Friday, August 3, 2007

BFL/BFFM Nutrition

The food aspects of BFL and BFFM are pretty similar. BFL advocates 6 small meals per day, and BFFM suggests 5 for women, 6 for men. So, I'm going to stick with 5-6 meals per day, about 3-3.5 hours apart. Water is a big part of both: 10 8-ounce cups for BFL, 8 8-ounce cups for BFFM. So, let's shoot for 80 ounces of pure water per day.

Here are the BFL guidelines for meal planning:
  • Protein. Choose a portion of lean protein, such as chicken breast, ground turkey, fish or steak. (Size of an open palm)
  • Carbohydrates. Choose a portion of complex carbohydrates, such as a small baked potato, sweet potato, a ½ cup of brown rice or a slice of whole-wheat bread. (Size of a clenched fist)
  • Vegetables. Add a portion of vegetables to at least two meals each day.
  • Essential fats. Consume one tablespoon of unsaturated oil daily or three portions of salmon per week.

BFFM is a little more complex. It depends on the ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat you're going for. For most people, BFFM suggests 50-55% carbohydrate/30% protein/15-20% fat for each meal. For low carbers, BFFM guidelines are 40% carbohydrate/40% protein/20% fat. Since I am a low carber, I will try to stick to the latter. So the breakdown for meals for "regular" people is:

Meals 1 & 2

  • lean protein
  • starchy carb
  • simple carb (dairy or fruit)

Meals 3-5

  • lean protein
  • starchy carb
  • fibrous carb

Meal 6

  • lean protein
  • starchy carb (small)
  • fibrous carb
  • essential fat
For low carbers, the meal plan is as follows:

Meals 1 &2

  • lean protein
  • starchy carb (large)

Meal 3

  • lean protein
  • starchy carb (small or none)
  • fibrous carb

Meals 4 & 5

  • lean protein
  • fibrous carb
  • essential fat

Meal 6

  • lean protein
  • fibrous carb
The food lists for BFL and BFFM are very similar, with focus on protein, healthy fats, and good carbs.

Proteins

  • Chicken breast
  • Turkey breast
  • Lean ground turkey
  • Swordfish
  • Orange roughy
  • Haddock
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Crab
  • Lobster
  • Shrimp
  • Top round steak
  • Top sirloin steak
  • Lean ground beef
  • Buffalo
  • Lean ham
  • Egg whites or substitutes
  • Trout
  • Low-fat cottage cheese
  • Wild-game meat

Carbohydrates (Complex Carbs)

  • Baked potato
  • Sweet potato
  • Yams
  • Squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Steamed brown rice
  • Steamed wild rice
  • Pasta
  • Oatmeal
  • Barley
  • Beans
  • Kidney beans
  • Corn
  • Strawberries
  • Melon
  • Apple
  • Orange
  • Fat-free yogurt
  • Whole-wheat bread
  • High-fiber cereal
  • Whole-wheat tortilla
  • Whole grains

Vegetables (Fibrous Carbs)

  • Broccoli
  • Asparagus
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Green beans
  • Green peppers
  • Mushrooms
  • Spinach
  • Tomato
  • Peas
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Artichoke
  • Cabbage
  • Celery
  • Zucchini
  • Cucumber
  • Onion

Vegetarian Proteins

  • Tempeh
  • Seitan
  • Tofu
  • Texturized vegetable
  • protein
  • Soy foods
  • Veggie burgers

Fats

  • Avocado
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Cold-water fish
  • Natural peanut butter
  • Low-fat cheese
  • Low-fat salad dressing
  • Low-sodium nuts
  • Olives and olive oil
  • Canola oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Flax seed oil
One day a week, BFLers get a "free" day - no exercise and eat "whatever" you want. BFFMers can adopt this "free" day as well, or eat within guidelines, but with maintenance level calories. I'll be taking a "free" day on Sundays.

3 comments:

Joseph Dolce said...

Awesome breakdown Becky, this will be a big help in getting me started: thanks for doing the heavy lifting! ;-)

Joseph Dolce said...

Thanks for the breakdown, this is awesome.
I appreciate you doing the heavy lifting. I used to wing this when I lifted for strength, now that I'm old and a puddle of dough I'm going to need a regimen.

Becky said...

I have tons of resources (documents & links) so let me know if there's anything you need.