Choose natural foods

The best choice you can make is to eat foods the way they appear in nature. You
should choose fresh foods over canned or frozen foods, and natural unrefined foods over
more processed foods. For example, vegetables, potatoes, fruit, rice, and oatmeal are less
processed and more nutrient dense than crackers, enriched bread, pretzels, or bagels.
Remember the “acid-test” question for whether a food is natural or not: “Did this food
come out of the ground or off the tree/plant this way?”

Don’t choose empty calories & “junk foods”

All calories are not created equal. If a calorie were just a calorie, then any two
diets at the same calorie level would have the same effects on your body composition
regardless of their macronutrient profile. If a calorie was just a calorie, then a 2400-
calorie diet of 100% sugar would have the same effect as a 2400-calorie diet of 100%
lean protein - but it doesn't! “Junk foods” have little or no nutritional value and they
don’t boost your metabolism. That’s why they’re also called “empty calories.” You
simply cannot eat “junk foods” on a regular daily basis and expect to get good results.

The top twelve worst junk foods that you should NEVER eat: "The Dirty Dozen"

Probably the best way to start learning how to pick the right foods and make fat
burning meals is to tell you what NOT to eat. If you know what not to eat, then through a
process of elimination, you’ll be much more likely to choose the right things. Make
sense?

The 12 worst fat-storing foods you should never eat

X Ice cream
X Fried foods
X Doughnuts and pastries
X Candy, chocolate & sweets
X Soda
X Fruit “drinks” and other sugar-sweetened beverages
X Potato chips
X Bacon, sausage
X White Bread
X Hot dogs, fast food burgers
X Cookies
X Sugary breakfast cereals

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How to improve your food choices: Some healthy alternatives to “junk” foods

If you’re in tears right now because I just took away all of your favorite foods, and
you’re wondering, “What the heck does that leave me?” don’t worry. I’m going to tell
you exactly what new foods to put in place of your old, “low grade” food choices.
Although all the foods listed as alternatives are not “A-grade” foods, they are all
improvements over the old “low grade” foods.

Poor Choice Choose Instead

Whole milk Non-fat, skim or 1% low fat milk
White Bread 100% Whole wheat or rye bread
Ice Cream Low-fat, non fat, or sugar free frozen yogurt, fruit sorbet
Tuna in Oil Tuna packed in water
Buttered Popcorn Light microwave or air popped popcorn
Regular crackers 100% Whole wheat or rye crackers, rice cakes
Dorito's, Potato chips Baked tortilla chips (Baked Tostitos or Guiltless Gourmet)
Doughnuts Sugar-free, whole grain muffins, bagels, English muffins
Whole Eggs Egg whites
Cheese Low or non-fat cheese (Weight Watchers, Lite & Lively)
Canned Fruit in Syrup Canned fruit in own juice, fresh fruits
Sugar & Sweets Fruit
Table Sugar Equal, Sweet N Low, Stevia
Fried Chicken Broiled or microwaved skinless chicken breast
Jelly or Jam All Fruit no sugar jelly (Polander’s, Simply Fruit, etc.)
Fruit Drinks 100% fruit juice
Regular Soda Diet Soda, Crystal Lite, etc
Prime Rib Round steak, lean sirloin, flank steak
Butter Fleischman nonfat butter spread, Molly Mcbutter
Supermarket Oils Pam cooking spray (light coating) extra virgin olive oil
Cream Cheese Low or non-fat cream cheese
Mayonnaise Low or non-fat mayonnaise
French Fries Baked potato
Jell-O Sugar free Jell-O
Sugary Cereals Shredded Wheat, or any whole grain, low sugar cereal
Flavored, sweetened oatmeal Old-fashioned whole oats (Quaker oats)
Ham, cold cuts, Bologna Turkey & chicken breast
Bacon, Sausage, hot dogs Very lean ham, chicken, turkey, turkey franks
Fried Chicken Broiled, baked, or microwaved skinless chicken breast
Popsicles Frozen juice bars, Frozen yogurt bars, sugar free Popsicles

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The top twelve best foods you should eat regularly: "The Terrific Twelve"

OK, now that you know what you shouldn’t eat, let’s talk about what you should
eat. This recommended food list, called “the terrific twelve,” might be the most valuable
resource in this entire program.

Although the possible variety in your food choices is nearly infinite, these are the
staple foods that will make up the foundation of your program. Variety is important, but
these are the foods you can’t go wrong with and the ones you’ll keep coming back to time
after time.

The 12 best foods you should eat all the time

9 Oatmeal (or other whole grain cooked cereals such as barley, wheat, rye, etc)
9 Yams (or sweet potatoes)
9 Potatoes (white or red)
9 Brown Rice
9 Whole wheat bread and 100% whole grain products
9 Vegetables
9 Fresh Fruit
9 Low fat & non fat dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk, etc)
9 Chicken or turkey breast
9 Egg whites (or “egg beaters”)
9 Lean red meat (top round, extra lean sirloin)
9 Fish and shellfish

The Six Exchange Groups & Basic Food List

Most mainstream nutritionists still divide foods into the four basic categories; (1)
breads and grains, (2) dairy, (3) meats and (4) fruits and vegetables. For our purposes of
getting you so lean and completely free of body fat that you look like a walking anatomy
chart and total strangers have the irresistible urge to feed you, it’s necessary to be much
more precise with your food groups.

