Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean by Ryan D. Andrews (2012): What to eat and foods to avoid

Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean (2012) is an easy-to-read book that describes the habits of fat people that you should avoid. If you have the same habits, you’re more likely to be fat, and if you recognize and change them you’re more likely to be able to get to a stable weight and stay healthy. In terms of food recommendations, this book suggests an unprocessed, whole food vegan diet.

The reasoning behind Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean

If you have bad habits, you’re likely to be fat. These habits include: skipping breakfast, making dinner your largest meal, eating quickly and while doing other things, counting calories, going on diets, eating processed foods and refined grains on a regular basis, drinking high-calorie beverages, eating out frequently, exercising less than 4 hours per week, not getting enough sleep, emotional eating, watching 2 or more hours of television per day, and hanging out with fat people. Follow the recommendations in this book for a healthy lifestyle, not just a diet.

Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean – food list

Foods to eat in Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean

This diet advises you to eat whole, real foods. The proportions here aren’t written down – they’re an approximation from a graph in the book, and presumably they are plate proportions rather than percentage of calories.

• When possible, the foods you eat should be organic, locally produced
• Vegetables and fruits – Eat raw vegetables and fruits where possible – these should be at least 50% of your diet
• Legumes / beans – around 15% of your diet
• Whole or sprouted grains – try to opt for products like breads and pastas made with sprouted grains – around 15% of your diet
• Nuts and seeds – around 10% of your diet
• Healthful fats – good sources include almonds, avocados, chia seeds, coconut, edamame, flaxseeds, hempseeds, macadamia nuts, olives, tempeh, and walnuts
• If you do eat animal products (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, milk products) it should be in small amounts and humanely and sustainably grown – grass-fed, free-range, organic, locally grown, etc.
• Make sure you eat breakfast
• If a food wasn’t around 150 years ago, it probably isn’t real food and you shouldn’t eat it.

Note that there’s no need to do elaborate food combining to ensure you get the correct proportions of amino acids, as long as you consume a wide variety of plant-based foods and don’t get stuck in a rut with certain foods for days on end.

Maintain a low A or high B average – don’t try to be perfect, but follow this diet the majority of the time.

Eat mindfully – smell the food, feast on it visually, appreciate its textures, savor its flavors, chew slowly, and generally enjoy it to its fullest.

Foods to avoid or limit with Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean

• Processed foods e.g. processed grains (including white flour and “wheat” flour), foods containing white flour, sugars, refined sweeteners, cakes, doughnuts, cookies, chips, soy products
• Low-fat, low-carb, reduced-calorie, sugar-free, or diet packaged goods
• Fake foods e.g. artificial sweeteners, artificial ingredients, low-fat fake butter spray, nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt
• Fast food
• High-calorie drinks, e.g. energy drinks, fruit juice, milk, soda, beer, wine, other alcoholic beverages
• Too many grains. No numbers are included in the book, but a graph suggests around 15% of your diet should come from grains
• A fruit-only diet. It’s okay to eat only fruit for a day or two, but you shouldn’t do it long term.
• Animal products including meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, milk and milk products
• Microwaved foods

If foods are “too” tasty, they may contain processed or refined ingredients such as sugar, white flour, etc. Avoid them, as they’ve been altered and aren’t natural.

Health benefits claimed in Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean

This book claims to reduce the risk of bad body odor, colon polyps, diabetes, food addiction, heart disease, and overweight/obesity

Consult your doctor before starting a new diet. This page describes what the authors of the diet recommend – Chewfo is describing the diet only, and does not endorse it.

For more information on exercise, lifestyle, and other recommendations, see Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean book or Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean on Kindle.

How has this diet helped you? Please add a comment below.