What I Eat to Get Ripped

I'm working on hitting some lofty goals for myself in the next month or two, which will be achieved primarily by strict adherence to my nutrition regimen. Since my muscle tone is adequate for my lifestyle (being fleet, and moving well for racquetball and running) the rest is mainly just aesthetics, (being cut and defined) which will be achieved by general lean-ness.

Currently, I am somewhere in the range of 8%-10% body fat, if the skin fold caliper, and my use of it are correct. (And whether I'm using it perfectly, or not, I do try to use it exactly the same every time, so at least the benchmark and relative progress are trackable.) My goal is to hit (by my calculations, at least) 6%-8% body fat, and/or get my belly skin fold measurement to 6-7mm, currently at 10mm, (See my earlier post on that measurement) without losing any lean muscle mass, currently 165#. From where my weight is right now, 181#, I need to lose five pounds of fat, while I retain my lean mass.

That means, a lean, high-protein diet and keeping up with my lifting regimen. In other words, my normal routine - except with no cheating.

With that in mind, I'm going to post here a "day in the life" of my eating plan, just to help remind/clarify my focus and motivation. Much of this plan is from the Tim Ferriss book, The 4-Hour Body, where he highlights what he calls the "Slow-Carb Diet". I generally eat at two-hour intervals, starting at 6 a.m. This plan has become my normal routine, with some minor adjustments and variations, for the last three to four years now. Snacking - especially sweets - is my Achilles heel, so I'm going to maintain a little extra self control and adhere to my plan as it is laid out here, nothing more, nothing less.

The Plan - 6 Days a Week:

6 a.m.
Boiled Egg, Coffee
On lifting mornings: A protein shake mixed with coffee.

8 a.m.
Egg Whites, coffee, teaspoon of Coconut Oil

How I Cook Egg Whites

10 a.m.
Hunk of Raw Cabbage, Snow Peas

12 p.m.
Protein Bar or My Lean Concoction
-Grilled chicken breast, cubed
-1/3 can of black beans
-2 TBSP diced tomato
-1 TBSP olive oil
-heaping TBSP shredded bacon
-Sriracha or other flavoring
High in protein, good carbs, and fiber @ about 550 calories.
A pile of naked spinach or kale goes well here, too.

"Concoction" Ingredients

The finished product ready to eat

2 p.m.
Protein Bar or My Lean Concoction

These are the ones I like

4 p.m.
Handful (about a dozen) of Raw Almonds

6 p.m.
Sensible Dinner (Lean and Green - to steal a term from the Medifast people)

Grilling is my favorite way to eat lean

One "Free Day" per week, (Friday supper, through Saturday lunch) when I get to eat anything I want. Carbs, yay!!!

That's pretty much it, and has been the core of my diet for the last three years. When I am disciplined with it, and keep physically active, the results are great. When trying to add more lean muscle mass, the protein intake needs to be bumped up significantly. This plan as-is comes in under 2,000 calories, so there is room to add things, and still be okay. Up to 3,000 (good) calories will work for me.

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