Never Settle For Less

If you’ve made it this far you’re at least curious as to how fitness models and bodybuilders actually feed those beautiful bodies.  They’ve mastered the art of eating small frequent meals to boost their metabolism.  The concept is completely contrary to what most people do.

Eating six meals a day throws newcomers to fitness for a loop.  The concept goes against everything we’ve been taught growing up. The typical American eats 3 reasonably large meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  Everyone follows it so it has be right.

Right?…WRONG

Eating three large meals a day forces the body to hoard food, go into a starvation phase, and store it as fat.  Eating  5-6 meals a day puts the body in a state of constant energy usage.  Since the body knows more food is coming it has no problem burning off the excess.
The first problem most of us have lies in our definition of a meal.  We’ve been conditioned to associate meals with 2-3 servings of meat, a carbohydrate (bread, rice, etc), a vegetable, and quite possibly a desert.  In actuality that’s far from the case.

I used to struggle with explaining the concept of eating 5-6 small "meals" to those wishing to shed some pounds.  Whenever I said the word "meal" people would become confused.  I had to explain that I wasn’t eating a full plate of meats, breads, and veggies 6 times a day.  Instead I was eating well timed small portions of the correct nutrients for the body.  In order to break through this barrier I had to create a definition they could understand.

What’s in a Meal?

“A meal is simply anything you put into your body for nourishment and energy”

This definition breaks through the confusion and allows people to fully grasp the situation.  Here are some examples of “meals” that I eat:

• Yogurt
• Can of Tuna
• Hand Full of Walnuts
• Chicken Breast and Veggies
• Turkey Wings and Veggies
• 2-3 Rice Cakes
• Can of Soup
• Granola Bar/Snack Bar
• Lean Cuisine
• 2-3 Pieces of Fruit
• Sandwich
• Oatmeal
• Protein Shake/Milk Shake
• Salmon and Veggies

As you can see the fitness minded person’s concept of a “meal” is drastically different than the norm.  Breaking the pattern of eating 3 times a day (or less) takes planning and practice.  However, its nowhere near as difficult as its made out to be.

In order to eat 5-6 times a day you must first follow this simple rule.  The food must be around and available to eat.  It’s the single most overlooked component of eating multiple times a day.  The place where you spend the majority of your time needs to have an abundance of quality foods available for your consumption.  If that place is work then store the food in your workspace.  If that place is school then carry it in your backpack.  If you travel carry the foods in your briefcase.  If that place is home then make sure you have the proper foods at home.  It may sound silly but I’ve seen many people get stuck because they simply refused to keep the appropriate foods at arms reach.

Eating Schedule

Your personal eating schedule will vary based on the time you wake up and your daily activities.  In general you must eat   5-6 small spaced out meals to attain the fitness model metabolism and look.  Here’s a typical day for me:

Meal #1 8 a.m. –> Yogurt and Apple
Meal #2 10:30 a.m. –> Can of Tuna
Meal #3 12:00 p.m. –> Lean Cuisine
Meal #4 2:00 p.m. –> Walnuts
Meal #5 4:00 p.m. –> Protein Shake
Meal #6 7:30 p.m. –> Chicken and Broccoli
Most of my time is spent in my cube so I store Tuna, Lean Cuisine, Walnuts, and Protein Powders inside my desk.  That way I have no excuses for not eating like I know I should.

Conclusion

Try it out for yourself.  Find some foods you enjoy eating, store them in the space where you spend the most time, and follow the outline I use.  Trust me, its nowhere near as difficult as its made out to be.  If you follow the plan you’ll be eating like a fitness model in no time.

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Last week I decided to look into the Mediterranean Heart Diet.  I’m not a proponent of any miracle weight loss diet plan but I seek variety in my diet. I’ve shoveled down baked chicken, turkey, and fish 5000 times in the last year and I need something new. The diet’s focus on fruits, veggies, bread, olive oil, and lean proteins drew me in.  Every Tuesday I’m taking a dish and giving it a shot.
My first experiment with the Mediterranean Heart Diet was Apricot Chicken.  It was quite embarassing to walk around the store harassing people about my ingredient list (What’s an Apricot?, What’s cornstarch?, What is a basting brush?) but I found what I came for.  The dish turned out ok and I can only get better.
This week I’ll be making Chicken, Peach, and Berry Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Salad Dressing. The dish looks good with a good blend of proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts and light oils.  The ingredient list is as follows

Chicken, Peach, and Berry Salad
1 bunch spinach (Check)

1 celery stalk, sliced (Check)

1 cup cubed cooked chicken (Check)

1 cup fresh raspberries or strawberries (Check)

2 tablespoons toasted walnuts (Check)

Honey Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 Cup Honey (Check)

1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest (???????)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (Check)

3 tablespoons of Extra Light olive oil or canola oil (Check)

2 tablespoons Poppy Seeds (????????)
As you can see I am only utterly confused on 2 items this week.  Hopefully, I’ll spend 5 minutes searching for ingredients instead of 45 minutes.  Wish me luck and I’ll let you know how it turns out.  If you have any recipes you think I should try feel free to post them here.