also an acceptable option for dinner. A rich entrée like chicken with a creamy
sauce is allowed, but meals like this can add a lot of calories if you’re trying to
lose weight. Place sauces on the side, and just use a little to add some taste and
help fill you up.
Since the Perfect 10 Diet is an eating plan for life, I know there will be times
when you’ll want to indulge in rich desserts. If you’re still hungry after dinner
and are in either of the first two stages of the diet, opt for fruit.
What Snacks Can I Eat on the Perfect 10 Diet?
Even though you read throughout the book that you can have 1 or 2 snacks a day
on the Perfect 10 Diet, they are optional. Why? Frequent snacks are appropriate
only if you’re hungry or very athletic. I know this goes against the advice of
most nutritionists and diet gurus who tell you to eat every 3 hours, but I disagree.
If you need to eat every 3 hours, your metabolism or hormones are not in good
shape. Yes, you may lose weight initially if you eat 5 small meals a day, but in
no time at all, your weight will plateau. Why? Because even a lowcalorie snack
increases insulin release, and this inhibits weight loss. Also, HGH is suppressed
by frequent meals, and that’s not good. By spacing your meals at least 5 hours
apart, you take advantage of the feast-fast cycle, which boosts HGH production.
I have designed some days on the Perfect 10 Diet with light meals for those of
you who want to snack, but 3 meals a day with a big breakfast should do the job,
and you should taper your calories throughout the day. Increasing the amount of
time between meals allows proper weight loss to occur. The French, for
example, who do not have the obesity problem others have, tend to stick to 3
meals a day, and they rarely snack. The more often you eat, the more likely you
will consume more calories and get fat.
Yes, frequent meals are appropriate for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia
or for athletes, but for the rest of us, 3 meals are plenty. I started this 3-meal
approach years ago, and in time, I felt more energetic, and less hungry. Why?
My insulin level stabilized instead of being all over the place every 3 hours. The
less often I ate, the less often I became hungry or even thought of food. I snack
no more than 3 to 4 times a week, and that’s only on the days that I work out.
My meals go down in calories throughout the day unless I am really hungry.
Does this mean you should never snack? Of course not. The idea of 3 square
meals is just plain boring, and it sounds like being locked in prison. That’s where
snacks come in. Let’s say you are meeting some friends after work or in a
gathering that involves food, but it’s not dinner time. Hey, have a snack. Really
hungry? Had a good workout? Have a snack. Just remember that snacks can be