The Body for Life diet encourages dieters to eat six small meals a day on the plan. These meals consist of a portion of protein, a portion of carbohydrates and at least two servings of vegetables a day. As a point of reference, Phillips refers to a portion as the size of your fist… no more, no less. The logic behind the six meals a day is twofold. First, eating smaller meals allows the body to process food more efficiently, and doesn’t encourage the body to store excess food as fat. Essentially it is like giving a car just enough gas to get to the next gas station. Second, eating more often will prevent you from being hungry and snacking in between larger meals.
An example of a typical day’s meal plan could be as follows:
- Breakfast – Egg Whites and Wheat Toast
- Mid Morning – Low Fat Cottage Cheese, Strawberries
- Lunch – Chicken Breast, Side Salad, Steamed Rice
- Mid Afternoon – Lean Sliced Ham, Apple Slices
- Dinner – Top Round Sirloin Steak, Baked Potato, Broccoli
- Late Evening – Tall Glass of Milk, Orange
Most dieter’s favorite part of the Body for Life diet is that one day a week is considered a “cheat day” where you can eat whatever you want. That’s right, pizza, burgers, cookies, etc. are all on the menu. Not only CAN you eat what you want, but Phillips actually encourages you to eat whatever you want. The reasoning behind the cheat day is to keep the dieter happy and preventing the body from getting too used to the diet and minimizing results. By eating high calorie foods one day a week you “shock” your body out of the diet for a short time, thereby maximizing the following week’s results.
Phillips references many EAS products in his book as good meal replacements for dieters too busy to prepare six meals a day. I have used EAS products such as Myoplex with great results and while they are not required by the Body for Life the diet, they are very quick and easy meal replacements.
The exercise portion of the Body for Life diet is quick, but high intensity which produces good results in a short period of time. The exercise portion follows the same six day schedule that the diet does (you get a cheat day in the exercise portion as well). You alternate days between 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise and 45 minutes of weight training. The training schedule is laid out in the book and is explained very well.
I found the Body for Life diet to be very effective, and most importantly, easy to stick with. My wife and I followed the diet together and we found that the cheat day really kept us motivated by giving us something to look forward to. At first preparing six meals is a pain, but when your clothes start to fit a little more loosely, you will feel a lot more inspired. If you still don’t want to prepare as many meals, or don’t have time to prepare them the EAS supplement products are a good choice, but again they do get a little pricy. Despite the cost, I did think they tasted good for a diet supplement so if you can afford to spend the money it is worth it if you are on a tight schedule.
One tip for success… Since you are eating six meals a day, foods can become routine very quickly. It is very important to vary your meal schedule.
In summary, the Body for Life diet is fairly easy to follow, yet equally effective. As with most diets you are restricted on eating high fat foods all the time, the cheat day helps. Unlike the Atkins Diet, Body for Life is not an “all or nothing” style diet, so if you fall off the wagon all is not lost. Just pick up where you left off, and make up for it next time. Most importantly, the Body for Life teaches you good nutrition and exercises lessons that are easily sustainable long after you are done dieting. You will most likely find yourself following these tips even if you don’t realize you are doing it.
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