Gene Smart Principle: Reduce calories
If you are overweight, reduce your daily caloric intake by 20% to 30% of what is needed to maintain your current weight.
The great news with the Gene Smart Program is that fewer calories does not necessarily mean less food, or going hungry. And, the program’s proven strategies provides strong allies, so you are not left to rely on your will power alone to defeat the powerful forces of your genes and or calorically excessive environment.
The Gene Smart Diet will kick-start your body’s adaptive stress response by reducing your calorie intake by 20 to 30 percent for the first 3 weeks. Depending how much weight you need to lose, you may stay in this first phase for a bit longer. Many of our study participants were in this phase for the full 8 weeks.
When you’re ready, you’ll increase your daily calorie intake so that it’s just 10 to 20 percent below where you started. You’ll stay at this level for another 2 weeks—or longer, again depending on your starting weight.
Unlike other diets that you may have tried, many of the components of Gene Smart—like the omega fats and the fiber—will help you to lose weight, instead of taxing your willpower and leaving you feeling hungry and deprived.
