The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans Nutrition Plans
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Nutrition Plans
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Fitness Model Diet (FMD)
The fitness model diet (FMD) is a combination of the most powerful methods from healthy living, body sculpting and
fat loss presented in a practical way that works in the real wold of social events, stress and busy schedules.
The FMD is actually a combination of 4 different diet approaches that are rotated based on your goals and day to day
circumstances. There are no banned foods on the FMD and whatever your lifestyle you can still get results. The plan is
neither low carb nor low fat nor does it box you into having to eat a certain way. It produces results based on what
your body wants while considering your personal preferences.
For most people their main focus is on the fat loss plan as this is normally their main motivation on starting. The other
three elements of the FMD are the optimisation plan (to maximise health/ metabolism / muscle development), the
freedom plan and maintenance plan. These final two plans are to ensure you enjoy the freedom of eating any food
you want and to allow you to break even during challenging circumstances. The four plans look different yet are so
easy to implement you wonder why you have never done it before.
The FMD is not about endless theories or complicated plans, it is about implementation ASAP then editing it based off
how your body responds. There are no right or wrongs. It is simply about getting into a plan of action that works on
every level from body fat to enjoying your meals and fitting in socially.
The Four Types of Diet Days
The reason most diets fail is that they never address the whole picture. They focus on the aspect, e.g. losing fat,
maximising health. The problem is no one diet can ever serve two goals optimally. Either your diet is maximising your
health yet producing limited fat loss or it is helping you lose fat yet never focuses on maximising your health. Some
diets try to combine the best of both worlds by having it focus on clean, whole and healthy foods with a low calorie
intake. However, this is still doesn’t serve you optimally. The only solution that works is the one all fitness models on
the planet use and that is having different plans to achieve different objectives.
Through using different diet days you will cover all bases and be able to create the body of your dreams both inside
and out. Let’s recap and delve deeper into the four types of diet used within the Fitness Model Diet.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Fat Loss Plan - Time to get lean!
This plan can be applied for literally 1 -2 days only or a period of weeks to months. The sole goal and focus of this
phase is for you to lose fat. The phase uses reduced food intake (calorie) alongside movement/exercise to target fat
loss. The key to its success is developing the plan so that –
- Fat loss occurs
- You still feel ‘ok’ so that you are not suffering strong hunger, cravings or severe low energy.
- You enjoy your meals to the extent you can follow the plan.
- You still have some treats within the diet to keep you from going off the rails.
- You accompany the diet with exercise and/or daily movement to accelerate fat loss
The diet needs to be simple enough for you to stick to as consistency produces fat loss. To do this the diet needs to
give you enough taste and comfort from foods to be able to be able to follow. It does not necessarily need to be the
“best” diet ever as the key is you being able to stick to it. That is the one, only and overriding factor behind what is the
best diet for fat loss.
You can help yourself greatly by ensuring you eat with the ideal ratio of protein:carbs:fat for your body as this could
mean the difference between feeling full on 1500 calories or feeling really hungry on that same intake amount. How
many calories you need is discussed later as well as your ideal ratios
The Freedom Plan – Recharge Mentally and Physically
Long term and consistent dieting is not very good for the body nor does it help your metabolism. The more depleted
the body becomes of its energy stores the more difficult it is to follow the plan, lose fat and find motivation to
exercise. A way around this is to use the freedom plan in rotation with dieting phases. The freedom plan focusses on
recharging yourself both mentally and physically. The freedom plan has two different types of days, the cheat day and
re-feed day. The keys to success are –
- You recharge both mentally and physically
- You eat more food than your fat loss days to spike metabolism.
- You enjoy the freedom and increased food intake
- You get the ratio right for results (5 fat loss days to 2 cheat days per week is the “standard” FMD ratio)
The cheat day (or cheat meal) is where you purposely eat more than on dieting days and eat whatever foods you want.
The aim is to recharge metabolism and refill your depleted energy stores. It allows you to refresh mentally. On a cheat
day you eat freely and whatever you want. You should not think about food and just relax. This may include eating all
sorts of “bad” foods from cake to chocolate etc
A re-feed day has the same philosophy as a cheat day, it is designed to recharge your metabolism and depleted energy
stores. However, a re-feed day uses “clean” foods to do this. So instead of eating cake and chocolate you are still
eating much more food but from healthy food sources.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Maintenance Plan – Break even when life gets hectic.
The goal here is to fit in with the world or get through a current hectic or stressful situation without undoing all your
hard work. This may mean Christmas, your summer holiday or the busiest time of the year in work. The plan has all the
freedom you need yet also uses other techniques to “balance the books”. The goal at the end of the period is to be
pretty much where you were at the beginning. The key to this plan is –
- You do enough compromise and rebalancing of behaviours to roughly break even.
- You accept you are going to be “bad” in certain areas (similar to the freedom plan)
- You accept you have to make up for the “bad” with enough “good” to break even
- You are open to using techniques and methods to create balance that are not what “you normally do”.
The maintenance plan should mean you never really back track too much with your body whatever is going on in life.
This means it is much easier to pick it up when your life is back on an even keel, e.g. that busy work period finishes, the
holiday ends, the stressful period is over etc.
The Optimisation Plan – Supercharge your metabolism.
This plan is designed to optimise health and supercharge your metabolism. It also creates the environment for optimal
muscle development. Contrary to popular belief, no one diet can achieve all goals. Your fat loss diet may have very
clean foods and be healthy but if it is helping you lose fat then you could probably eat 30-50% more of this same food
and not gain fat. This extra energy is used by the body to supercharge its functioning. It will raise your metabolic rate
(important as losing fat reduces it), your body temperature and almost every aspect of health. The key to this plan is –
- You are eating “clean” foods stacked with vitamins and minerals as well as your ideal macro ratios.
- You more than meet your minimum requirements for protein, carbs and fat.
- You are eating significantly more calories than during the fat loss plan.
- You do not eat so much that you start to gain body fat.
This phase is used by almost no one yet has by far the biggest and most beneficial impact upon your health. For most
people they just cycle between phases of bad eating to undoing this damage with a dieting phase. Fitness models use
this phase to develop muscle tone and mass. Also known as a bulking phase, what separates fitness models from
bodybuilders is they do not gain much fat during this phase. You are eating more but it is not unlimited amount of
food you are consuming. If you do this you will gain fat rapidly and then have to spend time dieting it off. Fitness
models stay lean all year round.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Example of the Differences between Diet Plans
The different phases may sound complicated but their application in the real world can be very simple as shown
below. Notice how simple some of the changes are to create the different effects and benefits of each phase.
Example 1 Rules
Fat Loss No Dairy
Optimisation Dairy allowed
Freedom/Cheat 1 day / week eat anything
Maintenance Miss Breakfast if big dinner night before
Example 2 Rules
Fat Loss 3 Meal per day
Optimisation 5 meals per day
Freedom/Cheat Eat out all in cafes and restaurant for all my meals one day per week
Maintenance Go for an extra run on days I am eating badly
Example 3 Rules
Fat Loss No Fruit Juice
Optimisation 1 Litre Fruit juice /day
Freedom/Cheat Have cake / wine two days a week
Maintenance No starter if having a desert or vice versa
Example 4 Rules
Fat Loss Eat 2000 calories and walk 20 000 steps / day
Optimisation Eat 3000 calories and walk 10 000 steps / day
Freedom/Cheat Eat 5000 calories in day once a week with ‘clean’ foods.
Maintenance Salad at lunch so can have whatever I want for dinner
Example 5 Rules
Fat Loss 1100 calories and walk 10 000 steps
Optimisation 1800 calories and walk 10 000 steps
Freedom/Cheat Cook my favourite recipes
Maintenance Eat whatever I want e.g. crisps but not chocolate as I just eat too much
Example 6 Rules
Fat Loss No Fruit juice or protein shake
Optimisation 2L Fruit juices and 2 protein shakes / day
Freedom/Cheat Enjoy the weekend and have whatever I want Saturday and Sunday.
Maintenance Microwave meals to save time and stick to the plan in general
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Rotating Your Plans
The FMD uses these four phases and interchanges them as and when based on needs. For most people they start with
the Fat Loss Plan and use the freedom and maintenance plans so they can stick to fat loss over a prolonged period and
therefore transform their body shape. Once towards their goals they then begin to implement the optimisation plan
for longer term eating.
People focused on gaining muscle over losing fat, or have health issues to address would normally start with the
optimisation plan first. This also applies for people who have been strict dieting for a long period of time and have
crashed their metabolism.
Long term, once at your goal you would spend the majority of the year on the optimisation plan with a fat loss week
every 4-8 weeks to ensure you are at break even with your weight and body fat. Maintenance plans would be used
where needs for busy periods and holidays.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Examples of Rotating the Diet Plans and Phases
Find below some examples of different ways the phases can be arranged over different time periods.
7 Day Period Monday Tuesday Weds Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
0 cheat days / week Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss
1 cheat day / week* Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Fat Loss
Weekend cheat days Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Cheat
1 cheat day &
1 cheat meals /week
Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss /
Cheat-Meal
Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Fat Loss
2 cheat days / week* Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Cheat Fat Loss
Every 3rd Day cheat Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Fat Loss Fat Loss Cheat Fat Loss
*1 Cheat day per week is the standard for fitness models preparing for competition.
*2 cheat days per week is the standard ratio for most people with normal weight loss goals
14 Day Period Mo Tu We Th Fri Sat Sun Mo Tu We Th Fri Sat Sun
1 cheat day / week FL FL FL FL FL FL CH FL FL FL FL FL FL CH
Weekend cheat FL FL FL FL FL CH CH FL FL FL FL FL CH CH
Every 3rd Day Cheat day FL FL CH FL FL CH FL FL CH FL FL CH FL FL
Maintenance weekend FL FL FL FL Ma Ma Ma Ma FL FL FL FL FL CH
Optimisation week Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt FL FL FL FL FL FL CH
Optimisation phase Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt CH Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt CH Opt
FL – Fat Loss, Ch – Cheat Day, Ma – Maintenance, Opt – Optimisation
7 Week Period Sept 1 Sept 8 Sept 15 Sept 22 Sept 29 Oct 6 Oct 13
Fat loss protocol 1* FL FL FL FL FL FL FL
Fat loss protocol 2* FL FL FL Opt FL FL FL
Muscle gaining 1 Opt Opt Opt FL Opt Opt Opt
Muscle gaining 2 Opt Opt Opt Opt Opt FL Opt
Holiday freedom Opt FL Maint Maint FL Opt Opt
FL – Fat Loss, Cheat – Cheat Day, Cheat-M – Cheat Meal, Maint – Maintenance, Opt – Optimisation
*Include cheat days within the week
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Fundamentals behind all of the Diet Phases
The changes behind the four different diets can be very subtle, as shown previously. This is because all four diet plans
are all based on solid fundamentals that apply to every phase. These include the level of application, amount of food
eaten, individuality, reactions and planning.
