Allowed food

Up to this point, during your first stage, you alternated between proteins and proteins + vegetables. From now on, you do not have to alternate. You can eat all proteins and vegetables together and still have as much as you want.

Proteins and vegetables constitute a stable foundation on which you will build the second phase, as well as the final stage that will follow it. You can see why these two major food categories are so important, because for the rest of your life you can eat them without there being any limit on quantity, time of day, or combination.

Lean meats—the least fatty cuts of beef and veal, buffalo, and venison

Organ meats such as liver, tongues, and kidneys

Fish and seafood

Poultry (except duck and goose), always without the skin

Low-fat ham, sliced low-fat chicken and turkey

Eggs

Nonfat dairy products

Raw and cooked vegetables

1,5 quarts of water

As well as the above base of proteins and vegetables, the second stage introduces new foods that will improve your daily eating. They can be added in the following proportions and quantities.

One Serving of Fruit per Day

I’m sure most of you believe that fruit belongs to the "as much as you want” category because it is so naturally healthy. This is partly true: fruit is a natural product and it is also one of the best-known sources of vitamin C and carotene.

Fruit in its natural state was a colorful and satisfying reward for humans. It is only through intensive farming and selection that we nowadays have the impression that fruit is easy to come by. As it is, most fruit with a high sugar content, such as pineapples, bananas, and mangos, comes to us from tropical regions and was only recently introduced into our regular diet, thanks to progress in transportation.

In fact, fruit is not the prototype of a healthy and natural food. It is the only natural food that contains what diabetes specialists call rapid-assimilation sugars. Consumed in large quantities it can be unhealthy, especially for diabetics and overweight people who tend to eat fruit outside of mealtimes.

Rationed to 1 serving of fruit per day, you are now allowed to eat all types of fruit except bananas, grapes, cherries, dried fruits, and nuts (walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamias, and cashews).

How much is a serving? With fruits the size of an apple, pear, orange, grapefruit, peach, or nectarine, a serving is 1 medium-size piece of fruit. For smaller fruits, or larger ones, use a normal serving: a cup of strawberries or raspberries, half of a medium cantaloupe or a quarter of a honeydew melon, an inch-thick slice of watermelon, 2 kiwis, 2 nice apricots, 1 small mango or half a large one. You can eat all these fruits, but remember, only 1 serving per day and not per meal.

Bear in mind that the best fruits for stabilizing your weight are the following, in descending order:

Apples. I give priority to the apple, because its high pectin content helps keep you feeling full.

Strawberries and raspberries. These are low in calories and look colorful and festive.

Melon and watermelon, if you stick to the serving size, because of their high water and low calorie content.

Grapefruit, for its pulp, is rich in pectin and low in calories.

Kiwi is high in vitamin C and low in sugar content. Peaches and nectarines are full of flavor, with a luscious texture and moderate sugar content. Mango is the richest in vitamins A, C, and E, three major antioxidants.

Two Slices of 100 Percent Whole Grain Bread per Day

If you are prone to putting on weight, get into the habit of avoiding white bread. White flour is too refined, and like white and other simple sugars, it enters into the bloodstream too quickly and in too great a quantity.

One hundred percent whole grain bread tastes good and has a natural proportion of bran, which is a major ally in normal elimination.

For this Consolidation phase of the diet, you are still under strict surveillance as your body is waiting to extract calories from everything. But once you reach the third stage, you will be able to eat bread normally, as long as it is whole grain or, even better, enriched with bran or fiber. From now on, if you enjoy bread at breakfast, you may lightly spread your 2 slices of whole grain bread with some reduced-fat butter or spread. But you may also decide to eat these 2 slices of bread at some other time of the day, for a cold meat or ham sandwich at lunchtime, or in the evening with some cheese, which is the next food to be added to your list.

One Serving of Cheese per Day

What cheese are you allowed to eat, and how much?

You may eat all hard-rind cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss cheese, Gouda and other cheeses from Holland, Tomme de Savoie (a hard French cheese from the Alps), Mimolette, Emmental. Avoid fermented cheese for now, such as blue cheese, Brie, Camembert, or goat cheese. As for how much, you should eat a 1,5-ounce (40- gram) serving. I am not usually in favor of weighing food, but since the second stage will not last too long, this is a good standard serving that satisfies most appetites. Choose whichever meal suits you best, but remember only 1 serving per day.

What about reduced-fat or diet cheeses? Many are of poor quality, so if you cannot find a good one, I would advise against eating food that has lost most of its flavor. If you enjoy soy cheeses, a 1,5-ounce portion is acceptable.

Two Servings of "Starchy” Foods per Week

Up until now you have been allowed to eat the reintroduced foods every day. Starchy foods, however, will be reintroduced gradually. After calculating how long your second stage will last, based on 5 days for every pound lost, divide this stage into two equal halves. In the first half you are allowed 1 serving of starchy foods per week; in the second, 2 servings per week. This approach avoids the risk of your starting to eat sugar-rich foods too suddenly.

