Bob Harper's Skinny Rules

I'm basically a Bob junkie, but when I got the book I didn't realize that he's no longer a vegan, so a lot of the recipes in the book include meat (I'm a vegan so obviously I was disappointed).

Here are all the rules (I'm really boiling them down, so if you're curious about any of these I would recommend buying the book, because it is an encouraging read:

1) Drink one large glass of water before every meal - no excuses!

2) Don't drink your calories (basically, avoid lattes and sodas and juices because they pack a lot of calories)
-- Drink your calories if you want to... just keep under your TDEE

3) Eat protein at every meal (to keep you full)
4) Slash intake of refined flour and replace it with whole grains
5) Eat 30 to 50 grams of fiber a day to keep your digestive system moving

6) Eat apples and berries every single day (for the nutrients and fiber)
** Eat any form of fruit and vegetable.. not sure why it's apples and berries

7) No carbs after lunch (because carbs are primarily for energy, so if you eat them for dinner and don't workout after dinner, they could compel your body to store fat).
** No... eat carbs whenever you want to. Carbs don't get stored as fat unless you are over your TDEE

8) Learn to read food labels (this section was actually pretty educational)
9) Stop guessing portion sizes (basically, read the portion sizes before you consume a whole bag of chips and find out it was 10 portions)

10) No more added sweeteners (because it wets your palate for sweet-tasting foods. I've actually adhered by this rule and it has really helped to curb my cravings).
** Not everyone needs to cut out sweeteners. A lot of people have no issues with them.

11) Make one day a week meatless

12) No white potatoes
** NOthing wrong with white potatotes

13) No fast food or fried food
* NOthing wrong with fast food or fried food now and again

14) Eat a real breakfast (to jump start your metabolism)
* You would think with him being so into fitness he would have some basic knowledge. This one is false.

15) Eat at least 10 meals a week at home (basically, cook more)
16) Banish high-salt foods
17) Eat your vegetables!

18) Go to bed hungry (stop eating about 3 hours before you go to bed, that way two hours into sleep your body will start burning fat stores)
** Eay when you are hungry. You will still burn fat even if you eat IN bed. Timing makes no difference.

19) Make sure you sleep enough and that your sleep is quality, because it will really help you lose weight and give you energy for exercise.
20) Plan one splurge meal a week where you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want, but only one meal.

Hope that helped!

5) Eat 30 to 50 grams of fiber a day to keep your digestive system moving

8) Learn to read food labels (this section was actually pretty educational)

9) Stop guessing portion sizes (basically, read the portion sizes before you consume a whole bag of chips and find out it was 10 portions)


17) Eat your vegetables!

19) Make sure you sleep enough and that your sleep is quality, because it will really help you lose weight and give you energy for exercise.

These are the only ones that aren't complete nonsense.