“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo de Vinci
So I’m going to dedicate this post to my official diet philosophy. Now unlike most people, I don’t follow any predetermined meal plans or anything that’s particularly structured.
Up until about 2 years ago, I’ve done so many damn diets. I’ve done paleo, low carb, anabolic, low glycemic, carb cylcing… the list goes on and on.
But now, I’m all about freedom and keeping things simple.
The Official FitMole Diet Philosophy
- The total amount of calories you eat per day must take precedence over EVERYTHING else.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Aim for a minimum of 0.6 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
- Don’t go super low-fat. Fats are essential for hormone production and some vitamins are only fat soluble. I don’t want you to obsess over the grams of fat you eat, but do your best to get some fats in your diet.
- Carb intake can vary from person to person but I don’t recommend going low-carb since you need carbs to train intensely.
- Take a high quality multivitamin and 6-10 grams of fish oil per day.
- Eat foods you actually enjoy. There’s no need to live on brown rice and chicken. If you want to eat some pizza and ice cream, then go for it but watch your overall calories and remember, everything in moderation. Yes it’s cliche but when it comes to dieting, it means everything.
- Most importantly – don’t complicate things. A lot of people like to track their exact macronutrient intake each day but that’s really not necessary unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder/fitness model. Keep things simple. Eat foods you enjoy and keep a rough estimate of how much you eat. Don’t over analyze and don’t over stress.
Find what works for you
As you can see, my diet philosophy is VERY flexible, maybe even too flexible for some tastes. I know a lot of people like diets that are structured and rigid, and if that is you then you should probably follow a plan that offers step-by-step meal plans.
If there’s anything I want you to take away from this article it’s this: use the points above as a baseline and customize it to fit your lifestyle. Experiment with different macronutrient ratios, find what works for you, and adjust accordingly.
I plan on writing a full blown diet book based on these principles detailing how to find the perfect diet tailored to your lifestyle. Hopefully, it’ll be out sometime this year.
Do you follow a structured diet or do you freestyle it like me? Let me know in the comments.
[Photo credit: jet_star]
I have been going through a low calorie diet now for a while now and I’ve done some IF(Eat Stop Eat) too. So I’m wondering which 1 is better, limiting my calories each day or do IF(Eat Stop Eat).
They both have their pros and cons. It all depends on your lifestyle and preferences. I like IF better since it allows you to eat bigger meals.
This is what I’ve been doing while on a calorie diet:
9:00 – Wake Up
9:15 – Do some HIIT
10:20 – Drink protein shake
10:30 – Go to the gym
12:30 – Have a huge meal along with multivit’s and fish oil
18:30 – Have a light snack
22:00 – Drink protein shake again
So is it okay or what things do i need to change.
P.S. While doing Eat Stop Eat can protein shakes be taken on fasting days or is it limited only to water and coffee.
ya that looks fine. And no, don’t take protein shakes on fasting days. The whole point of the fasting days is to avoid all calories. But you can drink water, tea, black coffee, and diet soda.
K thanks a lot for the advice. Looking forward to reading your next post :).
I wish I’d commented here a lot sooner to thank you! Your blog has changed my life. Weight training 3x per week along with low calorie eating led me to 20+ pounds of FAT loss and a full body transformation. Before that, I tried every diet in the book and was trapped in a vicious yo-yo diet cycle that destroyed 5 years of my life. I NEVER maintained my weight. Now, following your philosophy (I count calories and enjoy foods that I love as long as that fit into my daily intake), I have maintained my physique for eight months. I look and feel better than ever! I still can’t believe that this is actually my body! THANK YOU FOR CHANGING MY LIFE…YOU ARE BRILLIANT. I just want everyone to know that all these fad diets are bullshit! Calories, calories, calories. It’s that simple. I feel like I know the key to true fat loss/weight maintenance thanks to you, and I want to help anyone who wants to change their body! It really is possible!
Wow thanks so much Izzy, congrats on the transformation. I’m glad my blog has changed your life.
-Keith
I Like it. Diets simply never work, it needs to be a lifestyle change. And if it is going to be one that you can stick with for the rest of your life then it has to include food we like to eat.
I think you hit the nail on the head, with this post. Making sure that how you eat is going to be the best way for you, not following some crazy diet dogmatically when you can’t really sustain it long term.
Thanks Dave. Diets these days are just too structured. They force people to eat foods and if people don’t like what they eat, they’re not going to stay on it for very long.
so what’s your favorite way to compute the # of calories needed?
To get your daily intake to lose 1 pound per week, multiply your bodyweight by 12, and if that doesn’t work, multiply it by 11 and so on.
