They say that abs are made in the kitchen! After 5 months of eating right, I believe it! The only way you lose weight is to burn more calories in a day than you consume. Diets don’t work – they’re not sustainable. A healthy lifestyle is.
If you’ll develop the habit of eating right, you’ll be fit all the time, and it won’t seem like a sacrifice at all!
Here are some things I’ve picked up when it comes to eating healthy:
Eat Healthy 80% of the Time – I hear my friend, Matt Crummy, say he eats healthy 80% of the time. I made this principle my rule of thumb.
Don’t Waste Calories on a Meal You Won’t Remember –Using the 80/20 rule I just mentioned, I eat extremely healthy meals for every meal that I don’t consider a “special occasion” (i.e. going out to dinner with family, friends, etc.).
Use Michi’s Ladder as Your Shopping List –I’ve included Michi’s ladder at the bottom of this post. It’s what BeachBody uses as their guideline to healthy eating. If you only eat from the top 2 tiers, you’re eating will be perfect. I plan my shopping and the meals I eat based off of this chart.
Count Your Calories until You Know What You’re Consuming –I had no idea how many calories I was consuming until I started tracking them! I recommend using MyNetDiary to track everything until you get in the habit of consuming your goal for calorie consumption!
Drink Protein Shakes –Protein shakes are a great 200-300 calorie snack! I’ve been using Syntha 6 and have loved it!
Eat Every 2-3 Hours – You should be getting 5-6 meals a day that are between 200-400 calories! It takes discipline, but it makes a huge difference!
A Gallon of Water – Try to drink a gallon a day! It’s good for you!
Don’t Eat 3 Hours Before Bed –This can be hard, but it’s worth it! Don’t give into your late night cravings!
No Carbs after Dinner – The more carbs you can get in early in the day the better! Try to go lean later in the day!
When Eating Out, Go Healthy, Unless it’s a Special Occasion! – Look at the nutrition facts at the restaurants you love. I think you’ll be scared to death! Most meals are 1/2 a days worth of calories! Be wise when dining out!
What tips do you have?
| Tier 1: The Pious Tier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Apples, with skin  Artichokes  Arugula Asparagus Avocados  Beans Beets Bok choy Boysenberries Bran Broccoli Broccoli sprouts Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cereal, whole grain Chard Cherries Citrus fruits | Collard greens Cottage cheese, nonfat Cucumbers Egg whites Endive Fish, cold water (salmon, mackerel, sardines) Fish, freshwater Flaxseed Garlic, fresh Granola, raw, no sugar Hemp seed Kale Lettuce, romaine, green or red leaf Milk, nonfat Milk, soy Muesli, raw, no sugar Mushrooms | Mustard Nectarines Oatmeal Olive oil Olives Onions Pears, with skin Peas Peppers Plantains Prunes Radishes Raspberries Refried beans, nonfat Rice, brown Salsa, natural, no sugar Seitan Spinach Squash Strawberries Sweet potatoes | Tea, green or black Tempeh Tofu Tomato sauce, no sugar Tomatoes Vinegar Water Yams Yogurt, nonfat, no sugar |
| Tier 2: The Happy Tier | |||
| Apples, skinless Bananas Blueberries Bread, whole grain Cantaloupe Cheese, nonfat Chicken, skinless white meat Coffee, black or cappuccino with nonfat milk Corn Cottage cheese, low-fat | Cream cheese, nonfat Duck, free-range Eggplant Fish, farmed Granola or energy bar Grapes Hummus Juice, fresh-squeezed with pulp, no sugar Kiwifruit Mangoes Meal replacement bar Melon, honeydew | Milk, 1% Nuts, raw Ostrich Pancakes, buckwheat Papayas Peaches Pineapple Plums Raisins Ricotta cheese, nonfat Soy nuts Soy sauce Squid String beans | Sunflower seeds Tortillas, whole wheat Turkey breast Vegetable juice Veggie burger Venison, free-range Watermelon Yogurt, no sugar Zucchini |
| Tier 3: The Swiss Tier | |||
| A1 Steak Sauce Angel food cake Applesauce Bagels Beef, eye of round Beef, London Beef, top round Canola oil Cheese, low-fat Chicken, dark meat Chicken sandwich, broiled Chicken taco, baked Clams | Coffee, cappuccino with whole milk Crab Cream cheese, low-fat Eggs, whole French fries, baked Fruit, dried Graham crackers Granola Honey Jam or marmalade Jerky, turkey Juice, from concentrate Ketchup | Lamb, lean Lettuce, iceberg Lobster Mayonnaise Milk, 2% Muesli Oatmeal, flavored Oysters Pancakes Pasta, plain Peanut butter, raw Popcorn, plain Pork tenderloin Potatoes, baked or boiled | Pretzels Refried beans, low-fat Rice cakes Rice, white Sauerkraut Soup, canned broth Steak, lean Sweet-and-sour sauce Veal cutlet Wine, red Yogurt, frozen, nonfat |
| Tier 4: The Dodgy Tier | |||
| Animal crackers Beef, filet mignon Beef, lean ground Beef, sirloin Beef Stroganoff Beer Bread, refined flour Buffalo Butter Caesar salad, with chicken Canadian bacon Cheese (including bleu and goat) Chili Chinese food Chips, low-fat, baked Coconut | Coffee, iced mocha latte with nonfat milk Coffee, latte with whole milk Coffee cake Crackers Grilled cheese sandwich Ham Hot dogs, turkey Ice cream, sugar-free or fat-free Jell-O Juice, sweetened Lamb chops Lasagna, with meat Macaroni and cheese Margarine | Meat loaf Mexican food Milk, whole Muffins Nuts, salted or roasted Peanut butter, not raw Pepper, stuffed Pizza, meatless or Hawaiian style Popcorn, with salt and butter Pork chop Potato salad or macaroni salad Pudding, with low-fat milk Reuben sandwich | Sherbet Shrimp Sloppy Joe, lean beef or turkey Soft drinks, diet Soup, canned creamy Spaghetti, with meatballs Sub sandwich Taco salad, with chicken Tortilla, refined flour or corn Tuna salad or chicken salad Vegetable oil Wine, white Yogurt, frozen |
| Tier 5: The Newburg Tier | |||
| Alcohol, hard liquor Bacon Baked beans Beef, ground, regular Beef taco, fried Breakfast sandwich, fast food Cakes Candy Cereal, sugared Chicken a la King Chicken, buffalo wings or nuggets Chicken or fish sandwich, fried | Chips, potato or corn Chocolate Cinnamon bun Coffee, mocha, macchiato, ice blended, frappé, triple caramel vanilla buzz bomb, etc. Cookies Cream cheese Creamed veggies Creamer, nondairy Doughnuts French fries Gravy Hamburger, fast food | Hot dogs Ice cream Jerky, beef, pork, or venison Juice, sugar added Lobster Newburg Nachos Onion rings Pastries Pies Potato skins, fried Potatoes, fried Potpie Refried beans, with lard | Salad dressing, creamy Sausage Soft drinks, sugared Tater tots Toaster pastries |
