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 Zuzka (BodyRock.tv) – Zuzana (aka Zuzka) is one of my favorite fitness people. I think she’s in incredible shape, and has a perfect female figure (in my opinion). Her diet has changed slightly here and there, but her current philosophy is to follow Michael Pollan’s eater’s manifesto from the book “In Defense of Food“. That manifesto is posted right here on this site. It’s “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

“Food” means things that have a very short ingredient list, or better yet, have no ingredient list at all. Zuzana also takes a protein supplement, fish oil supplement and greens supplement.

Here’s a post about what she and her BodyRock.tv partner Freddy eat in a typical day. Now, this was at a time when they were trying to eat veggies and protein at every meal. I know that’s changed to a more balanced, relaxed, Michael Pollan approach and I don’t think they’re are as strict about what they eat and when.

I do know they eat very clean and only occasionally indulge in sweets and desserts. I believe they try not to eat many carbs. At one point, they mentioned eating carbs only in the morning, or within 2 hours of working out, but again, that approach has changed slightly.

As far as fitness goes, Zuzana does a short, but intense workout each day, 5-6 days a week and takes one day off for rest and / or has 1-2 days of active rest (bike riding, hiking, house cleaning, etc.). Zuzka says she only does the workouts from her site (there’s no extra weight training at the gym), which use interval training for maximum fat loss.

Whatever Zuzka is doing, it is definitely working! Don’t you think?

Zuzka diet synopsis: 
- Yes to carbs, but in small quantities and mostly in the morning (possibly? Not sure if that’s still true)
- Yes to clean foods (avoid boxed, packaged “food”)
- Yes to a balanced approach to eating
- Yes to meat, but smaller portions

I saw an interview where Jillian Michaels basically said that it’s all about the calories! You need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. So, I put Jillian’s philosophy as “Calories, calories, calories.” Except, as you’ll read later, it is important to avoid junk food! (Duh?)

So, let’s see what Jillian eats in a typical day. This is from an interview from Self.com.

Breakfast: To start the day off right, Michaels stocks up on carbs for long-lasting energy. “Breakfast is usually whole-grain Ezekiel English Muffins with almond butter,” she says. “And I eat two whole English Muffins, about 500 calories.”

Lunch: “For lunch, I’ll usually have some sort of fish and veggies,” says Michaels, who usually eats with her Biggest Loser contestants. “Salmon carpaccio and a vegetable or salad. But if it comes with cheese, I won’t eat the cheese.”

Snack: For a quick afternoon pick-me-up, “I’ll have hummus and carrot sticks or chips and salsa or an orange and raw almonds or Brazil nuts,” she says. “A little bit of protein and a little bit of carbs.” No matter what she’s munching on, you can bet it’ll be the healthiest option. “The things that are in Doritos! That thing is like a cancer wafer. I’ll pass. I’ll have baked corn chips instead.”

Dinner: “I try to cut out carbs whenever possible,” Michaels says of her final meal. “And I eat organic whenever possible. I work with organic chefs who help me on my website and we create recipes and test them out. I eat fish a lot.”

Other: “I try to get my dark chocolate in somewhere throughout the day,” she admits. “I have to have it. I work it into my calorie allowance and I will always have 200 calories of chocolate…always!”

This is from Washingtonpost.com:

“I actually do not believe in a one size fits all approach to diet / nutrition. Here is the deal, all these fad diets: South Beach, The Zone, Atkins, Pritikien etc. are nothing other then a reinvention of the macro-nutrient ratio. Macro-nutrients are FAT, CARBS, PROTEIN.

For example: Atkins is all protein and fat with no carbs. Pritiken is all carbs, no fat with some lean protein only. The Zone is equal portions of carbs protein and fat. All these diets are doing is reinventing the wheel to sell you something.

The truth is that you are as unique on the inside as you are on the outside. That is why some diets will work for some people and not others. In order to figure out what is the best macro-nutrient ratio for YOU you have to understand how your body processes what you eat. Their is a test on this in my book to help you identify what is the best macro-nutrient ratio for you.

One thing I can tell you definitively about these fad diets is that they don’t tell you the truth. At the end of the day weight loss is math. It’s all about watching your calorie intake and increasing your energy expenditure. ok your thinking, then why not eat garbage and just count calories. The reason I help people identify the ideal foods for them is so they will have more energy, better overall health, and better body composition which helps rev up their metabolism.”

Jillian Michaels diet synopsis:
- Yes to carbs, but earlier in the day – avoid at dinner
- Yes to meat, but mostly fish
- Calories matter, but you can’t eat garbage and just count calories