Automate Your Meals: 7-Day Diet Plan

Work smart, not hard. Week one puts you in motion and allows your body to adjust. Week two gives you seven days to practice the plan, feel what it's like to eat well, and figure out what to do if you don't. Research shows that it takes two weeks of repetitive action to make the action become automated, so now you can take the plan and tweak it. Or repeat it. This isn't the end of your waist- management plan; it's just the beginning.

Somewhere between the second and third weeks of the program, data show that the behavior changes that are crucial for sustained waist loss will start to become ingrained in you. About the same time, your newly detoxified body will become more sensitive to poor-quality foods. Instead, as you adopt the YOU: On a Diet habits, you will crave the foods similar to the ones we list. Your liver will enjoy not having to manage toxic elements and will pass along the love to the rest of the body by reducing inflammation. All the data we have on folks who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off points to using a steady, resilient program. You can make mistakes but still bounce back if you keep moving and keep making calm YOU-Turns without a lot of emotional baggage. The types of foods we advocate will always come to your rescue even if you make a few wrong turns, anyway.

When you reach a plateau - which you will - you will have three choices: drop another few calories from your daily intake, increase your physical activity, or see a physician about extra help if appropriate. But remember that the purpose of losing weight is to gain health, so when you reach your playing weight and your body is loving the feeling, just stay the course.

YOUR Breakfast Choices

For Cereal Lovers

• Cooked oat cereal with 4 ounces of skim milk, or soy milk fortified with vitamin D and calcium, and 1 fistful of your favorite fruit
• 1 cup Kashi high-fiber or cold-oat cereal (like plain Cheerios) with 1 fistful of your favorite fruit, with 4 ounces of skim milk, or soy milk fortified with vitamin D and calcium

For Egg Lovers

• Egg-white omelette (3 egg whites and 1 whole egg), plus cut-up mixed veggies
• 2 scrambled, poached or hard- boiled eggs with 2 pieces of lean turkey sausage or tofu sausage (scramble with a little canola Pam spray, not butter)

For Bread Lovers

• 1 slice toasted100% whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon peanut butter or 1 teaspoon apple or walnut butter or avocado spread

For Breakfast Haters

• Magical Breakfast Blaster