The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet: The 5-Day Food-Cycling Formula That Resets Your Metabolism To Lose Up to 5 Pounds a Week (38 page)

Water or herbal tea

DAY 21: REGULAR CAL

Breakfast

Green Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

2 handfuls of baby spinach

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 kiwifruits, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

1 tablespoon flax oil

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup almond milk

In a blender, combine the spinach, apple, kiwis, flaxseed, hemp seeds, oil, cinnamon, and almond milk. Blend until smooth.

Lunch

Crunchy Green Pear Salad

Makes 2 servings

Salad

1 handful of arugula or watercress

2 handfuls of mixed salad greens

1 pear, cored and sliced

¼ cup walnuts

2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Dressing

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1.
To make the salad:
In a large bowl, combine the arugula or watercress, greens, pear, and walnuts. Toss until thoroughly blended.

2.
To make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste.

3.
To serve:
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss, and top with the goat cheese, if desired. Serve and enjoy.

Dinner

Soothing Stew for the Soul

This stew is delicious. It takes only minutes to prepare but hours to cook, so put it in a slow cooker or on the stove top early in the day and let time work its magic.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 handful of fresh sage leaves

1 handful of fresh rosemary

½ pound stewing beef, cut into small pieces

2 parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, halved

½ butternut squash, halved, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 cup halved baby potatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

½ bottle red wine (optional but recommended for taste)

1 cup organic beef or vegetable stock

Ground black pepper and sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.
Set a large pot over medium heat or preheat a slow cooker on the high setting.

2.
Melt the butter or coconut oil, then add the onion, garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes.

3.
Add the beef, parsnips, carrots, squash, potatoes, tomato puree, wine (if using), and stock. Gently stir to combine. Season generously with pepper and a little sea salt.

4.
Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the stew until the meat is tender (usually 3 to 4 hours). (If using a slow cooker, drop the heat to low and simmer for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender.) Stir in the olive oil just before serving.

CHAPTER
11

ALL-DAY FAT-BURNING SMOOTHIES AND JUICES

T
he 15 smoothie and juicing recipes in this chapter are loaded with nutrients that will help reset your metabolism and facilitate fat loss. Remember, quality of ingredients—not obsession with calories—is what we’re after.

I’ve included them here for you as substitute options for other smoothies, drinks, and even meals in the 21-day meal plan from the previous chapter. You don’t have to use them, but you should certainly try them at least once because they’re awesome!

You can enjoy these recipes on any of the days in this program (other than the 1-Day Fast). If you’re using either the smoothie or juicing recipes on your Low-Cal Days, you may want to use them in place of your other solid meals just to keep calories lower on those days. On your 1-Day Feasts, feel free to add these liquid meals into your day whenever you need to. They provide a simple way to increase your caloric intake if you have trouble shoveling lots of solid food into your mouth.

WHAT’S
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUICES AND SMOOTHIES?

The main difference between juices and smoothies is that juices do not contain fiber (or at least have very little of it), whereas smoothies are liquid versions of whole foods, so the fiber is intact. Now, there is a slight benefit to a drink with less fiber, and that is better nutrient absorption. Fiber (aka cellulose) is the plant’s “cell wall,” which our human digestive tract cannot break down because we lack the enzyme cellulase. (Cows carry this enzyme, which allows them to eat copious amounts of grass without issue.)

As amazing as plant foods are for our health, the catch-22 is that sometimes we can’t absorb their full spectrum of nutrients because of that damn fibrous wall. And that’s where juicing comes in. Juicing strips away the fiber and leaves us with pure liquid nutrition that can easily be absorbed by our bodies. That’s why juicing is very beneficial for anyone with a compromised digestive and intestinal system (i.e., almost everyone), and especially those with irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and colitis—conditions that inhibit absorption of nutrients in the intestines.

However, when it comes to juicing, the focus should be on vegetables, not fruit, since too much fructose from juiced fruit can overload your liver and make losing weight more difficult. This problem is rare in smoothies that contain fruit because they contain the whole fruit. Thus, the protein and fiber found within a fruit help limit how much fructose leaves the stomach at a time. Just know that the recipes in this book take all of this into account so that you don’t need to fuss about any of it. Cool?

SMOOTHIE
RECIPES FOR REGULAR-CAL, LOW-CAL, AND FEAST DAYS

Green Cleaner Smoothie

Makes 2 to 3 servings

1 head romaine lettuce

1 frozen banana

1 kiwifruit, unpeeled

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

2 tablespoons medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil or coconut oil

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 cups water

In a blender, combine the lettuce, banana, kiwi, lime juice, hemp seeds, oil, ginger, and water. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if needed.

Invisible Spinach Smoothie

Makes 2 to 3 servings

2 large handfuls of spinach

1 handful of frozen strawberries

½ ripe banana

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1½ cups almond milk or hemp milk

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs (optional)

In a high-speed blender, combine the spinach, strawberries, banana, cacao powder, almond or hemp milk, almond butter, and vanilla. Blend until all ingredients are completely incorporated. Pour into a glass and sprinkle with the cacao nibs, if desired.

