6 Meals a Day

Eat More, Lose More

I wrote this page about 6 meals a day after following the Warrior Diet for eight weeks. After following the Warrior Diet for a while, I just wasn't seeing the same dramatic weight loss results as when I first started.

The Warrior Diet is an excellent diet to boost weight loss, and my fat loss was definitely maximized, but by the end of eight weeks, my muscles felt flat and 'squishy' and my skin had taken on a sallow tone. I needed to feed my muscles to 'plump' them up and eating 6 meals a day has worked great to fill out my curves. As a bonus, my skin has never looked better too! Vibrant, healthy, glowing, and plump. Gone is the tired haggard look!

As with anything in life, change is good and no where is this more true than with health. It's good to change things up once in a while, especially with weight loss. Our bodies tend to respond quickly to change and adapt even more quickly, developing into frustrating weight loss plateaus.

Eating 6 meals a day is a great way to break out of a weight loss plateau, fuel your body, build muscle, and lose fat. 6 meals a day is also wonderful if you're used to starvation diets. However, being prepared, organized, and K.I.S.S. (keep it short and simple) are key when it comes to this weight loss plan.

Getting in 6 meals a day can be a challenge if you're unprepared, unorganized, and make this way of eating more complicated than it needs to be.

This 6 meals a day diet plan can be done in two phases. Phase one is much more strict than phase two and allows for fast weight loss and should only be followed for two weeks at a time. Phase two is more relaxed and realistic for 'real life', so only do phase one if you can commit to it wholeheartedly. It's best to do this phase when you have no parties or holidays coming up and time to plan and prepare your food ahead of time.

Here are the basics phase one of the 6 meals a day diet plan:

• You'll eat five meals a day instead of six
• No fruit
• No dairy (low or non-fat cottage cheese is okay)
• No sugar
• No white flour
• No carbs
• No fatty red meat, only lean cuts
• No alcohol
• Use only 'good for you' fats such as extra virgin olive oil.
• Be sure to drink a lot of water throughout the day (at least 10 - 8 oz. glasses).
• Use a good source of fiber like Fiberteq by VPX (you can find it at Amazon). It's a great source for fiber that truly maximizes fat loss.
• Take a good multi-vitamin too along with a calcium supplement.

You'll basically be eating 'lean and green' (lean meats and vegetables) and use protein shakes for convenience. The first couple of days will be rough, just do whatever you have to do to get through it (drink water, green tea, chew some gum, pray, meditate, exercise). After the first couple of days you’re body adjusts and you won't be as hungry… you'll actually feel more energized. Remember, you can do it, it's only two weeks.

Here's a sample menu for phase one of the 6 meals a day diet plan:

• first meal - protein shake (mix with water).
• second meal - 4 egg whites (from hard boiled eggs) with 1/4 cup raw almonds.
• third meal - 6 oz lean meat such as fish, chicken, buffalo, or ostrich (it's yummy) with a big green salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.
• fourth meal - tuna packed in water or low-fat cottage cheese
• fifth meal - protein shake

Phase two is a bit easier in that you'll add in fruit with whole grain carbs every few days and you'll increase to 6 meals a day. Be flexible with yourself and have a glass of red wine every once in a while but, don't overindulge.

Here's the basics to phase two of the 6 meals a day diet plan:

• Eat a portion of protein with a carbohydrate or fat at every meal.
• Keep carbs limited to fruits and whole grain variety. Breads should have at least 3 grams of fiber or more per slice.
• Eat veggies with lunch and dinner totaling 4 cups of salad a day with 2 cups of cooked veggies.
• Stay away from white sugar and white flour.
• Use 'good for you' fats such as extra virgin olive oil.
• Be sure to drink a lot of water throughout the day (at least 10 - 8 oz. glasses).
• Again, include a high fiber supplement in your diet like FiberTeq.
• Take a good multi-vitamin too along with a calcium supplement.

Here's a sample menu for phase two of the 6 meals a day diet plan:

• first meal - protein shake mixed with water. Add in a carb such as whole grain toast with 3 grams of fiber or more or an apple if you're still hungry.
• second meal - apple with 1 tblsp almond butter or 1/4 cup of raw almonds or walnuts.
• third meal - 4 oz turkey with veggies in whole grain wrap.
• fourth meal - protein shake or a couple of hard boiled eggs seasoned with a little sea salt.
• fifth meal - 6 oz grilled fish or 4 oz grilled chicken/beef/or turkey (a lean meat) with 2 cups steamed veggies and 3 cups of salad.
• sixth meal - protein shake

Now let's talk about fat and how some fat in your diet is actually necessary for proper bodily functions. You need some essential fats in your diet through sources such as extra virgin olive oil, supplementing with fish oil caps or even better - Udo's 3.6.9 oil, and wild caught cold water fish like salmon.

