Anytime the topic of weight loss comes up in my social circles, it seems people always want to know what my personal grocery list looks like and how I eat to stay thin and lean.  Here are my several Top 10 lists of the foods I eat to maintain my figure.

It seems that many people I meet who find out I am the owner of a weight loss and personal training center are not only curious about what foods I eat to maintain a low body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves so they can get a leaner figure too.

Regardless of what you read in the rest of this article that follows, keep in mind that having a thin and leaner figure is not "automatic" for anyone, including me.  I have to work at it every single day and stay vigilant on the what I put in my mouth so I can not only maintain my weight but also my health.

Of course, I can't tell you what YOU should eat because I don't know your likes and dislikes, not to mention whether you have any intolerances, allergies or foods you don't eat for ethical reasons, etc.

What I CAN do is show you what I eat, which helps me keep my body fat low all year round.

About My 4 "Top 10" Lists

I put together 4 separate "top 10" lists of healthy foods I eat to stay health, feed my muscle so I maintain adequate muscle mass and tone, and of course burn fat.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods.  And of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don't believe that extreme low carb diets are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, my own personal research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and slightly higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and "automatic" calorie control.

These lists reflect my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It's very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices.

In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any lower caloric diet that is not completely "moronic" can work... at least in the beginning.  It is after the first 14-21 days of any diet that things get "tricky" and you often hit weight loss plateaus, which is why we developed our 6-Week Weight Loss Boot Camp Programs - to prevent this from happening.

Like It Or Not... It IS About Calorie Control And Compliance

It's not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can't stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb, high protein vs. low protein, low fat vs. low carb, etc.)  Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

1. How can you build an eating program that you can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?
   
   
2. How can you build an eating program that helps you control calories automatically?
   
   
3. How can you build an eating program that improves compliance?

These 4 "Top 10" lists of foods help me to achieve these three outcomes, and perhaps, they can help you too. This "style" of eating is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said,

"Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with,
and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with."

OK, Here They Are...

My top 10 lean proteins:

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Greek-strained yogurt (higher protein variety)
4. Chicken Breast
5. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
6. Turkey Breast
7. Lean Ground Turkey
8. Tofu (grilled and seasoned) 
9. Tofu Burgers
10. Flounder 

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains:

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice
4. Long-grain Rice
5. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
6. Multi-grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
7. Baked white potatoes
8. Beans
9. Lentils 
10. Whole-grain tortilla wraps 

My Top 10 top vegetables:

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 fruits:

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don't eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim or 1% milk, low or non-fat cottage cheese, and low or non-fat cheese (great for omelettes).

How Strict Am I With Following These Food Lists?

I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%.

I can make a meal from the foods on these lists any place and at any time, since by now, I know "visually" how many calories are in a "serving" or portion that ultimately helps me maintain a pretty accurate Daily Calorie Intake Target.

By the way, a 95% compliance to the foods on these 4 lists means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want - stuff that is NOT on these lists - like ice cream, pizza, pasta, etc. (contrary to the persistent rumors, I'm not some "diet perfectionist" that never enjoys a good restaurant meal... believe me - I DO!).

Again, I just know how to stay compliant and keep my daily calories close to my target while eating foods that enhance my metabolism, keep my weight constant, and allow me to maintain a low-fat body composition.  It is a perfect blended approach for me because as we say at Genesis...

"Nothing Tastes As Good As Looking Leaner Feels"

If you struggle to lose excess weight and/or maintain your "perfect weight", then consider participating in one of our 6-Week Weight Loss Boot Camp Programs.  For more information, contact me at Genesis Personal Fitness at 215-504-0100.