Appendix C

• The Rider: Your logical, prefrontal brain. It plans for the future, computes the math, and steers the ship.
• The Elephant: Your ancient, primal survival brain. It panics at hunger, stress, and restriction, and drives cravings to keep you alive.
• The Spotlight: Your attention. You cannot un-think a craving, but you can manually aim your Spotlight at a Brighter Light (your identity and goals).
• The Wet Sponge: Water retention (edema). Glycogen, salt, stress, and muscle repair cause the body to temporarily hold water. It is not fat. Do not panic.
• The Anchor: Protein. It mechanically shuts down hunger signals and preserves muscle tissue.
• The Lever: Carbohydrates. Fast energy that you pull up or push down depending on your movement and deficit goals.
• The Glue: Dietary Fats. Dense energy needed for hormones, but must be strictly measured to protect the deficit.

The 3 Rules of the 30-Day Foundation (Chapter 8)

• 1. The Rhythm: Eat a meal or a planned smaller meal every 2.5 to 3 hours to flatline insulin and keep the Elephant asleep.
• 2. The Math: Hit your Protein Anchor (1.6–2.2g per kg of Target Body Weight) at every meal. Weigh your solid food RAW and DRY to stay in a caloric deficit.
• 3. The Flush: Drink 1.5 to 2.5 Liters of water daily, keep sodium stable (3,000–5,000 mg), and walk 7,000–10,000 steps to pump the lymphatic system.

The Unified Tracking System (Chapter 4)

• Daily: The Single Daily Win (SDW). One binary tick at night. (Did I keep my plan? Yes / Not yet).
• Weekly: The Weekly Average. Weigh yourself 3 mornings a week, add them up, and divide by 3. Compare averages to averages. Never react to a single day on the scale.
• Monthly: The 4-Week Review. Tape measurements and progress photos.

Troubleshooting a Plateau (Chapter 10) Rule: It is not a plateau unless the Weekly Average is completely flat for 14 consecutive days.

• Step 1 (Days 1–7): Audit the Math. Weigh everything flawlessly.
• Step 2 (Days 8–14): Audit the Sleep. Ensure 7–8 hours to drop cortisol.
• Step 3 (Days 15–21): Pull One Lever. Either drop 150–200 calories (from Carbs/Fat) OR add 1,500–2,000 steps.

The ABC Script for Social Pressure (Chapter 9) Never J.A.D.E. (Justify, Argue, Defend, or Explain).

• Acknowledge: "That looks amazing, thank you."
• Brief Boundary: "I am completely full and sticking to my rhythm tonight."
• Change the Topic: "Tell me about your new project at work."

The Relapse Protocol / Killing the Spark (Chapter 10) If you binge, do not panic, do not starve yourself, and do not do hours of cardio to "punish" yourself.