Omega-3 fatty acids offer wonderful benefits to boost weight loss, plump up and soften our skin, maintain moods, and the list goes on. For more information on omega-3 fatty acids, check out http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm and you'll be amazed at how they can turn your life around.

Be sure to pick a good protein shake too. One that's nutritionally balanced and not full of sugar and carbs. You can see some good choices below.

At this point you may be thinking I don't have time to make the 'right' food choices, prep my food, and eat that much all in one day. But, taking the time to make the 'right' food choices and eat clean is critical to our success in life. Success in how we feel, how we relate to others, how we function and perform, etc. You really are 'what you eat'.

Eating 'right' has a profound effect on how we feel and our goal with eating 6 meals a day is to get our bodies not only looking great, but functioning and feeling great too. This diet is simple... eat six times a day and combine a protein with a carbohydrate or 'good fat' like almond butter or nuts at most meals and that's it. Cut out the sugar, white flour, and eliminate dairy products (except for low or non-fat cottage cheese) as they tend to bloat.

Now, as I mentioned before, eating good wholesome food for six meals a day can be quite a challenge, so I've included some tips below to get your organized and make it really simple to eat clean and lose weight.

Preparation and organization is key when you want to be healthy and in order for your diet to work, you need to plan and prep your food ahead of time.

• Prepare and pack up your food ahead of time. Even if you don't work outside the home, it's best to pack up all of your food into individual servings so you can quickly grab and eat on the go.
• Pick a couple of days a week to prep, cook, and pack up your food. Wednesdays and Sundays seem to work pretty good. Think about your meals and plan them accordingly.
• Use a George Foreman grill to grill all of your chicken breasts and salmon steaks, then after they've cooled, seal them in Ziploc sandwich bags and refrigerate or freeze.
• Roast a turkey or chicken and prepare the lean breasts for your meals while the rest can be shredded and frozen for future meals for your family. You can also use the poultry carcass for a healthy soup too.
• Scoop out single servings of your cottage cheese into Ziploc or Tupperware serving containers and store in the fridge.
• Wash all of your salad in a salad spinner and put in single serving containers along with any chopped veggies you like.
• Measure out 1/4 cup servings each of raw almonds and place in sandwich bags so you can grab on the run.
• Wash all of produce when you get home from the grocery store with produce wash and clean water to remove all dangerous pesticides and chemicals so they're ready to grab and go.
• Buy pre-cut veggies such as carrots and celery to save some time.
• Keep some low-sodium turkey breast and canned tuna around just in case you don't have time to prep and cook, you'll have a fast and ready protein source.
• Boil a dozen eggs for hard boiled eggs to snack on.
• Prepare your protein shake the night before by putting the scoop(s) of protein in a shaker along with your fiber. Just add water and go in the morning.

Eating 6 meals a day of 'clean' wholesome food combined with some strength training and cardio and you'll be on your way to a higher butt with definition, tighter abs, and slimmer thighs in no time at all. You can actually drop a clothing size in a matter of two weeks or less if you adhere to this way of eating.

Once you've worked hard and seen some success with 6 meals a day, you can have an occasional treat or dinner out, but only occasionally and you'll know how much is 'too much'... it's when you begin to justify overeating or overindulging in alcohol. Just be sensible, if you're going to have dessert, then pass on the bread and alcohol. If you're going to have a glass of wine, then no side of rice or potatoes or dessert. Just remember how hard you worked and how hard those first couple of days on phase one were to get through and stick to your program of clean eating.

Be sure to eat all of the 6 meals a day and time them two and a half to three hours apart. For instance, if you start with breakfast at 6:00 a.m., then you'll eat at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m.

If you mess up and cheat, you can always jump back on phase one of this six meals a day diet for a few days until you get back to your goal weight. Just don't use this as an excuse to 'fall off the clean eating wagon'. Think about what caused the slip and how you will avoid it in the future.

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Note: This page is solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not intended as medical advice. Consult a health professional before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or supplementation program.