Level of Application
Where people get lost frequently with trying to eat right is trying to do too much and apply too many aspects of a
plan. There are so many things you can do health wise with your food it is easy to get overwhelmed and then just give
up. This is especially true with fat loss plans as you are also battling portion control.
It is important to understand –
- This is YOUR plan, it can be edited as needed…there is no right way to do it…simply what works in the end!
- You only need to do enough behaviours to take the body to the point of getting results.
- You can only implement and focus on a few things at once.
How you start is not so important overall, as the real success comes from how you adapt to whatever plan of action
you are following. The key is to not scare yourself off nor demotivate yourself before you ever really got going.
The plans presented later on fall into different levels of applying the diet.
1) Basic Nutrition Applications - Cleaning up obvious Junk or applying very simple strategies to the diet – For
many to most people they do not need a degree in nutrition to see that they are regularly consuming plenty of
food and drink they don’t need. The simplest application of a diet is to remove or replace these.
2) Non-Calorie Counting – Different Health Approaches – There are many different healthy diets and
approaches to getting in shape. These include named diets such as Paleo, Mediterranean as well as standard
‘Healthy eating’. It includes also dairy, gluten free dieting and juicing. These plans take more effort, more input
and more focus than simple cleaning up your diet as in approach (1).
3) Calorie Based Approaches – These diets focus on the amount of calories consumed. Some take the above
approach of ‘Healthy Eating’ Methods while others focus solely on the number of calories regardless of the
food itself. This takes a little more learning and focus as it involves you becoming aware of portion sizes
through weighing your food a few times and / or calorie counting on certain days to gauge your food intake.
Almost no one is able to accurately count calories every day nor is it necessary. Those that do normally are
taking guesses at food consumed because it is not physically possible to measure many foods, e.g. when eating
out, many recipes, fresh food etc.
Neither approach above is the right one to do. It is simply about getting the results and knowing what it takes to get
results. Personally I prefer starting and using the simplest version that will bring about change and then build from
there if desired.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Individuality
One of the main causes for confusion in diet and nutrition circles is the failure to understand that we as people are
different from one another. The varying nutrition needs from one person to the next is the reason why totally opposite
diets get results for certain individuals. There is little point engaging in debates of which diet is best, your main goal
should be to find and follow the diet that suits your biochemistry.
In addition to individuality of our body there is also the unique element of how we feel, enjoy and react to plans. It
could be that your body chemistry does well off meat but if you are religion dictates you are vegetarian then you will
never stick to the actual plan of action. This explains again why there are so many diets out there, because they fit to
our ideologies, taste and preferred behaviour cycles.
The Fitness Model Diet has taken on board the main approaches of the different diets. The main differences that exist
between the many different plans out there, is in how they comprise the amount of protein – carbs and fat. This
comes back to your biochemistry in terms of which one will suit you best.
Macronutrients of Protein:Carbs:Fat
There is a difference between us in the ideal ratios and thresholds needed for protein:carbs:fat. This can vary greatly
between people with some people doing best of high protein and fat and happy with just 50g of carbs a day (200
calories) while others need up to 50% of their diet (600-2000 calories+) to be from carbohydrates to feel contented,
energised and to maximise fat loss. This relates to your body chemistry, body size and movement within life.
When you eat within the ideal ratios per day you will find that you can feel full and contented on much less calories.
This could mean you feel great and are craving free on 1400 calories if you get the ratios right or hungry and sluggish
on 1800 calories if get the ratios wrong. There are probably six main ratios that work for people -
Ratio of Protein : Carbs : Fat
Protein/fat Protein Protein/Balanced Balanced Balanced/carbs Carbs
40:20:40 40:30:30 40:40:20 35:45:20 35:50:20 25:60:15
The Paleo type of
diet/v.low carb The zone diet
Classic
bodybuilder diet
Middle of the
road diet
Lean proteins
and higher carb
diet
High carb, low fat
diet
Protein body Balanced body Carb Body
There other options but this covers the main areas. The Fitness Model Diet brings these 6 groups down into 3 main
categories and type of diet. These are Protein , Balanced and Carb based nutrition plans. The key is to find and use
what works for you.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Changing Nutritional Needs
The body is also not static when it comes to its food demands. It is commonly seen after a few months of following a certain eating pattern that the body shifts in its optimal needs. This may mean you need to eat more carbs over time, or more protein etc. Your meal reactions will guide you on this.
Amount of Food Eaten - Calorie intake
The single biggest influence on your body shape is the amount of food eaten and therefore energy consumed. The amount of energy eaten is measured in calories. While you do not need to count calories for results, it is an option some prefer, there is no way around the fact that the results you get are directly linked to how much energy you have consumed vs how much you have moved.
Calorie Counting
To count calories you simply need a food weighing scale. Most food data given comes from food after being cooked. This assumes you have cooked it adequately and that it is neither burnt to a crisp nor undercooked as water will affect the weight of any food. There are different ways to weigh food, this includes –
- Weigh each food type on the scale then add to the plate. - Weigh the container of food before adding it to the plate then re-measure after to get the amount used. - Measure the liquid before consuming - Read the packet or tin and determine how much you have eaten - Weigh the food before then weigh the remains after eating to work out what you ate.
If using the calorie spreadsheet to count calories then select the food, write in the weight and it will calculate the rest.
Calorie Diets
For many people all they need to do to find their ideal fat loss diet is to “be good” and ensure they move more each
day. With some people, all they need is refinement of their meals using their own meal reactions as a guide. For many
though they want more structure to focus their actions and efforts. You may then prefer to follow a set out calorie diet
or begin to survey your calorie intake.
Ideal calorie number
The key question of course when it comes to dieting is what should my target calorie intake be? Sadly the only way to
really find this out is through experimentation. Follow a certain calorie intake amount and monitor the results. The
body will react in one of three ways; it will lose fat while feeling ok to good, lose fat but feel awful or you will not lose
fat. A final option is that you were unable to stick to the plan to test it. Based on these four reactions you simply need
to change the calorie intake amount up/down until you have found your ideal zone.
I would forget looking at calorie recommendation (government says 2500 for men, 2000 for women) as for most
people their ideal targets are much below this. Also if you use any calorie burning apps for exercise, I would also not
trust those numbers. if it says you have burnt 500 calories I would be wary thinking it gives you the green light to go
eat 500 calories. Often the body does not work that way. You have of course burnt some calories but the amount your
body needs per day and the amount expended during exercise are open to debate.
So ultimately I would pick a number and follow the plan for a couple of days. You will see the reactions to this fairly
quickly. From there you can continue at that threshold or adjust it. Some opening calorie targets are given later on.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Food on Your Plate versus Calories Consumed
Where many people go wrong identifying their ideal macro ratios is through not understanding how the food in their
hand relates to the nutrition that will be digested when consumed. Though it is not necessary to know all the
nutritional facts of each food it is important for you to understand roughly how food is comprised.
Food is made up of protein, carbs or fat. The remainder is made up from water or indigestible material. The majority of
most food is water. Different foods will have different percentages of each group.
Type of Food % Protein % Carbohydrates % Fat % Water
Chicken breast 30% 0% 2% 68%
Tuna 23.5% 0% 0.5% 66%
Carrot 0.5% 8% 0.5% 91%
Lettuce 0.8% 2% 0.5% 97%
Rice 7.5% 75% 2% 15.5%
Pasta 12% 75% 2% 11%
Bananas 1% 23% 0.5% 75.5%
Olive Oil 0% 0% 99.9% 0%
As you can see different foods have greatly different amounts of food within them. This means you will need different
amounts on your plate to provide the same amount of food. For example to consume 50 grams of carbohydrates you
would need to eat 65 grams of Rice (because it is 85% carbohydrate) yet you would need to eat 600 grams of carrots
(because it is only 8% carbohydrates).
I would certainly not look to start learning all the nutrition facts off by heart as that could be a lifelong process. What
you do need to understand however is the process of putting more or less of the different foods on your plate and
how this links to how you feel post eating.
How a meal should look
Due to the densities of the foods as shown above then a meal of protein and vegetables will always have more
vegetables on the plate than the amount of protein (meat). This is true even if you are one of the protein based body
types. This is because carb content on the vegetables is very low % carbohydrate (e.g. mostly water). For example, the
image below on the left has too little protein to satisfy a protein based body. The picture on the right though has
probably too much protein compared to carbs. Listening to your body post eating will guide you to the correct ratio.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The following photos show 200 calories of food from different food sources. You can notice the great variation in volume from energy dense foods such as cheese compared to fruit or vegetables. For more photos visit - http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Reactions - Listening to your body and adjusting your plan
The key to success on any diet and one all fitness models have unlocked is being able to adjust the plan based off real
world feedback given by the body. There are three main types of feedback you will get –
Body Composition Changes – The change in your body shape from fat loss or muscle gain will show itself week to
week and month to month. It is an important feedback loop and the ultimate goal of anyone trying to get in shape. If
the body is not changing then you must use this feedback to review and change the plan.
Day to day feeling – How you feel day to day in terms of energy, hunger, cravings, exercise performance, motivation,
tiredness and more will give feedback into whether you need to adjust the plan of action. Equally important is how
you feel and enjoy the process you are doing. Longer term adherence will be made up from day to day small successes.
It is important to use this review to ensure you are able to run a few days sequentially as that will then allow you to
use the body composition changes to chart progress.
