CARBOHYDRATE CONTROL LIFESTYLE PROGRAM

DISCLAIMERNone of the advice contained in this program is to be considered as medical advice.

Please do not make any changes to your lifestyle without discussing it with your doctor.

The author shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, spe-cial, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from the use of this material, which is provided ‘as is’ and without any warranties.

WELCOMEThank you for choosing DIETWORX. This program is designed to

establish a healthy lifestyle that permanently gives you control of your weight and optimum wellness.

THIS GUIDE CAN HELP YOU:- if you love food and struggle to follow specific diets for weight loss.- if you are obese and want to lose weight healthily and with the least amount of effort.- if you want to safely lose weight and improve overall wellness or when suffering from any of the following illnesses: cancer, epilepsy, depression, menstrual problems, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, blood pressure problems, migraine, hormone problems, bloating and digestive disorders, Parkinson’s / Alzheimer’s.- if you have emotional problems connected to your inability to lose weight successfully.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN- the basics of your unique metabolism and the chemical effect of different food choices on your body.- self control, planning and effective techniques to promote healthy weight and optimum wellness.- how to achieve a managable and enjoyable new lifestyle.

PROGRAM OUTLINEThe DIETWORX program is a carbohydrate-controlled program. During the first part of the program you will effectively get the body into a fat burning metabolism to establish initial weight loss. This will be achieved by following a low carbohydrate lifestyle for approximately 3 weeks. Carbohydrate intake will be limited to around 20g total per day from a list of allowed food choices. You will not be required to count calories as we will be losing weight alongside your natural body porcesses, without having to starve. During the second phase of the program you will reintroduce carbohydrates to your daily food choices and establish which carbohy-drates affect your body in different ways, as well as the amount of carbohydrates you can consume daily without gaining weight. During phase 3 of the program you will establish an enjoyable and managable carbohydrate cycle to follow going for-ward on your new lifestyle.

BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM• Easy to follow• Personal coaching on a daily basis• Generous weight loss• Less cravings and stable blood sugar levels• Better brain function• Increased energy • Increased confidence and a sense of self control• Stable hormone function• Decrease bad cholesterol• Relief from depression, menstrual problems, acne, epilepsy,

bloating, blood pressure problems and many illnesses .

PHASE 1 - Metabolism switchDuring phase 1, strictly follow the food choices from the allowed foods list.

It takes the body 3 to 4 days to get into a state of ketosis (fat-burn-ing) after which you will be burning fat continuously - even while you sleep. For this reason, you will enjoy generous weight loss even with higher daily calorie intake.

If you have the slightest amount of carbohydrate or sugar it will stop and delay fat burning for at least 3 to 4 days, and you will have to start the program again from scratch. When you default in this way, there will be little to no weight loss. It is therefore very important to stay disciplined in order to reap the benefits of the program.

You will not have to count calories or keep food diaries. In stead you will be required to send through a picture OR description of each meal via whatsapp to your DIETWORX coach who will be monitoring your new lifestyle.

During a weekly consult with your DIETWORX coach, progress will be measured and discussed as well as changes to implement in upcoming week/s. This time will also be used to discuss any problems you encounter and ways to succeed through these.

THE SCIENCE OF BECOMING OVERWEIGHTMost carbohydrates available to us these days are in the form of high- glucose and refined food choices like cereals, soft drinks, sweets, convenience foods etc. Our bodies were not designed to digest these high amounts of carbohydrates and in most cases our activity levels are low enough to survive with much less sugar.

The high amounts of carbohydrates that most people consume on a daily basis often result in blood sugar problems as well as overweight.

When consuming high carb foods, blood sugar spikes. This causes the body to produce insulin which lowers blood sugar levels by storing sugars as fat, mostly around the stomach area. The high amounts of insulin produced then result in a sudden drop of blood sugar, leaving the patient feeling tired and with a false sense of hunger which has to be satisfied by eating another carbohydrate to ‘stabilize’ the blood sugar levels.

