Synopsis

This book is for entrepreneurs, executives, managers and other professionals, who want to optimize their mental and physical energy, and look and feel their best through smart nutrition choices. They may have their work life figured out, but they know they’re missing something when it comes to their body and health. 

Those who lead know the demands of leadership can be quite strenuous. There are long hours of work and marathons of mental focus and decision making. For some, there is frequent travel or manual labor. All of this requires mental and physical stamina, which is supported by a healthy diet. 

Leaders are keenly aware that two of their most valuable assets are time and energy. So, when they decide to make habit changes, it’s important that an investment of these assets has a healthy return. A personalized food plan that works, and fits into life for the long term, is what a leader needs.

But, diets aren't the answer. We’ve known for decades that diets don’t create lasting change. Add to that the fact that fads, extreme diets, and quick fixes abound in books, on social media, in magazines, and in the news, causing confusion. There’s constant debate about which “diet” is “best," which makes the confusion worse. But everyone has different bodies, lifestyles, food preferences, digestive systems and activity levels—all requiring slightly different ways of eating in order to feel and perform optimally.

This book is a transformational experience. It's not a diet or a list of mandatory foods to eat or stay away from. Starting with foods the reader already likes and eats, they’re educated and coached through six weeks of small steps toward better nutrition. The reader is guided in making his or her own, personal, food decisions that lead to higher energy levels, more brainpower, better sleep, weight loss, disease prevention and more. The pace is designed to fit reasonably into the life of a busy professional. 

At the end, readers have a better understanding of how their body works with food, and a unique and personalized food plan that provides them with more energy to perform in a highly demanding lifestyle, helps them to look and feel their best while doing it, and, at the same time, enjoy their food—whether at work, at home, out with friends, even during travel.

Because of its flexibility, readers can revisit the program multiple times and move through healthier levels of eating at different stages in life. It's also a great book for groups, to practice new habits with the support of community, in social circles or office wellness programs.

Doctors, dietitians and other health professionals can confidently refer this book as it helps to cultivate a plant-dominated diet, with less sugar and less processed food, healthier meat choices, and an easy introduction to legumes fish, nuts and seeds, in a way that uniquely fits into the life of each reader.

Luci Gabel is the perfect author for this book. She has the formal education—an MBA, a Master's in exercise physiology, undergraduate study in dietetics, and physical and psychological health. She relates to the reader, having been an executive manager for two health club/spas as well as for the Department of Defense, and then moving into entrepreneurship. She writes from experience as her lifelong career in the field of health, fitness and nutrition has led her to educate, train, and coach hundreds of people. Businessmen and women, military officers, CEOs, even royalty, have benefited and found their personal balance of life, work, health and optimal performance with Luci. 

Outline

Chapter 1 

Welcome! Here’s the best way to get the most out of your journey with me.  This is an overview of the next six weeks that makes sense to the business leaders' brain. You drive your mind and body hard every day: it’s time to start supporting your self, your work and your life with the food you eat. In the next six weeks I'll coach you in forming some new, solid nutritional habits that support your highest levels of performance now, and long into the future. I'll pepper it with stories about myself and my clients to keep things interesting, and to help you know that you're never alone on this journey.

Chapter 2 | Week 1: Your mind-body food connection

Start honing your mind-body-food connection. Systematically observe what foods you eat are providing you with the satisfaction, energy, and balance that you want throughout the day. Learn the one concept that'll make all of your future food decisions easy.

Chapter 3 |Week 2: The single-most important thing you can do for your diet

Practice the single-most important change to your meals that will drastically improve your health, your weight, and your brain power. You can set yourself up so you never need to do a "cleanse" again. Find out how you can make vegetables taste better than you imagined. See how you don’t have to be a chef to throw together some really enjoyable, simple and fast dinners. Avoid evening snacking mistakes with this little trick. 

Chapter 4| Week 3: Breakfasts, snacks and simple sugars- the skinny on your sweet tooth

Practice healthy, delicious food combinations for breakfasts and snacks that satisfy your body and brain and reduce cravings for sugar. Use nutrient timing to avoid the afternoon slump. Learn food combinations that work for lasting energy and productivity, and start putting some systems in place that’ll be your failsafe for healthy eating at work and at home. At the end of this week you’ll be getting the full amount of recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, seemingly without even trying!

Chapter 5 | Week 4: Lunches, dinners, carbs and your energy balance

Discover the kinds of carbs that can improve your productivity and energy, help maintain, and even improve, your body and brain. Use the carb-activity spectrum ™ to gauge how much and what kind of carbs are best for your body and life at this time. Find out how potatoes, pasta and even pizza, can fit into a healthy menu if you do it right. Learn how nutrient timing, and the right nutrients, can help you sleep better at night.

