Yes, it’s true that when it comes to fat loss and muscle gain (and all things body recomposition), the macronutrients and calories are most important. That said, for obvious reasons it’s important to eat healthy food. Moreover, it’s important to eat foods that fill you up and keep you satiated. For example, potatoes are far more filling than a bowl of rice or cereal, so when we want to make fat loss as easy as possible, food matters. Of course, while you can fit any food you want onto this plan, it makes sense to eat the foods that best keep you full and satisfied. This will make the cutting plan far more enjoyable. As well, it makes sense to incorporate foods that are easy to make so the plan isn’t very time consuming. Proteins, Carbs, and Fats Here are some of my favorite foods to include on my shopping list: Recommended Proteins Chicken Breast Extra Lean Ground Beef Flank Steak Sirloin Steak Egg Whites and Whole Eggs Low Fat Shredded Cheese Cottage Cheese (2%) Recommended Carbs Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Bread English Muffins Pop Chips Tortilla’s Rice Pasta Fruits (apples, banana’s, etc) Veggies/Greens Recommended Added Fats Butter Oils for Cooking (coconut oil, olive oil, macadamia oil) Recommended Desserts Chocolate Here is MORE types of foods, beverages, condiments and sweeteners you can eat to hit your macros… Quick Tip: get the majority of your calories from nutrient-dense foods. As I said earlier, use the 80%-20% rule: 80% good foods, 20% less strict foods. The "80% Foods" Chicken breast Turkey breast Ham Hamburger Steak Lamb Venison Bacon Sausage Shrimp Tuna Salmon Halibut Cod Scallops Lobster Avocados Lettuce Kale Bell peppers Brussels sprouts Spinach Broccoli Asparagus Peas Green beans Mushrooms Cucumber Carrots Celery Baked potatoes Sweet potatoes Eggs Fruits (apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, grapefruit, strawberries, berries, grapes, oranges, plums, peaches, pears) Low fat yogurt Low fat cottage cheese Seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower) Almonds Cashews Peanuts Beans (navy, garbanzo, pinto, kidney) Bagels Pasta Breads Oats Oatmeal Barley Brown rice Quinoa Coconut oil Olive oil Butter Pick foods you like and add them to your meals to work with your caloric intake and macronutrient split. The "20% Foods" Chocolate Cookies Cake Muffins Candy bars Ice cream Fast food Donuts Cheeses Whipped cream Pick some that you want daily BUT remember use these in moderation! They add up quick. Zero calorie beverages WATER (most recommended!) Coffee Sparkling water Tea Diet sodas Flavored water Zero calorie energy drinks Caloric Beverages Milk Soda Juice Alcohol You CAN have beverages with calories, but make sure you track them accurately. Next up - condiments. You can't forget to track the condiments you're using. These are the little filler calories that can actually add up to a good deal of calories if you're not careful. Plus, there are some great tasting zero-calorie condiments and zero-calorie sweeteners. Recommended Condiments (Zero Or Low Calorie) Hot sauces Mustard Salt Pepper Mostly all dried spices Lemon juice Lime juice Salsa (some - read the label) Soy sauce Zero calorie sweeteners (Stevia, Equal, Splenda) Condiments To Track Salad dressings Mayonnaise Ketchup Relish BBQ sauce Sour cream Horseradish Sweeteners (with calories) Sugar Honey Syrup Molasses Try to have a mix of each macronutrient (protein, carbs and fats, veggies, added flavor) at each meal. This will help with satiation, recovery, give you a overall variety with your meals, and keep you satisfied. Further Notes On Food These are some of the foods I like to include the most on my plans. They taste great and are highly satisfying. I’ll use butter/oils for cooking my meat and/or to cook or add to my carbs. I will almost always fit in chocolate at night to finish off my day of eating. I love saving 300-400 calories of chocolate at night. It’s my favorite dessert ever. I find chocolate to be highly satisfying and satiating. Plus, more importantly, it’s easy to stop eating chocolate. Break yourself off a piece (which is easy to track), and put the chocolate bar away. That way there's not temptation to just keep eating it. Conversely, I find cookies and ice-cream to be difficult to manage. In the past, when I tried to fit cookies, ice-cream, or something similar into my diet plan, I would almost always end up going over my calories. Chocolate for the win. Some Of My Favorite Meals Cheese Quesadillas Coconut Fried Chicken Bites Coconut Fried Steak Bites Extra Lean Ground Beef Burgers Potato Wedges or Sweet Potato Wedges Rosti Potatoes Scrambled Eggs/Whites Buttered English Muffins If you want more of my favorite recipes, be sure to check out KinoChef, the Kinobody Cookbook. Included are 50 recipes all designed to help keep you full and satiated while following the Kinobody style of eating. If you want to cook satiating, mouthwatering meals specifically designed to promote a lean and chiseled physique like the Warrior Physique - KinoChef is for you: KinoChef (Click Here To Learn More) What About Eating Out? Fortunately today, many restaurants provide their nutritional information online and even in store. This is especially true for chain restaurants and restaurants advertised as healthy eating. This makes eating out an absolute breeze. One of my favorite restaurants happens to be Chipotle. Although, there are many other great options. If you wish to eat out a few times per week, it is worth checking the nutrition information online and finding the best option. I also make sure to fill up on lots of protein at restaurants to insure I hit my protein macros. Since we are only eating a couple times per day, it’s very important to get a big serving of protein. Protein is highly filling and super important in building and maintaining muscle. If I go to a restaurant like Chipotle, I will often order a double or even triple order of meat. When eating out, it’s best to go with meals that are easy to track and calculate. Often, rice/pasta dishes are much higher in carbs than one would expect or is even noted online. You see, they will use a standard serving size for their nutritional information, but often serve more than their standardized sizes. That’s why I prefer to order a big serving of meat and a baked potato. For meat, it’s best to opt for lean cuts of meat like sirloin steak, flank steak, and chicken instead of options like ribs, pork, t-bones and rib-eye steaks. (Of course, you can have those fattier cuts once in a while. But in no way, should it be the basis of your daily plan.) If the nutritional information is not available, I recommend you simply eye-ball it. Try and match the protein and carbs serving to what you would normally eat/cook if you were to hit your calories/macros. Contrarily, if you do go over your calories/macros eating out - you can plan for that. This is as easy as making your second meal much lower in calorie. Let’s say for example your target calories are 2,200 and you ate a 1,400-calorie restaurant meal. In this example, you'd have 800 calories left. Or, say you fit in a serving of fruit as well. That would mean you would just have 700 calories left. Therefore, you could have some scrambled eggs with 2-3 whole eggs and half a cup of egg white. You could have a buttered english muffin or a couple pieces of toast. This would be in the ballpark of 500-700 calories - just what the doctor ordered