Phase 1: Reving Up

Weeks 1 - 4 of Bob Greene’s diet are all about getting off the couch and cleaning out the fridge! You weigh now and not again until at the end of the month. The exercise jumpstarts your metabolism which is how calories are used. So you come up with a level of where you are now in fitness and bump it up, right after you check it out with your physician.

Also, start eating three meals and one snack daily. And don’t forget breakfast! It gives your metabolism a jolt and will keep you satisfied until lunch. If you wake up without an appetite, eat anyway. Not only does this get your metabolism going, it gets your brain making endorphins that increase pleasure and decrease pain sensations. Can’t beat that!

Things to follow on this phase:

* No alcohol (don’t worry it’s only for this phase)

* Have a glass of water at every meal.

* Find a good vitamin, with an Omega-3 and calcium supplementation.

* No food 2 hours before bedtime.

Now at the end of this 1st phase, one month, get on the scale. If you’ve been losing more than 1 pound a week, stay put at this level for a few more weeks. If you didn’t see that kind of loss, move on to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Making the Switch

Here is where the weight really drops. Do this phase for at least 1 month also. There are six bad foods that you are going to throw out of your meals and add foods that will lower your hunger. Now you are weighing weekly. Be patient with the numbers, this is long term. If you have a few up weeks, look back over what routine you are on and see if you can tweak it to get moving again. Always use upping your exercise as a way to get back on track, plus the increased endorphins will help replace the comfort you got in the past from food.

After 4 weeks, decide where you are in regards to your goal weight. If you are in the neighborhood, it’s time for Phase 3. Even if you have a bit left to lose, you will do so in that Phase. If you still have a ways to go, continue in Phase 2 for 4 more weeks. This is further explained in Bob Greene’s plan book.

Phase 3: The Rest of The Story

Now you are ready to enter the healthy and full life you have always desired. Weight no longer a worry, there are a few areas here that can help to fine tune your food regimen to fit your life. As you are still progressing here, there will be a need to keep up the good eating and exercising habits. But with the success and relearning you have been doing, it is no longer work.

Maintain the changes you achieved in Phases 1 and 2, but add some “anything goes calories” - the foods you still hanker for. Everything you eliminated in Phase 2 is now allowable! Try to put “anything goes calories” toward “luxury foods” that are indulgent but still have something to offer, such as dark chocolate, full-fat cheese and yogurt, pizza with whole grain crust, or a glass of wine. Try to eat more good vegetables than any other food group. Keep eating two servings of fruit a day and whole grains instead of refined ones. As for sweets, eat fruit any time. Otherwise, continue to look at the packaging.

Adding calories back in is the reward for upping your exercise regimen in this phase. You can eat then without the guilt or adding weight back on that you have lost. A bonus with exercise is that it’s the best anti-aging remedy you can buy - no chemicals! Now weigh yourself weekly or for sure monthly.