Starchy foods refer to potatoes, foods made from flour, such as breads and pasta, as well as cereals such as rice and corn. In the second stage, in which prudence is the rule, all starches are not of equal value, and I list them for you here in descending order of interest.

• Pasta made of durum wheat is the starch best adapted for our particular use; whole grain varieties are also useful. Moreover, everyone likes pasta, and it is rarely associated with dieting, so it is a source of comfort for dieters who have been working so hard to lose weight. Finally, and most important, pasta has a filling and satisfying consistency. Its only drawback is that it is often cooked with butter, oil, or cream, as well as cheese, which then doubles the calorie intake.

So eat pasta, and take a healthy 8-ounce (225-gram) serving cooked (about 2 ounces of uncooked pasta), but avoid oil and opt instead for a nice sauce of fresh tomatoes, onions, and spices, with a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. If you are in a hurry, use a jarred sauce made without sugar or canned tomatoes.

• Couscous, bulgur wheat, and wheat berries have the same beneficial properties as pasta. Whole wheat couscous is also available.

• Polenta, quinoa, and millet are also whole grains, and you may eat the same quantity of them—an 8-ounce (225-gram) serving cooked.

• Lentils and other legumes like lima beans, kidney beans, white beans, butter beans, chick peas, split peas, dried peas, and dried beans of all colors also provide excellent nutrition. Unfortunately, they do take time to prepare and have a reputation for causing flatulence. But for those who like them and digest them well, they are an excellent stabilization food and very satisfying. You are allowed an 8-ounce (225- gram) serving cooked. Once again, no oil, but do serve with gram) serving cooked. Once again, no oil, but do serve with tomatoes, onions, and spices—a bay leaf works well.

• Rice and potatoes are also allowed, but, as you can see, they appear at the bottom of our list and so can only be eaten occasionally. Priority should be given to the foods listed earlier in our list. If possible, it is better to eat brown rice, without butter or oil, as it is assimilated more slowly because of its fiber. Or choose the tastier varieties such as basmati and wild rice. Each serving must not exceed 6 ounces (175 grams) of white rice or 8 ounces (225 grams) of brown rice, cooked.

As for potatoes, prepare them baked in their skin or boiled, and always without any butter or sauce. French fries or, even worse, potato chips are among the few foods that I advise you to forget about totally, not only because they are full of fat and calories, but because they are detrimental to your overall health.
New Meats You Can Add to Your Diet

Up until now you were allowed the lean meats. From now on you can add lamb and roast pork as well as ham, in any quantity, once or twice a week.

Leg of lamb is the leanest part of the animal, but avoid eating the outer slices of the roast. First, the fat surrounding the leg does not come away easily, so the first slices are high in fat and calories. Second, large roasts are usually cooked to a very high surface temperature to ensure that they are properly cooked inside. But this often chars the outside layer, making it potentially carcinogenic. If you like your meat well done, take the second slice.

Cooked ham may now be eaten. You are no longer limited solely to rindless extra-lean ham. You may eat all kinds of ham, but be careful to remove all fat. However, avoid cured hams such as prosciutto, which are not allowed yet.

These food categories are the platform for your transition diet.

Remember that this is not at all a permanent diet or a weight loss diet. This is a healthy, balanced diet whose only role is to help you get through a period when your body, worried about losing its reserves, is doing all it can to restore them.

Five days for every pound lost is about the time you need to reassure your body and for it to come to terms with the new weight you are trying to impose on it. Once you get beyond this transition period, you will be free to eat as you want for 6 days out of 7. This prospect should give you the encouragement and patience you need; you know where you are heading and how long it will take.

But that is not all. To conclude this second stage diet, I have two more important things to tell you. I will start with the good news.

Two unique Meals per Week

During the first half of the second stage you are allowed 1 celebration meal per week; during the second half you are allowed 2. For example: You have just lost 20 pounds, so your second stage will last 100 days. The first 50 days, you are allowed 1 serving of starchy foods per day and 1 celebration meal per week. For the remaining 50 days, you can have 2 servings of starchy foods per day and 2 celebration meals per week. I really want to emphasize the word meal here because even when I write it out on a prescription, some patients seem to think that it means "all day long.”

What is a celebration meal? A celebration meal can be any one of your three meals in the day, but my advice is to choose dinner. Celebration means party time! At each celebration meal you can eat whatever kind of food you want and especially whatever you have most missed during the weight loss period. There are nevertheless two important conditions: never have second helpings of the same dish, and when you are allowed 2 celebration meals per week, never eat 2 celebration meals in a row. Everything is allowed, but only one of each: 1 starter, 1 main dish, 1 dessert, and 1 glass of wine—all in a reasonable quantity but only once.