Chapter 6 | Week 5: Protein, food planning and prep

Find out if you’re eating the amount of protein that’s right for you at this time. Clear up some big misunderstandings about meat and protein. Learn easy ways to choose the healthiest proteins. Experiment with a few, often overlooked, proteins that  provide multiple benefits. Discover how you can potentially reverse, or reduce your dairy allergy (like I did). And, get my own, easy-to-use system for preparing fast, flexible meals that are both healthy and delicious.

Chapter 7 | Week 6: The big fat fads

We’ll dissect some of the popular fads out there today. By this time, you’ll already know how to spot them, and you’ll be well on your way to never falling for one again. Learn about the fats that are still overwhelmingly considered bad for you, and the fats that are proving protect your brain. Practice choosing healthy fats every day, in a way that won’t be detrimental to your weight, or your brain health in the long run.

Chapter 8 

By the end of this program you’ll have taken some small and simple steps that add up to a big difference in your energy, mood, decision making power, and productivity. We’ll wrap up this portion of your transformation with a look at how far you’ve come using some data, because numbers don’t lie. You’ve come a long way and it’s time to celebrate!

Audience

This book is for entrepreneurs, executives, managers and high-performers who know that eating healthier will improve their work and life. 

There are approximately 2 million top-level executives in the United States and an additional 7 million managers with a projected job growth of 8% in the next ten years. An estimated 24 million Americans are self-employed.

Eighty-percent of boomers in their 50’s and fifty-percent of boomers in their 60’s are still in the workforce, with a workforce presence of 41 million. Although boomers are the oldest working, they still feel and act young. Their values include "high expectations" and "pushing hard" to reach goals and make changes in the world. They work hard to have better health and as a result, are staying in the workforce longer. Boomers feel they have a lot to offer and to teach Generation X and millennials. They’ve got the drive to do it, and want to maintain their mental and physical edge and relevance as long as they desire to work.

On the other side of the spectrum, as of 2018 the oldest millennials are 36, and they’re getting ready to lead. There are approximately 64 million millennials in the workforce, already holding 20% of the leadership roles. ”The Millennial Leadership Study,” found that 91 percent of millennials aspire to be leaders, but not the ordinary leader—they want to be their own boss, inspire the people around them, and give back to society. It’s no question that many of these new leaders will want to learn from the best, how to do right, and do it better.

Those who lead know the demands of leadership can be quite strenuous. There are long hours on the job and there can be frequent travel. Both require mental and physical stamina which is supported by a healthy diet. 

The word is out about the importance of being fit if you want to be a high-performing leader. Robert Iger of Walt Disney, John Legere of T-Mobile, and Steven Reinemund formerly of PepsiCo all take part in endurance and competitive sports. Dick Costolo tweets about his CrossFit workouts, and Robert Herjavec posts about his fitness routines and dancing on LinkedIn. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal consistently post about the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet.

According to a Center for Creative Leadership study, weight does influence perceptions of leaders among subordinates, peers and superiors. The leaner executives, defined as having a BMI under 25, were viewed more favorably by peers for task performance and interpersonal skills across industries. A study from the Center for Financial Research found that S&P 1500 CEOs who ran marathons had a "higher firm value" than those who didn’t.

Executives are healthier than the average American as they tend to drink and smoke less and are more likely to exercise regularly. Yet, an estimated half are overweight or obese and carry around the same risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, digestive disorders, sleep disorders and other preventable health problems as so many other Americans. It’s highly likely they know that eating healthier will help them feel and perform better; they’re just not doing it.

Eat to Lead is a concise book created for those who want a quick read to understand the fundamentals of how food works in their body and what food decisions can benefit their work, stamina and productivity. It’s not a diet, but a program, with small, weekly steps that turn the readers' knowledge into practice and immediately starts to benefit their work and life.

Promotion

Luci is a member of the Global MeetUp Mastermind which has over 100,000 members of business networking professionals—the majority of which are in the SanFrancisco Bay Area, and is growing nationally and internationally by 800-1,000 per month. She will present parts of this book and promote it through speaking in Silicon Valley in-person, and around the country and world, virtually through this group. 

The book will also be part of an online course that she hosts 2-4 times per year, and an automated course which I plan to sell continuously throughout the year.

She writes monthly for SheOwnsIt, a blog for women entrepreneurs. The posts are tweeted out to a following of 126,400 on twitter, and get retweeted by 30-60 of it's followers in the first week. She'll have an ad on the SheOwnsIt website for the book, and promote the book with links inside future articles.

Luci has a long, loyal following on YouTube of 1K and growing. She posts regularly to her 475 blog subscribers at LuciFit.com.  She posts regularly to social media and, as of May 15, 2018, her connections are: Facebook personal (665), Twitter (560), Facebook Page (315), Instagram (212), LinkedIn (646). 