Metabolism switchHere is what happens when youconsume carbohydrate rich foods

During the first part of theprogram, we will switch yourmetabolism to burn fat 24/7.To achieve this, we eliminatemost of your carbohydrateintake.Refined carbohydrates form amajor part of our diets nowadaysand these are too much for ourbodies to deal with.

Below figure shows a summary of how this works:

As you can see this process can very likely cause a cycle of overeating, resulting in obesity, diabetes and a string of related illesses.

Fortunately, these illnesses can be prevented and reveresed very simply by correcting food choices. Following a carbohydrate controlled lifestyle, stabilizes blood sugar, eliminates cravings and puts you in control of your weight and energy levels.

WHAT TO EXPECT:The first three to four days on this program is the hardest. There-after it will become much easier. Days one to three is when your food choices affect the metabolism to switch to fat burning mode. During this process you might experience slight to moderate headache/s as well as tiredness. This is only for a short period and you will soon be feeling much better than ever before. A mild headache medication like Parasetamol is sufficient to support you through this.

Once the metabolism has switched you will immediately start to experience the benefits of the program and within a week or two you will feel like you can move mountains!

There are 5 basic guidelines to help you succeed on this program:

• Food choices• Meal times• Fluid intake• Activity• Planning

Planning is important during the first part of the program and will help you to establish new habits permanently. Your DIET-WORX coach will guide you through the planning process based on your unique lifestyle requirements.

WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT?Whether you are wanting to lose weight for health reasons or to feel more comfortable or improve your appearance, it is important to clarify your goal at the start of the program. Your DIETWORX coach will remind you of your goals keeping you focused and motivated throughout the process.

1. FOOD CHOICES

During phase 1 of this program, food choices exclude all fruits, sugary vegetables and any food choices containing sugars. This is not a balanced way of eating and is only applied initially to correct the metabolism. You will eat from a list of allowed foods during this phase. Choose un-processed foods and ensure you have enough of all the allowed foods available in your fridge and pantry before you start the program. Red meat should be kept to breakfast and lunch and white meat for supper as it is much lighter and easier to digest at night.

2. MEAL TIMES

Meal times have a substantial effect on weight loss. Breakfast should be early and a good sized meal. Eat every 3 to 5 hours to prevent the body from going into ‘starvation mode’ which could slow down the metabolsim. Lunch should be a bigger meal than supper. A small and early supper - 4 to 5 hours before bed time - will ensure maximum weight loss and makes a huge difference. Have your supper around 6pm latest and choose white meats, fish or eggs and not red meat which is much harder to digest.

3. FLUID INTAKE

Drink more water especially between meals. Try to keep water intake apart from meals 30 min-utes before and after so as not to dilute digestive enzymes needed for digesting meals. You will be allowed zero sugar drinks and coffee or tea with sugar-free sweeteners. Use cream in stead of milk - milk has lactose sugars which we will avoid during phase 1.

4. ACTIVITY

Once you have more energy you might want to take up some activity to boost weight- loss as well as improve your overall wellness/ fitness. Activity does not have to be strenuous excercise but it is advised to do something that you enjoy and which you can make a part of your lifestyle going forward.

5. PLANNING

Planning is really important during the first part of the program and will make a big difference for you in establishing new habits and a new lifestyle. Ensure you buy enough of the allowed foods during the first weeks and have a selection of meats, cheeses, greens and snacks, as well as drinks, sweeteners and cream available. Keep snacks like biltong and dry wors in your briefcase or hand bag to snack on inbetween meals and to ensure you don’t skip any meals. Do not skip meals even if you don’t feel hungry.

FOLLOW THE 5 GUIDELINES

A basic guideline for portion sizes per meal:

2 cups of fresh food like vegetables or saladA hand palm sized portion of meat, fish or 2 eggsA tablespoon sized portion of fat like cheese or cream

Often during the first part of the program patients eat too little. You might experience a feeling of fullness due to the blood sugar levels being stable, which is something you might not have experienced on your old way of eating.