Post meal reactions – Every time you eat your body gives you post feedback about the meal from minutes to hours
post eating. If you start to take note of this and then adjust your meal to get positive reactions you will find you are
able to eat much less food yet still feel contented. This is powerful for losing fat. In times of optimisation the ideal ratio
will ensure optimal energy extraction from your food.
Meal Reaction Form
Time / Food Good reactions X Bad reactions X
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Planning
Whatever diet you are following and whatever level of application you will use perhaps the biggest key to success is
planning your meals and eating in advance. Your results will be greatly magnified if you plan ahead rather than
deciding what to eat in the supermarket while hungry.
The 3 meal rule
One of the most effective ways to get your food on track is to use the 3 meal rule. This refers to always thinking 3
meals ahead in life. So at breakfast you are thinking lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day. At lunch you are thinking
dinner, breakfast and also tomorrow’s lunch. By having a plan you will greatly improve your diet consistency. You do
not have to stick to your plan but by having one in the first place it is a game changer.
The 3 meal plan should also account for buying your food, preparing your food and of course eating your food! The
very worst thing you can do food wise is to decide on the spot (when hungry in the supermarket) what you are going
to eat as it will often end in poor food choices.
When you start thinking ahead you will begin to solve other issues, if your plan for evening dinner reveals you haven’t
any of the required foods then you will now have an objective when you hit the supermarket. If the thought of your
next meals is already putting you off then you know you must edit and add in some taste in one way or another.
************************
What will I have in my next meal?
Do I have the food for this meal (how will I get it if not)?
How/when will I prepare it?
************************
What will I have in the meal after my next meal?
Do I have the food for this meal (how will I get it if not)?
How/when will I prepare it?
************************
What will I have in 3 meals time?
Do I have the food for this meal (how will I get it if not)?
How/when will I prepare it?
************************
When you eat your next meal repeat again, to confirm the two choices still stand and to add in the third option for the
next meal. You do not have to stick to your 3 meal plan but simply by having it you will greatly improve your nutrition
consistency. The whole process probably takes about 20-30 seconds to do yet greatly helps your results.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
THE FOUR DIET PLANS - Let’s Get Started
Before you decide how to get started just check you know the basics first –
This is YOUR plan, it can be edited as needed…there is no right way to do it…simply what works in the end!
Understand Fat Loss Theory – Calorie thresholds determine results and how your body fat levels change. For
fat loss look to find the ideal fat loss zone. Avoid going below this point either in total calories or individual
macros of protein, carbs or fat as this makes sticking to the plan much harder. For optimization, increase food
intake up until the point you would gain fat.
Take measurements before you begin and re-assess weekly so you can chart progress and adapt your plan
based off the results obtained.
Select the level of plan applicable to where you are at currently in life.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Fat Loss Diet (Time to get lean!)
The goal of this phase is to lose fat. When in a fat loss phase, be it 2-3 days, a week or a month the only result that
matters is if you have lost fat. There are different ways to get to this point. The simplest is to just tighten up you
current diet to remove obvious junk. Many people though prefer to follow a set plan aiming at a certain calorie target.
The key to this that may differ to other diet plans you have followed are –
You focus only on hitting the goal food intake amount for the day.
Ensure you like your foods / meals and they have enough taste to be eaten daily
Have a small treat every day to keep you in the game.
You forget every other aspect of healthy living.
You rotate the fat loss plan with freedom days to spike metabolism and recharge physically / mentally
The point about forgetting the other aspects of healthy living is the hardest thing to grasp for most people. We are all
accustomed to trying to do everything when on a diet. We look to maximise vegetable intake, cook all our own foods,
buy organic, avoid chocolate, start an exercise routine and much more. This is too much for anyone to implement in
one go.
Fitness models just find a way to stick to their diet that works. This might mean using the microwave for some pre-
packaged meals, it could mean a chocolate bar a day treat, they might eat the same meal over and over again. Some
fitness models of course eat healthily to reduce fat but it isn’t about what you ‘should do’. It is about what plan can
you actually follow consistently to lose fat. For most this can only happen when you break many of the “healthy rules”
about dieting. Do not worry about things health wise, the optimization plan will super charge your health.
Picking the Diet for You
You will recall earlier we discussed how the different levels of application can be used for each diet plan based off
what and where you are at mentally with your health and fitness. There are no rights or wrongs for this. The goal of
the fat loss phase is to lose fat, so do not feel pressured into having to do some elaborate healthy eating plan if it adds
more stress to your life. Look over all of the following options then go with the plan of action that appeals most. The
plans start off simple then build from there. There are three types of plans, basic and simple nutrition approaches,
Healthy eating strategies and calorie specific diets.
Picking a Protein, Balanced or Carb Based Body Type Plan
Likewise, most of the plans have options for protein, balanced or carb body types. Which is the best for you? I would
start by choosing the one that feels most appropriate to you. You will then monitor for reactions and soon the body
will tell you if it is ideal for you. If neither protein, balanced nor carb based plans appeal to you then select the
balanced plan as it is middle of the road. If however, the protein or higher carb plans appeal to you then start here.
Another option would be to follow each of the three variations for a few days and then review after you have tried
them all. There is a test diet on the next page you could follow. After you have completed it you can choose the best
plan going forwards (If they all feel the same then you are probably a middle of the road balanced type. A final option
would be to take the Metabolic Typing Test which will again direct you to your type. Please note you can change type
and need a different plan in the future. Many women also change type during their monthly cycle and need two plans.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Test Diet For Ideal Macronutrient Type
Diet Type Protein Carb Balanced Protein Carb Balanced
Day Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 day 8 day 9
Breakfast Ham,
Avocado
Chicken
slices,
carrot/apple
juice.
Orange juice
& Green
smoothie
Yoghurt
Corned beef,
banana,
avocado
Chicken
slices, orange
juice
Ham, Eggs,
baked beans Fruit salad
Protein
shake,
yoghurt
Lunch Beef, butter
beans (lima)
Gammon,
sweet potato,
mushrooms
Rice, lentils
with salad
coconut oil
tuna, jacket
potato
tuna, mashed
potato, salad
Lamb, Beans
and Rice
Chicken leg,
green veg +
gravy
3 Bean salad Tuna and
3 bean salad
Dinner
Lamb, green
peas, green
beans
Chicken legs,
squash,
celery,
spinach
Chicken
breast, sweet
potato, kale
Egg fried rice, steak, salad
and rice
chicken,
green veg,
sweet potato
Salmon, salad
and potato Pasta bake
Chicken liver,
sweet potato
and rice
4th Meal
(If needed)
Juice /
Smoothie
Celery and
carrot juice,
nuts
spinach and
cucumber orange juice
Apple and
pear.
Carrot and
orange juice,
few nuts
Mango juice
and few nuts
Spinach and
celery and
nuts
Pineapple
juice
Carrot and
pear juice,
few nuts
Snack Cold meat, avocado, coconut Fruit Fruit and Nuts Fruit & Nuts Fruit Fruit & Nuts
Notes -
Hunger,
Energy,
Feelings etc
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Use the forms in the workbook to write down your fat loss diet POA and to monitor daily and per meal feedback.
Pick a plan that is most appropriate over the following pages. These range from very simple strategies to following
specific set out calorie numbers. Use reaction forms to ensure you have fine-tuned it to maximise energy and reduce
cravings and hunger etc.
1) Basic Nutrition Approaches for Fat Loss
Below are some basic yet effective nutrition approaches to take on a fat loss diet.
Clean up the obvious rubbish in the diet -
For many people they just need to cut out the obvious rubbish within their diet against the back drop of movement
and exercise to get the body to lose fat. Just look at your diet and ask, where are some obvious problem areas to clean
up? E.g. stop snacking on biscuits at 2pm, stop having that lunch time desert, choose slightly less pasta in the canteen
and more salad, stop the glasses of wine after dinner etc
No Snacking
Along similar lines you may take the focus that when on a fat loss phase there is no snaking and you stick only to your
set meals. This may or may not involve cutting out the lesser food choices within those meals. Either way, the main
focus is on only eating a meal times. It is your choice whether you have 2, 3 or 4 meals in a day.
Smaller Meals
One simple method is to simply reduce the size of all of your meals and snacks you are currently eating. If you ate a
quarter to a third less of everything on your plate you would cut your calories down by a quarter to a third which
would almost guarantee fat loss. You can do this without changing one food you actually eat within your diet
Changing Meal Times and Fasting
For some they simply look at the timing of their eating and apply intermittent fasting methods. This means no eating
until 12 Midday. Others use the reverse of this which is no eating after 6pm. This normally cuts food intake naturally.
The 5 & 2 Diet would be another example of this which reduces food intake to almost nothing two days a week.
Nutrient Chasing
Sometimes it is better to focus on eating a certain amount of a specific food. Often this will cut out your bd eating
because you are occupied meeting your goal. The main ways to do this would be to target eating protein, vegetables
or consuming vegetable juices. There are no right or wrongs on how to do this. It could be you aim for 2 litres of green
vegetable juice a day. This high volume yet low calorie drink will make it hard to overeat outside of this. Likewise, you
may focus on eating 600g of chicken or turkey breast a day. This would supply 160g+ of protein (600 calories+) and for
the average body type make it much harder to overeat with your normal food alongside it.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
2) Your Fat Loss Plan – ‘Healthy’ Options – Non Calorie Based
These methods are focused on developing your health at the same time as losing body fat. The amount of food you
eat will determine the body fat effect while the good ‘clean’ foods will aid your health. There are many different ways
and theories for health building developing.
The key for fat loss though is the ability to stick to your plan of reduced food intake. It is easy for people to get lost in
these healthy option diets. I must remind you again, health is focused on directly during an optimisation plan, in this
phase the goal is to lose fat. At the end of a fat loss plan you should have lost fat. The right plan is the one that does
that!!
Clean Eating
Clean eating is a broad term, it generally refers to eating foods in their most natural state. This may mean buying all
fresh foods or avoiding foods that contain chemicals etc. As a result, ‘clean eating’ covers almost every diet out there.
These healthy diets can be separated down into plans aimed at more protein based bodies, which includes the Paleo
movement and Low carbs approaches. The other end of this scale is the higher carb based plans which include
traditional ‘healthy’ eating, raw food movements and vegetarians. The balanced based bodies will look to take on
board a mixture of the approaches seen within these two ends of the diet spectrum.
