7 Habits Diet

• Dr. John Berardi has developed "The 7 Rules of Good Nutrition." The diet has seven key nutritional principals that must be followed to shed fat.
  
  The seven habits are:
  
  1. Eat small meals every two to three hours, for a total of five to eight meals every day
  2. Consume lean protein with every meal (fish, poultry, meat, eggs)
  3. Consume fruit and vegetables with every meal
  4. Get carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables (exception allowed for post-workout drinks and meals)
  5. Ensure that at least 25 percent of your total calories are coming from fat--consume animal fat, fat from fruits and veggies (avocados and coconuts) and oils (fish, flax, olive, macadamia nut and coconut)
  6. Drink only green tea and water
  7. Consume only whole foods--no liquid meals
  
  Berardi recommends these guidelines for 90 percent of the meals. So, if an individual eats six times a day (forty-two meals in a week), they can "cheat" four times. A cheat is defined as eating something that violates the habits, but skipping a meal entirely is also cheating.
  
  

Caveman Diet

• An alternative is the "Caveman Diet," or "Paleolithic Diet," by Dr. Ben Balzer. The goal of the Caveman Diet is to return to the simpler eating habits of our ancestors, who did not have access to the processed "food" we have available today. The rules of the diet are simple: Eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts and berries. Do not eat: grains, beans, potatoes, dairy, sugar or salt. This diet mirrors a number of the principles in the "7 Habits" diet but adds in a few restrictions while removing the meal-frequency requirements and the floor for fat intake.
  
  

Comments and Suggestions

• Regardless of which of these diets you choose, you will notice that many of the concepts overlap. The principles of good nutrition are basic. To achieve ultimate leanness, you must unlearn old habits and replace them with new.
  Keep a constant food log tracking not only foods consumed, but total caloric intake for the day, along with macronutrient breakdowns (fat, protein and carbohydrates).
  Monitor your progress by taking digital photos every two weeks (front, back and legs) and assessing fat loss. Aim for 1 to 2 pounds lost every week--set reasonable goals.
  Every two weeks, assess progress. If the pounds are coming off at a steady pace and the photos are showing improvement, continue as planned. If fat loss stalls, you have three options: Remove cheat meals entirely; increase activity level (add in 30 minute walks three days a week, then up that to 45 minutes, then add in morning and evening walks, etc.); or drop calories by 200 per day.
  Reassess after two more weeks.