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Table of content

Table of content…………………………………………………………………………. Page 1

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………. Page 2

Reprogram your thinking……………………………………………………………. Page 3

Quicker weight loss better than slower…………………………………. Page 4

Cutting calories alone won’t work……………………………………………… Page 5

Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) …………………………………………………… Page 6

Leptin (regulates metabolism and appetite) …………………………. Page 7

How to keep leptin balanced ……………………………………………………… Page 8

Cortisol (the fight or flight hormone) ………………………………….... Page 9

The drawback of too much cortisol ………………………………………... Page 10

Managing cortisol for weight loss ………………………………………….… Page 11

Weight loss vs. fat loss ……………………………………………………………... Page 12

Benefits of exercise vs. diet alone …………………………………….……. Page 13

Take home message ……………………………………………………………………… Page 14

The 3-week eating plan ………………………………………………………………. Page 15

The 3-week eating plan (cont.) …………………………………………………. Page 16

Male menu ………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 17

Female menu …………………………………………………………………………………… Page 18

Exercise routine & illustrations…………………………………………………. Page 19 – 27

Wrapping up ………….…………………………………………………………………….…. Page 28 - 30

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3 Week Weight Loss Program

Introduction

Everyone knows you can’t transform your body

overnight. But if you commit to the diet and

workout plan of this program, you could transform

it for the rest of your life.

But it won’t take you a lifetime to start seeing

results. It won’t even take months. You’ll notice

the difference in just two weeks and be able to

lose up to 10 to 15 lbs. or more in just 3 weeks.

Everything you’ll need is in this program; a 3-week

diet plan, an introductory workout program and

stress management guidelines (which affect weight control).

Studies have shown that with a proper diet and exercise, it’s possible to lose 10

lbs. per month without feeling hungry. But this program is a short-term 3-week

diet to lose between 10 – 20 pounds within three weeks. I personally lost 17

pounds on this 3-week program.

To realize continued weight loss after the 3 weeks, it’s important to continue

adhering to the diet protocol in respect to macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates,

fats) portions. Add a variety of foods but keep them clean; consume mostly whole

foods, avoid or minimize processed foods and those with added sugars and fats

This diet, although healthy, has a low caloric intake that will eventually rob you of

energy and add physical stress to your body if maintained for too long.

Restricting calories for too long will also affect the hormones that regulate bodily

functions and influence weight control.

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Reprogram Your Thinking

• If you want to lose

weight, don’t listen to the

common advice about

dropping the pounds

slowly over a long period.

• Don’t assume that you can rid yourself of a lot of

your excess weight by just cutting calories.

• Don’t assume your weight loss is fat loss.

The next few pages will address these assumptions while

providing you with information that was used to put together

this 3-week weight loss program.

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Quicker weight loss; better than slower?

Traditional Advice

We are often advised to

make small changes in our

diet; lose 1 – 2 pounds per

week if we want to lose

weight and maintain a

healthy figure.

We’re told by gradually

changing our lifestyle, we’ll have a greater chance of maintaining a

healthy weight in the long run, opposed to going on a strict diet that

makes you lose 20 pounds in a few weeks.

But science actually tells us the opposite. Regardless of whether you

pick a sensible diet, exercise, behavioral therapy or a drug, studies

have shown those who experience the greatest weight loss in the

first 2-4 weeks have the greatest weight loss the following year.

So, if you lose a lot of weight after one month, you’re more likely to

lose a lot of weight after a year or two.”

Slow weight loss is a bad motivator

Reward and instant gratification are very important to our motivation

and perseverance.

People get frustrated if after a week of dieting they see that they

only dropped 1 pound. This could cause many to give up. Studies have

shown that the more weight you lose, the less risk there is that you’ll

give up.

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Cutting Calories Alone Won’t Work

When it comes to weight loss, most think by just cutting

calories they’ll be successful in achieving their goals.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. We have hormones that

play major roles in regulating our appetitive, metabolism and

fat storage.

The imbalance of any of these hormones will sabotage your

efforts and make it difficult to meet your goals.

For successful weight loss, knowing how these hormones

influence weight control will assist with your efforts.

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Ghrelin (The Hunger Hormone)

Ghrelin is called the hunger hormone; it stimulates appetite and

promotes fat storage. The more ghrelin in your system, the hungrier

you’ll feel and the more fat you’ll store.

To be successful with weight and fat loss, it is critical to keep your

ghrelin levels from rising too high.

How to keep ghrelin from rising too high?

Instead of eating smaller meals throughout the day, many attempting to lose

weight will skip meals instead.

