Mike Stewart Fitness (MSF) www.mikestewartfitness.com * You must sacrifice to achieve your fitness goals * admin@mikestewartfitness.com 713.785.5126
July 2009 Newsletter
The 2009 Get Ripped Diet By Michael W. (Mick) Stewart BSTI PFT July 2009
Several of you have asked me about the diet I used prior to having the photographs taken in late May, 2009. This is not so much a crash diet, as it is a nutritional supplement thats probably more ovo/lacto vegetarian than "diet." The key to leaning out during the summer months is to eat plenty of salads. It is very hard to accomplish and most people will fall off the wagon on day two. The key to the Get Ripped Diet are two things:
First, a properly planned set of 5-6 meals each day, and...
Second, eating smaller portions
Part I: The Get Ripped Diet Here is the diet I used:
Breakfast (meal 1) 8:30am:
1 grande-size Starbucks coffee and pastry.
Snack (meal 2) 1030am
4 eggs fried in canola oil;
1 peice of wheat toast w/butter.
1 8oz. glass of purified water.
Vitamins:
2 fish oil liqui-gels
1 Adult Daily multi
2 Chromium vegetable tablets.
1 childrens aspirin (to thin the blood).
Lunch (meal 3) 1pm
1 small salad;
1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta or regular spaghetti.
1 8 oz. glass of purified water.
Snack (meal 4) 3pm
1 banana;
1 handful of green or red grapes;
1 8 oz. glass of purified water.
Dinner (meal 5) 5pm
1 small salad;
1 8oz. glass of purified water.
The key to this nutritional supplementation is PORTION CONTROL. You will not only be hungry throughout the day, but you will feel as if your "starving" at night.
PART II: Portion Control Your not starving - your body is simply craving for sugar and fat. Here are some ideas for portion control:
1. Break Leftovers Down Instead of using one large container to store leftovers such as casseroles, side dishes, or pasta, why not separate them into individually-sized containers? That way, when you reach in the fridge to find something to reheat, you're retrieving just enough for one helping. Breaking down meal-sized servings into single servings will help you limit your food intake with no additional effort. 2. Say Yes to Salads Eating a salad before lunch or dinner is a sure-fire way to keep from overeating. It will help curb your appetite and give you a sense of satiety sooner. Of course, we're not talking a little bit of iceberg lettuce here. To reap full portion control benefits from rabbit food, load up your salad with veggies or even lean meat like turkey cubes. The fiber in the veggies will help you feel fuller and lean meat's protein will give you an instant energy boost. 3. Single out Trigger Foods Buy snack foods in single serving sizes or divvy up full size packages into smaller, individual bags. It may be difficult to stop eating, oh, say, tortilla chips (our biggest weakness) straight out of the bag while watching Desperate Housewives, but am I as likely to inhale the contents of 12 zipper bags without some forethought? Doubtful. 4. Master Mini Meals You can make sure your blood sugar stays at an even keel and keep hunger at bay by eating healthful small meals throughout the day. Mini meals are by far the best way to prevent overeating because you'll get never too hungry and lose control of your portion intake. 5. Keep Seconds Out of Sight Don't serve family meals family-style. Keep pots and dishes away from the table where it's all too easy to go for seconds. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes to feel satiated. By giving myself that "breather" I've realized I wasn't hungry enough for another helping after all. 6. Make Meat a Side Dish Treat meat or meat-based entrees as a side dish rather than the main part of your meal. By loading up on veggies and healthy grains as the bulk of your meal instead of using them as sides, you'll feel full sooner and get extra vitamins and fiber. Experiment with new vegetables and preparation methods to keep things interesting. 7. Meet Yourself Halfway Make lunch a two-fer. Your mid-day meal can work double duty by being shared or serving as dinner. At work, why not split take out with a buddy? At a restaurant, pack up half of your meal before you even start eating: Voila! You have an instant dinner! 8. Be a Kid at Heart (or Tummy?) Order a kid's size meal when you go to fast food places to automatically control portions (and save money!). Don't be embarrassed about asking for a child's meal. It's really no big deal. I've even got a trick for places that have a "12 and under sign" -- I order it to go and then plop right down in the dining room, eat my meal, and give the toy to a kid sitting nearby! 9. Serving Standards Learn to "eyeball" standard portion sizes and stick to them when dining out or dishing up meals. Keep these tips in mind: 3 oz. of meat is the size of a deck of cards or an audio tape; 1 oz. of meat is the size of a matchbook; 1 cup of potatoes, rice or pasta looks like a tennis ball. 10. Treat Yourself And last, but not least ... indulge! Treating yourself once in a while to a "forbidden" food will keep you from feeling deprived; a sense of deprivation can easily lead to overeating. Stop a binge before it starts by indulging every now and then. [ 1 ]
The key to making this diet work for you is this:
(1.) You must have 1-2 servings of protein; (2.) You must eat "portion size" - that means SMALL [ see above ]; (3.) You must eat in stages - "grazing" - throughout the day; (4.) You must drink a minimum of 4-5 glasses of water per day; (5.) You must stop eating at 5 or 6pm!
Point 5 is the most important point: STOP EATING! The key to making this diet work for you in 1-2 weeks is to give your body a rest by 6pm and go to bed hungry. By doing this you will sleep deeper since the body does not have to use up precious energy breaking food down at midnight because you went to Whataburger. Also, the body will begin using its own bodyfat for energy instead of what is in your tummy.
This is how I got my six pack back.
In order to have those abs show through, you have to eat less, workout, do a small amount of cardio per day and continue to lift moderate weight.
Sources
[ 1 ] 10 Ways to Control Over-Eating, courtesy www.weightloss.com