What about I’m about to share with you is what is called a rotation diet. The diet works by faking out your body’s need to preserve energy.
When you start a diet the first thing that happens is that you lose water weight. You think you are doing great because the first week you feel like a champ.
You lose 3-4 pounds and you think “Hey, this is easy.”
Then a week later you are pissed off because you think “This is impossible, I will never lose this weight.”
The truth is that weight loss is a journey, is a life long change, and is never easy.
It is easy to lose some weight, it is easy to stay on a diet for a period of time and it is easy to start your diet in the morning, but to change forever is hard.
The good news is once you have made the change and it becomes habit it goes back to easy.
The Rick Lehman Rotation Diet
Your body loses weight early because you suddenly decrease your caloric intake. It is used to 2750 calories and you eat 2250 and wham, you lost some weight.
But pretty soon your body is used to 2250 and you stop losing weight. So, wham I will just eat 2000. And , just like clockwork, you start to lose weight again.
Well, you can see where this is going. You can’t go so low you hit a plateau. And you tell your friends I haven’t lost weight in 3 weeks and I am doing everything the same.
So, what is the answer?
The Rick Lehman Rotation Diet. I actually did invent this diet. It makes sense and it is biologically how your metabolism works. The Rick Lehman part has nothing to do with it.
So, the little bit you have been waiting for.
Sixty percent of your calories need to be protein. 60% protein, 20% fat 20% carbs.
Rotating Your Calorie Count
The next parameter is the all important calories. Monday 950 calories Tuesday 1650 calories Wednesday 1100 calories Thursday 1700 Friday 750 calories Saturday 1750 calories Sunday 1000 calories.
These numbers are not etched in stone.
Look alive, this is important. If,or when you go over your allotted calories, the next day remains the same. If you go under your calories you may add them to the following day.
For example: you eat 1450 calories on Wednesday you go right back to the plan, 1700 on Thursday. If on Wednesday you eat 900 calories you can now eat 1900 calories on Thursday.
This way you can plan for a big bash or a good old fashioned pig-out.
There Is No Magic to Losing Weight
You have to eat less calories and you have to potentiate your metabolism. If you let your metabolism diminish you will not lose weight. You have to be on track most of the time.
If you cheat, no worries, start right back up.
Do not say ” I have blown it ” and quit. Do not quit. Do not be fat. You will feel better.
Remember the calories and live by them. Any diet that doesn’t break down your eating into the basics can’t work. There are 2 things to know:
- Know the calories
- know your percentages.
Once you have met your ideal weight, you can then increase your caloric content by 100 calories per day.
Remember you weigh yourself everyday. You count your calories everyday and you watch your percentages.
When you get to steady state , the calories that stabilize your weight you can then alter your percentages.
Initially, you start with 50% protein 25% fat and carbs. Then you can eventually go to 40% protein and 30% fat and carbs. When you get stabilized this is your intake forever.
If you notice that you are slowly gaining weight decrease your intake by 200 calories per day. You get the picture.
So here we go. If you have questions please ask on the website. Personalized diets, recipes and can be obtained at the US Center for Sports Medicine.
Dr. Rick Lehman is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon in St. Louis, Missouri and an articular cartilage reconstruction pioneer. He owns U. S. Sports Medicine in Kirkwood, MO, and LehmanHealth. Learn more about Dr. Rick.