It's the new year, and many people have resolved to eat better and lose weight.

Dr. Ian Smith, a diet expert, appeared on "Good Morning America" today to discuss Super Shred, the diet plan he details in his new book, "Super Shred: The Big Results Diet: 4 Weeks, 20 Pounds, Lose It Faster!"

Below is an excerpt from the book that gives the first full week of the diet plan plus the list of grocery items you'll need, as well as bonus recipes for blueberry swizzle and butternut squash and apple soup.

Excerpt: 'Super Shred'

Welcome to your first week of SUPER SHRED. This is going to be an exciting journey, but before you go any further, you must agree that during the next four weeks you will absolutely give your best effort to stick to the plan, minimize excuses, and keep pushing yourself even when you're discouraged or things seem difficult. The first week is critical, as it sets up your chances for success for the remaining three weeks. This is why it is called your Foundation week. You will build upon this week, and it's important to create your good habits now so they will carry you through the rest of the program.

You are asking a lot of your body as far as achieving great results in a short period of time, so you have to give this your best. The more work you put in, the better the results you will get out. Because time is limited, you really need to hit the ground running. Each day you stick to the program is one day you get closer to your goal. Each day you overeat, skip more than one meal, or eat food that's not on the daily menu is considered a slip, and it takes you backward, away from your goal. If you slip when you are less than halfway through the week (days 1 to 3), go back to the beginning of the week. If you slip on any of days 5 to 7, just go back one day and do it again. If you slip on day 4, do day 4 again. Minor slips, such as having one extra small snack or eating your meal 30 minutes later than scheduled, do not necessitate your starting over. No one is perfect and you're not expected to be. But at this point you will know if you had a major slip or just a minor slip. Not being honest about it only affects you and your results, so you are cheating no one but yourself and the results you will achieve by the end of the week.

The table below shows a sample schedule for timing your meals and snacks. Timing is essential, as it distributes your calories in a way that keeps your fat- burning metabolism maximized and keeps your insulin hormone levels as stable as possible. Erratic hormone levels can cause weight gain, so the meal spacing structured in this program seeks to avoid hormone spikes as much as possible. Please note that this is only a sample. All of us get up and go to sleep at different times, so you have to set your schedule accordingly. If you keep in mind that the meals are 3 to 4 hours apart and the snacks are 1½ hours after the meal that precedes it, then you will be fine.

Three Women Lose Half Their Body Weight

7:30 A.M. Awake

8:30 A.M. Meal 1

10:00 A.M. Snack 1

11:30 A.M. Snack 2

12:30 P.M. Meal 2

4:30 P.M. Meal 3

7:30 P.M. Meal 4

Make sure you read all of the guidelines before beginning the plan, and since they are so short and convenient, feel free to circle back at any time during the week to check on things that you might have a question about. If your question still isn't answered, err on the side of caution by eating less or not eating a food that might not be allowed on the plan. Remember, we don't have a lot of time to lose this weight, so making good decisions is critical. It's okay to set the bar high, but it's not okay to make choices that are going to sabotage your chances of success. Regardless of what that number reads on the scale at the end of this week, if you gave it your best shot, that is the best you can do and that's the most you can ask of yourself. You still have three more weeks to produce results, so don't get upset and hang your head. We all lose weight at different speeds and in different places. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Believe! Work really hard! Smile and have lots of fun, especially during the tough times!

SUPER SHRED Week 1 Grocery List

This is a list that takes into consideration the different combinations of food and beverage items offered to you this week. Because the program has a lot of flexibility and choices, no one list can be constructed for everyone. In the list below you will find food and beverage opportunities. You can make the choices that fit your preferences and purchase accordingly. Note that there are some items that you must have. You should be sure to buy them so that you will have them on hand when the program calls for them. If you are a vegetarian, you don't need to eat the meat meals. Make appropriate substitutions, but be mindful of calorie counts.

FRUIT

• Must: 2 lemons

• Must: 6 additional servings of fruit. This can be a combination of berries and other fruits.

• Serving size: 1 piece of fruit = 1 serving; ½ cup of berries = 1 serving

BREAKFAST OPTIONS

• Must: 6 breakfast meals. Choose your combination from this list.

