The ketogenic style of diet has been getting some beneficial publicity the last couple of weeks on primetime TV. Abel James, of the FatBurningMan.com website and web show, was selected as one of five fitness & nutrition trainers on the new hit ABC television show, “My Diet Is Better Than Yours“. And Abel is bringing the heat, helping his weight loss contestant Kurt lose 21 pounds in the first 2 weeks; the most of any of the five contestants.
Abel’s “Wild Diet” is his own proprietary diet and lifestyle, a blend of ketogenic and paleo diets, being primarily ultra-low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat intake (good, anti-inflammatory fats). The diet has a continual focus on eating high quality, natural & organic, unprocessed, “wild” foods, and is paired with brief, high-intensity, interval training workouts.
So far, just 3 episodes in, it looks to be an interesting show, hosted by Insanity’s Shaun T, that pits 5 contestants and their trainers against each other to see who can lose the most weight (AND they must complete a half marathon at the end).
But, there is a twist. Throughout the contest, if they feel the plan/diet isn’t working for them, contestants can fire their trainer and switch to another plan.
What’s up for grabs? …$50,000!
Abel is quite well-known in the keto diet niche, and supplies amazingly valuable content through his web show. And here he is running in a bacon costume on the show, during Kurt’s interval training…
So far, The Wild Diet is in the lead, as Kurt has been able to lose 21 pounds in 2 weeks, all while eating foods we enjoy and love, like bacon cheeseburgers (minus the bun), chocolate (dark, 85% or more), and coffee with grass-fed butter.
Throughout the show, Abel and the other trainers get to briefly explain highlights of their respective diets and workout plans. Pretty much everything in Abel’s Wild Diet is ketogenic, paleo, or very close.
Here are a few key points to his plan (via ABC.com):
#1 – Don’t count calories. Ignore the nutrition facts. Read the ingredients instead and make sure they’re real food. Don’t buy the marketing hype, buy the ingredients.
#2 – You have to eat fat to burn fat. Eating high-quality fats like real grass-fed butter, and pasture-raised bacon, eggs, and steak will help you absorb fat-soluble nutrients from your meals, boost mental function, and drop fat while eating ridiculously good food.
#3 – Don’t eat packaged “diet food” that tastes like cardboard. Most diet food in bars, boxes, and shakes is junk food in disguise. Focus on food quality, not quantity and make every meal as delicious as possible.
#4 – Eat wild seafood, pastured animals and wild game. Meet Your Farmer and know where your food comes from. Aim for the highest quality plant and animal foods you can find and afford. Otherwise you’ll be eating fat, sick animals and produce slathered in pesticides – both of which can make you fat and sick.
#5 – Avoid Sugar & Grains, Especially in the Morning. Eat filling fats and proteins like bacon and eggs instead. Put real, whole fat like grass-fed butter, coconut, or whipping cream in your coffee instead of sugar.
#6 Skip a meal every once in a while if you’re not hungry. This temporary fasting can help you increase growth hormone and burn more fat. On The Wild Diet, this is known as “fasting and feasting.”
#7 Don’t waste your time with bicep curls and ab workouts. Do full-body workouts like squats and sprints to burn more fat in less time. Focus on short bursts of intense activity like the Wild 7 Workout to burn more fat instead of slogging on the treadmill for hours. Break a sweat every day doing something you love.
#8 When eating out, make it a feast. Order several dishes family style for everyone to try and share – eating a wide variety of foods is more filling and fun than eating a single entree.
#9 Eat out of your fridge, not your pantry. Skip the processed packaged foods and eat fresh foods that were Recently Alive and Well.
#10 – Avoid fruit juice and sports drinks. They’re just as fattening as soda. Eat your fruit whole instead.
#11 – Burn more calories in less time with burst training. Try the Wild 7 Workout – 20 seconds of high-intensity cardio followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 10 times. 60 second warm up and 60 second cool down.
#12 – Be prepared. Carry yummy snacks, meals, and emergency chocolate everywhere you go. Chocoholics, go ahead and grab some >70% cacao chocolate to keep on hand for “chocolate emergencies.
What You Should Eat On The Wild Diet
- Vegetables should make up more than half of your plate. Preferably, they should be raw. However, steamed or lightly cooked vegetables are also acceptable. The majority of bulk should come from green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, or collard greens. Fresh organic vegetables are preferable, but frozen (and canned without preservatives or additives) are fine when cooked. When eating out, ask for extra vegetables instead of the starch.
- 6 to 8 ounces of meat such as grass-fed beef, chicken, turkey, pork, eggs, or seafood. This is about the size of the palm of your hand.
- Eat fruit (in moderation) to boost your intake of fiber and micronutrients.
- Round out the meal with good fats (in moderation) in meat or from coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, other unprocessed fats, or nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts.
- Optional: If you are particularly active, consider a side of starch such as sweet potato with your meal. Note: if you find that carbs slow your fat loss, skip the starch and eat extra protein or veggies instead.
