5 Campers reveal 4-2-1 results

I figure it has been close to 10 weeks since Deanne unveiled the Forever Fit 2011 new eating plan that I have termed as "4-2-1". It's about time we find out just how this plan is working for all those campers that have been plugging along. 
[A bit of confession here from the author...I tried 4-2-1 for exactly one week. I am now back to the old Deanne plan--basically like the "2" days using the 90/10 rule, but I digress]

I want to thank Bev, Danielle, Janelle, Ann and Katy for their responses and great insights!! From here on out I will use their first letter initial to identify their response to the questions that I asked.


I conducted phone interviews and/or email questionnaires...here are the results of my interviews...

1) 0f course I had to put this first...it really is the ?? all of us want to know although we ALL KNOW this is not the only measurement of success. [whatev!] How much weight have you lost?
B: 11 pounds!
D: 12 pounds! (2 weeks ago)
J : 10 pounds!
A: 10 pounds (2 weeks ago)!
K:  9 pounds!
Most of the respondents expressed a love/hate with the scale. They all limit themselves to only once/week weighing and some of them have given up the scales all together since it only played with her head. (thus Ann' and Danielle's 2 weeks ago weigh-ins).

2) What meals and/or snacks work for you...have become your favorites?

B: Absolute favorite is fresh Lobster tail (caught right off of Torrey Pines beach by her husband...how nice is that ?!) and of course with asparagus or other veggies. Her new favorite for breakfast is to make hollandaise  sauce from the Knorrs packet and put it between a piece of Canadian bacon and a poached egg. (on her "2" days she adds half a whole grain English muffin). For snacks she likes canadian bacon wrapped around string cheese, dipped in Love Your Heart Ranch Dressing, Or Turkey wrapped around Asparagus and string cheese.

D: Her 3 dinner staples are: Turkey pasta over veggies, lettuce wraps with ground chicken and taco salad. For snacks: Greek yogurt with protein powder and cinnamon. (tastes like dessert to her:), also lovvves the protein shake with almond milk, protein powder and pumpkin spice and cinnamon.

J: Meals...Turkey marinara over broccoli and cauliflower, fajita salad and quiche. Snacks: Greek yogurt with lemon and cinnamon, bell peppers, cucumbers with lemon and salt, butternut squash with touch of balsamic vinegar. She also loves to try different soups.

A: For breakfast Ann has discovered buying mixed frozen veggies to which she adds onions, green chillies and enough eggs to hold it all together. She has discovered that the big mix for breakfast gives her energy and makes the rest of the day go so much better. She says fancy, yummy salad dressings and interesting cheese crumbles have made all the difference to her salads.

K: Egg white veggie scramble for breakfasts, salads for lunch and chicken stir fry for dinners. For snacks she likes the almond milk, coconut protein shake and the better than peanut butter, greek yogurt, protein powder mix.

3) Have you been strictly following the 4 days of protein, 2 days of part carb and then 1 free day?

B: When I am "in town" then yes I have been very strict. But in the past couple of months I have been on vacation 15 days. I do the best I can when out of town but I know I am not doing as well as I do at home.

D:  I did really well for the first several weeks but the last couple have been really hard for me. I have had a hard time once the scale stopped dropping...

J: Yes. I took an approach of discipline. I considered the diet an exercise of discipline and figured if I adhered to it strictly for 40 days I would be able to form the habit of eating better. I also focused on one area each week. For instance, 1 week I would focus on finding vegetables I liked to eat raw. Another week I would focus on snack foods that I liked. Another week, I focused on soups & meats that I could use all week. Another week I focused on daily drinking enough water and including fish oil/vitamin drink. You get the idea. The last thing that made a huge impact on my ability to stick to the plan was packing my foods from breakfast through the afternoon snack (+ a few free veggies just in case);- ) One of my biggest challenge is new ways of cooking, prepping in the kitchen and planning.

 A: yes


K: yes...but a bit altered. I have found that it is easier for me to eat the "4" days than to do the "2" days. So on my "2" days I only add carbs at dinner time.

4) Do you go "all out" on your free day?

B: More like just a "free meal" for me...I go out with my husband for dinner. The rest of the day is more like a "2" day.

D: I LOVE free days and usually have it planned at least 3 days before!  I do tend to go all out with exception of 1 meal but some of my cravings are pathetic...last week I was craving a "fruit smoothie" another time was in-n-out(I did go protein style but added the fries)...so yummy! 


