Fit2Fat2Fit by Drew Manning (2012): What to eat and foods to avoid

Fit2Fat2Fit (2012) is a weight loss book written by a personal trainer, describes his journey from fitness, putting on 75lb and losing it again, and the unexpected battles involved.

• Low-fat, low-carb, calorie-controlled
• Eat lean protein, vegetables, and fruits
• Introduction phase, then slowly introduce more unprocessed carbs

Below is a description of the food recommendations in the book.  Summary  |  General rules  |  Beginning – month 1  |  Balance – months 2-4  |  Breakthrough – months 5-6.  There’s a lot more in the book.

Get a copy of Fit2Fat2Fit for more information on recipes, meal plans, supplementation, exercises, workouts, and more

The reasoning behind Fit2Fat2Fit

This book suggests that nutrition is the most important part of weight loss, although exercise is also important. It talks in particular about the emotional battles behind being overweight and gaining enough confidence to lose weight, and also overcoming issues such as food addiction with highly processed foods.

There are 3 stages – Beginning, Balance, and Breakthrough.

• All stages, you follow some general rules
• In the Beginning – month 1, you avoid dairy and grains to limit fats and carbohydrates and help prevent digestive problems; there are no formal workouts in this part of the diet.
• During the middle Balance – months 2-4, you can add carbs and dairy back in moderation, and occasional cheat meals.
• In the final Breakthrough – months 5-6, or if you hit a wall in your weight loss, you increase your exercise plan and eat more protein to help with muscle growth and recovery, but stop having cheat meals.

Fit2Fat2Fit diet plan – food list

The book doesn’t prescribe exactly what to eat or avoid; here are some extracts and general rules taken from the suggested recipes and descriptions of the stages.

General food recommendations

General rules – what to eat

• Eat every three hours
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat foods that are high in fiber, high in protein, low in carbohydrate, and minimally processed
• Proteins
  • Lean meats and poultry
  • Seafood
  • Eggs (eat more egg whites than yolks)
  • Legumes
  • Whey protein isolate
• High-fiber foods
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Sugar substitutes such as Stevia and Splenda are okay
• Other ingredients – herbs and spices, soy sauce, salsa, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, chicken broth, olive oil, sesame oil, natural peanut butter

General rules – foods to avoid or limit

• Sugars
• Refined and processed carbohydrates
• Liquid calories – energy drinks, sodas, and fruit juices. Presumably alcohol as well, although this isn’t mentioned
• Presumably caffeine, which isn’t listed in the food plans
• Highly processed foods
• Presumably high fat foods, including trans-fats and other processed fats, but this isn’t described in the book
• Presumably artificial colorings and preservatives etc., but not described in the book

If it tastes too good to be true, it probably is

Beginning – first month – food list

“Beginning” – first month – what to eat

• General rules foods to eat, above

“Beginning” – first month – foods to avoid

• General rules foods to avoid/limit, above, also:
• Avoid dairy
• Avoid grains
• No cheat meals

Balance – months 2-4 – food list

“Balance” – months 2-4 – what to eat

• General and “Beginning” foods above
• Low-carb minimally processed foods (in moderation)
  • Brown rice
  • Low-carb tortillas
  • Low-calorie brown sugar
• Cheese in moderation
• Two cheat/treat meals per month – when you’re nearing your weight goal you can build in one cheat meal per week. There are no guidelines for these meals.

“Balance” – months 2-4 – foods to avoid

• General rules foods to avoid/limit, above

Breakthrough – months 5-6

“Breakthrough” – months 5-6 – what to eat

• General, “Beginning,” and “Balance” foods to eat (except cheat meal), above
• Eat more protein in pre- and post-workout meals

“Breakthrough” – months 5-6 – foods to avoid

• General rules foods to avoid/limit, above

Health benefits claimed in Fit2Fat2Fit

The diet in this book claims to reduce the risks and/or symptoms of: depression, diabetes, food addiction, heartburn/GERD, heart disease, high blood pressure/hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney disease, liver disease, low testosterone, obesity/overweight, physical and emotional side effects of obesity (chafing, excessive sweating, insomnia, isolation, low energy levels, physical exhaustion, self-doubt / low self-esteem, snoring, stretch marks)

As always, this is not intended to be a replacement for professional medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. 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.

Get a copy of Fit2Fat2Fit for more information on recipes, meal plans, supplementation, exercises, workouts, and more

The author’s website is http://www.fit2fat2fit.com; he’s on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fit2fat2fit and Twitter at https://twitter.com/fit2fat2fit.

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