3 cups oatmeal (1 cup cooked = 1 meal)

1 cup Cream of Wheat (1 cup cooked = 1 meal)

4 cups sugar- free or low- sugar (under 5 grams) cereal: for example, Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, Cheerios, Fiber One (1 cup = 1 meal)

2 eggs (2 eggs = 1 meal)

1 loaf of bread

2 pancakes, preferably whole- grain (size of a CD)

1 strip of bacon (turkey or pork)

1 low- fat or fat- free 6- ounce yogurt

1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of regular cheese on 2 pieces of 100 percent whole-wheat or whole-grain bread

How to Jump-Start Your Workout: Jump Rope

BEVERAGES

• Must: 6 cups green tea or hibiscus tea.

• Must: 32 additional drink options for the week. Water is not included; you may have as much as you want. Choose your combinations from the list below. Then purchase your choices for the week.

27 cups of fresh juice

14 cups of coffee

7 twelve- ounce cans of diet soda

21 cups of low- fat, reduced-fat, or fat- free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

21 cups of unsweetened iced tea

20 cups of lemonade

2 cups of flavored water

SALADS

• Must: 4 large green garden salads, 1 small green garden salad

• Optional: You will have other opportunities to have salads. Those opportunities are listed below. You should choose which of these you want, then purchase accordingly.

3 medium green garden salads

1 large green garden salad

1 small green garden salad with turkey sandwich

VEGETABLES

• Must: 12 servings

• Optional: 3 servings. You will have other vegetable opportunities. If you choose them, purchase accordingly.

• Serving size: 1 serving is approximately the size of your fist; for a tomato, 1 serving is a medium tomato.

MEAT AND FISH

• Must: 4 servings. Choose from the list below. But note the maximum number of servings you may have for each option.

• Optional: 1 serving

• Serving size: 1 serving = 5 ounces, cooked, approximately the size of a deck and a half of playing cards.

• Your maximum number of servings for this week if you choose all of the optional servings is 5 servings. Make your choices from the list below, mixing them up. Remember, you must have at least 4 servings. For example, you can choose to have 3 pieces of lean beef, 1 piece of chicken, and 1 piece of fish. But you can't have 5 pieces of lean beef. You can have 3 total.

3 pieces of lean beef

3 pieces of chicken

5 pieces of fish

4 pieces of turkey

SNACKS

• Choose fourteen snacks for the entire week, such as nuts, popsicles, chocolate- covered strawberries, and other items listed in chapter 7. Remember, snacks are encouraged, but optional.

7 SHRED BARs or other snack items 150 calories or less

7 bags SHRED POP popcorn or other snack items 100 calories or less

SOUPS, SMOOTHIES, PROTEIN SHAKES

• Must: 1 cup of soup

• Must: 12 additional servings from the items listed below. Each item must be 200 calories or less, with no added sugar. Choose the combination that you desire and purchase accordingly.

9 cups of low- salt soup (less than 480 milligrams sodium)

9 fruit smoothies

8 protein shakes

OPTIONAL MEAL CHOICES

• Throughout the week you will have the opportunity to have the meals listed below. Choose which of them you want, then purchase accordingly. You can choose all or none of them.

1 cup of pasta

2 slices of small cheese pizza (no larger than 5 inches across the crust and 5 inches long)

1 serving of lasagna, with or without meat (4 inches × 3 inches × 1 inch)

1 veggie burger (3 inches in diameter, ½ inch thick)

EXTRAS

• These are things you might want to have on hand during the week, so stock up on them.

Diced vegetables

1 dessert of 100 calories or less

1 stick of butter

1 small jar of jelly

Sugar packets (helps with portion control)

Half-and-half

1½ tablespoons of syrup

1 tablespoon of grated cheese

Extra milk for cereal

Ground beef for pasta

Marinara sauce for pasta

1 slice of cheese for turkey sandwich

Mustard

Mayo

Tomato

Lettuce

SUPER SHRED Week 1 Guidelines

Weigh yourself in the morning the day you start the program and make sure you record it. You will weigh yourself only once a week, so even if you are tempted, stay off the scale. Your body naturally fluctuates a couple of pounds from day to day. Measuring yourself every day could give you an inaccurate weight and unnecessarily stress you and lead you to believe you're not succeeding. Your next weigh- in will be exactly a week from your initial weigh-in. Make sure you weigh yourself in the same manner each time: if you weighed in wearing certain clothes or no clothes at all, make sure you do the same the second time around and as close to the same time of the day. Make sure you use the same scale both times, as different scales can be off by several pounds, thus destroying the accuracy of your mea sure.

