People keep asking me what I am eating for Ironman training. People keep asking my wife how she got so skinny after having a baby 8 months ago. The answer is the same: we are eating a high fat, low sugar, low refined carbs diet and I can’t state this enough: eating fat will not make you fat. To experiment with this concept, try getting fat on a diet of steak and olive oil. There is no way it can be done. You will find that many more individuals are overweight from high-carb diets. In fact my wife is below her pre-baby weight and has a flat stomach from only breast feeding, walking, a core program, and eating a high fat diet.

I work with athletes in my gym to alter their diets based on their objectives, goals, sports, and the time of year. Athletes that do low-intensity endurance sports consume more fat, which fuels their bodies. Because of my Ironman training, I have been in the process of adding fats to my diet and tricking my body into favoring it as my fuel source. Throughout that process my body as become more efficient at using carbs when given in short supply.

I am not saying that you should replace carb intake with fats. You need some carbs for your brain and to achieve certain goals. I am only saying that as an endurance athlete, you should teach your body how to be efficient with carbs and rely on fats when the carbs are gone. High fat and low refined carb diets with protein are ideal for low-intensity, long-endurance sports.

So what can you add to your diet to get skinny by eating fat? Healthy fats. Here is a list of foods to shop for next time you are at the store. Additionally I should mention my wife and I eat as organic and natural as we possibly can. The fewer ingredients on the label, the better. If we can’t pronounce something, we don’t buy it – and that’s saying a lot because she was a Biology major.

Walnuts
Almonds
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Eggs
Avocado
Whole milk
4% or 5% milk fat cottage cheese

Bon appetite!

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