Ian K. Smith - The 4 Day Detox

The 4 Day Detox

Excerpt from The Four Day Diet

Copyright 2008 by Ian K. Smith MD

Printed in the United States of America.

For information, address St. Martins Press,

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

ISBN-13: 9781429938945

Electronic Edition: Feb 2010

Losing weight is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical. Most people spend a great deal of time debating which diet is best and arguing the merits that distinguish one plan from another. Not enough time, however, is spent training the brain to take on one of lifes toughest journeysthe journey of weight loss. I have worked with thousands of people who have struggled and succeeded in their weight-loss efforts, and I have learned a tremendous amount from their personal experiences. Each person has talked enthusiastically about the most critical piece of their success being something you might find surprising: mental preparation. That is why Ive written The 4 Day Diet , a diet that begins with something I call Induction, and which is given to you here as The 4 Day Detox .

Lack of mental preparation before beginning a weight-loss program is the first and biggest mistake people make before starting on their journey. If you dont get your mind in the right place, it will only work against you, like an anchor dragging behind a boat that is trying to move forward in the water. But pull up that anchorget your mind ready for whats to comeand that boat will go forward full force.

I have discussed privately and publicly the importance and advantage of mastering the psychology of weight loss. Unfortunately, discussion of the minds role in getting thin and fit has largely been absent in popular diet books. The mental game is largely ignored because everyone is eager to focus on carbs and calories and exercise regimens. Make no mistake, carbs and calories and exercise are vital to weight loss, but focusing on them before focusing on the mental side of weight loss is like putting the cart ahead of the horse. Your mind will lead you in your battle of the bulge, and your body will execute the minds strategy. The 4 Day Diet is a simple, straightforward guide that will help you understand how to set your goals, how to get and stay motivated, and how to resist the temptations that will threaten to derail your journey.

I have configured The 4 Day Diet plan in segments of days that allow you to eat a variety of different foods and prevent you from becoming bored and restless, pitfalls that often lead people to abandon those diet programs that ask you to eat the same thing every day. The foods in The 4 Day Diet eating plan are tasty, inexpensive, and easy to find. Nothing is packaged or fake or full of chemicals. You can easily buy what you need at your local grocery store and get prepared to make small changes that will deliver tremendous results.

This special electronic detox diet from complete The 4 Day Diet is called the Induction Module . It will detox your body, get you to lose weight fast, and focus your mind on what you can do when you commit to change.

So how should you go about setting your realistic goals? One of the easiest ways to do this is called the S.M.A.R.T. principle, a well-used technique that looks at five characteristics:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time Frame

It is important to set clearly defined goals. The more specific the goals, the more focused the effort in achieving them. Your goals should be straightforward and easy to understand. It is not effective to simply say, I want to lose a few pounds. A more directed goal is I want to lose 30 pounds in six months. Let what and how guide you in your goal setting. What exactly are you going to do? Lose 30 pounds in six months. How are you going to do it? By making the appropriate dietary and exercise changes recommended by the program Im following.

It is critical that your goal be measurable. This will keep you focused as well as maintain your awareness of where you are in the process. There are several measures when it comes to weight loss, but we often get too stuck on a number. Please dont get me wrong. Yes, the pounds reflected on the scale make a difference, but there are other ways to measure your progress.

The size of the clothing that you fit into can sometimes be the first sign that you are losing weight. I cant count how many times people have said to me, The scale says that I havent lost anything, but I can fit into a size eight when just two weeks ago I was a size ten. This is because weight loss isnt always reflected in numbers but is often reflected in the changing size and shape of our body. So it is completely fine to set your dress or waist size as a goal. Many people who find themselves stalled on the scale can become discouraged by the lack of results, but if they used losing a dress or pant size as a benchmark for success, they would realize that progress was still being made and would remain optimistic and motivated. Look for positive reinforcement everywhere, whether its a colleague complimenting how great you look or your doctor noting how the weight loss has improved your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, or other health indicators. Basing success strictly on the number on the scale is not taking into account the true complexity of body transformation.

Weight loss can be a complicated process because it involves more than just a reduction in pounds. The body is composed of many tissue types, including fat, muscle, bones, ligaments, and tendons. Water is the biggest component of our weightaccording to some estimates as much as 60 to 70 percent. Water and all these tissues are constantly changing, especially as we lose weight. One might sometimes lose fat but start gaining muscle as a result of resistance training (lifting weights). There could also be water loss or gain depending on the quantity of liquids you drink and whether your body has a tendency to hold on to fluids or readily eliminate them. When you step on the scale, it is virtually impossible to know what is happening inside your body with respect to water balance and the various tissues that contribute to your overall weight.

Some people actually monitor their weight-loss progress by regularly taking body fat measurements. This is my least favorite method because how one loses weight from the different body tissues is unpredictable at best, especially when it comes to body fat percentage. Another major flaw of this technique is consistent accuracy. Taking reliable and accurate body fat measurements can be a rigorous process, and it is easy to make mistakes even with dedicated effort and experience. If you are someone who worries about body fat percentage and are determined to use that as your measurement of progress, it is imperative that you choose the same method each time and take the measurements from the same body parts.

It makes no sense to set a goal that you cant reach. Being able to attain a goal makes both failure and success honest. A goal beyond reach means that the failure associated with not reaching it is false. Dont misinterpret this point to mean that Im suggesting you make the goal easy. The goal should be challenging but attainable. When the target is out of reach, the pursuer will inevitably be discouraged and could easily give up on the mission.