• Do not skip meals. Even if you're not hungry, just have something during the allotted time. You can always grab a piece of fruit or something small during your mealtime. Also, you don't have to eat all of the meal. You can eat just some of it. If you're not hungry, don't stuff yourself. Just eat a little. The key is to eat at regularly scheduled times so that your body grows accustomed to these eating times. Each week will change, so it's important to quickly adapt to the week that you're in and its related schedule. During the course of the week you should never go more than 4 hours without eating something. Your meals should be 3 to 4 hours apart. Your snacks should fall about 1½ hours after meals. If you miss a meal or snack, you can't save it and eat it later or combine them. Once that time has passed, move on and hit your next mark.

• All of your shakes and smoothies this week must be 200 calories or less. If you follow the recipes in the back of the book, they will fi t this description. If you buy them from a store, be sure of the calorie count. Also, be mindful of the serving sizes of the drinks. If the recipe makes more than one serving, be sure you drink only one at that time. If the store-bought product contains more than 1 serving, just drink the equivalent of 1 serving and refrigerate the rest for next time.

• Snacks are optional, but highly recommended. The SHRED BARs and SHRED POP popcorn are suggested for many of your snacks, as they are specifically made with all the nutritional guidelines in mind. However, you may have other snacks as long as they fall under the proper calorie count. There is plenty of diversity when it comes to snacks, so take advantage of it.

• Soups are an option, including store- bought soups. But make sure you look at the sodium content: no more than 480 milligrams per serving. Be mindful of the serving size. For the purpose of this plan, 1 serving is equivalent to 1 cup, whether you eat store- bought soup or make it fresh. You may have 1 saltine cracker with your soup.

• Consume 1 cup of water before every meal.

• You are allowed 2 cups of coffee each day, 1 cup at breakfast and the other whenever you like. Stay away from all those fancy coffee preparations- lattes, Frappuccinos, coffees that pile on the calories. A tablespoon of sugar and a little half- and- half or milk won't hurt, but don't go overboard. Keep your coffee clean.

• Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are allowed. Please be aware of added ingredients. Make sure they are either packed in water or labeled "no sugar added." The key is to have food in its most natural state with the least amount of processing. Make sure you check the sodium levels, as they can be quite high: try to keep the amount to 480 milligrams of salt for any serving of food.

• While fresh- squeezed juice is definitely preferred, you can drink store- bought juice. Just make sure it says "not from concentrate" and "no sugar added." If you're a diabetic or have trouble regulating your blood sugar, choose a different beverage option, such as water, milk, or tea.

• The program doesn't spell out alcohol choices in the beverage section, but you are allowed to have a total of 3 alcoholic drinks for the week: 2 mixed drinks or 3 light beers or 3 glasses of wine or a combination of these drinks. Note serving sizes: 1 beer = 12 fluid ounces; 1 serving of wine = 5 fluid ounces (a little more than half a cup); a mixed drink has about 1½ fluid ounces of hard liquor. Also, you can't have them all in one day, so there's no saving them up for a big hit during the weekend. Liquid calories are stealthy and count just as much as food calories! And they definitely cause weight gain!

• You are allowed 1 diet soda per day if you desire. Regular soda is not recommended.

• Do not eat your last meal within 90 minutes of going to sleep. If because of circumstances you're eating late and know you're going right to bed, then consume half the meal.

• Spices are unlimited, so enjoy. Salt is not a spice. You are allowed to add no more than ½ teaspoon of salt to your food each day.

• If you are a vegetarian or diabetic or need to avoid certain foods owing to other medical conditions, it is completely acceptable to make substitutions. But make smart substitutions and be mindful of the portion sizes.

• Serving sizes: A 5- ounce serving of fish or meat, cooked, is typically the size of a deck and a half of playing cards. A serving of vegetables is typically the size of an adult's fist. A serving size of hot cereal is 1 cup of cooked cereal.

• You may have ½ pat of butter (about ½ teaspoon) with hot cereal.

• You may have 1 teaspoon of sugar (white or brown) with cereal, or ½ teaspoon of honey with hot cereal.

• If you must switch days or meals within a day for scheduling reasons, try to do so as infrequently as possible.

• If you need to rearrange your exercise regimen for scheduling reasons, it is permissible to do so.

SUPER SHRED WEEK 1, DAY 1

MEAL 1

• 1 piece of fruit. Choose from the following, though you may choose others: pear, apple, ½ cup of raspberries or strawberries or blueberries or blackberries, banana, ½ cup sliced melon, ½ grapefruit, ½ cup of cherries.

