15/21 Quickstart: lose up to 15 pounds in 21 days with this crash-course eating program - really! - Cover Story

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2002 by Philip L. Goglia, Michael Berg

GROUND RULES FOR MAXIMAL FAT LOSS

1 Eat the meals in order. No, you can't eat one meal right before another, you can't mix and match foods, and you can't substitute a banana split for a banana. Be very clear with yourself: You made the decision to follow this program, and you must be accountable for your progress, or lack of progress. Pick specific times to eat, and then stick to the timetable.

2 Don't let moods and events dictate your food choices. If you think a brownie in the afternoon is going to fix your car or brighten a bad day, think again. Focus on feeling good about choosing this diet, confident that you'll see improvement in your physique if you follow the plan consistently.

3 Eat all the food prescribed. Your day's been manic. It's 10 p.m. and you haven't eaten meals 4, 5 or 6. You'd better get busy with your knife and fork. Skipping meals altogether is far worse than not eating them at consistent two- to three-hour intervals. The 15/21 Quickstart plan is so tuned for caloric and appetite response, if you skip a meal you're going to be hungry--and that aforementioned brownie will wrestle you to the floor.

4 Drink one ounce of water for every pound of body weight every day. If you adhere to only this part of the program and nothing else, you'll drop five pounds--guaranteed. Water allows your body to rid itself of toxins, mobilize nutrients, and maintain a consistent temperature. If your water intake is low, your body is going to find another way to maintain homeostasis--like storing fat underneath your skin for insulation. Most people have trouble drinking a lot of water at first, but the more you drink, the more you'll thirst for it. In the beginning, you'll become intimate with the restroom, but as you consume more water, the more of it your body will accommodate, ff you're not active, you can lower fluid intake to one half-ounce per pound of body weight.

5 Tote a large(r) water bottle. Trade in your 16- or 33-ounce bottle for a bigger one. It's easier to keep track of your intake with a 50-ouncer (1.5 liters), plus a bigger bottle encourages you to drink more. Also, when you exercise--weight training or cardio--you should consume at least 50 ounces of water in an hour.

6 Don't cheat. Your friends may be chowing down on fried calamari, but don't lose your cool. Remember, you made the choice to follow this plan. Drink your water, stick to your programmed menus, and tell yourself that three weeks goes by fast.

7 If you weigh more than 200 pounds, add more protein. The heavier you are, the more protein you require. For every 20 pounds you are above 180, add four ounces of protein (a chicken breast, for instance) per day, either in one meal or spread over two. If you weigh less but are tormented by cravings, you can add this amount of protein as well.

8 Don't be afraid of condiments. Jazz up the prescribed meals without loading on the calories or larding them with "bad" fat. You're not aiming to create an adversarial relationship with food, but to use food to spur a physique change. Condiments you can consume without abandon include ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, nonfat mayo, nonfat sour cream, butter substitutes, salsa, spices, horseradish, extracts (vanilla, orange, almond), and lemon or lime juice.