Skipping a meal(s) is a sure-fire way to raise your ghrelin levels. The longer

you go without eating, the higher your levels, the hungrier you’ll feel and the

more fat you’ll store.

Don’t skip meals; feeding your body every 2 – 3 hours will prevent your

ghrelin levels from rising too high and dropping too low.

Sleep; Research has shown that even low levels of sleep deprivation will

increase your ghrelin levels and lead to more body fat storage. Most adults

need between six to eight hours of sleep.

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Leptin (Regulates Metabolism and Appetite)

The leptin hormone also plays an important role in appetite control, as well as

regulate metabolism and weight loss.

This hormone, released from fat cells, is our body’s natural weight control

mechanism.

It regulates the rate of fat breakdown; it lets our brain know how much fat

is in our body (stored energy).

As leptin levels rise, our appetite diminishes and our metabolism increases,

as leptin levels fall, our appetite increases and our metabolism decreases.

The number of calories we burn is regulated by thermogenesis, a process in

which the body makes heat, mainly in the muscles.

According to recent research, the hormone leptin can substantially increase

thermogenesis, helping to burn fat.

Leptin Resistance

A body with too much-stored fat will release more of the leptin hormone

which suppresses its ability to send signals to the brain; resulting in

decreased metabolism and increased appetite.

Bottom line; continued hunger and minimum calories burned.

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How to keep leptin balanced?

According to research, a key to prevent (or reverse) leptin resistance,

is reducing diet-induced inflammation.

What to do:

• Avoid processed food; highly processed foods may

compromise the integrity of the gut and drive inflammation.

• Eat soluble fiber; eating soluble fiber can help improve gut

health and may protect against obesity.

• Lower your triglycerides; Having high blood triglycerides can

prevent the transport of leptin to the brain. The best way to

lower triglycerides is to reduce sugar and carbohydrate

consumption.

• Eat protein; protein may improve leptin sensitivity.

• Exercise; physical activity may help to reverse leptin

resistance.

• Sleep; Poor sleep has been implicated in problems with leptin.

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Cortisol (The flight or fight Hormone)

Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal glands

and has many functions;

• regulates blood pressure

• regulates the body’s use of macronutrients

• affects the release of insulin and our body’s ability to

convert sugars into energy.

In normal situations, cortisol provides sustained energy to

enable us to perform our daily activities.

But in stressful situations, extra

cortisol is released to provide

immediate, easy to use energy. (The

reason its referred as “the flight or

fight hormone”)

If we happened to have a fight or

flight situation, this extra energy will

serve us well. But unfortunately, cortisol levels also increase

when we stress over normal daily events like traffic, work,

bills, etc.

Constant stress, over working, and insufficient sleep cause

an excess of cortisol.

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The Drawbacks of Too Much Cortisol

• Suppressed thyroid function which controls

metabolism and supports the functions of all

organs.

• Lowered immune response.

• Imbalanced blood sugar.

• Loss of muscle mass, which slows our

metabolism.

• Increased blood sugar, which increases

appetite, cravings for harmful sweets.

• Accumulation of fat around the abdomen from

stress-eating due to an overstimulated appetite.

• Excess cortisol also inhibits your body from

burning fat for energy.

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Managing Cortisol for Weight Loss

• Avoid stimulants; Eliminate or minimize the consumption

of caffeine-containing coffee, tea, green tea, energy drinks,

appetite suppressants, or medications. Caffeine directly

stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol and

interferes with sleep.

• Relax; relax at least 20 – 30 minutes daily. Lay or sit

comfortably in a quiet place and turn your mind off. Meditate,

practice breathing exercises, or get a message to help relieve

stress.

• Sleep; good sleep helps control cortisol production. 6 – 7

hours of sleep will allow your body much needed rest required

from daily activities and the stress that accompanies them.

• Exercise; regular exercise is one of the best ways to

manage stress, balance hormones, sleep better and aid normal

metabolic functions (like balancing blood sugar levels).

• Eat Healthily; avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates and

processed foods which can cause spikes in insulin production

and evoke a stress response. Eat balanced meals consisting of

protein, complex carbohydrates, and good fats.

• Eat Often; Long periods between meals causes cortisol

levels to rise. Eat 5 – 6 smaller meals and snacks throughout

the day.

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Weight loss versus fat loss

Now you have a better understanding of how important it is to keep our

hormones in balance. By them functioning optimally, we have a much

higher success rate for not just losing weight but sustaining it and our

overall health as well.

Now everyone realizes to lose weight, we must expend more calories

than we consume.