Many ‘clean diets’ also incorporate methods to eliminate likely problem foods such as dairy, gluten, alcohol and other
foods known to irritate your body. The approaches below can be done in their own right or within a clean eating plan.
Dairy Free
Used under the assumption that dairy irritates your body the goal is to remove all dairy based sources from your diet.
This includes milk, cream, yoghurt, butter, cheese and so forth. If taken to the letter then anything non-dairy based is
ok to be part of your diet. If doing the non-dairy as part of a clean eating programme above then you should consider
the other rules of clean eating when deciding what to replace it with.
Gluten Free
Used under the assumption that gluten irritates your body the goal is to remove all gluten based sources from your
diet. This includes wheat (bread, cereal, pasta, pastry, Cous Cous, cake products etc) and oats (porridge, oat bars) as
well as the grains (Spelt, Kamut, Barley and Rye) and products which have gluten as an additive. If taken to the letter
then anything non-gluten based is ok to be part of your diet. If doing the gluten free as part of a clean eating
programme above then you should consider the other rules of clean eating when deciding what to replace it with.
Known Food Sensitivities – irritants Free
Many people are aware certain foods make them feel bad. Their diet may therefore focus on removing the worst
offenders. Often these include dairy and gluten foods mentioned above but may also apply to junk foods, certain
fruits, legumes or nuts etc.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Clean Eating –Protein Based Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast
Tuna, lentils, olives. Ham, avocado
Chicken slices,
carrot/apple juice.
Lamb, green peas,
green beans
Lunch
beef, butter beans
(lima)
Chicken, sweet potato,
mushrooms
Pork, green peas,
kidney beans, palm oil
Lamb green peas,
green beans
Dinner Kidney, green peas,
green beans,, spinach
Steak, mung beans and
carrots
Trout, corn, sliced
pears and green beans
Chicken, squash,
celery, spinach
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Other – Juice Celery and carrot juice Carrot, apple ginger, Coconut water,
spinach, celery
Banana, coconut,
coconut water
Snacks
Key Criteria
of diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
-Tailored towards higher protein / fat and lower carbs
-Lowered Calorie intake to ensure fat loss, e.g. 3 meals per day only and no snacking.
Clean Eating –Carb Based Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast Soft boiled eggs,
tomato juice,
Slices of ham, carrot
and apple juice,
Chicken breast, potato,
coconut oil Full fat yoghurt*
Lunch Cod, pumpkin soup
Lentils and quinoa and
spinach with coconut
oil
Turkey breast, lettuce,
rice, olive oil
Chicken leg, sweet
potato, kale
Dinner Rice, lentils with salad
coconut oil
Tuna, courgette, sweet
potato,
Turkey leg, rice,
peppers
Chick peas, quinoa,
cucumber coconut oil,
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Other – Juice
Tomato Juice
Celery and cucumber Carrot and apple Blackberries and
coconut water
Snacks
Key Criteria
of diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
-Tailored towards higher Carbs and lower Protein/Fat
-Lowered Calorie intake to ensure fat loss, e.g. 3 meals per day only and no snacking.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Clean Eating –Balanced Based Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast
Tuna, lentils, olives. Lamb, chick peas
Chicken slices,
carrot/apple juice. Ham, apple, avocado
Lunch beef, white beans Chicken, sweet potato,
mushrooms Pork, broccoli, potato
Lamb, tomato,
cucumber, rice
Dinner Chicken breast, sweet
potato, olive oil Steak, pinto beans
cod, corn, sliced pears
and green beans Chicken, celery, corn
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Other - Juice Celery and carrot juice Carrot, apple ginger, Tomato juice Banana, coconut,
coconut water
Snacks
Key Criteria
of diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
- Tailored towards balanced proportions of Protein, Carbs and fat.
- Lowered Calorie intake to ensure fat loss, e.g. 3 meals per day only and no snacking.
Reactions to Your Meals
If you are getting negative reactions following your meals you will need to increase or decrease the amount of protein,
carbs or fat on your plate. See the suggestions below for ways to experiment. Do this by returning to the meal you had
that gave you a negative reaction, making one of the changes below, then noting the reaction once more. Continue to
experiment until you find a positive solution.
Adding More Protein Adding More Carbs Adding More Fat
Add a meat or fish to the meal
Increase size of meat / fish.
Have slices of cold meat
Use a protein powder/shake
Add some grains to the meal
Have a piece of fruit
Drink fruit juice
Use higher starch veg (potatoes)
Add a fat/oil to the meal
Choose fattier meats/fat
Add avocado
Eat more nuts
Reducing Protein Reducing Carbs Reducing Fat
Reduce size of protein/fish
Have only 1 protein source/meal
Use grains over legumes
Reduce size of carb portion
Stop carb based drinks (fruit juice)
Replace carbs with vegetables
Avoid adding oil/fat to meal
Eat lower fat proteins
Choose low fat options
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
3) Fat Loss Plans - Calorie Diets
For many fitness models they like to weigh and measure their food to ensure they are hitting their calorie numbers on
the head and thus ensuring they lose body fat. The reality for most is it is impossible to measure every day the amount
of food you eat. Personally I measure about 50% of my days in any one year.
How many Calories should I aim for?
It is difficult to say how many calories you should be eating as this ‘magic’ number is affected by many things. It is
affected by –
How big a bodied person you are in general when not including body fat.
How much movement you do in life, a postman would walk much further than an office worker.
How much exercise you do.
The strength of your metabolism.
The temperature your body is exposed to for prolonged periods. You burn more calories working in the park
than the office during the winter.
It is better to pick a number then see your reactions and adjust the diet from there. The following plans show example
days for 900, 1200, 1500 and 1800 calories. As an opening position -
Sedentary women should start at 1200 Calories
Active women should start at 1500 Calories
Sedentary men should start at 1500 Calories
Active Men should start at 1800 Calories
These numbers can vary a lot if you train with high volumes and likewise be much less if you do not move at all. Using
a Fit Bit or other types of Pedometer will reveal how active you are.
The key to calorie success is not getting caught up on a number but experimenting to find your ideal based off your
reactions. I am very active. When I am on a fat loss phase I walk 20-25km and train in the gym once a day. My ideal
calorie intake amount is 2000-2200 calories. Much below this and it is too difficult to stick to the diet. I often end up
eating chocolate or have no energy to move.
Most people though walk nowhere near 20-25 km a day nor lift weights daily. Hence my numbers are above the
recommended, the key though is not a head in the sand approach. Listen to your body and be sensible therefore
allowing the body to dictate calorie needs.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Meal Formula and Reactions.
There are no banned foods on the FMD so you could eat anything you like to hit your target intake goal to promote fat
loss. However, the best fitness models are clever and know that to follow their diet they can make their life much
easier by finding their ideal ratios and eating along these lines.
When you give the body the amount of protein, carbs and fat that it needs you will find you can feel full and content
on much less calories than would be expected. This therefore allows you to much more easily stick to the plan while
also losing fat. Compare the feeling you would get of a having 4 chocolate biscuits verses a plate bursting full of
chicken, potato and vegetables. The former would have you eating again within the hour while the latter would leave
you contented for 3-5 hours plus. This is just clever dieting and those who are most successful with their diets have
discovered their own ideal ratio a long time ago.
The ideal ratios per day to maximise fat loss while controlling hunger vary between people. They stem from a more
protein/fat diet vs a higher carb diet. The low carb brigade shout by far the loudest which is why so many people think
low carbs = fat loss. However the majority of fitness models probably still have a significant % of carbs in their diet
even when dieting. The FMD is about giving your body what it wants, for some this is low carb but for the majority low
carb = inability to follow the plan and therefore not lose fat.
The final element which has equal importance as protein ,carbs, fat or calorie size of the meal is taste. You have to like
the taste of the meals enough to be able to follow the diet. This comes from picking foods you like and adding taste
into the meal through, herbs, spices, sauces and other condiments.
How do I know if I have got the FMD fat loss plan right?
Got It Right Got It Wrong
Losing Fat Not losing fat
Feel pretty much content most of the day Thinking about food and never feel I got what I wanted
Feel slight hunger at times but nothing horrendous Strong hunger and ravenous at times
Not really craving foods just a little bored at times Craving food constantly and always trying to resist
Energy to exercise and movement Flat and barely energy to move
Not setting any Personal Bests but an ok fitness level Fitness performance is horrendous and very poor
Mood and concentration are ok Foul mood and grumpy with poor concentration
Like your meals and content with the taste in your diet Hate your meals and crave something that tastes nice
Could follow long term Could follow only a few days at best
Would tell other people to do it Wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy
If you have got it wrong then you are doing one of more of :
- Eating too little calories per se
- Eating the wrong ratio of protein:carbs:fat
- Failing to meet the minimum intake level of one or more of protein, carb or fat
- Drinking too much water or too little
- Not selecting foods you like the taste of eating / trying to give up all of your emotional foods/support
- It could also be that your mind is not conditioned to follow a diet well (see connections plan)
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The following plans are set out for 900/1200/1500 and 1800 calories. As discussed previously the goal target number is
experimental to begin with and your reactions should feedback to your whether to increase intake, maintain or
decrease. When losing fat you would normally eat between 2 -4 times depending on your preferences. The general
formula for the day looks like –
2 Meals a day 3 meals a day 4 meals a day
Meal 1 – 40% calories
Meal 2 – 40% Calories
Treat – 0 - 10% calories
Taste – 0 - 10% calories
Breakfast – 26% calories
Lunch – 26% Calories
Dinner – 26% calories
Treat – 0 - 10% calories
Taste – 0 - 10% calories
Breakfast – 20% calories
Lunch – 20% Calories
Dinner – 20% calories
4th Meal – 20% calories
Treat – 0 - 10% calories
Taste – 0 - 10% calories
- Every day you would have a treat or add in taste (or both) to ensure you can stick to the plan
- Goal calorie intake needs to be experimented to find the ideal zone.
This formula therefore ensures you have a treat and/or taste in your meals every day. For most people this makes
following the fat loss plan much easier. The treat can be anything you like, from chocolate to ice cream. Adding taste
can come through using condiments, sauces, herbs and spices etc. The suggested overall food contribution of a treat
and taste is small, 0 - 20% of total calories per day. This should make it possible for you to stick to your plan without
too many problems.