J: I have gone gang busters on a few of my free days. Other days, I am almost looking for bad things to eat. My cheat days are typically reserved for some wine, eating out for dinner (my family gets to chose), a piece of toast & OJ with breakfast and maybe some cheese and crackers, a sip of a Coke or fruit in the afternoon. Nothing earth shaking, but all foods that I would typically eat without thinking twice. Love the free day because it makes me feel like a) I earned it, b) I deserve it, c) I am motivated to start the process all over again.

A: No.  I have a fun breakfast (usually whole wheat pancakes or plain scrambled eggs and really good toast with orange juice) and I have whatever it is that I've craved all week for lunch.   Then I have whatever small "treat" I've been craving (a couple of weeks there wasn't one, yesterday I shared a piece of cheesecake) and by dinner I try to get back on track. 

K: My first "cheat day" I had scheduled for a Saturday and then I found having it on the weekend turned my 1 cheat day into a 3 day cheat weekend. So I have now bumped my cheat day into my midweek where I am able to get right back "on track" afterwards due to the fact that the whole week is more structured and planned.

5) Does your weight fluctuate during the week...or do you stick to the "only weigh once/week" rule?

B: I only weigh once/ week and only if I am in town.

D: I really only weigh once a week and find that hard to do! I find it hard and rather discouraging at times every week I REALLY try my hardest the 1st week I lost 5 lbs so easily the next 7lbs were a little tougher and now my scale weight has been at a hault and not moving like I would like??? It has encouraged me to work harder but seeing that scale weight drop is VERY motivating when it comes to a hault its harder to keep motivated!

J: I only weigh in once a week. A few weigh in surprises have been losing weight when on vacation & when I was sick (even though I craved carbs when sick).

A: I don't know.  I've gone as long as 3 weeks without weighing. 

K: I only weigh once/week.

6) Anything else you would like to add...

A: I think the biggest benefit I've noticed from 4/2/1 is a marked increase in my energy level.  I think my sugar craving (even from eating lots of fruit) was taking me up and down all the time and generally wearing me out.  Don't get me wrong, I'm always ready for those low carb days to come around, but I feel pretty good most of the time.

K: Before becoming successful on 4-2-1 I was experiencing nausea and headaches and I spoke with Deanne who asked me to keep track of everything I was eating. As it turned out, I was eating nearly 80% carbs! Now after making the adjustments this food plan suggests, all of my symptoms have gone away and I feel so much better! I even have weaned myself down to 1 Diet Coke/day and sometimes I even forget to drink that!!

So...know what I think after my interviews?...all of these people are successful because they really wanted to be. Know how I know that?? They made adjustments when "the plan" didn't work for them...they were willing to spot their own weaknesses and face them. For example, Katy switching up her cheat day...brilliant! (Me...I had the same thing and thought, "woot!!" free weekends!) Some have made the cheat day into a mere cheat meal (imagine!!) or choosing not to have carbs when really you can... If you really want something, you are willing to make the sacrifices to achieve it. So THANK YOU to Bev, Danielle, Janelle, Ann and Katy!! You 5 are an inspiration to me!! Anybody up to starting 4-2 -1 again??

Please add what has worked for you...we would LOVE your comments...

Dr. Oz vs. Gary Taubes

What's your take on the "debate" today? One thing I found interesting is that there was no distinctions made between lean meats and really fatty meats. I think until the research is conclusive (which Gary Taubes feels already is), I will continue to severely limit my starchy carbs, eat tons of vegetables and stick with healthy fats, mostly lean meats and fish.

Have You Really Hit a Plateau?

About this time (6-7 weeks into bootcamp), many people tell me they have hit a plateau. This happens to almost everyone eventually, as he or she gets close to their goal weight. I like to differentiate between two different types of plateaus, a physical one and a mental one. Let’s talk about the first:

A Physical Plateau
This happens when you are doing “everything” you should be doing in regards to exercise and nutrition and the body simply stops responding with progress. The body’s job is to keep you from starving to death. And, even though the days of famine are long gone, the body is still hard wired to deal with this potential crisis. Believe me, it is much easier to get the first 50 pounds off than the last 5 for ANYONE! In many cases, we want to achieve a lower body fat % than what is considered normal to our bodies. Our ancestors didn’t care about how they looked in a bikini. They were concerned with surviving a hard life. In fact, our genetics may well be working against us. In the days of famine, the lean people with little fat stored in their bodies often didn’t make it through the hard times. The people who survived were the ones with slightly higher body fat percentages. For most of us, these “hardier” genes were passed on to later generations, that being us. Now I don’t believe genetics is a “life sentence” and it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to achieve a desired outcome, it just means that we have to begin making even finer levels of distinctions in our exercise and nutrition choices. We have to have even more discipline. And in most cases, step our game up. So if you have truly hit a physical plateau and what was once working, is now not, here are some ideas to get the progress moving again:
1. Step up the game by making your workouts harder. You’ve probably noticed that during this 10 week bootcamp session, I have gradually made things harder each week. The body has an amazing adaptation curve, meaning it quickly adjusts to the stress you put it under. Which means, until you get to the point that you are content with, you have to put it under more stress in a consistent, gradual manner. If you have been doing bicep curls with 8lb dumbbells for 3 years, you are doing nothing but maintaining what you already have at this point.
2. Change it up – why do I insist on providing you with an entirely different workout every time you show up for bootcamp? Because I know that the body will find the path of least resistance when it is confronted with the same workout time after time. The path of least resistance means the body will find a more efficient way to get through it, stalling your progress and lowering your calories burned. We don’t side shuffle because I’m sick of jogging forward. We side shuffle because the body has to use more energy than it does to jog forward. You know you are getting a different workout at each bootcamp, but what are you doing on your other workout days to change it up? Try a new class. Take a new running path. Jump on a bike this week instead of the elliptical. Do 30 minutes of heart pounding hills sprints instead of that 60 minute walk with friends. Sometimes just switching up one more day a week will get the ball rolling again.
3. Try a few new foods and meals – I know I told you to keep things easy this time around and repeat the same meals over and over so that complexity doesn’t become an excuse for adherence. BUT, if things aren’t working any more, time to throw a couple new recipes in the mix and put a few others on the shelf for a little while. Switching your food a little will introduce new nutrients to the mix, different levels of fiber, resistance starch, sugar and salt content. Not to mention, if may take care of any “food boredom” issues that may have set in. I have included a couple of my favorite recipes for you to try this week in this week's email. They are all very easy and will add a little variety to your meals. Speaking of “food boredom”, that brings me to my next type of plateau, the Mental plateau.

A Mental Plateau
Just about every week someone I know tells me they have hit a plateau, but MOST of the time, it is not a physical plateau they have hit. It’s not that they are doing everything right and their body is not responding. It’s that they are having a hard time doing the right things and fighting off the wrong things. So before you jump to conclusions and convince yourself you have hit a physical plateau, go back to the basics and make sure you really are doing everything you can to continue your progress:
1. Have a plan for the week for both your workouts and ALL of your meals. Write that plan in your calendar or put it on your computer calendar.
2. After you create your weekly plan, go shopping and get organized. Look ahead at your week and make sure you plan how you will deal with meetings, sporting events, social occasions, etc.
3. Stop relying on will power. If you really want to achieve your goals, get the bad stuff out of your house! Do yourself a huge favor: Make it easy to do the right thing and very hard to do the wrong thing. If you are keeping unhealthy food in the house, you are giving yourself permission to fail.
4. Reach out to those people who have similar goals and spend more time with them this week, talking about how you can support each other. Limit time with people, temporarily, who are constantly creating challenges for you.
5. Treat your workouts like your hair appointments. There are few things in life that sit as high on the priority list for women as the hair salon. Those appointments are in permanent marker on the schedule. Your workouts should be too! Guys, what are those things that won’t get budged off your lists? Do you treat your workouts as sacredly?
6. Make your workouts efficient. They don’t have to be 60 minutes to count. Anything is better than nothing, and as I’ve shown you in bootcamp, sometimes 10-20 minutes is plenty (think Tabata Drills). If you want an idea for a great metabolic blasting body circuit that will take you 10-12 minutes, you can find it on the blog: http://foreverfitsandiego.blogspot.com/

So before you resign yourself to a plateau, ask yourself some tough questions. Because, you really do hold all the answers to your success.

12 Minute Metabolic Blasting Body Weight Circuit

Do the following 6 exercises for 30 seconds each with 5 seconds between each one. Repeat for a total of 3 rounds:

Squat – up downs or Jump Squats
Push-up with reach through or push up into side plank
Side skates
Close grip push-up
Jumping Jacks with star jump on 4th jack
Cross body mountain climbers