Approved Foods

Proteins

Eat just one serving of protein per meal (don't double up). Meat can be cooked by broiling, grilling, or boiling -- but don't use any additional fat or oils. A George Foreman Grill is a quick and simple way to cook meats.

Serving size: One serving is 3.5 oz (100 grams), weighed raw. Remove all visible fat first. Use a food scale to help get the correct weight.

• Beef and veal. Low-grade veal is your best choice. American beef is typically heavily marbled with fat that's impossible to remove, so if you must use American beef, don't use ground beef. Instead, get whole cuts that are extra lean, at least 95%. You can also try to find range-fed beef or buffalo meat, which have less fat -- but try them with care and pay close attention to how your body responds.
• Chicken. Get boneless, skinless chicken breast. Chicken represents the perfect balance of calories and protein levels.
• Fish. You can use crab, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, or any fresh white-fleshed fish. Not allowed: salmon, eel, tuna, mackerel, herring, and dried or pickled fish. However, white albacore tuna packed in water may be used.
• Protein drink substitutions. On either the Classic Plan or the Flex Plan, one serving of an allowed protein drink can serve as one serving of protein. Protein drinks ideally should have at least 20 grams of protein, less than 130 calories, no more than 2 grams of fat, and no more than 2 grams of carbs per serving. Many protein drinks and powders on the market don't meet these requirements and are often packed with carbs that could ruin your diet. Read the labels closely, and do not use them if they do not comply. On the Flex Plan only, two additional protein drinks are allowed each day between meals or in the evening. (See "Diet Adjustment" in "Tips for Success" section for other options.)
• Vegetarian options and substitutions. Vegetarians typically get their daily protein from leguminous plants, but these foods are not allowed on the diet protocol. See the Vegetarian Menu Options below.

Do not skip or reduce your protein servings. Protein is very important for maintaining muscle and proper nutrition, especially on a low calorie diet.

Some of the allowed protein choices are fairly high in calories compared to others. Eating the higher calorie options too often may slow your weight loss, while eating only the lowest calorie options may result in protein levels that are lower than ideal. Higher calorie options should be eaten sparingly or alternated with lower calorie choices. Veal and chicken are perfect -- right in the middle.

Diabetics on the Classic Plan may eat one additional protein item each morning if needed to help control blood sugar.

Vegetables

On the Classic Plan, you should eat just one serving of vegetables per meal (don't double up). On the Flex Plan, vegetables are unlimited, so you can eat as many veggies from the list as you like with each meal, as well as between meals.

Serving size: One serving is 2 cups for most of the leafy greens and 1 cup for the other vegetables. See the Food Tables later in this book for specific serving sizes.

Allowed items: Asparagus, beet greens, cabbage, celery, chard, chicory greens, cucumber, fennel, green salad, onion, red radishes, spinach, or tomato (1 medium).

Fruits

Eat just one serving of fruit per meal (don't double up). You can save your fruit servings for a snack as long as you don't go over the allowed number of servings for your plan.

Serving size: Varies depending on the fruit. See next point.

Allowed items: One apple, a handful of strawberries, one medium orange, or one half of a grapefruit. Small apples actually have more calories than large ones, so two small apples do not equal one regular. Be sure to eat all the flesh of an orange or grapefruit; do not squeeze it for the juice only. Use only fresh or frozen fruit, not dried or canned.

Starches

Eat just one starch item per meal (don't double up). You can save your starch servings for a snack as long as you don't go over the allowed number of servings for your plan.

Serving size: One grissini (breadstick) or one Melba toast.

Allowed items: Only two types of starch are allowed: grissini (breadsticks) and Melba toast. Melba toast comes in various flavors such as rosemary, sesame, onion, and rye. You may prefer the Melba toast rounds, which come in whole grain, roasted garlic, and sesame rye. Breadsticks also come flavored with Italian herb and sesame. The Melba and grissini should be of equal weights, so check packages for portions sizes, weights, and calorie counts and compare to the Food Tables later in this book.

Fluids

Guideline: Drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of weight.

In formula format: Daily Ounces of Water = Your Weight (lbs) / 2

Example: If you weigh 180 pounds, you should aim for 90 ounces a day.

This may seem like a lot, especially since many people aren't drinking enough water to begin with, but do your best and you'll learn how to drink more regularly.

Allowed items: Non-caloric drinks without sugar (check labels carefully) at any time during the day in any quantity. Water, herbal tea, black tea, and coffee without sugar are permitted. You may sweeten drinks with saccharine or stevia, a natural sugarless sweetener. The juice of one lemon per day is allowed, and one tablespoon of milk is allowed once a day. Yerba mate tea is highly recommended for those having trouble with hunger.

Not allowed: Do not use any sweetener other than saccharine or stevia. Do not use non-dairy creamer or other substitutes. Alcoholic drinks are not allowed.

Seasonings

You can freely use any of the allowed seasonings.

Allowed items: Salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, sweet basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and most other herbs and spices. The juice of one lemon or lime is allowed per day. If you use salt, try to use about the same amount each day. A sudden increase in salt may cause the scales to read higher than usual due to water retention.

Not allowed: Do not use butter. Do not use ANY type of oil. Do not use commercial dressings.

No Sugar, Fat, and Oil

Sugar, fat, and oil in any form are not allowed.

Allowed Substitutes: Saccharine or stevia, a natural sugarless sweetener.

Not allowed:

• Sweeteners. Do not use aspartame, Nutrasweet, acesulfame, sucralose, Splenda, or any other chemicalized sugars as sweeteners. Truvia and Stevia-in-the-Raw are also not allowed, as they contain other types of sugar (erythritol and maltodextrin, respectively).
• Fats and oils. Do not use butter. Do not use ANY type of oil, including olive oil, coconut oil, cooking oil, palm oil, etc.
• Other. Do not use commercial dressings of any kind -- even fat-free salad dressing has sugar, which will increase your appetite.

Vegetarian Menu Options

The vegetable, fruit, and starch servings are the same as the main protocol. Only the protein servings are different. Note that using the vegetarian menu options may result in slower weight loss than following the original diet protocol. However, vegetarians can still have a successful weight loss program.

• 1 serving of a protein drink, as described in the Proteins section above.
• 1 soy patty, no more than 110 calories.
• 1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites. Yolks are high in fat and the whites very low.
• 3.5 oz (about 1/2 cup) of fat-free cottage cheese. No other cheeses are allowed.
• 8 oz (1 cup) of fat-free milk.