Ensure that you eat at least every 3 to 5 hours and do not skip meals.

Take a good multivitamin to support your body throughout the program. You can also use a low carbohydrate protein shake with carbohydrate value of 3g or less per portion.

Eat approximately 2800kJ to 4200kJ per day on phase 1. Food choic-es include any from the allowed foods list. Study the allowed foods list in the next section and make sure you familiarise yourself with the food choices and portion sizes.

EMRACE CHANGE

The idea of not having carbohydrates can be a little daunting at first. Most people feel like they haven’t had a decent meal if no bread, potato or rice are included. This is due to the way we have become conditioned to eat.

It is just an idea and easy to let go of. Being a heavy carbohydrate addict, it might be hard to imagine life without carbohydrates, but fortunately, once the body has switched over to a ketogenic state (fat burning metabolism), all cravings will be a thing of the past.

Take care to read food labels and nutritional values of any foods or ready made meals you buy. During phase 1, carbohydrate amounts per portion must be 3g or less. It is always best to prepare your own meals to be safe. If you are uncertain, confirm with your DIETWORX coach.

LIST OF ALLOWED FOODS PHASE 1MEATS - 100g/ HAND PALM SIZED PORTION 900KJ

Beef and unprocessed sausage; home made burgers, biltong and dry worsMutton and unprocessed sausageLamb and unprocessed sausagePork, bacon and unprocessed cooked hamChicken and unprocessed sausage

Meats can be grilled, cooked or fried in oil, coconut oil or butter.Biltong and dry wors are great to substitute if you cannot get to a proper meal so have it available in your office, briefcase, bag and car.

FISH - 100g/ HAND PALM SIZED PORTION 900KJ

Tuna - fresh or tinnedSardines - fresh or tinned in oil but no tomato sauceSalmonLobsterHake - unprocessed/ home made fish cakes

No crumbed fish, prawns or mussels during phase 1.

VEGETABLES - 1 TO 2 CUPS - 100 TO 200 KJ Avocado asparagus bean sprouts brinjal brussels sprouts brocolli cauliflower cabbage gem-squash green beans musrooms pumpkin tomato spinach

EGGS - 1 TO 2 - 340 KJ PER EGG

SALAD - 1 TO 2 CUPS - 420 KJ PER CUPAvocado Capers Celery Chilli Cucumber Cabbage Lettuce Onion Olives Parsley Peppers Pickles Tomato Sprouts Rocket

LIST OF ALLOWED FOODS PHASE 1 (continued)

LEGUMES - 3 TABLESPOONS 45ML PORTION 300KJBeans are not ideal on any low carb diet, therefore keep intake to a minimum

LentilsWhite kidney beansLima beansHaricot beansBlack beansSoak beans before cooking to break down phytic acid and lectins

SEASONING - 1 TABLESPOON / 15ML PORTION

Cream Mayonaise Worchester Sauce Vinigar Salt Pepper Herbs Spices fresh Garlic Tobasco Mustard Garlic butter Sour cream Peanut butter Artificial sweeteners

Check labels on spice - no added sugars allowed

NUTS - 10 TO 15 / HANDFUL PORTION - 300 TO 450 KJ

Almonds Cashews Peccan Peanuts M a c a d a -mia Walnuts Brazil Nuts Flax seeds Pumpkin seeds

CREAM - 1 TABLESPOON - 120 KJ (TO SUBSTITUTE MILK IN COFFEE AND TEA)

DRINKS - 8 TO 10 GLASSES/ CUPS PER DAY

Water Teas Coffee Cacao Zero-sugar cooldrinks

Double-check all labels - no sugar

PROHIBITED FOODS PHASE 1 FRUITS AND SUGARY VEGETABLESAll fruits Potato Beetroot Butternut Corn/sweetcornPeas Carrots Sweet potato