Glowing
Skin Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

½ banana

½ avocado

4 cups spinach

1 cup almond milk

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup fresh berries

In a blender, combine the banana, avocado, spinach, almond milk, lemon juice, hemp seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. Top with the berries. Serve and enjoy!

Immune-Boosting Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

1 handful of fresh or frozen organic strawberries

½ avocado

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

1½ cups echinacea tea

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

In a blender, combine the strawberries, avocado, chia seeds, hemp seeds, tea, and ginger. Blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy.

Fat Flush Detox Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

1 handful of kale, stemmed

1 cup almond milk + additional if needed

½ frozen banana

½ ripe avocado

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 scoop Yuri Elkaim’s Energy Greens

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon cacao nibs

In a blender, combine the kale, 1 cup of almond milk, banana, avocado, vanilla, and Energy Greens. Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk if the consistency is too thick. Top with the chia seeds and cacao nibs.

Ginger
Colada

Makes 2 servings

¼ pineapple, peeled and cored

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup coconut water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

In a blender, combine the pineapple, ginger, coconut milk, coconut water, and vanilla (if using). Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Sweet Green Almond Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

2 handfuls of spinach

1 cup red grapes

1 banana

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 cups almond milk

In a blender, combine the spinach, grapes, banana, almond butter, and almond milk. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

SMOOTHIE
RECIPES FOR LOW-CARB DAYS

Chocolate–Peanut Butter Shake

Makes 2 servings

1 cup almond milk + additional if needed

2 tablespoons organic peanut butter

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1 scoop protein powder

2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 drops liquid stevia (optional)

2 or 3 ice cubes

In a blender, combine the 1 cup of almond milk, peanut butter, cacao powder, protein powder, coconut milk, vanilla, stevia (if using), and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk if too thick.

Vanilla-Coconut Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 drops liquid stevia (optional)

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, almond milk, protein powder, vanilla, and stevia (if using). Blend until smooth.

JUICE
RECIPES

The following juicing recipes are suitable for any days of this plan other than the 1-Day Fasts.

Popeye’s Elixir

Makes 2 servings

1 cucumber

4 handfuls of spinach

1 apple

½ lemon, peeled

In a juicer, combine the cucumber, spinach, apple, and lemon. Juice until smooth and serve.

Red Spice

Makes 2 servings

8 Swiss chard leaves

2 tomatoes

1 beet

½ small red chile pepper, seeded (wear plastic gloves when handling)

In a juicer, combine the chard, tomatoes, beet, and chile pepper. Juice until smooth and serve.

The Super 6

Makes 2 servings

1 handful of spinach

2 carrots

½ handful of parsley

1 red bell pepper

3 tomatoes

2–3 ribs celery

In a juicer, combine the spinach, carrots, parsley, bell pepper, tomatoes, and celery. Juice until smooth and serve.

Rejuvenator

Makes 2 servings

2 apples

1 cucumber

½ handful of parsley

In a juicer, combine the apples, cucumber, and parsley. Juice until smooth and serve.

Ginger Pick-Me-Up

Makes 2 servings

2 red grapefruits

1 handful of watercress or arugula

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled or unpeeled

1 pear

In a juicer, combine the grapefruits, watercress or arugula, ginger, and pear. Juice until smooth and serve.

Red, Orange, and Green

Makes 2 servings

6–8 leaves kale

4 ribs celery

2 carrots

1 beet

In a juicer, combine the kale, celery, carrots, and beet. Juice until smooth and serve.

CHAPTER
12

HOW TO STAY LEAN FOR LIFE

S
o, how many of these diet books have you read before? I’d like to believe this will be both the first and the last, but I know all too well how many people plow through countless fitness and diet texts, desperately trying to lose the weight that has made them miserable for so long. You know the routine: Every few months a friend or workmate gushes to you about a new diet or exercise that
really
works—you know, not like the other ones. You buy it, you try it, and even if you lose a few pounds, you ultimately fail.

I want you to experience what it feels like to always be in shape. This is about building fat burning into your life, making it something your body naturally does, like breathing. Can you imagine never,
ever
again groaning about a pair of pants that’s too tight? What about looking forward to shopping for new clothes rather than dreading it? This can all be very real for you. I want to help you stay lean for life. The steps I’ve laid out for you in this book will help you lose that extra weight, but simply modifying them will allow you to do something even better: keep it off for good.

This might sound daunting, but it really shouldn’t. After 21 days on this plan, you won’t want to return to your old eating ways, and what’s
better,
you’ll be customizing the plan to suit your lifestyle. If you’ve followed the plan exactly as I’ve laid it out for at least 3 weeks, your body will have had enough time to start experiencing some radical health improvements, while the fat simply melts off of you like butter in a microwave oven. After the 21 days, you can start to remix the plan to your liking. Pablo Picasso once said, “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” Nowhere is that more true than right here.