Keith,
I really love your philosophy. I’ve read and dabbled in many different diets and ways of eating too, and what I’ve come up with at 35 is that rule #1 is to listen to my body. I cook as much of my own food as possible using organic, fresh and seasonal ingredients, eat protein with every meal, and keep a general idea of necessary calories daily.
“Eating healthy” is such a trendy concept that there is a vast amount of information out there – much of it as useful for our bodies as plastic is for the environment. Thanks for keeping it real and always posting great info.
-Betty Rocker
Thanks Betty, appreciate it.
Hey Keith,
Sorry to bother you again but do you have any thoughts about creatine?…. Whether I should take it along with protein shakes, multi vitamins and fish oils in my daily diet. Basically I’m just aiming for a lean and athletic body and I’m getting there thanks to your philosophies and tips :)…..
Yeah creatine is great for increasing strength so feel free to take it. I suggest 5 grams per day, and it doesn’t matter when you take it. Just make sure to take it every day.
Do I lean out first or just start taking it, I’m kinda in the middle stage right now. Btw I’ve also read somewhere that it’s better to do a 3 month cycle, on and off creatine supplement.
You can take it now and there’s no need to cycle. Just stay at 5 grams per day.
Thank you for your time, really appreciate it.
Hi Keith,
I agree, we must be fully aware of the calories we consume. Many nutrition experts, including some I respect, don’t recommend tracking calories. If you like to cook and try new recipes, I don’t see how you can avoid it.
Many thanks.
Right SCott, cooking your own food is one of the easiest way to control your calories.
Thanks for sharing all this info, you are amazing and I agree with all your life, training and diet principles. Keep up the good work. all the best
Wow what a breath of fresh air. Love your simple approach to dieting, so much better than eating 2-3 hours like everyone else says. Questiong though-what is your take on fat burners like those green tea ones? Do they work?
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Don’t bother with fat burners. They’re useless.
Hello. I am currently training for a half marathon in New Orleans! I am fluctuating between 157 and 164 pds. I run approx 18 miles per week and do arm weights. I also do some ab exercises…sunrise sunsets with ball and planks but I am eating 1200 calories per day and cant get the weight off. Pleasse help me! I am not afraid to work hard. I want to weight 135pds. and lose some at before the half..running this heavy is hard:(
With that much exercise an so little calories, it’s hard to imagine you not losing weight. Are you sure you’re not underestimating the amount of calories you eat?
Now that you mention the importance of fats in the diet, I remember I once read: fats doesn’t makes you fat, too many calories makes you fat. Many of the so called ¨healthy food¨ is just regular food with very low levels of fat, and eating them wont result in weight loss unless there is a caloric deficit, as simple as that.
Yup that’s right.
I’m a hardgainer and currently on 2000+ calories a day..Progress has been slow but is going on..If,just if I have reached my target weight somehow,says around 70kg,do u think i can start lowering down my calorie intake after that without losing any weight,with continuing weight lifting ? Or I should always stay at that amount of calorie intake which brought me to my target weight ?
If you’re in a surplus right now, bringing it down won’t cause you to lose weight until you dip under your maintenance intake.
Thanks a lot !
Hello,
I really liked this blog post. What are a couple good ways to track calories? I mean, are there any online resources or software programs that you can recommend that can tell me how many calories are in the foods I’m eating that I can easily track, record and update, etc…?
thanks in advance!
KH
myfitnesspal is good.
I”m just getting into dieting and working out. So glad I found you blog, simple and no nonsense! I have a question about protein. You recommend above to “Aim for a minimum of 0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.”, but that translates to 5 ounces of protein. Per day? In your Hollywood Physique book you recommend .8-1 gram of protein x body weight in pounds which translates to 7-8 ounces of protein per day. That doesn’t sound like enough protein. Again I’m a beginner, but I’ve been drinking two protein shakes a day and eating protein at lunch and dinner. Am I missing something? Thanks!
how does that translate to 5 ounces? If you are 180 pounds and use the 0.6 rule, that would mean you get 108 grams of protein per day.
Right, but oz = g * 0.035274, which is 3.8096 oz. So with a 12 oz steak (being 341 grams) I have totally blown my protein intake off the charts. It just doesn’t sound like enough protein to me. Thanks
Calculate the grams of protein NOT grams in terms of mass.
Thanks for the clarification. I realized what I was doing after I submitted it.
Keith, I’ve just found your website and I love it! Great advice.
My question is regarding those stubborn last 10 lbs! In my case it’s just 7 and they’ve been around for too long already. I work out and run 3 or 4 days a week and have been in 1200 to 1400 calories and those lbs are still there.. What do you recommend? I think if I lower my calorie intake even more it could be counterproductive. Thanks!
hard to say exactly. Maybe you need to take a diet break for a week where you eat slightly above maintenacne to ‘reset’ and boost your metabolism and that will help you lose fat.