SEASONING

Tomato sauce Chutney Bisto/ Sauce thickening Corn starch

MILK AND YOGHURT

Milk and yoghurt contain lactose sugars

ALCOHOL - no alcohol during phase 1

STARCH & SUGARSRice Pasta Bread Cakes Porridge Cereal Crackers Provita Flour Corn starchSugar Fructose Custard Sweets Ice creamPowdered Soup Instant gravy

PROCESSED MEATS & CHEESES

Hot dogs Poloni Viennas Lunch meats Corned beef Processed soft cheeses/ spreads

None of the above, even if it indicates no added sugars

SAMPLE SHOPPING LIST

PROTEINS FATS FRESH Beef Mince Cheddar cheese Lettuce Steak Mozzarella Tomato Beef roast Gouda Onions Lamb chops Feta cheese Green beans Lamb shank Cream cheese Spinach Pork chops Cream Brocolli and cauliflower Bacon Sour cream Bean sprouts Cooked ham Butter Gem Squash and zuchini Hake Coconut Oil Radishes Salmon Brie cheese Peppers Sardines Nuts Rocket Biltong Lemons Dry wors Garlic Eggs Black beans White kidney beans

TINNED/CANNED SEASONING Tuna Worchester sauce Sardines in oil Mayonaise Gherkins (Dill ) Sweetener Cocktail onoins Peanutbutter Olives Cinnamon

DRINKS TREATS Coffee Sugar free jellies Tea Flax Crackers - Life Bake Cacao Sugar free sweets Zero cooldrinks Woolworths Carb-clever granola Fizzy water unflavored

BAKING Coconut flour Flax powder Baking powder Xylitol Gelatine

Double-check all labels of pre-prepared meals or snacks - sugar must be less than 3g per portion

WEEK 1You are now on a scientific diet. By cutting out carbohydrates you will force your body to start burning fat for energy. It is easier for your body to burn fat reserves for energy than it is to convert the proteins and fats consumed from allowed foods to energy. You will therefore be able to eat good sized meals and still burn fat, losing weight alongside your body’s natural processes and ability to use fat reserves.

During the first three to four days on the program your metabolism will be switching over to start burning fat. It is important not to default during this time and for the first three weeks until a strong fat-burning metabolism is established. If you default it will delay fat-burning by three to four days and most likely result in no weight loss until you have established a full week of abstaining from prohibited foods.

Weight loss is generous throughout this program and patients lose between 2 and 5 kg’s per week during phase 1.

When you experience a headache in your first week, it is a good indication that your metabolism is changing to burn fat for energy. This should subside within a day or two, after which you will start to experience all the benefits of the program - and increasingly over the next couple of weeks.

LET’S RECAP YOUR GUIDELINES:

FOOD CHOICES - Meats, fish, eggs, allowed vegetables/ salad, cheese, cream - make sure you are familiar with the allowed and prohibited foods.

MEAL TIMES - Early breakfast, large lunch, small and early supper - eat every 3 to 5 hours and don’t skip meals.

FLUIDS - Drink 8 to 10 glasses of allowed fluids per day - no milk with tea or coffee. 3 tsp cream or black.

PLANNING - Ensure you have all of the allowed foods available and enough backup snacks like biltong, nuts, or flax crackers.

ACTIVITY - During the first week take it easy as energy levels will be low.

Take a good multi-vitamin to support your body

MEAL TRACKING:You will be required to send through a picture of each meal at the time of eating to your DIETWORX coach who will be tracking meals and meal-times to ensure you receive the most effective weekly assistance. Use whatsapp or text messaging for ease.

You can use the sample menu’s provided to plan your meals if you get stuck.

WEEK 2If you managed to get through your first week focused, you will be burning a lot of fat

and feeling more energized by now.

It is important to stay focused during the first three weeks to establish a strong fat-burning metabolism. The reason why this diet works so well and offers perma-nent results, is because it works alongside your body to support weight loss.

Normal diets limit food intake which puts pressure on the body to burn fat and in response it slows down the metabolism, resulting in constant tiredness and struggle.