The day may not evenly split the calorie intake between the meals. You may you find you do better having a larger
breakfast than dinner or vice versa. As ever with the FMD, it is about tailoring in a way that works for you. Likewise,
you do not need to count calories but they show here as an example for meal portions. The following plans are based
off 3-4 even meals throughout the day. There are examples for balanced, protein and carb based plans.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
900 Calories – Balanced Based Diet
Calorie Formula
250 calories x 3 meals + 150 calories from Treats or added taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Carrot/Celery Juice (400ml),
Baked Salmon with lemon
(66g)
Omelette –
1 large whole egg (50g),
2 egg whites (66g),
butter (5g)
1 banana (100g)
Oats 40g,
Milk 150ml semi skimmed,
Protein shake 12.5g
(1/2 scoop)
Lunch
Chicken Breast (40g),
Brown Bread (1 ½ slices 49g),
Butter (7.5g)
Tuna (75g),
Potato (150g),
Mayonaisse light (20g)
Ham slices (60g),
White bread (1 ½ slices 49g),
Butter (7.5g)
Dinner
Steak Lean Trimmed (65g),
Sweet Potato (125g)
Green Vegetables (100g)
Ready Meal Lasange (200g),
Ham Slices (50g),
Apple Juice (100ml)
Tuna (50g),
Vegetable soup (300g),
Bread 1/2 slice (16g)
4th Meal
Treat or
Taste additions
Chocolate - Dairy milk kids bar
Biscuits – 3 Jaffa Cakes
Ice cream – ½ Magnum classic
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
1200 Calories – Protein Based Diet
Calorie Formula
350 calories x 3 meals + 150 calories from Treats or added taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Onken Peach Yoghurt (200g),
Protein Shake (1 ½ scoops -
37.5g)
Bacon (60g),
1 Large Egg (50g), Beans (110g)
Omelette –
2 large whole egg (100g),
2 egg whites (66g),
butter (5g)
1 ½ banana (150g)
Lunch
Liver (115g),
Onion (25g),
Mashed Potato (100g),
Gravy (75ml)
Gammon (125g),
Sweet Potato (250g),
Green Vegetables (50g)
Tuna (150g),
Potato (125g),
Mayonaisse light (35g)
Dinner
Ham Off the bone (120g),
Pasta (75g),
Cheese (15g)
Lean Mince Meat (175g),
Bolongase Sauce (100g),
Pasta (25g),
Vegetable Mix (200g)
Tuna (150g),
Vegetable soup (400g)
4th Meal
Treat or
Taste additions
Chocolate – ½ Yorkie bar
Chocolate – ½ Yorkie bar
Crisps – quavers
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
1500 Calories – Carb Based Diet
Calorie Formula
350 calories x 3 meals + 250 calories x 1 meal + 200 calories from Treats / added taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Cereal (Corn flakes, Rice
crispies, Frosties etc, not
museili - 55g), Milk Skimmed
200ml, sliced chicken (40g)
toast brown bread (2 1/2
slices 88g), butter (12.5g), 1
egg whites (33g)
Onken Fat Free Yoghurt (370g)
Egg Omelette (1 Large Whole
Egg (50g),
Lunch
Chicken Breast (45g) Mashed
potato (250g)
Tomato Soup (Heinz) 250ml,
Chicken Breast (50g), Bread (1
1/2 slices 49g)
Cod (60g), Green Peas (150g),
Carrots (150g), Olive Oil
(7.5ml)
Dinner
Tuna (75g), Jacket Potato
(250g), Cheese (15g)
Turkey Breast (45g),
Vegetables (250g), Avocado
(50g), Orange 250ml
Vegetable soup (400g), Bread
1 slice (33g)
4th Meal
Tuna (75g), Jacket Potato
(250g), Cheese (15g)
1 Slice Bread (33g), Creamy
chicken Soup (400ml)
Cod (50g), Green Peas (150g),
Carrots (175g)
Treat or
Taste additions
Tomato ketchup – 60g x 2
(lunch + dinner)
Chocolate - Milky bar
Hummus – 30g (lunch)
Salsa dip – 100g (dinner)
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
1800 Calories – Balanced Based Diet
Calorie Formula
500 calories x 3 meals + 300 calories from Treats or added taste.
or
500 calories x 2 meals, + 350, + 250 calories x 1 meal + 200 calories from Treats / Taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Toast White Bread (3 slices -
99g), Buttered (15g). Protein
shake (11/4 scoops 31g)
Apple (5 - 500g), Corned Beef
Slices (105g)
Carrot/Celery Juice (800ml),
Baked Salmon with lemon
(132g)
Lunch
Boiled Egg (1 whole egg (50g, 5
Egg whites 165g), Brown Bread
(3 Slices 99g), Butter 10g)
Heart (150g), Parsnips (225g),
Green Vegetables (0g), Carrots
(225g)
Chicken Breast (100g) Mashed
potato (325g)
Dinner
Ready Meal Lasange (300g),
Ham Slices (130g), Apple Juice
(250ml)
Chicken Leg Meat (100g), Chips
(180g)
Steak Lean Trimmer (130g),
Sweet Potato (250g) Green
Vegetables (200g)
4th Meal
Treat or
Taste additions
Mayonnaise extra light- 50g
(lunch)
Guacamole - 60g – (Dinner)
½ pint Lager
Glass of red wine
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Movement and Exercise during the Fat Loss Plan
You have to be doing some form of exercise and activity to realistically lose fat. If you are just doing it on diet alone
you have to be 100% and things are slow. In the same way as your food, what you do during at fat loss phase is not
what you will be doing for the rest of your life. During a fat loss phase you need to be moving the body as much as
possible in traditional exercise sense and/or in terms of walking.
If using a wrist pedometer then your minimum target should be 10000 steps /day. The lowest I have seen clients get
results is around 8000 steps and they were 100% with their food. Daily activity such as walking has an almost endless
ability to be done because it is not demanding physically compared to ‘exercise’. You do not need to be out of breath
when walking, as that would come under fitness below. You just need to move more.
Walking at a slow pace would mean in the time you could watch a 2 hour film you could have walked 10km and burnt
500 calories. This can be done without ever getting out of breath or any of the feelings of ‘exercise’. Movement
increases short term calorie usage and this is a good thing. Personally when I am dieting I aim for 25 000 + steps a day.
With movement happening in your general life you would then want to focus on exercise in a traditional sense. Most
fitness models will lift weights daily as they often are focused on maintaining their muscle mass and tone. Many add in
cardio sessions, there are two main methods, cardio at a low level/easy intensity (akin to increasing steps) while
others use high intensity cardio training – HITT (smashing yourself for a short period of time).
Once more there are no rights or wrongs, simply what works, what is sustainable and what you are happy to do. The
main thing to understand is that your fat loss plan exercise routine is not a lifelong plan. You may walk 3-4 hours a day
extra on your fat loss plan if doing it just for 2 weeks even though you know that this is unsustainable long term.
It is possible to lose fat on diet alone without the above but you have to be very good following your diet. The overall
aim is for you to find the balance of food eaten vs movement that brings results yet is achievable and maintainable for
the period you need to diet for.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Relaxation Diet – Re-feeds and Cheat days
The Relaxation Diet is designed to recharge you both mentally and physically through increasing food intake for 1-2
days. This serves to keep you fresh mentally but also serves to spike metabolism. This is important as prolonged
dieting depresses your metabolic rate making fat loss harder. Using cheat and re-feed days are a powerful way to
allow you to adhere to a diet long term and they actually serve to benefit the body.
The basic premise of the cheat/re-feed day is to eat lot to recharge physically, mentally and emotionally. If these goals
are achieved the actual details of what is eaten are less important. Cheat/Re-feed days typically are 1-2 days a week
on an average dieting plan. Most fitness models pre competition do 1 day per week to re-feed.
On a re-feed day you would ensure you consume a higher amount of calories, between 1.5-3 times a normal dieting
day. This would be made up of adequate carbohydrates and fats to ensure you replace deficiencies from the dieting
days. The foods would be from good ‘clean’ and healthy sources.
A cheat day is when you just eat whatever food you want. This could be chocolate, cake or out in your favourite
restaurant. The goal is to not worry about food and ensure you have a higher calorie intake, again within the region of
1.5 – 3 times a normal dieting day.
The magnitude of your higher calorie day is dependent on a few factors such as how low is your dieting days food
intake, exercise performed, time spent on the diet, frequency of reefed days. Before competition I would do six dieting
days at 2000 calories a day and then every Sunday I would eat 5000 calories cheat.
Should you do Cheat Days or Re-feed Days?
Whether to do a cheat or a re-feed day is not really a choice in which one to do. Your psychology will dictate which to
follow. If you are much better following a plan and do not like to stray then the re-feed is ideal for you. However, for
many they wouldn’t be able to follow their diet if it wasn’t for the trade off with their cheat days.
It is important to not try to force yourself to follow the other option because it seems the thing to do. Many people
confuse trying to get in shape with a personal willpower battle to avoid junk food. These are two very different battles
and not one to take on during a dieting phase. You have a big enough battle to fight the effects of under eating and
over moving. If you can get results eating junk 1 day a week I would encourage you to do it and then break the junk
food cycle later on during an optimization phase. The connections breaking plan will ensure you achieve this objective
but doing it against a backdrop of dieting is really making it much harder for yourself. Likewise, if you are fairly happy
on the plan do not force yourself to eat badly simply to put in a cheat day. Follow the re-feed plan.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Keeping it to the Day
The key to cheat days is ensuring they are only followed for the planned period. If the effects of a cheat day results in
the single day becoming three, it will impair results. This is very common with people who drink on their cheat day as
the hangover can often ruin the next day afterwards.
While no food is barred, many people have certain foods that once they have one, they crave them for days
afterwards. If the leftover food is also still in the house the following day when back on the diet then this is asking for
trouble. It may be wiser to choose another product for the time being or at least ensure the left over is not in the
house when restarting your diet plan
Exercise and the Relaxation Diet
For most people they normally have an off day from fitness on their relaxation days. This serves to add to the goal of
recharging physically and mentally.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Relaxation Plans – Re-feed plans
Find below example days for Re-feeds of 3000, 4000 and 5000 calories. If your re-feed is less than this then check out
the optimisation diet plan for meals targeted at 2500 calories and below.
