Adding Chipotle to the diet, especially when you're on a journey towards weight loss might not seem like the wisest thing to do, but for a Florida man, the experiment turned out to be a blessing.
Tyler Marinelli, 26, ended up losing 20 pounds and curbing his body-fat down from 30, to 22 percent by incorporating Chipotle into his diet on a daily basis, for three months. And what is the diet, you ask? Think regular work-out friendly diet including egg whites, beans, yogurt with a dash of Chipotle rice and chicken.
The sales manager from Parkland, Florida shared his surprising journey on a Reddit post, sharing exactly what he ate and how he exercised simultaneously to achieve the weight-loss. Speaking to MensHealth.com, he gave an account of his journey in details.
"I would eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and however much of it I wanted," he shared with the outlet.
His particular diet regime followed a combination of intermittent fasting and macronutrient tracking – wherein he allowed himself to eat everything he wanted in an eight-hour window, but fasted for the next 16 hours.
Since Chipotle was one of his favourite fast food joints, he thought of incorporating the same into his diet and after gaining a better understanding of the nutrients, he stuck to chicken and rice, to compliment the other things he was eating through the day.
"I knew that if I just ate [chicken, rice, beans], I could fit it into my macros and enjoy the diet a lot more while still losing weight," he said. But at the same time, he ensured he was eating 1,800 calories on days he was working out. On his rest days, it was 1200 calories.
But speaking to MensHealth.com, Susan Berkman, RD, also shared that this particular diet is not that conducive for weight loss in the long-term.
"This diet is extremely high in protein, with no mention of any fruits or vegetables," she explained. "While eating this way is technically calorie-controlled for weight loss, it is not a balanced eating plan and could lead to long-term complications and nutrient deficiencies."
These nutrient deficiencies are particularly the lack of calories, which could lead to a reduced metabolism. Slower metabolism means the body is burning fewer calories, which can make it harder for it to both lose weight and keep it off in the long term too.
