How I Eat

My main goal in launching this site is to help promote and encourage supportive eating, if fat loss is your goal.  I also want to have a continuous platform to help other supportive eaters by sharing recipes and tips to be successful in changing to a supportive eating lifestyle. I originally learned this method at Ben’s Bootcamp, and as time progressed, gained a better understanding as to exactly what supportive eating entails. 

In plain, simple terms: I eat five to six meals a day, every two to three hours, and I eat a lean protein and fibrous carb (veggie mainly, sometimes a fruit) every meal. A couple of times a day, I also throw in some healthy fats (peanut butter, olive oil, nuts, cheese, olives). When I’m trying to LOSE FAT I omit starchy carbs (breads, pastas, crackers-I don’t really eat them anyway, but I typically omit completely), and when I’m simply maintaining, I re-integrate starches minimally ( whole grains, brown rice, and usually only with my cheat meals).

What is a cheat meal?  Well, as a little precursor, I aim for 90% compliance with my eating; that is, out of the 35 to 42 meals I eat per week (depending on whether I eat 5 or 6 times a day),  90% of my meals are complete and contain BOTH a protein and fibrous carbohydrate (not one or the other-it has to contain BOTH).  The remaining 10% are my “cheat meal’s”.  This means I can eat junk, or miss a meal, call it a cheat meal, and call it a day : )

I asked Ben  (the expert!) if he could give me the low-down with more specifics, so without further ado…

What is Supportive Eating?

You get a lot of big words or phrases thrown at you in the health and nutrition world without knowing what they really mean.  Well I’m going to throw another expression at you, but I’m going to explain it so you know what the heck I’m talking about when I use the phrase supportive eating. 

Supportive eating very simply is this: 

So simply put, supportive nutrition supports your health and your fat loss goals simultaneously.  Eating lean proteins as well as fibrous carbohydrates with each meal and snack as much as possible will ensure the body you desire, as well as the health you also desire.

To eat a lean protein and a fibrous carbohydrate with every meal. 

The lean protein and fibrous carbohydrate must be healthy choices, and when you think about it, if you follow the rule of LEAN protein and FIBROUS Carbohydrate, your choices are limited to only healthy options.

So what exactly are lean proteins and fibrous carbohydrates?  Well, I’ve compiled a list of lean proteins and fibrous carbohydrates.  It isn’t a comprehensive list, but it will give you a good idea of what I’m talking about.

Lean Proteins

Chicken breast

Turkey breast

Fish

Egg whites

Low fat or fat-free cottage cheese

Seafood

Wild game

Extra Lean Beef  (93%lean or leaner)

Protein Powder

Vegetarian options include Whole Soy Products such as:

Tofu

Tempeh

Edamame

Fibrous Carbohydrates

Leafy Greens

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Spinach

Green Beans

Squash

Tomato

Cucumber

Celery

Onion

Green Peppers

Black Beans

Garbanzo Beans

Red Kidney Beans

Soy Beans

Blueberries

Strawberries

Apples

 

That should give you a start on what I’m talking about.  Like I said there are others that I didn’t include on this list, and if you have a question about a particular food please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Essentially what we are looking for with supportive nutrition is balance between highly nutrient dense foods, but also shaving away the calories not necessary to maintain or achieve a lean fit physique.  Lean proteins help build and repair lean muscle, and fibrous carbohydrates supply the energy to the body without causing a spike in blood sugar or excessive energy to be stored in the body.  What happens when your nutrition plan adapts to this, is when you exercise your body will turn to the depleted energy stores which will be burned quickly and the transition from carbohydrate calorie burn to fat burn will be much quicker.  Think of fat as your secondary fuel source.  You have to burn through all of your carbohydrate storage before going on to the fat.  The less carbohydrates (esp. starches) you eat, the lower your storage levels will be.

-Ben Warstler, CSCS, NSCA-CPT