Re-Feed Days 3000 4000 5000
Breakfast Onken Fat Free Yoghurt (450g)
Egg Omelette –
1 Large Whole Egg (50g),
4 Egg Whites (132g)
Onken Fat Peach Yoghurt (450g)
Protein Shake 2 scoops (50g)
Orange juice (1000ml),
Baked Salmon & lemon (150g)
2nd meal Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (1000 ml),
Ham slices (100g)
Chicken - leg meat (150g),
Orange juice (1 Litre)
Innocent Pineapple, coconut,
banana (1 litre)
Protein shake 2 scoops (50g)
3rd meal Lean Mince Meat (125g),
Bolongase Sauce (125g),
Pasta (150g),
Vegetable Mix (250g)
Chicken Breast (120g) Mashed
potato (375g)
Steak(200g)
Rice (300g)
4th meal
Vegetable soup (600g),
Bread 1 slice (33g)
Chicken - leg meat (150g),
Apple juice (1 Litre)
Innocent Pineapple, coconut,
banana (1 litre)
Protein shake 2 scoops (50g)
5th meal Lean Mince Meat (125g),
Bolongase Sauce (125g),
Pasta (150g),
Vegetable Mix (250g)
Tuna (120g), Avocado (120g),
Green Vegetables (475g),
Orange Juice (235ml)
Chicken Breast (120g)
Mashed potato (375g)
6th meal 1 litre Orange juice
Protein shake (25g – 1 scoop)
Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (600 ml), Ham slices (100g)
Chicken - leg meat (200g),
Orange juice (1 Litre)
Cheat Days
There are no plans, eat what you want and your favourite foods. Go out to eat, or eat at home. The choice is yours.
One thing to be aware of is that if you spread your bad eating around different sources of protein, carbs and fat you
can eat a little more food while doing less damage.
Type of Junk Food vs Macronutrient Content
Protein, Carbs & Fat Protein & Fat Carbs & fat Carbs
Kebab Ribs Pizza Sweet
Indian Curries Bacon Chocolate Breads
Chinese Steak Cakes Pasta
Burger and chips Chicken wings Biscuits Fruit juices
English breakfast Fish Crisps Soft drinks
Nandos BBQ Meats Ice cream Alcohol* (Has some carbs
and alcohol is energy itself) Fast Food - KFC, Mc Donalds
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Optimisation Plan
The optimisation plan is the time where you do everything to help maximise the functioning of your body. It is during
this phase that you create the ideal environment to build muscle tone/mass, increase your metabolism (calories you
naturally burn without moving per day) and optimise the health of the body.
The main element and feature of this phase is the significantly increased calorie intake. The ultimate goal of this phase
would be to increase calorie intake so you sit right on the point where you are about to gain body fat without actually
doing so. To eat this amount of food per day you will have to eat above your natural hunger thresholds. Please note,
when eating more with junk food it is easy to overshoot your fat gaining thresholds as they are calorie rich and do not
fill you up. However, eating more with ‘clean’ foods you will have to eat over your natural hunger point as the foods fill
you up.
It is more difficult for most people to do this phase than the dieting phase because you need to force yourself to eat
more than your natural desires yet at the same time not eat too much more so you start to gain body fat. For people
who do get this phase in place they dramatically enhance their results as the body thrives during an optimisation
phase and your increased metabolism makes it much easier to lose fat in the future when you diet again.
The foods during this phase should ideally be clean and healthy. You should be maximising vitamin and mineral intake
through plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as hitting more than adequate intakes of protein, carbohydrates and
fat. As with the fat loss phase, the key is the ability to stick to it. Therefore, the use of daily treats and taste can still be
applied. With increased food intake though the need for re-feed and cheat days become much less as you are not
battling hunger/energy deficits etc. In general cheat meals would be used over cheat days.
As you saw in the fat loss plans, there are different levels of applying a diet plan ranging from very simple methods to
those requiring more input and effort from you. The goal as ever is adherence and results. So choose the option that
works best for you and then look to use the daily, weekly and post eating feedback forms to see that you have got the
diet right.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
1) Optimisation Plan - Basic Nutrition Applications –
Below are some basic yet effective nutrition approaches to take on increasing food intake during the optimisation diet.
Larger Meals
If you simply increase the size of your meals you will automatically increase your calorie intake. Increasing portion size
in every meal by a third will increase calorie intake by the same amount.
Eat More Meals
The most commonly used method to increase food intake for an optimisation phase is to change the number of meals
compared to a fat loss phase. It could be you go from 3 meals to 4 meals, or even up to 5 or 6 meals per day. To
accommodate more meals you may need to change your time of eating away from traditional set meal times.
Sometimes this is impractical so you need to use snacks.
Add in snacks
Adding in snacks is a way to increase foods intake. The difference between a snack and a meal is very grey so as
mentioned above eating may go from 3 to 4/5 or 6 times a day. For practicality reasons, some of these snacks/meals
need to be very fast and convenient to make. Fitness models often make use of protein shakes, fruits and nuts to
supply protein, carbs and fats. The only downside to ‘snacking’ is often protein sources are hard to find for snacks
outside of shakes.
Use liquid food
To increase calories some people find they simply haven’t the time, desire, capacity nor patience to eat more food.
This is especially true if you are not motivated by hunger. A way round this is to use liquid foods to increase calorie
intake such as fruit juices or protein shakes.
Reduce Low density Energy Foods
Many foods have very little calories within them for the volume of actual food on the plate. This means that you will
fill your stomach up quickly yet not actually consume that many calories. While this is great during a fat loss phase it
can undermine results during an optimisation phase. It may be necessary to reduce the volume of vegetables to allow
you to hit your nutrition targets.
Changing Meal Times and Fasting
To fit enough food into the day you may need to extend the time of eating during the day. By starting to eat earlier
and finishing later you may be able to accommodate more meals. For example, have breakfast at 6am rather than
waiting until you get into work at 9am like during a diet phases. Likewise, you may eat something just before bed while
on a fat loss plan you stop eating at 6pm.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Nutrient Chasing
To ensure increased intake you may want to focus on certain amount of food knowing it will ensure the rest of the
food intake is also increased. Commonly fitness models track protein intake and then the rest looks after itself.
******************
The following approaches will look to ensure you do not gain body fat by eating too much during this phase.
Knowing your limits
The underlying feature of not gaining fat is knowing how much you can eat before you start gaining fat. Your planned
day to day diet must drop you into the ball park of break even. If you go way over then you will start to gain body fat
simply from eating too much food (even though it is good quality healthy food). For example, if your body fat gaining
threshold is 2600 calories and you are eating 3500 a day you will gain fat as too far over the threshold.
Reduce ‘Bad’ Eating and Cheat Days
When you are eating more every day then you must reduce the magnitude of your ‘bad’ eating, especially relaxation
days. During an optimisation phase your energy reserves will be maximised so you do not need to do re-feed days.
Cheat days and cheat meals as well as daily treats, which are the hallmark of the fat loss phase as the tools to keep you
in the game ideally should be reduced. As with any plan the correct balance is the one that keeps you on the plan.
Reduced Spontaneity
The main issue with staying on the plan yet not gaining body fat is a lack of spontaneity. Due to the increased food
intake you will not be fighting hunger to any great extent and energy should be good. The problem comes due to your
stores being maxed out to optimise health. Because of this, anytime you start overeating you will gain body fat.
Therefore the problem comes that you may have eaten almost all of your food for the day and someone asks if you
want to go out to grab a bite, or brings round some food. When on a diet eating this will not overly cause problems.
However during an optimisation phase you will gain a little body fat. This results in body fat creep as the next day you
are back to higher food intake and not counterbalancing it with dieting days.
Weekly Dieting Day / Sporadic Dieting Days
To counter body fat creep you can of course just insert dieting days. This allows you to maintain fat levels yet it
undermines the effectiveness of the optimisation phase. It is about striking a balance between the two until you learn
how to eat more without gaining body fat.
Breaking Connections
To successfully be able to not over eat during an extended period of this diet you will have to break connections to
times of the day and eating. It could be that because you accidently eat all your food for the day by 5pm meaning you
should stop eating until the next day. It takes time to get accustomed to eating more yet not overeating.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
2) Optimisation Plan – ‘Healthy’ Options – Non Calorie Based
The whole focus of the optimisation phase should be to use a clean diet to take on board plenty of vitamins and
minerals alongside optimised calories, protein, carb and fat intake. The result is a spike of your metabolism, increased
health and optimised body sculpting and muscle gain.
Clean Eating –Protein Based Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast
Tuna, lentils, olives. Ham, avocado
Chicken slices,
carrot/apple juice.
Lamb, green peas,
green beans
Lunch
beef, butter beans
(lima)
Chicken, sweet potato,
mushrooms
Pork, green peas,
kidney beans, palm oil
Lamb green peas,
green beans
Dinner Kidney, green peas,
green beans,, spinach
Steak, mung beans and
carrots
Trout, corn, sliced
pears and green beans
Chicken, squash,
celery, spinach
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Chicken breast,
squash, olive oil Steak, carrots, yam
Gammon, pineapple,
sweet potato
Salmon, squash,
celery, spinach
Other - Juice Celery and carrot juice Carrot, apple ginger, Coconut water,
spinach, celery
Banana, coconut,
coconut water
Snacks Fruit & nuts Avocado Protein shake & fruit Meat + Fruit
Key Criteria of
diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
- Tailored towards balanced proportions of Protein, Carbs and fat.
- Increased Calorie intake to optimise metabolism, e.g. 4 meals per day+ and snacking.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Clean Eating –Carb Based Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast Soft boiled eggs,
tomato juice,
Slices of ham, carrot
and apple juice,
Chicken breast, potato,
coconut oil Full fat yoghurt*
Lunch Cod, pumpkin soup
Lentils and quinoa and
spinach with coconut
oil
Turkey breast, lettuce,
rice, olive oil
Chicken leg, sweet
potato, kale
Dinner Rice, lentils with salad
coconut oil
Tuna, courgette, sweet
potato,
Turkey leg, rice,
peppers
Chick peas, quinoa,
cucumber coconut oil,
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Cod, tomato,
cucumber, squash .