On this program, the metabolism is strengthened and the body relaxes into the weight loss process. The fact that you are consuming very little carbohydrates, creates a chemical condition in the body which continues to burn fat.

Ensure you stick to your guidelines and plan meals from food choices that you enjoy. If you enjoy your meals, it will be easy to get into this new lifestyle.

This week you can also start doing some prefered activity as your energy levels will be up and increased activity are sure to support detoxification and fat burning.

Activity can include anything you enjoy and which allows movement. Have fun with it so that you can make it a long term part of your lifestyle. 15 to 30 minutes a day is good enough when you feel up to it. IF you had any obstacles or problems during your first week, discuss these with your coach so that you can work together on planning for week 2’s success.

If you are not in ketosis consider the following factors:FOODS ON THE PROHIBITED LIST

SUGAR: None of the sweet variety of vegetables like beetroot, carrots or peas Sweets, honey and ice cream are not allowed during phase 1 No dietetic sweets or bubblegum containing carbohydrates like sugar or fructose. Labels should specifically indicate the absense of all kinds of carbohydrates and sugars

FRUIT: Apples Figs Naartjies Paw-Paw Banana Grapes Dried fruit Grapefruit Pineapple Oranges Dates Pears NO FRUIT JUICE / LIQUIFRUIT OR OTHER

STARCH: Bread Flour Pancakes Provita Salticrax Pasta Rice Rusks Potato Maizena Mealie Chutney Tomato sauce Soup powders Biscuits Crisps Custard

DAIRY: Milk Yoghurt Ice cream Yogi sip Super M Steri stumpi

OTHER: Cremora Alcohol Sugar containing medicines - check labels

WEEK 3By this week you should have enough energy to move mountains! You can effectively start to increase your activity, but don’t overdo it as this program is all about not putting pressure on the body. 30 minutes a day is sufficient.

Motivate yourself this week. Remember that your previous way of eating was unhealthy and out of balance. It also kept you trapped in a cycle of blood sugar fluctuations due to bad food choices.

Your current lifestyle keeps blood sugar levels stable, therefore leaving you with more energy and less cravings.

Remind yourself why you want to lose weight. Focus and keep going.

Planning remains your most important guideline on this program for now. If you have encountered any problems, plan to handle it better the next time around.

Be disciplined in sending through your meals on time via whatsapp to ensure your DIETWORX coach efficiently tracks your progress. This secures that you get the most effective guidance.

You can be very proud of yourself for staying disciplined so far! The reason for your weight loss is because you are not consuming carbohydrates.Your body is now burning fat reserves for energy. It doesn’t make any difference how rich the non-carbohydrate foods are. Very little proteins and fats can be stored as fat. The metabolic cycle is supported by the food choices on this pro-gram. If you are not losing as much weight as in your first two weeks - consider the following factors:

BOWEL MOVEMENT - because of the change in diet, constipation can add up to 2kg of unaccounted weight loss. If you are constipated, supplement with a natural laxative like aloe vera or senna. Life Bake crackers available from Dischem and most Spar / Pick n Pay stores have good fibre content including flax and psylium husk which will defi-nately support good bowel movement if you include 2 to 4 crackers in your daily intake.

PRE-MENSTRUAL - During the week before a woman’s period, water retention affects the weight and can add up to 2kg which will fall away as soon as your period starts.

WATER RETENTION - If you find that you are suffering from water retention, try to consume less salt and drink more water to flush the kidneys. You can take Lymphomoyosot oral drops to support flushing of toxins through the lymphatic system - available from Dischem and most pharmacies.

WEEK 4You can now start to add carbohydrates to your planning going forward. If you were enjoying phase 1 of the program, it is safe to continue for up to 6 weeks before adding carbohydrates and you can discuss this with your coach should you wish to extent phase 1.

From this week, you will be increasing your daily carbohydrate intake with 10g of carbs each week. Up to now your food choices allowed for approximately 20g of carbohydrates per day. By adding an additional 10g, your intake will increase to a total of 30g daily.

