced and in reasonable portions. I found that with Somersize, some people understood the balance of the program and adopted a lifestyle of healthy foods, but others would just eat bacon cheeseburgers and never include a vegetable. While you can lose weight eating only proteins and fats, you must include vegetables for both the essential nutrients and the antioxidant benefits. On the other hand, if you are used to filling up on starches, eating your fill of vegetables will also be a shift for you!

A full list of these Vegetables is in the Food Reference Guide (
this page
). My companion site,
SexyForeverPlan.com/book
, provides meal plans that ensure you get the nutrients you need.

Once the low-carb movement hit, suddenly we shifted from counting fat grams to obsessively counting every carb in sight! I have never believed in eliminating carbohydrates—it’s just that some are much better for you than others. As mentioned, the Sexy Forever plan asks you to eliminate Insulin Triggers (it’s all about those hormones), but some of these foods will be brought back, in moderation, as you progress with the phases of the program.

In the Detox Phase (days 1 to 30) we will eliminate all Insulin Triggers (sugar, white flour, potatoes, corn, alcohol, etc.), but we will include moderate amounts of approved Carbohydrates (whole-grain bread, brown rice, beans, nuts, whole-wheat pasta, nonfat dairy products). Once we reach Level 1 we slightly increase the approved Carbohydrates with our meals. For Level 2, you will learn to handle a few of those Insulin Triggers every now and then and see the return of the potato.

The key in adding these approved Carbohydrates is eating them at the right time and in the right quantity. We are a nation that overeats carbohydrates—especially refined carbohydrates. Now you get to eat carbohydrates, but only the good ones.

DETOX PHASE

Up to three servings Carbohydrates per day

WEIGHT LOSS PHASE

Up to four servings Carbohydrates per day

LIFESTYLE PHASE

Carbohydrates at your discretion