Other - Juice
Tomato Juice
Celery and cucumber Carrot and apple Blackberries and
coconut water
Snacks Fruit Fruit & nuts Soup Protein shake & fruit
Key Criteria of
diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
- Tailored towards balanced proportions of Protein, Carbs and fat.
- Increased Calorie intake to optimise metabolism, e.g. 4 meals per day+ and snacking.
Clean Eating –Balanced Diet
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Breakfast
Tuna, lentils, olives. Lamb, chick peas
Chicken slices,
carrot/apple juice. Ham, apple, avocado
Lunch beef, white beans Chicken, sweet potato,
mushrooms Pork, broccoli, potato
Lamb, tomato,
cucumber, rice
Dinner Chicken breast, sweet
potato, olive oil Steak, pinto beans
cod, corn, sliced pears
and green beans Chicken, celery, corn
4th Meal (If
applicable)
Kidney, parsnips,
squash, coconut oil Steak, peppers, potato
Gammon, pineapple,
leek, pumkin
Salmon, mustard
greens, potato
Other - Juice Celery and carrot juice Carrot, apple ginger, Tomato juice Banana, coconut,
coconut water
Snacks Fruit & nuts Fruit Protein shake & fruit Meat + Fruit
Key Criteria of
diet
-Minimally Processed foods
-Low Gluten / Dairy / known Sensitive foods
-Homemade/prepared where possible
-High levels of vitamins and minerals
- Tailored towards balanced proportions of Protein, Carbs and fat.
- Increased Calorie intake to optimise metabolism, e.g. 4 meals per day+ and snacking.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
3) Optimisation – Calorie Diets
So far you have seen simple ways to increase food and some higher food intake clean eating plans. The problem with
increased eating is discovering what point you begin to gain body fat and ensuring you are slightly below this point.
One way to do this is to use calorie diets to monitor your food intake.
How many Calories should I aim for?
It is difficult to say how many calories you should be eating during an optimisation phase. As a general guide it would
be on or around 50% more calories that you used to lose fat.
Calories to lose fat Optimisation calories
900 1350
1200 1800
1400 2100
1600 2400
1800 2700
2000 3000
2200 3300
2500 3750
These numbers can vary a lot if you change your movement and exercise between phases. Using a Fit Bit or similar
brand Pedometer will reveal how active you are in the different phases. You should guestimate a number then look to
review body fat changes to see if you are at the correct threshold.
The key to calorie success is not getting caught up on a number but experimenting to find your ideal based off your
reactions. I am very active, on a optimisation phase I walk 17k a day (in general life) and train in the gym 1-2 times a
day. My ideal calorie intake amount is 3000-3200 calories. Much above this and I gain body fat.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
2000 Calories – Balanced Diet
Calorie
Formula
500 calories x 3 meals, + 350 x 1 meal + 150 calories from Treats / Taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Weetabix (3 biscuits 58g),
semi skimmed milk 400 ml,
ham slices (70g)
Omelette (2 whole eggs (100g),
4 Egg Whites (132g) ),
Butter (5g),
Orange juice (500ml)
Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (800 ml),
Ham slices (150g)
2nd Meal
Chicken Breast (125g),
Green Vegetables (300g),
Rice (125g)
Coconut oil (10g)
Steak (100g),
Rice (150g),
Green Vegetables (300g)
Salmon (120g),
Sweet Potato (200g),
Green Vegtables (400g)
3rd Meal
Chicken Breast (125g),
Green Vegetables (300g),
Rice (125g)
Coconut oil (10g)
Burger (76g) ,
1 Bread Roll (68g),
Chips (90g)
Lean Mince Meat (175g),
Bolongase Sauce (125g),
Pasta (100g),
Vegetable Mix (300g)
4th Meal
Ready Meal Lasange (300g),
Ham Slices (60g),
Apple Juice (100ml)
Cod (75g),
Green Peas (200g),
Carrots (150g),
Olive Oil (5ml)
Lean Mince Meat (125g),
Bolongase Sauce (80g),
Pasta (70g),
Vegetable Mix (200g)
Treat or
Taste
additions
Salad cream – 15g x 3
(2nd, 3rd and 4th meal)
Tomato Ketchup – 43g x 3
(2nd, 3rd and 4th meal)
4 Rich Tea Biscuits
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
2500 Calories – Protein Based Diet
Calorie
Formula
500 calories x 4 meals, + 350 x 1 meal + 150 calories from Treats / Taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Onken Peach Yoghurt (300g),
Protein Shake (2 scoops - 50g)
Carrot/Celery Juice (400ml),
Baked Salmon with lemon
(200g)
Apple (3 - 300g),
Corned Beef Slices (147g)
2nd Meal
Steak (150g),
Rice (50g),
Green Vegetables (250g)
Chicken Breast (175g)
Mashed potato (230g)
Chicken Breast (175g)
Mashed potato (230g)
3rd Meal
Steak (150g),
Rice (50g),
Green Vegetables (250g)
Tuna (150g),
Avocado (150g),
Green Vegetables (300g)
Boiled Egg (2 whole egg (100g,
6 Egg whites 198g),
Brown Bread (2 Slices 66g),
Butter (5g)
4th Meal
Chicken (150g),
Rice (75g),
Black Beans (75g),
Olive oil (10ml)
Tuna (200g),
Vegetable soup (600g)
Chicken (200g),
Curry Sauce (100g),
Rice (50g),
Vegetables (200g)
5th Meal
Chicken (110g),
Rice (60g),
Black Beans (60g),
Olive oil (5ml)
Tuna (100g),
Jacket Potato (125g),
Cheese (25g),
Butter (5g)
Chicken (150g),
Curry Sauce (70g),
Rice - Sprinkled (25g),
Vegetables (200g)
Treat or
Taste
additions
Glass of white wine
Glass of red wine
Coleslaw – 33g – (2nd meal)
Mint Sauce – 48g (4th meal)
Pickle Branson – 46g (5th meal)
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
3000 Calories – Carb Based Diet
Calorie
Formula
500 calories x 5 meals, + 350 x 1 meal + 150 calories from Treats / Taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Onken Fat Free Yoghurt (450g)
Omelette -
1 Large Whole Egg (50g),
4 Egg Whites (132g)
Oats 115g,
Milk 435ml skimmed,
Onken Fat Free Yoghurt (450g)
Omelette –
1 Large Whole Egg (50g),
4 Egg Whites 132g
2nd Meal
Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (1000 ml),
Ham slices (100g)
Apple (7 - 700g),
Corned Beef Slices (63g)
Omelette -
1 whole eggs (50g),
3 Egg Whites (99g) ),
Butter (5g),
Orange juice (700ml)
3rd Meal Vegetable soup (600g),
Bread 1 slice (33g)
Tomato Soup (Heinz) 400ml,
Chicken Breast (66g),
Bread (2 slices 66g)
2 Slices Bread (66g),
Creamy chicken Soup (600ml)
4th Meal
Ham slices (60g),
White bread (4 slices 132g),
Butter (10g)
Chicken Breast (50g),
Brown Bread (4 slices 132g),
Butter (10g)
Boiled Egg (6 Egg whites 198g),
Brown Bread (4 Slices 132g),
Butter (10g)
5th Meal
Lean Mince Meat (125g),
Bolongase Sauce (125g),
Pasta (150g),
Vegetable Mix (250g)
Chicken (75g),
Curry Sauce (80g),
Rice (100g),
Vegetables (200g)
Chicken Breast (100g),
Sweet Potato (375g),
Cheese (20g)
6th Meal
Lean Mince Meat (80g),
Bolognasse Sauce (100g),
Pasta (100g),
Vegetable Mix (200g)
Chicken (55g),
Curry Sauce (50g),
Rice (70g),
Vegetables (150g)
Chicken Breast (65g),
Sweet Potato (275g),
Cheese (15g)
Treat or
Taste
additions
Mustard – 36g (4th meal)
Hummus – 15g x 2
(5th and 6th meals)
Ice cream – 67g Neapolitan
Crisps - Walkers squares
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
3500 Calories – Balanced Diet
Calorie
Formula
600 calories x 5 meals, + 350 x 1 meal + 150 calories from Treats / Taste.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Breakfast
Onken Fat Free Yoghurt (450g)
Omelette –
3 Large Whole Egg (150g)
Onken Peach Yoghurt (450g),
Protein Shake (2 scoops - 50g)
Chicken Breast (145g),
Sweet Potato (350g),
Cheese (30g)
2nd Meal
Apple (6 - 600),
Corned Beef Slices (125g)
Apple (6 - 600),
Corned Beef Slices (125g)
Chicken Breast (145g),
Sweet Potato (350g),
Cheese (30g)
3rd Meal
Chicken Breast (120g)
Mashed potato (375g)
Tuna (175g),
Potato (350g),
Mayonaisse light Hellmans (45g)
Salmon (145g),
Sweet Potato (235g),
Green Vegetables (475g)
4th Meal
Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (1000 ml),
Ham slices (175g)
Onken Peach Yoghurt (450g)
Protein Shake (2 scoops - 50g)
Salmon (145g),
Sweet Potato (235g),
Green Vegetables (475g)
5th Meal
Tuna (120g),
Avocado (120g),
Green Vegetables (475g),
Orange Juice (235ml)
Liver (130g),
Onion (60g),
Mashed Potato (265g),
Gravy (120ml)
Gammon (145g),
Sweet Potato (475g),
Green Vegetables (235g)
6th Meal
Carrot/Celery/Apple/Spinach
Juice (600 ml),
Ham slices (100g)
Chicken Breast (75g)
Mashed potato (225g)
Gammon (90g),
Sweet Potato (200g),
Green Vegetables (150g)
Treat or
Taste
additions
Biscuits – 5 Chocolate Fingers
Biscuits – 1 ½ Shortbread Fingers
Salad dressing – 14g z 2
(Breakfast and 2nd meal)
Tomato Ketchup -43g)
(5th meal)
Other
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Exercise in the Optimisation Phase
The optimisation plan is associated with exercise to build up and increase your body’s capacities. Most fitness models
use this phase to do large amounts of resistance training and weight lifting to develop muscle tone and muscle mass.
