What does a guy with 3.7% body fat eat? Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest.

It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs.

That’s why I’ve created 4 separate “top 10″ lists of healthy weight loss foods to feed your muscle and burn fat.

Of course, I can’t tell you what YOU should eat because I don’t know your likes and dislikes, not to mention whether you have any intolerances, allergies or foods you don’t eat for ethical reasons, etc.

What I CAN do is show you what I eat, which has helped me keep my body fat under 10% all year round and peak in the low single digits when I want to get cut for competitions or photo shoots.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

Sensible carb reduction

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look.

I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats (“LEAN, GREEN and MARINE!”)

Satisfying your personal preferences is important

This list reflects my personal tastes, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research – in studying ALL types of diets – has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb – low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

• How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?
• How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories automatically?
• How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole grain bread or sprouted bread
8. 100% whole wheat / whole grain pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. lentils

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo (lean game meats)
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Other stuff I eat

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement – not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

How strict should you be with following these food lists?

I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want – stuff that is NOT on these lists – like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc. (contrary to the persistent rumors, I’m not some cyborg that never enjoys a good restaurant meal… believe me – I DO!)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods YOU enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term.

If you’d like to learn more about fat burning nutrition and what to eat for maximum fat loss, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle nutrition program. Thousands of men and women call this their “fat loss bible.” For all the details, Click here 

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto,
Fat Loss Coach
 

PS. Also, if you’re not on our email newsletter list yet, be sure to join us so you can get more fat loss tips, food tips, fat burning recipes, workout advice and more information about how to “burn the fat!”Subscribe to my FREE FAT BURNING TIPS email newsletter (over 250,000 subscribers and counting) and I’ll send you my fitness and diet secrets that have helped my clients lose up to 256 pounds, the last 10-15 pounds, or any amount in between – in a healthy and all-natural way.

If you’re going to start a diet (or four) this year, how can you do it in a way that really works? Here are a few ideas.

Reduce Your Portions
You don’t always need expert advice. You already know that weight loss not only includes doing more exercise but you have to eat less too. If you’re going out to eat, ask for a to-go box before you start eating your meal. Put half of your meal in the box before you start eating. This could save you $900 after one year.

Go Ahead and Buy Healthy Food
How many times have you heard that the reason more people don’t eat healthy is because the food is more expensive? That’s not true, according to the New York Times. The Times points out that a meal for a family of four at McDonald’s will cost about $28, while a roasted chicken with salad, veggies and milk will cost around $14 and will serve four to six people.

Your Gym Should Fit You
What is your favorite kind of exercise? Are you a gym rat or do you go when you have an unusually high amount of energy? Of course you know that losing weight requires upping your calorie burn but do you need a high priced gym to do that? For some people, the $70 per month multi-floor gym with space age technology and fitness classes fits their activity level but if you head to the gym only for a treadmill and to count the minutes until it’s done, find a cheap, no frills gym. Some basic gyms are $20 per month or less.

Don’t Dismiss the Trainer
Remember that cheap doesn’t necessarily equal value. If you spend $50 per week on a personal trainer, that’s $2,600 per year. That’s a lot of money, but what if that trainer kept you going to the gym every week for a year and put you on a diet plan that didn’t involve high dollar fad diets and specialty foods? If they saved you money in other areas of your dieting, wouldn’t the $2,600 be money well spent?

Say No to the Fads
Nutrisystem, one of the most popular do-it-yourself weight loss programs costs $382 per month for the basic plan, which includes food. That’s $95 per week or more than $4,500 per year and a year-long online membership to Weight Watchers will cost you $257. If all you need are recipes and ways to keep track of caloric intake, these are widely available online and on your smartphone for free.

The Bottom Line
If you are one of the many Americans who is a do-it-yourself dieter and have seen less than impressive results, consider using 2012 as the year to try something new. Consider replacing the high priced gym and the mail order diet plans with a simpler program like a trainer, more cooking and less fads. We don’t need any more programs, we need more willpower. Maybe it’s time to move away from do-it-yourself dieting in 2012.

Original story – 5 Money-Saving Ways To Lose Weight In 2012

To your health and prosperity in 2012