When planning the week’s meals ahead, incorporate some of your favourite fruits or vegetables to make up the extra carbohydrates.

10g of extra carbs does not refer to the weight of the food but to the amount of carbohydrates in the food portion, thus a 60g apple can contain 10g of carbs. A carbohydrate list with portion sizes is used from this week to determine your 10g carbohydrate daily portion. If you do not have your list with you, it is safe to use half a cup of any unrefined carbohydrate as a portion size.

It will benefit you to get familiar with the portion sizes of the food choices for monitoring your carbohydrate intake so that you can eventually apply it subconciously for the rest of your life.

If you have been experiencing constipation during phase 1, now would be a good time to start adding some bran to your diet for extra fibre.Keep sending pictures of meals through on whatsapp as from this week your DIETWORX coach will have to monitor your intake closely to help you with the changes ahead and maximize weight loss.

REMEMBER YOUR GUIDELINES

FOOD CHOICES - Meats, fish, eggs, allowed vegetables/ salad, cheese, cream. Make sure you are familiar with the allowed and prohibited foods.

MEAL TIMES - Early breakfast, large lunch, small and early supper - eat every 3 to 5 hours and don’t skip meals.

FLUIDS - Drink 8 to 10 glasses of allowed fluids per day - no milk with tea or coffee. Substitute 3 tsp cream, coconut cream or have black.

PLANNING - Ensure you have all of the allowed foods available and enough backup snacks like biltong, nuts, or flax crackers.

ACTIVITY - 30 minutes a day of an enjoyable movement routine is a good start to keep healthy and support weight loss.

WEEK 5

Let’s look at the reasons for failure on your previous diets.

A few common reasons include the following:

• constant cravings • getting bored with the food choices available • irritation of having to weigh food and calculate calories• emotional circumstances leading to eating incorrectly

Try looking at previous failures and get a clear indication of why you have failed before. This excercise will mean a lot to you later. Look at your diet history and stay positive about what you have achieved so far on this program.

The program you are following is much easier than other diets. You understand what to do and why it is helping you to lose weight. If you have to change your eating habits, willpower plays a major role.

Make a renewed decision to perservere. If you have an urge to default, contact your DIETWORX coach immediately. The best diet in the world will not work if you don’t stick to the guidelines. Reaching your goal will depend on you alone. Know that you can do this.

Remember food choices and renew your idea of counting carbohydrates in stead of calories when it comes to losing weight. Be strong and remember that friends or family might not support you in this. You have to be strong enough to persist on your new way of life in spite of the ‘good’ arguments of those around you.

This week you will increase your additional carbohydrate intake with another 10g - thus 20g more than the initial 3 week period. Use your carbohydrates list to plan. Keep carbohydrate intake in the first part of your day when you are more active.

WEEK 6Well done on coming this far!

By now you will be comfortable with your new eating habits. Your planning will come naturally and you should be thinking differently about food. You should also be feeling great.

This diet works for everyone. Even people who normally struggle to lose weight will succeed on this program.

If you are not losing weight on your diet, it is caused either by wrong food choices, not eating enough or skipping meals.

This program supports more than just weight loss. Diabetes, heart problems, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, migraine, allergies and dozens of other illnesses can be alleviated by controlling carbohydrate intake.

CHOLESTEROL:It was found in animal studies that an excessive presence of insulin (produced to stabilize blood sugar when consuming carbohydrates) increased the formation of cholesterol film on the artery walls. It can therefore be assumed that overconsumption of carbohydrates, which caused over production of insulin is responsible for increasing ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Without fail, patients on this program show a significant decrease in bad cholesterol. Researchers believe that there is one common factor in overweight patients, low blood sugar patients and those with heart disease /problems - their bodies are not capable of breaking down sugars and carbohydrates properly.

Limiting carbohydrate intake prevents these illnesses and adds to your lifespan as well as quality of life. It is completely worth the effort to stick to this way of life. Keep this in mind when you need motivation.

