Chris Powell's Choose More, Lose More for Life by Chris Powell Page A

blue cheese dressing, follow with a sausage-and-peppers sub, and finish your meal off with a chocolate chip cookie. I don’t care! But challenge yourself to order the small or halfservings instead of the medium or large, and try one cookie instead of two. You’re already going to be eating additional calories on these days, so see if you can limit them. The more you do, the faster you reach your goal.
    This is what your week looks like:
EASY CYCLE CARB SCHEDULE
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Low-Carb
High-Carb with Reward Meal
Low-Carb
High-Carb with Reward Meal
Low-Carb
High-Carb
High-Carb with Reward Meal
    Even if you’re severely craving-challenged, you
can
lose weight on the Easy Cycle. But even more importantly, you’re going to
prove
to yourself that you can do it. When that starts to happen, the magic ingredient of transformation—believing in yourself—reemerges and you realize, “I can do this!” That’s the power of the Easy Cycle: It makes it possible for
everyone
to lose weight, to succeed with a diet, and to relearn how to believe in him- or herself.
    I can’t think of a bigger benefit to get from a weight-loss program, especially if you need to learn how to
believe in yourself again
. That faith and self-confidence will empower you to do anything you set out to do—notjust lose weight! You can take that confidence and transition to a faster carb cycle, or just stick with the Easy Cycle through your whole journey to your goal. And you
will
reach your goal. It might take a little time, but hey, this is the rest of your life!
    Chasing the Diet
    Oh, no! I cheated on my low-carb day!” Don’t freak out—it happens to everyone. And everyone wonders if they should make up for their slip by changing their next day to a low-carb day. The answer is no!
Never
play catch-up when it comes to your carb cycle. It’ll just derail your weight-loss plan again—faster than before. You’ll end up chasing your diet all over the place. Leave your mistakes in the past, where they belong. Now Confess, Reassess, and Recommit (see Chapter 2 , “The True Secret of Transformation”). Face forward and keep going with your cycle… because you’re worth it.
The Seven-Day Classic Cycle for Quick Results
    This is where it all began, back in my first book,
Choose to Lose
. So it makes sense that the Classic Cycle is the
simplest
carb cycle of all, even though the Easy Cycle is
easier
. I designed the Classic Cycle to give you a fast and easy introduction to carb cycling. A lot of carb cyclers start their weight-loss journey with the Classic Cycle, and they stick with it because they’re losing weight quickly and steadily. I’ve seen this cycle work for so many people, and for them, as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
    The Classic Cycle is a great program if you want fast results on the scale using clear and simple guidelines. All you’ve got to do on the Classic Cycle is alternate low- and high-carb days six days a week, and give yourself a reward day on the seventh. Nothing complicated about it.
    You’re going to lose some serious weight on the Classic Cycle, and pretty quickly. But one of the great things about this cycle is that it allows you to really feel the difference in what happens to your body when you take in carbs on your high-carb days versus fats on your low-carb days. Those feelings are your body telling you what’s happening as it’s going through the process of weight loss. Listen to your body while you carb cycle, and you’ll develop terrific body awareness. You’ll actually feel the effects your food has on your body, from your energy level to your mental clarity. The Classic Cycle will give you a whole new appreciation for the fuel you put into your body!
CLASSIC CYCLE CARB SCHEDULE
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Low-Carb
High-Carb
Low-Carb
High-Carb
Low-Carb
High-Carb
Reward
    Mixed Feelings
    Because you’ve been eating