Good Morning, Omelet!

You’ve just started ZReboot.  For many of you, it’s kind of scary.  How can you possibly increase the amount of food you’re eating and not gain weight? Will you just pile it all back on?  It came off so fast.  Will it go back on that fast?

Not if you do this right.

I have to caution you.  This is the hardest part of the diet.  You thought getting the weight off is a challenge.  Now you’ll have a whole new set of challenges!

But you are READY.

This is where most diets just “dump you off.”  You lose some weight and are then just set free to go back and do what you did before.  No behavior changes.  The bad habits and weight return.

Not on Plan Z.

You’re in ZReboot.  Two things will happen now.  First, you will find out your new set point.  Your hypothalamus has been re-booted.  Now you have to give your body the coaching it needs to help you find out where your new set point lies.  Your body is going to tell you some things but this is your chance to have a conversation with your body and your brain.

Here’s how that goes.

Your body will be asking you how revved up you want your metabolism.  You tell your body what you want by starting to eat more.  Start by aiming for 1600 calories a day (if you can) and slowly work your way up over time.  I gave you hints on how to calculate what you’re eating by using the calculators on www.myfitnesspal.com or on the MyPlate app. Again, here is why you want to use it.  You start with 1600 calories and then start to inch it up.  You are asking your body with each increase if it’s okay to keep going.  Your body will tell you where your new setpoint will be.  Some people get to 2500 calories, some can slowly inch up to 3000 calories or more.  It’s your JOB to find out the maximum; not because you want to eat that much every day, but because you want to be able to cut loose once in a while and not suffer the consequences.

Women resist this more than men.  They tell me since they can now eat 1500 calories, and they are comfortable with that, why push the envelope?  They are just thankful they can eat that much.  That’s more than they’ve been able to eat in decades and not gain weight.  But that’s not the point.  You want to find out where your real top is.  Your body is giving you the opportunity, so why not take it?  It’s good to know your maximum and exercise it once in a while so when you go to a special party with a big buffet your body won’t be shocked if you want to go back for seconds!

If through your eating behavior you tell your body that 1800 calories is okay, then your body will accept that and your set point will be plotted.  No going back.  This is your Once-in-a-Lifetime Do Over.  Find the comfort point that works for you.

You’ll know pretty well in 3-4 weeks.  Track every morsel you put in your mouth for that amount of time and you’ll know.  Then just calculate an average.  Bingo.  Your new normal.

If you need a protein day (and that’s NOT a bad thing) follow the directions for a steak day and get back where you belong.  Don’t mess this up or skip a steak day when you need one, or getting it back off will be a hellacious battle.

Another thing can happen during ZReboot. Your body can Reshape.

Reduce.  Reboot.  Reshape.

You get all three on Plan Z.

Amazingly, you don’t have to do a thing for the reshape part to come true.  Just wake up every morning and be conscious of how you feel.  Some days you’ll wake up and feel lighter.  You go get on the scale and you haven’t lost any weight.  But you go to put your pants or skirt on and for some reason the waist is looser.  Dance. Celebrate.  That’s the magic of reshaping at work.

It won’t happen every day and for each person it’s different.

Guys are the last ones to notice.  If I ask them, or I tell them to look for it, they say “Oh yeah…that did happen.” Otherwise, it’s not their front-and-center focus.  Women notice every little bit of it.  Women will notice the legs of their pants seem to be growing, or their legs are thinning out.  Which is it?  Must be the shrinking legs.  Their butt seems to be shrinking too.  It’s easier to button a blouse.  And no weight has been lost.

So during the six weeks of ZReboot, don’t think you are just waiting, passing time because you aren’t allowed to lose more weight yet, or that you just have to go through the motions until you can get on with ZLife.  ZReboot is a critical phase in Plan Z.

And besides that, you get to EAT!  You get to eat like a real human being again.  For many, this is more food than they’ve been able to eat in decades without gaining weight.  For some guys, they have to remember back to when they played high school or college sports to remember when they could eat like this and not gain weight.  Women, in a lot of cases, can’t even remember when they were able to eat this much without the guilt and pain of having to get that extra weight back off again.

I say it’s like a food amusement park and all the rides are free!  I love ZReboot!  I hope you savor it.

Here’s the challenge.  So many things are open to you now.  Your vegetable list has grown immensely.  Your allowed meat list grew overnight!  You can now have dairy.  You can eat fat.  You get your oils back.  It’s almost overwhelming for some.

People email me and ask me if they can just have a list that fits on one page again.  They reveled in the tight discipline of ZReduction.  I said, “You can only eat this”, and it worked.   Now, they think I’m sending them out into a world of dangerous choices.  Fear not.  It’s not true, but this is just the beginning of getting used to what this is going to be like when you no longer have parameters; when no one is watching over your shoulder, when no one is selling you remedy to keep your fat in check.  Every other diet dumps you off.  Not this one.  Over the next six weeks, you will learn how to eat AFTER the diet is over.  You will have your new set point, and you’ll find out you can eat again without the angst.  You’ll reshape.  Your body will revel in this new feeling.  You’ll be proud of what you accomplished.

Then it will be time for you to set another goal.  Will the next goal be to lose another chunk of weight using Plan Z?  Or are you ready to face the world of ZLife?  You’ll decide and we’ll be there to help you every step of the way.  But most importantly, you’ll learn what’s right for you and this six week period gives you the time to set new habits and put yourself first for once.  Only you control what goes into your mouth.  Only you control the destiny of your weight and health.  We are here to give you the keys to success and you unlock your future.

I wish you much success in ZReboot.

Cheers,