The 4-Day Diet

The 4-Day Diet plan is the brainchild of Dr. Ian Smith. And no, it’s not a four-days-long crash diet. It is, in fact, a full month-long plan. 
The 4-Day Diet plan is divided into seven modules, each of which lasts for four days. Dr. Smith claims that by following this diet a person can lose 10 to 12 lbs. a month on an average. This rate of weight loss is a healthy one.
Preparation: Before you begin the actual 4-Day Diet, you need to maintain a food diary for 10 days. Dr. Smith also requires you to keep a record of your exercise routine. Moreover, you need to keep a tab on your mood. With these observations, you need to perform some self-evaluation and find out the reason for your excessive weight (if you are overweight), reasons you may be facing failure in achieving your weight loss goal, and the challenges that you must overcome.
This evaluation will help you set a reasonable and practical weight-loss goal for yourself. Once your goal is set, the actual diet begins.
The 4-Day Diet plan by Dr. Ian Smith consists of seven phases or modules. Each of these phases comes with a different focus and you need to follow each for at least four day before moving on to the other phase.
All the phases give you enough food choices, so you can follow the diet without getting bored. What’s more, barring the first two modules, you don’t need to follow these modules in any specific order. You can customize your plan in the order that you feel works best for you. Or you can skip some and repeat other modules that you feel suit you best.
The seven modules or phases of the Four-Day Diet are as follows:
·         Induction: This is the first module of the 4-Day Diet. The focus is on getting rid of toxins. This first phase must be at least four days long. To detox and cleanse the body, you need to consume lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes. You can only eat leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables, fruits, beans, brown rice and low- or no-fat yogurt. Avoid meat, poultry, and fish.

·         Transition: Once you have cleansed yourself of toxins, the next module of the 4-Day Diet allows you to reintroduce foods, making sure that you don’t overdo it.
During this module, you need to eat identical food on all the four days. You can choose from the list of foods given by Dr. Smith. What you need to ensure is that you do not consume more than the foods suggested by Dr. Smith. You can eat vegetables (1 cup of raw carrots and 1 c of cucumbers) and cooked beans, chickpeas, lentil, or other legumes (1 cup). Do not eat baked beans. A medium veg-only salad is allowed with 3 tbsp. of low-fat or fat-free dressing. Fruit allowed during this phase are apples and pears (1 piece each), and berries (1 cup). For proteins eat a 4-oz serving of fish, chicken, or turkey with the skin removed. Meat should be either grilled or baked. In addition, drink at least six cups of water per day. Two snack are allowed. A list of snacks is listed in the "4-Day Diet" book ranging from 1/2 an avocado to 1 fat-free chocolate pudding cup.
     Protein Stretch: In this phase of the 4-Day Diet, you are required to load up on protein. Eat a lot of lean meats, fish, and eggs.
·         Smooth: This phase of the 4-Day Diet plan allows you to “cheat.” You can quench those cravings of burgers, pizzas, hot dogs or mac n cheese. However, remember not to binge.
·         Push: This phase of the 4-Day Diet is quite tough and poses a challenge. For four days, you need to consume limited calories and do at least one hour of cardio training every day.
·         Pace: This phase of the 4-Day Diet needs to maintain a steady pace of exercising and eating a balanced diet.
·         Vigorous: The toughest phase of the 4-Day Diet plan requires you to eat mostly fruits and vegetables and perform a lot of cardio training.

Each of these phases must be followed for four days. You can follow them in any order. During the protein, consume turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, protein shakes and a sandwich including lean meat. During the smooth module, you can eat a little extra, without overindulging. By “extra” Dr. Smith means 2 medium slices of vegetarian pizza, pasta with tomato sauce, 4-oz hamburger or veggie burger, or 1 medium-size hot dog as well as other “sinful’ food. Dr. Smith, says that this module focuses on enjoying your food while counting every bite. The push module works great after the smooth module as you get back to a strict diet after the indulgence. During the pace module, you can relax somewhat with your diet, while adjusting to your new eating habits. For those who still need to drop those extra pounds, there is the vigorous phase.
In the 4-Day Diet alcohol is termed “a temptation.” Dr. Smith suggests practicing the 80-20 rule: if 80% of what you eat and drink is healthy and on the plan, and the remaining 20% is off the plan, you will still succeed in losing weight.
The 4-Day Diet plan offers a balanced and nutritious diet. However, it may lack in calories, calcium and vitamin D for some people. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Four-Day Diet plan fails to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans proposed by the FDA. Therefore, before you embark on the 4-Day Diet plan, do make sure to meet your doctor and check your nutritional requirements.
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