• Choose one of the following:

1 cup of oatmeal

1 cup of sugar- free cereal with low- fat, reduced- fat, or fat- free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

2 egg whites or 1 egg- white omelet with diced veggies prepared with cooking spray or a little oil or butter

Optional: 1 piece of 100 percent whole- grain or whole- wheat toast (½ pat butter or ½ teaspoon jelly)

BEVERAGES

• Must: 1 cup of green tea or 1 cup of hibiscus tea (dash of sugar acceptable)

• Must: 1 cup of water

• Optional: 1 cup of fresh juice or 1 cup of coffee (no more than 1 packet of sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk or half- and- half)

SNACK 1

• 1 SHRED BAR or 1 cup of grape tomatoes or 1 medium sliced red bell pepper with ¼ cup guacamole or another item 150 calories or less

SNACK 2

• 1 SHRED POP popcorn or 2 medium kiwis or 1 cup of blueberries with 1 tablespoon of whipped cream or another item 100 calories or less

MEAL 2

• Choose one of the following. Your choice must not exceed 200 calories; no sugar added.

1 protein shake

1 fruit smoothie

1 cup of soup (no potatoes, no heavy cream). Good choices are chicken noodle, vegetable, lentil, chickpea, split pea, black bean, tomato basil, minestrone. Always be careful of sodium content!

BEVERAGES

• Choose one of the following:

Unlimited plain water (flat or fizzy)

1 cup of lemonade

1 cup of unsweetened iced tea

1 cup of juice (not from concentrate)

12-ounce can of diet soda (no more than 1 per day)

1 cup of low- fat, reduced- fat, or fat- free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

MEAL 3

• 1 large green garden salad (4 cups of greens). You may include a few olives, shredded carrots, and ½ sliced tomato or 5 grape tomatoes. Only 3 tablespoons of fat- free dressing, no bacon bits, no croutons.

BEVERAGES

• Choose one of the following. Try to choose a different beverage from the one you chose in meal 2.

Unlimited plain water (flat or fizzy)

1 cup of lemonade

1 cup of unsweetened iced tea

1 cup of juice (not from concentrate)

12-ounce can of diet soda (no more than 1 per day)

1 cup of low- fat, reduced- fat, or fat- free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

MEAL 4

• 1 cup of water before eating

• 2 servings of vegetables

• Choose one of the following:

5-ounce piece of lean beef (grilled or broiled)

5-ounce piece of chicken (baked or grilled, not fried, no skin)

5-ounce piece of fish (baked or grilled, not fried)

5-ounce piece of turkey (not fried, no skin)

BEVERAGES

• Choose one of the following. Try to choose a different beverage from the ones you chose in meals 2 and 3.

Unlimited plain water (flat or fizzy)

1 cup of lemonade

1 cup of unsweetened iced tea

1 cup of juice (not from concentrate)

12- ounce can of diet soda (no more than 1 per day)

1 cup of low- fat, reduced- fat, or fat- free milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk

Exercise

• Amount of exercise today: minimum 40 minutes. If you want to do more, all the better! Work as hard as you can! The key is to avoid doing steady- state exercise such as walking on the treadmill at the same speed and same incline for a period of time. Instead, try to vary your speed, your incline, the distances you cover. The goal here is to do high- intensity interval training.

• Option 1: Do the SHRED 27 Burn workout DVD.

• Option 2: Choose two of the cardiovascular exercises below, for a total of 40 minutes of exercise.

Walking/running outside or on treadmill

Jogging outside

Elliptical machine

Stationary or mobile bicycle

Swimming laps

Stair climber

200 jump rope revolutions

20-minute treadmill intervals

Zumba or other cardio dance workout

From SUPER SHRED: The Big Results Diet, by Ian K. Smith, M.D. Copyright © 2013 by the author, reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Press, LLC.

BONUS RECIPES

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 red onion or other sweet onion, peeled and chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup cubed, peeled apple (Fuji or Gala)
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 cups low- sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup fat- free evaporated milk
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the nutmeg on the apples and add to the saucepan. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add the squash, stock, and cumin, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the squash is tender. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the evaporated milk, and purée until smooth. Return to saucepan and let simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8

Under 200 Calories

Total prep time: 25 minutes

Blueberry Swizzle

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
6 ounces fat- free plain or vanilla yogurt
½ cup apple juice (not from concentrate)
1 medium ripe banana, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons honey
8 ice cubes

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. This recipe makes multiple servings; drink only one at this time.

Total prep time: 5 minutes

Serves 3

Under 200 calories