But if all we do is reduce our caloric intake, what kind of weight will we

lose, fat weight or muscle weight?

Yes, we will realize some fat loss, but if we don’t

incorporate exercise into our weight loss program,

we’ll also lose muscle in the process as well.

Not only will we just lose muscle, but we’ll not reap the benefits from

having them either.

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Benefits of Exercise vs. Diet Alone

Exercise is helpful for weight loss and maintaining weight loss.

It can increase our metabolism, burning more calories

throughout the day.

It can also help you maintain and increase lean body mass,

which also helps increase the number of calories we burn each

day.

In addition, exercise supports our hormonal balance, lowers

the risk of developing certain types of cancers and heart

disease, and strengthen bones.

It is also known to boost our energy, relieve stress, and help

us sleep better.

Bottom line; Combining exercise with a healthy diet is a

more effective way to lose weight than depending on

calorie restriction alone.

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Take Home Message

You may initially lose weight by just cutting calories. But if

you don’t consider these hormones and how diet and exercise

affect their functions; you’ll be challenged to lose much

weight and may do serious harm to your system if you continue

to just cut calories.

Guidelines to lose weight healthily;

• Consume healthy foods

• Eat smaller meals more often

• Exercise

• Avoid or minimize Caffeine

• Manage stress

• Sleep

This 3-week weight loss program incorporates these

guidelines to not only help you successfully meet your

weight loss goals, but to introduce you to, and get

you started on, healthier eating habits and lifestyle.

Let’s get into it!!!

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The 3-week eating plan

This eating plan consists of basic whole foods; unprocessed and

minimally refined. Consuming these types of foods will help cleanse (or

detox) your system of the toxicity from processed, refined and sugary

foods you may have been consuming.

It will also help reset the 3 hormones we reviewed earlier to get them

in-balance and moving towards functioning optimally.

Healthier Eating

• A schedule of five to six meals per day to supply your body

consistently with calories in a regular and natural pattern; it is

very important to keep your body healthy and supplied with

calories, for this will release fats by the heat the calories form.

• Your meals will contain proteins (to build muscles), carbohydrates

(for fuel), healthy fats (for energy and health), and vegetables to

help with digestion and provides micronutrients and vitamins.

As per the schedule, you will notice that carbohydrates will be taken in

the morning to give you the energy that will help your body operate

during the whole day.

Proteins, on the other hand, will be taken later in the afternoon and

evening, because your body will need proteins to rebuild muscle tissue

while you are at rest. Proteins also boost your rate of metabolism.

Because the program is short, your commitment is key to the success

of this program and it’s important to follow the schedule as designed.

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The 3-week eating plan (cont.)

For good results, eat every meal in the proper order of the schedule,

and note that you should allow two to three hours between each meal,

no more and no less.

Skipping a meal or taking a snack will not affect only one day but can

ruin the daily pattern and balance you’re wanting to achieve. By not

following the schedule in detail, you will lose out on the optimal effect

and results; you should follow the program with complete commitment.

By the end of the three weeks, the results will be obvious. You’ll not

only lose the weight, but you’ll also feel a difference; more energy and

healthier. Your body will have a more pleasing shape and your

confidence level should soar.

Remember that this program is not a long-term diet. At the end of

three weeks, once you see the difference you may consider repeating it

to gain more benefits.

Don't do it right away.

Follow a long-term diet using these concepts; small, frequent meals,

incorporating carbohydrates, protein, fat, fruits and vegetables into

your diet. Avoid or minimize processed and refined foods with added

sugars and fat.

If after 4 weeks of ending the diet you choose to go another round, feel

free to do so, but don’t continue for more than 3 weeks at a time.

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Workout Routine

Perform the workouts for 3 days throughout the week, with 1 rest day

between workout days. (I.E. Monday – Wednesday – Friday)

As I mentioned earlier, although you’ll be consuming balanced, healthy

meals throughout the day, your caloric intake will be low.

Therefore, this workout routine is not designed to be of high intensity.

The intent is to maintain as much of your current muscle mass as

possible by having more of your weight loss be fat.

This 3-week weight loss program is not only designed for losing weight

but also to introduce you to a healthier lifestyle by familiarizing you to

two key elements of achieving that which is a healthy diet and regular

exercise.

The benefits of regular exercise are tremendous and you could read

about a few of them at http://healthfitnessandmore.net/9-reasons-

lift-weights/.

Exercise Routine

You’ll begin with a light warm-up followed by 6 body weight exercises.