Take care to space out your celebration meals to give your body time to recover in between. If you have a celebration meal for lunch on Tuesday, then do not have one for dinner on the same day. Leave at least one meal in between. You might also want to keep celebration meals for evenings and weekends when you are eating out. For those of you who miss fried chicken, spareribs, baked ziti, or any other dish, now is your chance. For those of you who have been waiting so long to finish your meal with a real dessert such as a piece of chocolate cake or ice cream, well, now you can. For those of you who like good wine or champagne, you can now enjoy them too.

Now without a second thought, you can accept those dinner invitations you have had to refuse, but only once a week during the first half of your second stage, then twice a week during the second half.

Many of you who have got this far will have become so used to eating in a new way that you will hesitate to let go and enjoy a celebration meal.

You should understand, though, that these meals too have been carefully planned. Moreover, these celebration meals are not simply suggestions, they are instructions you must follow to the letter.

The 3 stage Diet is a comprehensive program, and you cannot pick and choose from its different component parts without reducing its effectiveness. Maybe you do not fully understand why the freedom of these two meals is so important. Now, then, is the time to talk to you about pleasure, the other aspect of eating.

Nourishing yourself is not just about taking in enough calories to survive; it is also, and even more important, about enjoying eating as part of that process. It is now time to reintroduce this pleasure, this vital reward that was taken away from you during your weight loss period.

Since we are talking about what tastes good, I will use this opportunity to give you an important piece of advice, essential for any permanent stabilization. So do not take it lightly.

When you eat, and particularly if what you are eating is savory and rich, think about what you are eating. Concentrate on what is in your mouth and on each and every sensation this food is giving you. Numerous studies carried out by nutritionists have proved the major role that taste sensations play in making us feel full, triggering the feeling of being full and satisfied.

So eat slowly and concentrate on what is in your mouth. Avoid eating while watching television or reading.

Enjoy these wonderful celebration meal moments, without any guilt, and, believe me, they will not cost you a thing.

There are, however, two conditions you must abide by:

1. The first is of utmost importance. This freedom is precisely limited in time, and not sticking to these limits would derail your success. Do not play down the danger. If, for example, you have chosen Tuesday night for your celebration meal, you need to understand that Wednesday’s breakfast is when the success of your diet is on the line.

These two celebration freedom meals are there to help

you hold on until your body accepts its new weight. They are an integral part of your transition diet. But if you step beyond these limits, you risk compromising everything that you have so patiently worked for.

2. The second condition is common sense. The celebration meal is meant to give you a dose of pleasure, but it is not an invitation to binge. Using this freedom as an excuse to stuff yourself means you have not understood me, and you run the risk of damaging your system. Eating until you are nauseous or drinking until you are drunk will throw you completely off balance. Even if you go back on the straight and narrow the next day, the rhythm will have been broken, and with it your hope of eventual stabilization.

If you want a simple piece of advice, eat what you want, give yourself generous servings, but never take seconds. If you eat your celebration meal at home or at a friend’s home, you eat your celebration meal at home or at a friend’s home, do as you would in a restaurant, where you cannot ask for a second helping.

One Day of Pure Proteins per Week

Here you are with all of the ingredients that make up the Diet’s second stage. You now know what you have to eat and how long this period, easily calculated, will last until your body accepts the new weight imposed on it.

Nevertheless, one key ingredient, vital for the security of this final stage, is missing. This diet, with the added variety of two celebration meals a week, cannot on its own guarantee perfect weight control during this highly sensitive period. That is why I have included, by way of security, 1 full day per week of the pure protein diet, which you have already tried and tested.

On this day, you eat only pure protein foods. I will just remind you of the main categories: lean meats, all fish and seafood, poultry without the skin, eggs, nonfat dairy products, and 1,5 quarts of water. As before, you can eat as much and as often as you want from these protein categories and in any combination and proportions that suit you.

This pure protein day is both the driving force and the insurance policy for your second stage. It is the price you need to pay during the third stage to keep things under control.

Again, this price is not negotiable. Carry out this day to the letter or do not do it at all, but you are the one who will lose out.

If possible, always make your pure protein day a set day— Sunday, for example. This weekly rhythm is one of the guarantees of the rule’s effectiveness. If Sundays are not possible for you because of your job or social schedule, make your pure protein day Wednesday or Friday and stick to it.

If for some reason you cannot keep to your pure protein day on your chosen day one week, do it the previous day or the next day, and the following week go back to your chosen day. But do not slip into the habit of breaking the rhythm this way. into the habit of breaking the rhythm this way.

You are not keeping to this rhythm to please me, but to fight against your own tendency to put on the pounds easily. You are the one who will benefit from following this rule, so remember that.

If you are on holiday or traveling, keep it up. You should be able to find plain nonfat yogurt, eggs, and some kind of lean meat (grilled, broiled, or roasted) almost everywhere.

Oat Bran

During the second stage, you must keep eating 2 tablespoons of oat bran per day. These 2 tablespoons are in addition to the 2 slices of 100 percent whole grain bread. If you have become used to having an oat galette for breakfast, keep the bread to have in the evening with your cheese.