She participates in: Infopreneur mastermind Facebook group with 1,099 members, and Kajabi membership Facebook group with 9,597 members.

Previously, she's been a guest expert for the following: The Washington Post, Refinery 29, FOX, American Express Open Forum, Tuscany Now, ChixRx,  IDEA Fitness Journal, and Fitness/HERS.

Most Recent Guest Expert Articles:

Which Diet is Best for the Entrepreneur? (SheOwnsIt.com April 17th, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/diet-best-entrepreneur-lgfit/ 

Three Secrets to Knowing Whether Your Exercise Time Will Pay Off (SheOwnsIt.com March 29th, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/three-secrets-knowing-whether-exercise-time-will-pay-off-lgfit/ 

Maximizing Your Exercise ROI (SheOwnsIt.com February 20th, 2018)  http://sheownsit.com/maximizing-exercise-roi-lgfit/

Fast-Track to Your “Healthy Self” (SheOwnsIt.com January 23rd, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/fast-track-healthy-self-lgfit/ 

New Year, New You? Not So Fast. (SheOwnsIt.com December 18th, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/new-year-new-not-fast-lgfit/ 

Simple Holiday Self-Care (SheOwnsIt.com November 17th, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/simple-holiday-self-care-lgfit/ 

Why You Can’t Afford Another “Weight Loss” Program (SheOwnsIt.com November 1st, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/cant-afford-another-weight-loss-program-lgfit/ 

Making Sense of the News: Making Choices About Your Health (SheOwnsIt.com September 19th, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/making-sense-news-making-choices-health-lgfit/ 

Tired? Hungry? Craving Junk Food? Here’s What to Do. (SheOwnsIt.com August 21st, 2018) http://sheownsit.com/tired-hungry-craving-junk-food-heres-lgfit/

Competition

There are hundreds of books on food, diets, and how to eat, currently in print. Most are one or a combination of three formats: 1) lists of foods to eat and to avoid, 2) a diet plan, 3) theory on food and eating. There are just as many books on leadership and high-performance. Some of the more current books emphasize a need for good diet and exercise to support optimal performance, but they don’t go into great detail, as one wouldn't expect them to.

Eat to Lead is meant to be a transformative experience to optimize mental and physical energy and health, rather than a diet plan or a theoretical book. It leads the reader in taking specific action steps to reach personal goals, within a set time frame, guided by an expert. By the end, the reader will have tools to make personalized, healthy, food choices far into the future. 

High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become that Way
By Brendon Burchard
Hay House, 2017

This New York Times’ #1 best selling author, Brendon Burchard, shares in detail his findings from over 20 years of research on the habits of high performers. Brendon shares that optimal health, to include a healthy diet and regular exercise, is necessary in order to reach one’s highest performance levels. Along with providing significant information on how to cultivate these habits, Brendon coaches the reader throughout the book with thought-provoking questions within each chapter designed to shape and strengthen the readers’ own high-performance habits as they read along. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead speaks to the same audience—those who want to become leaders, or be better leaders by cultivating the right habits. Like Brendon, Luci also offers the reader an experience of being coached by a positive and motivational expert, with a structure to observe his/her food habits, physiological and psychological responses to food, and the flexibility to choose his/her own steps to making changes within the guidance of each chapter. Like in High Performance Habits, Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead provides a supplemental journal and custom-designed work-flow pages to enhance the readers' learning experience and to create his/her own, optimal food plan.

The Personalized Diet: The Pioneering Program to Lose Weight and Prevent Disease
By Eran Segal, PhD and Eran Elinav, MD, PhD
Hachette Book Group, December 2017

This is a great supplement for Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead readers who want to delve further into personal needs regarding carbohydrates and blood sugar. The Personalized Diet is based on the premise that no single diet can apply to everyone. The first section of the Personalized Diet covers findings from the authors’ research on the gut microbiome and individuals’ blood sugar responses to food. The second section delves into self-observations of carbohydrate reaction and recommends finger-prick blood sugar testing. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead is also based on the premise that no one diet can apply to everyone. It guides readers in observing how not only carbohydrates, but all foods affect his/her personal performance, how they influence energy, sleep and mood, and then in making changes for the better. 

The Super Carbohydrate Diet
By Bob Harper
St. Martin's Press, December 2017

The Super Carbohydrate Diet is a much needed perspective on how carbohydrates fit into a healthy lifestyle. Like most diet books, it provides a list of foods to eat/not eat, as well as a diet plan. It’s one of the few books on the shelf that briefly explains the differences in carbohydrate needs between those who exercise and those who don’t. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead also holds the premise that, like the other two macronutrients fat and protein, carbohydrates play an important role in a healthy diet, offer important benefits to body and brain, and are a crucial energy source. In Eat to Lead, the reader learns more about carbohydrates as well as ways and times to eat them that lead to optimal brain power, alertness, physical energy, and better sleep, while experimenting with how much of this macronutrient is best for his/her individual body and lifestyle.