On this program we treat both the symptoms and the origin of the problem. Therefore it is possible to manage and prevent illnesses as well as solve your overweight problem permanenetly.

This week increase your carbohydrate intake to 30g additional carbs daily. Remember to have carbohydrates in the first part of your day when you are more active and keep suppers small, light and carb-free.

WEEK 7

Let’s look at your weight loss so far.

There are several factors influencing your weight. In the morning for instance, you weigh less than in the evening. Drinking water before you weigh, adds to your weight - two glasses of water weighs 500g. If you haven’t had proper bowel movement, it can add up to 2kg to your true weight. The week before your menstrual cycle, women will retain water and can weigh up to 2kg more. Keep all this in mind when you monitor your weight.

It is very important to continuously give extra thought to your planning. Look at the initial diet. Are you still diligently following the guidelines as set out in phase 1? If you haven’t lost weight as anticipated, make sure you are following these guidelines and persevere! You will reach your goal if you keep it up.

If you have to attend a function, be conscious of what you eat. Apply the rules for the first part of the program, which you should be familiar with by now. Eat more meat, salads and allowed vegetables as well as cheese if available. Avoid breads, potatoes and sweet things. If you want to have something for dessert - consider an Irish Coffee or coffee with cream and sweetener.

Remember your basic guidelines: • Eat correct food choices.• Stick to meal times and don’t skip meals - a small early

supper still makes the most significant difference.• Drink enough fluids to hydrate, detox and create the

illusion of being full.• Implement regular activity that you enjoy.• Never stop planning!

This week we will increase your additional carbohydrate intake to 40g per day. This is normally the carbohydrate threshold for most people depending on the metabolism and level of activity.

It is still prefered to have carbohydrates during the day when you are more active.

WEEK 8For women the week before the menstrual cycle affects the body in several ways. Blood-sugar drops resulting in depression, irritability and tiredness. The body retains water - affecting your weight. These symptoms usually start after the first pregnancy and increase after each pregnancy. Pregnancy and birth can cause elevated stress levels and metabolic imbalance. A healthy diet can certainly counter these problems.

Consuming carbohydrates causes the body to secrete insulin which lowers blood sugar levels. Recent research indicated that insulin also elevates triglyceride levels in the bloodstream. Triglycerides and cholesterol are present as lipids in the body. With less carbohydrate intake, the presence of these lipids decrease in the body and patients show a noticeable drop in cholesterol levels. This is a major health benefit of this program.

There are various symptoms of low blood sugar. These include depression, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, light-headedness, headaches, cold hands and feet, insomnia, crying, problems concentrating, lowered sex-drive, impotence in men and under-achievement at work.

This vicious cycle can be stopped by preventing the overproduction of insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels. This is achieved by removing the causing factors from your diet: - carbohy-drates. If you are diabetic it is advised to also remove caffiene from your diet.

The effect of doing this, often results in remarkable change in a patient’s personality and energy levels. If you have been fortunate enough to experience this wonderful transition, you will be even more convinced about the benefits of this program.

This week we will start with carbohydrate cycling:Following a cabohydrate cycle often results in increased weight loss for patients on this pro-gram. It is also much easier to sustain as it allows more variety of food choices and flexibility when going out for meals. The body will fluctuate in and out of ketosis on a weekly basis. You can plan for more activity on your high carbohydrate days if you like, but it is not a requirement. Have fun with this and include food choices that you enjoy. Remember your guidelines and keep up planning so it remains a habitual part of your lifestyle.

For 3 days this week you will be on phase 1 and consume only food choices from the allowed foods list.

Day 4 - 10g of carbs = 1 carb portion from list / 1/2cup unrefinedDay 5 - 20g of carbs = 2 carb portions from list or 1 cup unrefinedDay 6 - 40g of carbs = 4 carb portions from list / 2 cups unrefined

Day 7 - follow week 2 or 3 - thus additional 20g to 30g of carbohydrates (1 to 1 & 1/2 cups carbs unrefined carb)

Day 8 - return to zero carb/ phase 1 for 3 days or until your next consultation to discuss changes.

