Eating is my job. I'm serious. I am on a diet, and I eat every three hours. It's awesome. On the first day, the Misses said, "I can't believe I am eating again. This can't be right." (I forgot to mention the Misses is on board with the program too!)
That's the beauty of Small Frequent Meals (SFMs). A key tenant of the Body for Life Program is eating a balanced meal six times a day. Every three hours, I get a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, and sometimes, I get to add vegetables. Sure, there are "restricted" foods, but who in their right mind would think that eating fried chicken or McDonald's would be a part of getting a toned and fit body?
I have to admit, I'm a big fan. I've been trying to implement smaller, more frequent meals for a while now. I believe in the concept that by having food always available for your body to tap as energy, you encourage your body not to store food as fat. Also, your body knows that it's next meal is coming shortly, and that it doesn't have to slow down metabolism to prepare for a famine. The best thing about BFL is that since the Misses is on board, I've been able to make my dinners a little smaller allowing me to shift more calories to earlier in the day when my body needs them more.
I admit it, on this program, I'm a little hungry. But the big positive of SFMs is that since you know you know your next meal is just around the corner, pounding 8 ounces of water, chewing a stick (or five) of gum, or sipping a cup of tea will tide you over for the hour until your next meal. Also, I'm sure that some of my hunger is just adjusting from my previous 2,200 calorie a day diet to my new 1,800 calorie a day diet. It's nothing I can't handle as long as I remember my goals.
A typical day for me is a Myoplex Strength Shake after my workout in the morning, oatmeal and eggs as my second breakfast at nine, leftovers for lunch, a Myoplex Strength Bar for afternoon snack, chicken and pasta or rice for dinner, and my yummy late night treat. I drink about 12 cups of water a day. So far, it's working pretty well. 13 days in and I have met all my nutrition goals!
I can see this working when you have both a controlled schedule and a controlled environment. How easy would it be to modify if you had to travel for business?
ReplyDeleteTravel adds an element of difficulty. First of all, myoplex bars are great to throw in a bag for those odd times. The hard part is that when you're traveling, you eat out a lot. You have to be careful to research menus before you order, and split the meal, either with a companion diner, or in a doggie bag. Leftovers make great lunches!
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