Whole 30: The 30 Day guide to total health and food freedom
By Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2015

The Whole 30 is a number one New York Times’ best seller. Like most other diet books there are foods that are restricted, and foods that are required. Recipes are provided. Social support is encouraged, and data tracking is discouraged. It's in-sync with the current high-fat, paleo-style diets but allows more dietary diversity. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead allows for more diversity than most diet books, including the Whole 30. There are no lists of foods to eat and avoid, nor is there a diet plan. Eat to Lead starts with the reader’s current diet and builds healthy changes into that. There are recipes, but it focuses more on how to choose components of healthy, balanced meals at a restaurant, home or the office and put them together for long-term satisfaction, energy and nutrient balance. Unlike The Whole 30, Eat to Lead encourages the reader to use a variety of data points for observation, as this is a strong practice that business leaders can relate to.

Whole 30: Day By Day, Your Daily guide to Whole 30 Success
By Melissa Hartwig
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, December 5, 2017

The Whole 30 Day by Day is a companion to The Whole 30. It’s a daily handbook with a timeline, motivational tips, and meal tips with self-reflection and food journaling. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead also provides a supplemental journal and recommends observation and self-reflection, as this is how people are successfully coached. Luci provides positive motivation, stories of achievement and secrets to successful implementation as she guides the reader in finding the food combinations, meal timings, and choices that lead to his/her own, personal best in physical and mental performance, mood, stamina and energy.

Clean 20: 20 foods, 20 days, Total Transformation
Dr. Ian K Smith
St. Martins’ Press, December 2018

The Clean 20 advocates eating clean food, closest to how it came out of ground or of tree There’s a timeline to the diet—20 days. This food plan is more flexible and includes healthy carbohydrates with a diet plan along with 60 recipes and substitutions, and workouts. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead also provides a timeline because setting a date to reach a goal is important for achieving that goal. Eat to Lead also advocates a wide variety of food, preferably clean, but there's no list of good vs. bad foods. Instead, Eat to Lead starts with foods the reader currently likes, eats, and has access to, and coaches them through improving in stages that are manageable for someone who's juggling multiple other projects and activities.

Diet for the Mind: The latest Science on What to Eat to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Decline
By Dr. Martha Clare Morris
Hachette Book Group; Little, Brown and Company, 2017

A great additional-read for those who like Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead, Diet for the Mind provides a list of foods that benefit the brain and explains them in an easy-to-read, scientific way. Dr. Morris also suggests a daily and weekly plan for eating these foods for best results. The second part of the book contains a large number of recipes. Optimal brain functioning for the long-term is an important concern for leaders, which is why Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead also addresses foods that affect cognitive function. Luci guides the reader in fitting brain-healthy foods into regular meals in a way that works for the individual's body, life, and lifestyle.

Brain Food: The surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power
By Lisa Mosconi
Avery, an imprint of Random House, 2018

Written by a neuroscientist with a degree in nutrition, Lisa Mosconi parses out what we know now about food and the brain in great detail and how to eat almost everything in moderation. This is another complimentary book to Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead, which will attract a similar audience. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead coaches the reader to successfully incorporate brain-healthy food—and other foodsthat provide complimentary health benefits—in a way that fits into the life, lifestyle, and preferences of those with a demanding schedule. 

The 22-Day Revolution: The Plant-Based Program That Will Transform Your Body, Reset Your Habits, and Change Your Life 
By Marco Borges
Celebra, a division of Penguin, Random House 2015

Founded on the principle that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, The 22-Day Revolution is a vegan diet designed to create lifelong habits for a healthier lifestyle, to lose weight, or to reverse serious health concerns. Exercise physiologist Marco Borges shares his 20 years of expertise and his program that has helped high-profile clients permanently change their lives and bodies. There is a cookbook to accompany, and Beyonce, has partnered on a corresponding, plant-based, home delivery meal service. In Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead the reader is coached by Luci, also an exercise physiologist and nutritionist of 20 years, through 6 weeks so the busy leader has a chance to make a change, and practice it, before moving on. Luci Gabel’s Eat to Lead guides the reader in eating more plants for their countless health benefits, and also shows readers who are not vegan or vegetarian-oriented (although they can be and still use this book), how meat and animal products can benefit a healthy diet when the right choices are made. Very short and simple recipes are provided, a cookbook and cooking classes/videos are possible offshoots, and there is already a virtual group coaching program in place to accompany the book.