WEEK 9This program works for everyone. By now, if you have been disciplined, you would have lost a lot of weight and centimetres. If you are feeling tired, up your salt and potassium intake. Potassium high foods include parsley, spinach, avocado and mushrooms.

During this program you lose weight without putting strain on the body and the idea is to form a complete new lifestyle which you can easily keep up.

When having alcohol, be careful of sweet drinks. It is always safest to stick to whiskey with water if possible. If you do have wine, make sure you have a good quality dry. Always increase water intake along with alcohol if possible.

If you love fruits, monitor your carbohydrate amounts and get to know the low sugar fruits like berries and melons.

Remember - this program should be as easy and enjoyable as possible. Along the way we have worked to keep your preferred food choices available in the correct quantities to support your weight loss and ensure you are not deprived. Keep to these guidelines.

If you want to have something high in carbs - halve the portion rather than not having it at all. Eat slowly and enjoy it - make it count. If you lose control, go back to the first part of this program for at least 4 days to stabilize your metabolism and blood sugar levels.

This week we repeat last week’s cycle but increase the carbohydrate amount on your high-carb day to determine your body’s response. Start with 3 days on ‘zero’ carbs:Day 4 - 10g of carbohydrates 1 carb portion from list / 1/2cupDay 5 - 20g of carbohydrates 2 carb portions from list or 1 cupDay 6 - 60g of carbohydrates 6 carb portions from list / 3 cups

Day 7 - follow week 2 or 3 - thus additional 20g to 30g of carbohy-drates (1 to 1 & 1/2 cups carbs unrefined carb)Return to phase 1/ ‘zero’carb for 3 days or until your next consultationOur objective is to give you the opportunity to have a day each week where you can allow yourself to have increased carbohydrate intake to accommodate for functions or events where you want to consume a treat or more variety. This week we will also be more lenient on the meal time of the high carb day allowing you to include some of this in your evening meal and monitor your body’s response.

WEEK 10Carbohydrate cycling is a good way to control your carbohydrate intake, keep a ketogenic metabolism and enjoy more variety of foods on a regular basis. It is however different for everyone.

Over the last couple of weeks you would have gained an idea of what works for you and how you would like to control your food choices going forward. If you are not certain about this discuss it with your DIETWORX coach to clarify what works best for you.

It is important not to get trapped in either phase 1 but also not to remain on a high-carbohydrate lifestyle. Keep a balance and rotate / cycle through the whole program from time to time.

Each time you go through a period of maximum carbs and back to phase 1, the fat burning metabolism is strengthened. Whenever you do the entire cycle exactly as on this program you will achieve better results and get more in tune with what works best for your body.

From now on you will have a complete different mindset about food choices and weight- loss. Even if you should default for long periods of time, you will always know exactly how to take charge and lose weight effortlessly and correct your metabolism . If you simply can’t do it alone, get back on the program with the support of your DIETWORX coach.

This week you will discuss the way forward for your unique lifestyle to maintain your weight or lose more if required.

Final notes:A carbohydrate cycle should consist of at least 3 days low carb and 2 to 3 days higher carbohy-drate intake. Try to always do 1 more day on low-carb eating than than your full carb cycle, especially if you are still trying to lose more weight. If you want to use a 7 day week as your cycle, a good guideline would be the following:

3 days on phase 1/ ‘zero’ carbfollowed by a day on between 10g and 20g followed by two days of 20g to 80g according to your own preferencefollowed by a day on 10g or 30g and then back to phase 1 for 3 days

3 to 4 days on phase 1 eating will always put your body back into a ketogenic state or what we call a fat-burning metabolism.

If carb- cycling is not for you, it is good to remain on 4 carb portions daily and if activity levels are high you can increase it to where your carb-threshold was determined on the program. Whenever you pick up weight, going through the entire program again should get you back on track.