Because each type of carbohydrate can have vastly different properties and effects
on body composition, it’s necessary to subdivide the carbohydrates into three separate
groups; starchy, fibrous and simple. Proteins will be narrowed down into “lean proteins,”
eliminating all the high fat proteins from the list, dairy products will be narrowed down to
non fat or low fat dairy, eliminating all whole milk and 2% products, and good fats will
have a category by themselves.

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Group I: Complex Carbohydrates: (Fibrous)
Asparagus Broccoli Okra
Cauliflower Green Beans Brussel Sprouts
Peas Cucumber Squash
Collard greens Mushrooms Zucchini
Lettuce Salads Pepper, green or red
Tomatoes, pasta sauce, salsa Spinach Kale

Group II: Natural Simple Carbohydrates (Fruit)

Apples Unsweetened applesauce Blueberries
Bananas Oranges Raspberries
Berries Nectarines Plums
Grapes Peaches Cantaloupe
Grapefruit Pears Jelly (all fruit)

Group III: Complex Carbohydrates (Starchy)

Oatmeal, Cream of Rice, Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rye, oat bran, barley, multi-grain
Potatoes (white, red)
Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots
Beans, lentils, legumes
Brown Rice
100% whole grain dry cereals
100% whole wheat or whole grain pasta
100% whole wheat bread & whole grain products

Group IV: Lean Proteins:

Chicken breast, Turkey breast
Fish (Flounder, Haddock, Salmon, Orange Roughy, Cod, Tuna etc.)
Shellfish (Lobster, shrimp, Clams, etc.)
Lean Red Meat (Flank Steak, Round Steak, extra lean sirloin)
Eggs/Egg whites (One yolk for every six whites)
Low or non fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.)

Group V: Dairy Products (1% low fat, skim, or non fat)

Milk
Cheese
Yogurt
Cottage cheese

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Group VI: Fats
Nuts & seeds, flaxseed oil, olive oil, canola oil, natural peanut butter, olives, fish fat

A simple formula for creating effective, fat-burning meals and menus

Ok, now that you know exactly which foods to choose, you’re ready to hand-pick
the foods you enjoy and put them all together into your own personalized meals and menu
plans. Creating effective, result-producing menus is incredibly easy once you know the
simple formula.

Baseline diet formula (50-55% carbs, 30% protein, 15-20% fat)

Step 1: Choose a lean protein from the list for every meal.
Step 2: Choose a starchy carbohydrate from the list for every meal
Step 3: Choose your simple carbohydrates for your breakfasts
Step 4: Choose your fibrous carbs for your lunches and dinners
Step 5: Add essential fats if insufficient quantities are present in your foods
Step 6: Count your meal subtotals and grand totals.
Step 7: Compare your totals to your calorie target and adjust the serving sizes
Step 8: Assign a time a time for each meal

BFFM Breakfasts (meals one and two)

Because you’ll be eating five or six meals a day and the first two meals will
probably be in the morning, we’ll call meals one and two “breakfasts” for simplicity. The
first step in creating a breakfast is to select a lean protein such as egg whites. The second
step is to choose a starchy carbohydrate such as oatmeal. The third step, which is
optional, is to pick a natural simple carbohydrate such as an orange. Now all you have to
do is adjust your portion sizes to fit your personal calorie needs. There you have it – as
easy as one–two–three – instant meal! Here are several examples.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4

Egg white omelet protein powder Egg white scramble Shredded wheat
Oatmeal Oatmeal whole wheat toast Skim milk
Orange banana all-fruit jelly protein shake

Of course, there’s no reason whatsoever why you can’t have green vegetables and
chicken breast for breakfast if that’s what you want (I know many bodybuilders who do!)
However, this isn’t what most people would consider an appetizing or “traditional”
breakfast. Traditional breakfasts usually consist of either hot or cold cereal for complex

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carbohydrates, a piece of fruit for simple carbohydrates and egg whites, protein powder or
a dairy product for protein.

BFFM Lunches and dinners (meals three through six)

Meals three through six will usually fall in the afternoon and evening, so we’ll
group these meals together and call them “lunches and dinners” collectively. As with all
meals, you begin by selecting a lean protein such as fish or chicken breast. Second, you
choose a starchy carbohydrate such as a baked potato. Third, you choose a fibrous
carbohydrate such as broccoli. Here are four examples:

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4

Chicken breast Top Round steak Salmon Tuna, low fat mayo
Baked potato Yam Brown rice Whole wheat bread
Broccoli Green beans Asparagus Salad

The menu template for the baseline diet

This template allows you to create a virtually unlimited variety of menus. All you
have to do is choose the foods you want and plug them into the appropriate slots. Then
adjust the portion sizes for your calorie and macronutrient needs.

Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)

Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Simple carb (dairy or fruit)

Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

Meal 5
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

Meal 6
Lean Protein, Starchy Carb (small serving), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat

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