Burn Fat

My “Fast Food”

As any nutritionalist will tell you, it’s best to use natural ingredients and prepare it at home whenever possible. But you and I know that in this fast paced world that is not always practical. I do eat natural fruits instead of canned fruit, but I don’t have to time to home prepare meats and vegetables. I work 60 to 70 hours a week, and as my wife is not here with me in Maryland, I have to do my own shopping, housecleaning, laundry, etc.  I eat frozen entrees by Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, etc. These are made for people who are watching their weight. As they are frozen, the preservatives are minimal. I don’t like to eat foods with preservatives or additives, but sometimes it is a necessary evil. With fruits and veggies, the rule of thumb is to ask your self “is this how it came off of the tree, or out of the ground?” Naturally, if you can cook all of your own food and store it in containers to reheat later, that’s even better.

I lose weight easily at 2100 calories per day. The charts say I should take in more than that, but it’s where I’m comfortable and it’s working. You should not drop more than 20%, or 1000 calories, below your “maintenance” caloric needs. A later post will cover “calorie calculation” and “starvation mode”. I try to balance my micronutrient ratios at these percentages of my daily caloric intake:

• Carbohydrates:  55%
• Protein:                 30%
• Fats:                        15%

I don’t try to hit these numbers to the tee, it would take all day to calculate and portion my meals! I just try to get close. If you are carbohydrate sensitive, you may need to drop the carbs by 5 or 10 percent and raise the protein and fat accordingly. I eat lean meats (like tuna, salmon, lean ham, lean beef, turkey and chicken breast. I use mostly green canned veggies like Lima Beans, Sweet Peas, Green Beans, and Spinach. I also use corn and potatoes regularly. When I can’t do a veggie, I substitute with a V8.

I like oatmeal with a sliced banana and 1% cottage cheese for breakfast. I use all fresh fruit. Besides bananas, apples, oranges, grapefruit, and peaches, which are easy to eat as they are, I buy the fruit medley bowls at the supermarket. The fruit is already sliced and cubed for you. It’s more expensive, naturally, but sometimes I have more money than time.

Eat Several Meals a Day

It’s recommended that you eat 5 or 6 small meals a day rather than 3 large meals. Depending on your job and other factors, this may not be practical. But if you can it is highly recommened. The experts mostly agree that women should eat 5 meals and men 6. Myself, I do 5, just can’t work it out to do six. If you can’t do 5 or 6 meals, then try for 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks. As I stated earlier, I base my fat burning calorie requirements at 2100 calories. So I need 420 calories per meal. Again, don’t try to hit it on the head, just get as close as you can. Here is another piece of vital information. You’ll need to be able to convert grams of food into calories and vice versa. (This will show you why eating fatty foods puts on the pounds so quickly!)

• Carbohydrates:   1 gram = 4 calories
• Protein:                  1 gram = 4 calories
• Fat:                          1 gram = 9 calories

Sample Daily Menu

Here is a sample of my daily menu. Different people have different needs, but if you need a “quick start” diet, it may work for you until you can get more personalized information. You can go online and do a search for “calorie calculator” to determine your daily caloric needs. And here is the world’s biggest energy secret: Remember to drink a lot of water all day!

Breakfast One:

• Oatmeal w/sliced banana
• Cottage cheese w/fruit topping
• One ounce slice of lean ham or turkey (or 1/2 scoop of Protein whey)
• Cup of Fruit Medley or one grapefruit
• Coffee w/Sweet n Low and No fat creamer

Breakfast Two:

• Sliced turkey or ham sandwich on Lite Wheat Bread w/fat free Thousand Island or Lite Mayo
• 7 .5 ounce can of Lima Beans or Corn
• Cup of mixed strawberries and seedless grapes
• Small handful of walnuts, macadamia nuts, or peanuts (dry roasted)

Lunch:

• Large size frozen dinner i.e Lean Cuisine Turkey Medallions or Chicken Portabello
• One slice Lite Wheat Bread
• Garden salad with low or no fat dressing (I like to add beets).

Mid Afternoon:

• Tuna salad sandwich (7 ounce can of Albacore tuna, mix in mustard and 2 tablespoons sweet relish), use whole wheat (or other grain) bread
• 7.5 ounce can of green beans, sweet peas, or spinach (substitute a V8 occassionally if time is short)

Supper:

• Lean Cuisine Large Size Beef Sirloin Tips and Vegetables (but cook something if possible)
• One slice of Lite Wheat Bread or whole grain bread (depending on how many calories you need to complete the meal)
• Fat free yogurt

Try to eat about every 3 hours with the last meal about 3 hours before bedtime. I’ll explain why every 3 hours is optimal in another post.

Because of time restraints, I use a lot of pre-packaged stuff that doesn’t make the “A” list, but I don’t have much choice. The more you can use natural ingredients and prepare them yourself, the better off you are. The important thing is that I feel better, have more energy, and am losing 2 pounds of fat per week. Next week is Christmas, and I’ll be home in Louisiana, and my wife is a jam-up cook. Lord, give me strength!

There are a few items in this post which need more elaboration, and I’ll get to them in time. For more immediate answers to your questions, go to http://burnthatfatnow.com, where you can sign up for my newsletter and check out Tom Venuto’s “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”.

Credits: Tom Venuto, Certified Fitness Coach and Champion Bodybuilder