Perform each exercise for 20 – 30 seconds and rest for 30 - 60

seconds between exercises.

You’ll complete just one set of each exercise and you’re done.

The entire routine, warm-up and exercises should take less than 15

minutes.

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Exercise Routine (weeks 1 & 3)

Warm-up

1. Walk in place with high knees 30 seconds

2. Jumping jacks 20 seconds

3. Toe touch 12 repetitions

a. Starting position; standing with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly

bent, placing both hands on your hips.

b. Move; drop both hands down in front of your legs while bending over to

touch your toes.

c. Return to the starting position and repeat for 12 repetitions.

d. Be sure to not hunch over, keep your back flat.

Rest for 1 minute after completing the cycle and repeat once more.

Exercises (see illustrations and instructions on following pages)

1. Deep squat to hamstring stretch 20 – 30 seconds

2. Squat (body weight) 20 – 30 seconds

3. Regular Push-ups 20 – 30 seconds

4. Mountain climber 20 – 30 seconds

5. Lunge 20 – 30 seconds

6. Plank 20-30 seconds

Exercise Routine (week 2)

Warm-up Same as weeks 1 & 3

Exercises (see illustrations and instructions on following pages)

1. Glute bridge 20 – 30 seconds

2. Sumo squat (body weight) 20 – 30 seconds

3. Push-ups (narrow) 20 – 30 seconds

4. Burpee 20 – 30 seconds

5. Lateral lunge 20 – 30 seconds

6. Alternating leg raise 20 – 30 seconds

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1. Deep squat to hamstring stretch 1. Stand tall with your feet wider than hip-width apart.

2. Bend forward at your waist to grab your toes with your hands.

3. Drop down into a deep squat while keeping your arms straight, elbows inside

your knees, back flat and chest up.

4. While holding your toes, raise your hips back and straighten your knees until

you feel a good stretch in the back of your legs. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds.

5. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your arms straight, back flat, and chest up throughout the movement.

You should feel it stretching your glutes and hamstrings.

2. Squat 1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing straight ahead, arms at

your sides.

2. Initiating the move with your hips, squat back and down until your thighs are

parallel to the floor. As you descend, raise your arms out in front of you.

4. Return to a standing position by pushing through your hips while you lower your

arms.

5. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your chest up, back flat, and do not let your knees collapse to the inside.

You should feel it working your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

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3. Push-up 1. Start in the classic push-up position with your hands beneath your shoulders and

your legs straight behind you.

2. Keeping your torso stable and hips square to the ground, bend your elbows to

lower your body towards the ground.

3. Without touching the ground, push yourself back up.

4. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your body in a straight line and push your chest as far away from your hands

as possible. If needed, perform push-ups on your knees.

You should feel it working your chest, arms, and torso.

4. Mountain climber 1. Start in a push-up position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands

under your shoulders.

2. Without moving your torso, slide one knee toward your chest, flexing at the hip.

3. Return your leg to the starting position while simultaneously sliding your

opposite knee toward your chest.

4. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your torso stable and your back neutral throughout the set.

You should feel it working your torso and shoulders.

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5. Lunge 1. Step forward and lower your hips toward the floor by bending your knees.

2. When your front knee is just off the floor, quickly return to a standing position

by pushing off with your front leg.

3. Keep your chest up and use your arms to stay balanced as you move.

4. Continue to alternate your legs for 20 – 30 seconds

Be sure to: Do not let your front knee slide forward past your toes or collapse to

the inside.

You should feel it: Working your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps of your front

leg and stretching the hip flexor of your back leg.

6. Plank 1. Lie face down in a push-up position, with your forearms resting on the floor.

2. Push up off your elbows, supporting your weight on the forearms. Tuck your

chin so that your head is in line with your body. Pull your toes towards your shins.

3. Hold your body in a straight line for 20-30 seconds.

Keep your stomach tight and do not allow your hips to sag.

You should feel it working your shoulders and torso.

That’s It. Your workout is complete. Congratulations!

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Workout Routine Week 2

Perform workout routine for 3 days throughout the week, with at least 1

rest day between workout days.

(I.E. Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday)

Follow the warm-up routine for week 1 & 3.

Perform each exercise for 20 – 30 seconds and rest 30 - 60 seconds

between exercises.

1. Glute bridge 1. Lie faceup with your arms at your sides, your knees bent, and your heels on the

ground.

2. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders are in a

straight line.

3. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds, and then return to the starting position.

4. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Be sure to squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground.

You should feel it: Working your glutes and to a lesser degree your hamstrings and

lower back.

