Eating For Life Review

BACKGROUND

Eating for Life is a nutritional program developed by bodybuilder Bill Phillips who thoroughly discusses the program in his book Eating for Life in 2003. Unlike most weight loss programs, Eating for Life does not prohibit dieters from eating any particular food from any food category. In fact Phillips claims that the Eating for Life program is an “anti-diet”. He believes that food is not the enemy and should therefore be enjoyed.

He says that the real key to achieving total fitness is being able to make wise food choices that are sustainable over a long period of time and eating frequently throughout the day. He advocates eating six small low-fat meals daily. This will keep one’s metabolism up and energy level stable. Also, instead of marking some food as “prohibited food”, Phillips categorized food as either “authorized food” or “unauthorized food”.

How does Eating for Life work? For six days, the dieter should eat six meals throughout the day. These meals should be between two to three hours apart.

Therefore if one would eat breakfast at 7am, he may eat midmorning meal at 10am, lunch at 1pm, midafternoon meal at 4pm, dinner at 7pm and late evening meal between 9pm to 10pm. These meals should be composed of 40-50% protein, 40-50% carbohydrates and 0-10% fat.

On these six days, the dieter may only consume “authorized foods”. On the seventh day, following the same schedule, the dieter may consume the “unauthorized foods” he has been craving for during the week. The seventh day is a day of less restrained eating. Though Eating for Life does not prohibit certain types of food, it encourages that some be eaten only on the seventh day or what is called “free day”.

Eating for Life enumerates 82 “authorized foods” from five food categories of proteins, vegetarian proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fat. Recommended proteins include lean beef, buffalo, and venison, chicken and turkey, fish and shellfish, egg whites and egg substitutes, or low-fat cottage cheese. Recommended carbohydrate sources include fruit, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, and whole-grain breads.

These should be consumed bringing to mind portion control. A protein serving should be about the size of a person’s palm while carbohydrate serving should be about half the size of a clenched fist. Calorie counting is not necessary. Dieters are to drink at least 10 cups of water daily.

PROS

1. Does not prohibit alcohol and caffeine but reserves them for “free day”
2. No difficult calorie counting
3. Advocates regular weight training and cardiovascular exercises

CONS

1. Strict nature in terms of when to eat and when not to eat certain foods
2. No scientific data exist to point its effectivity

CONCLUSION

The six small meals and regular exercise recommended by Eating for Life are sound principles that one can adhere to as part of a weight loss program. It is for those who are serious about exercising and eating right for total fitness. If one is looking for a structured program, it could be a good option.

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