28 Days to Redemption Meal Plan: Step #4

ADD A HIGH-CARB DAY

This step will be a favorite for most of you, as it gives you the opportunity to eat some of the foods you may have been craving on a low-carb diet.

Once carbs drop to 0.5 grams per pound of body weight or lower, it’s advisable to include a higher carb day every week or so. This can help to keep your metabolic rate higher even though your carbs and calorie intake is so low. Plus, it works well as an incentive to get through the week. Most people find that they better police themselves when they know they have a high-carb day in the near future. When that day comes, they can feel like they earned it. And once you’ve enjoyed the high-carb day, it’s easier to go back to the low-carb diet.

It doesn’t matter what day of the week your high-carb day falls on, but you don’t want to go any more frequent than once every seven days. A weekend day works best for most people.

Protein and fat should stay about the same, but you can drop them somewhat on your higher-carb day. Just don’t allow protein to drop much lower than 1 gram per pound of body weight and fat to go any lower than 0.25 gram per pound.

Dieting 101 Key: How Many Carbs and What Types?

You should shoot for about 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight on high-carb days. That’s about 400 grams for the 200-pounder.

When it comes to the high-carb foods to choose, your best options are low-glycemic index (GI) or slow-digesting carbs, such as oatmeal, whole-wheat breads, pastas and sweet potatoes. However, if you train on your high-carb day, you should still consume high-glycemic carbs immediately after the workout.

While the majority of your carbs should come from low-GI carbs, you can enjoy some high-GI carbs throughout the day. Having a boost in insulin will help keep your metabolism high and will allow you to enjoy some of the sweets you may have been craving.

SAMPLE HIGH-CARB DAY MEAL PLAN

Breakfast

• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp Olive oil (scramble eggs cook in olive oil )
• 3 four-inch pancakes
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• ½ cantaloupe
• 4 capsules Omega JYM fish oil

Fat-burning supplements (take between breakfast and late-morning snack)

• 1 dose Shred JYM

Late-morning snack

• 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder
• ¼ whole-wheat Boboli crust
• ¼ cup light mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup marinara sauce
• (add sauce to crust and top with cheese; cook at 400 °F for 10-15 min or until cheese is browned)

Lunch

• 6 inch Subway Turkey and Ham (double meat) on 9-grain wheat bread
• 1 bag baked Lays potato chips
• Regular diet soda
• 1 dose Vita JYM multivitamin

Fat-burning supplements (take between lunch and afternoon snack)

• 1 dose Shred JYM

Afternoon snack

• 3 sticks light string cheese
• 6 cups air popped popcorn (or bag of low-fat microwave popcorn)

Dinner

• 6 oz. chicken breast (or fish, or lean beef or other poultry, or pork)
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• 1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
• 1 cup chopped broccoli

Before Bed Supplements (taken at least 1 hour after dinner and at least 1 hour prior to before-bed snack)

• 1 dose ZMA JYM (females take 2/3 dose)

Before-Bed Snack

• 1 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 7 walnut halves (crushed)
• (Add honey and walnuts to yogurt and eat)

Pre-workout (30-45 minutes before workouts)

• 2 grams CarnoSyn® beta-alanine (the amount included in one serving/scoop of Pre JYM by JYM Supplement Science, along with other active ingredients)
• 1 scoop Pro JYM protein powder
• 1 large apple

Post-workout (within 30 minutes after workouts)

• 2 grams CarnoSyn® beta-alanine (the amount included in one serving/scoop of Post JYM Active Matrix by JYM Supplement Science, along with other active ingredients)
• 1-2 scoops Pro JYM protein powder
• 30 grams of fast-digesting carbs (preferably dextrose, as found in Post JYM Fast Carbs)

OFF DAYS SUPPLEMENTATION

On days you don’t train, continue taking 2-4 grams of CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, taking one scoop of Pre JYM and/or one scoop of Post JYM at whatever time of day you like. (Pre JYM and Post JYM each contain 2 grams of CarnoSyn® beta-alanine.)