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2. Sumo squat 1. Stand with your arms at your sides and your feet wider than shoulder-width

apart, knees and toes angled out to the sides.

2. Initiating the movement with your hips, squat back and down, keeping your

knees wide as you raise your arms straight out to shoulder height.

3. Reverse the movement pattern back to the starting position.

4. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Be sure to: Keep your chest up and back flat throughout the movement.

You should feel it: Stretching your groin and working your glutes, quads, and

hamstrings.

3. Push up - narrow hand position 1. Start in the classic push-up position with your hands beneath and just inside your

shoulders and your legs straight behind you.

2. Keeping your torso stable and hips square to the ground, bend your elbows to

lower your body towards the ground.

3. Without touching the ground, push yourself back up.

4. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your body in a straight line and push your chest as far away from your hands

as possible. Perform from your knees if needed.

You should feel it working your chest, arms, and torso.

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4. Burpee 1. Lower your body to the floor.

2. Quickly punch your legs back behind you into a push-up position.

3. Then, draw your legs back underneath your hips and explode upward in the air.

4. Land with your knees soft and immediately go into your next repetition.

5. Continue for 20 – 30 seconds.

Perform the movement fast, but don't sacrifice technique for speed. Be sure to

extend legs completely when in the push-up position and focus on landing with

hips back and knees soft.

You should feel it working your total body

5. Lateral Lunge

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Step to one side and lower your hips to the floor by squatting back and down

with the stepping leg, keeping the other leg straight.

3. Return to the starting position by pushing up with your bent leg.

4. Switch directions and repeat the movement.

5. Continue alternating for 20 – 30 seconds.

Keep your chest up and your back flat.

You should feel it working your glutes, hamstrings, and quads and stretching the

inner thigh of the straight leg.

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6. Alternating leg raise

1. Lie flat on your back with your arms at your sides.

2. Keeping your toes pulled toward your shins, raise one leg up towards you.

3. Hold for two seconds, then lower your leg back down and repeat with your other

leg.

4. Continue alternating for 20 – 30 seconds.

Be sure to: Keep your back on the floor at all times.

You should feel it: Stretching your hamstrings and challenging the muscles in your

torso.

That’s It. Your workout is complete.

Congratulations!

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Wrapping it up….

Upon completion of the three weeks, you should be well on your way in

continuing to incorporate 3 key elements into your life; nutrition,

exercise and stress management.

Remember, don’t continue this diet after three weeks. If you choose

to go another round, wait 3 or 4 weeks before doing so.

After the three weeks, continue to follow the following guidelines to

continue your weight loss efforts and a healthier lifestyle.

• At least 80% of your diet should be of whole foods such as

wheat, oats, nuts, fruits, vegetables and lean meats.

• Minimize the consumption of processed and refined foods

• Minimize the consumption of foods with added sugars and fats

• Minimize alcohol consumption

• Continue an exercise routine

• Continue practicing stress management guidelines (page 11)

• It’s okay to have a dessert from time to time, or even a piece or

two of pizza if you choose. But keep it very infrequent.

My Journey

I completed only one round of this three-week diet and lost 17 pounds.

I continued to follow the protocols but increased my food consumption

by a little over 50%, continued a progressive workout routine and lost

an average of 5 pounds per month.

Within 5 months, including the three-week round, I lost 40 pounds. I

began this journey at 215 pounds and got down to 175 pounds.

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My Journey - continued

It’s been nearly 9 years now and I fluctuate between 180 and 185

pounds at 10-11% body fat. The fluctuation is often due activity levels.

Our bodies can’t perform at intense levels 100 percent of the time

without having adverse effects. For this reason, I’ll cycle my activity

levels by changing up the frequency, duration, and intensity.

Maintaining Fitness

Many fit people use a protocol referred to as “Periodization” which

helps avoid redundant routines that lead to overtraining.

Periodization is a workout planning system used by athletes in every

sport to reach their best performance condition at the most crucial

time.

For instance, football, basketball, baseball players and the like,

structure their training routines for the off-season, pre-season, and

regular-season. Their workout regimen varies throughout all of them

with the intent to be at peak performance during the regular season.

Keep in mind, we can’t be at peak performance 100 percent of the time,

but we can be fit 100 percent of the time.

Be consistent with workouts, use periodization protocol, and follow at

least the 80-20 rule. 80 percent of your diet should be of healthy

whole foods while 20 percent may be anything of your choosing.

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Thank you,

I wish you success in achieving your weight loss and health goals.

David Gene @ http://healthfitnessandmore.net/