Athletes and sports people focusing on increasing their fitness and playing capabilities.
For people who are looking for health benefits they should focus on a mixture of weight training, low volume fitness or
exercises aimed at optimising the abilities and capabilities of the body.
If done correctly, this phase will improve your fitness levels so that in subsequent fat loss phases you can perform
more movement at a faster pace. This means you can more easily provide the energy stimulus to lose fat. The
resistance training should contribute to developing your metabolism which will again make it easier to lose fat in
future phases.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
The Maintenance Diet
The goal of a maintenance plan is to break even. This phase is used during busy periods, holidays or times of stress.
You are not trying to go forward so to speak but you are definitely looking to minimise any backtracking and loss of
results. To do this you need to a variety of countermeasures and trade-offs to prevent undue damage being done.
The main nutrition that is under your control will be along the lines of the fat loss plan as this sort of phase is typically
used when other factors are influencing upon you. So when you are in control on your own terms you want to eat
lower calories meal as around the next corner will be more uncontrolled eating. The overall result should be that you
break even. Other strategies for controlling damage include –
Missing a meal
If you know your eating is going to run astray then it may be wise to simply miss a meal. With a big dinner ahead then
just miss lunch. If you ate loads last night then do not have breakfast. This simple method can really limit damage
without you have to restrict yourself when you are eating.
Rotating food intake and types of ‘junk’
Not all bad food is created equal. If you were to eat 4000 calories in a day then there would be a different effect on
the body from eating 4000 calories of just carbohydrates compared to evenly dividing it between protein/carbs and
fat. The latter case will usually limit some of the damage in any short term situation.
Likewise, if you ate a huge carbohydrate lunch then choose a non carb dinner. This can be done simply by eating at
different restaurants or choosing specific dishes. For example, a cooked breakfast is protein and fat while toast and
cereal is carbs. An Italian restaurant is carbs while a steak house in general is protein.
Exercising to counterbalance
If your eating is off then exercise and movement needs to be stepped up. While the food intake vs movement
equation is ridiculously stacked against exercise, e.g. you can eat an hours exercise in a couple of minutes, the more
you move the easier it is to limit damage in a short term period. .
Changing the exercise
For many people during a maintenance period they have a hectic schedule or stresses that interfere with their normal
routine. Be open to changing your exercise routine during such periods. Perhaps you will have to train early morning
even though you normally do it after work. Maybe you will need to train alone instead of classes. It could be walking is
the only option during this period. Find a way to modify your exercise to limit the damage. Where possible move and
exercise as much as you can.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Avoiding certain foods
We all have certain foods or drinks that result in us consuming much more than normal. During a maintenance period
you may strike a deal with yourself saying to have anything in any amount but decide to stay away from your worst
foods. This means you can still eat anything you want while in the restaurant or on holiday but you have decided not
to have chocolate because you eat so much when you do have some.
Portion damage control
A subtle and underrated method is limiting the size of portion. Choosing medium over large, being comfortable with
leaving some of the meal, saving food to have the next day instead of stuffing it down now etc. This all adds up and
can contribute to a considerable saving in regards to food intake.
Forgetting normal eating
During bad periods it is sometimes easier to just stop eating normal/ healthy food. Overall calorie balance will
determine your ability to break even. If you are eating 1500 calories from clean sources and 1500 from junk. You can
cut your food intake in half by removing the clean foods. This could mean you are simply eating crisps and chocolate
for the day. One of the advantages of this is that you will much more quickly tire of eating junk because without the
clean foods there you will not feel great.
Exercising in the Maintenance Phase
Exercise takes on two main forms during a maintenance phase. If the phase is due to being busy then the main focus
of exercise is simply to maintain what you have. This can be done in as little as 15 minutes a week of exercise. Fitness
just needs to be stimulated 1-2 times a week and for very little time to maintain levels. Once the busy period in your
life is over you can go back to longer more traditional exercise routines.
The other side of exercise in a maintenance phase is if you are using it to counter bad eating etc. It is always important
to remember how the burn of exercise is much less than the calories of eating, e.g. you can eat in minute what it takes
hours of movement to burn off. But saying that, the more you do the better chance you have to counter balance
damage done from bad eating. The actual exercise programme used in this sense is would mimic your routine during a
fat loss phase.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Supplements
When it comes to getting results with your body shape your food intake is by far and away the biggest influence there
could be. The following supplements can have a place. Most fitness model use these -
Protein Shakes –
For pure convenience and ease of getting protein into your body every fitness model uses protein shakes. This is
especially important during an optimisation phase where eating protein purely from meat is difficult. For vegetarians
this is a great option to get protein into the body from non-animal products. Protein shakes come from whey, casein,
beef, egg white, rice, hemp, pea and soy sources.
Creatine
Creatine is found within the muscles and plays a significant role in strength and weight training. As a result most
fitness models use this to enhance their training during an optimisation phase. An important supplement if you are
lifting a lot of weights in the gym.
BCAA
These are amino acids that make up the part of the muscle that is used in energy production within the body. Almost
every fitness model uses these to enhance their level of muscle mass. They can be used during a fat loss phase and
optimisation phases. Important if muscle mass is part of your main goals.
Multivitamin
For meeting your general vitamin and mineral needs a multi vitamin can be a helpful addition to your current diet.
Vitamin – D
Many to most people are vitamin D deficient so need to have a supplement to meet their needs. This is especially true
for people with darker skin tones and those living in countries with little sunlight. The same applies if you live in a
hotter climate but never expose yourself to the sun. Vitamin D can help with various aspects of metabolism.
Notes on Supplements
You do not need anything in terms of fat burners or supplements to accelerate your metabolic rate to lose fat.
You should cycle on and off supplements, do not use them without taking a beak every 1-2 months.
There are many supplements not mentioned here which means some may purport their benefits others do not. For
95% of people they can get all the results they want just off food and exercise alone alongside the supplement above.
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Appendix – Defining Your Own Diet Plans
Fat Loss Diet - Plan of Action
Food
Exercise
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
1
2
3
4
5
Adding Taste Treats Avoid
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Optimisation Diet - Plan of Action
Food
Exercise
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
1
2
3
4
5
Adding Taste Treats Avoid
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
.
Relaxation Diet - Plan of Action
Cheat Day Plan of Action
Re-Feed Day Plan of Action
Exercise
Foods during Cheat Day or Re-Feed Days
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
1
2
3
Maintenance Diet - Plan of Action
Maintenance Diet Balancing Options to use
Eating Thoughts / Notes / Ways to Apply It
Missing A Meal
Rotating Types of Junk Food (pro-carbs-fat)
Exercising to counterbalance damage
Avoiding certain worst foods (trigger)
Portion Control
Forget Normal Eating
Counterbalancing dieting days
Exercising
Short exercise session
Easy exercise session
Different location session (home)
Different type of exercise
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Meal Reaction Form and Daily Food Review
Meal Reaction Form
Time / Food Good reactions X Bad reactions X
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
No hunger experienced Hungry already / Want so snack
No food cravings Craving food
No bloating Feel bloated
Feel great energy Feel too little or too much energy
Good concentration Unable to concentrate properly
Notes
Daily Review
Rate the following elements from 0 -10, where 0 – bad/disaster and 10 – amazing, good
Hunger levels Bloating Concentration
Cravings Experienced Energy Taste of the meal
Notes
The Fitness Model Transformation Diet – Nutrition Plans
Treats and Taste Additions
A key component to the FMD is taste and having treats. The idea is that by giving yourself freedom in your diet you will
be able to stick to it much more easily. As it is only a small percentage of your daily calories (10-15%) you will still be
able to lose fat yet also find it fairly easy to stay in the game. The same applies to how you add taste to your meals.
Treats <150 calories Taste ~ 50 calories Taste Calorie Free
1 Crisps - snack and jacks Apple sauce – 50g Vinegars -
2 Crisps – quavers Bbq sauce- 40g Sea salt / salt
3 Crisps – Top corn Brown sauce – 50g Herbs – parsley, mint, basil etc
4 Crisps - Walkers squares Coleslaw – 33g Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg etc
5 Crisps – Wotsits Gravy – instant- 160 ml
6 Chocolate – Freddo chocolate bar Guacamole -30g
7 Chocolate - Dairy milk kids bar Honey – 16g
8 Chocolate - Milky bar Hummus – 15g
9 Chocolate – 2/3rd Dairy Milk bar Jam – 21g Your Favourite Taste / Treats
10 Chocolate – ½ Yorkie bar Marmite – 22g
11 Biscuits – 4 Rich Tea biscuits Mayonnaise extra light- 50g
12 Biscuits – 4 NICE biscuits Mayonnaise – 8g
13 Biscuits – 5 Chocolate fingers Mint sauce – 48g
14 Biscuits – 3 Jaffa Cakes Mustard – 36g
15 Biscuits – 1 ½ shortbread fingers Nut butter (peanut) – 8g
16 Ice cream – 1 ½ mini milk Nutella – 9g
17 Ice cream – 1 ½ calypso Olives (in brine) – 50g
18 Ice cream – 1 ½ Solero exotic Pate – 14g
19 Ice cream – ½ Magnum classic Peri peri sauce – 80g
20 Ice cream – 67g Neapolitan Pickle (Brantson) -46g
21 Alcohol – Glass of red/white wine Salad cream – 15g
22 Alcohol – 2/3rd pint guiness Salad dressing (except Italian) – 14g Notes
23 Alcohol - 2/3rd pint cider Salsa dip – 100g
24 Alcohol – ½ pint stella Soy sauce – 90g
25 Alcohol – double vodka/whisky Tomato ketchup – 43g
26 Bakery – ½ large croissant (35g) Tomato sauce – dolmio – 120g
27 Bakery – ¾ Iced bun finger (50g) Vinegar balsamic – 90g
28 Bakery – ½ Blueberry Muffin (35g) Cream – single – 25g
29 Bakery –½ slice Chocolate cake(30g) Cream – spray can – 20g
30 Bakery – 1 slice toast and butter Cranberry sauce -33g