You Need a Great Grocery List for Optimal Progress

A good grocery list will help you to execute your weight lifting diet perfectly.

I will help you with building your weight lifting diet plan — the WLC System Manual guides you through everything.

Once you have a good diet plan, you can then easily make a great list of items to buy at the grocery.

I went years with only planning my list to cover me for the 5 days during the week.

I would then run out of good foods to cover my diet, and I would run out to Wendy's or Arby's and get me some fast food over the weekend.

I wouldn't eat too bad at Wendy's or Arby's, but I would screw up my diet and I wasted too much money doing this. So, make sure you buy enough food and a good variety at the grocery so you do not run out during the entire week.

Fast food is never a good option. Most meals at more expensive restaurants are NOT good options either. Better than fast food, but not great options!

A Large Variety Of Foods Is Key

You need to have a diet plan with options because you're going to get tired of eating the same meals over and over throughout your weight lifting cycles.

I personally get tired of the same foods rather easy, so I make sure I have a plan for substitutes throughout my diet plan.

Some people can make it by eating the same thing over and over, but I would bet the majority of people want some variety. Plus, a variety of healthy foods gives you an even healthier diet due to the different vitamins and minerals in the different foods.

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day because my wife always fixes me something different to eat that fits in my diet.

I love dinner and always look forward to it because many of my other meals are usually the same thing unless I decide to make a substitution. Always have some meals that you look forward to eating.

It keeps you sane throughout the entire weight lifting diet and keeps you on track. No one wants to dread eating their meals. When you're trying to build muscle, you're going to have to eat a HUGE amount of food and vareity is key to not get sick of eating food.

Plan Your Grocery List Around The Protein Source

The protein source is the center piece of every meal. Ensure you are getting a good source of protein. Whey protein can make this easier for meals that you won't have time to cook, prepare, or even warm up if you prepare them before hand.

Whey protein can easily be gulped down in a matter of seconds.

Good sources or protein include beef, egg whites, whole eggs, chicken, fish, cottage cheese, meats from the deli, turkey, pork, shrimp, tuna, milk, whey protein, other protein powders, and any healthy and lean meats.

Real milk does a body good.

Don't let anyone fool you about milk. Serious bodybuilders may want to think about cutting milk out completely (due to the sugars) around their competition times, but most weight lifters will not be able to tell a difference by cutting milk out of their diets. I love milk and drink lots of it.

The best milk is REAL MILK from grass fed cows. You won't find this type of milk in ANY grocery stores. You would have to find it locally from a small farm.

And the government has even made it illegal to buy for some people. Make sure you get good milk from someone you trust as it could have dangerous bacteria if the farmer did not take proper precautions.

I buy two gallons of milk a week and always have 2-3 cups of milk for breakfast. Milk is a good source of extra protein if you can handle it. Remember, milk does have some extra carbs and fat in it so be careful how you use it in your diet. It could make a difference.

Bring On The Beef For Your Grocery List

Beef is my favorite protein source. I use it in more than half my meals in a day. I love to go out and have a really good steak every once in a while. I also like to buy some good cuts of steak at the grocery, marinade them, and grill up outside when the weather is nice.

Many times I won't care how much fat is in the steak because I only eat some grilled vegetables with the steak. If the weather stinks or I'm in a hurry, I will throw my steak in the Rocket Grill.

The best beef comes from grass fed cows. Cows are meant to live off grass — not grains. You can usually buy grass fed beef from a local farmer. If you have any farms nearby, contact them and see if they sell beef or know another farmer that might sell beef.

Make sure they feed thier cows grass or hay in the winter months and not grain all the time.

Your Carb Choices Will Make Or Break Your Diet

Your grocery list should only contain good carbs. You will stick to only your grocery list when you go to the grocery. Get that in your head.

Do not buy those extra products that you don't need. You'll do it the right way at the grocery and you'll have no temptations at home.

Avoid those temptations at the grocery.

If you have kids that want a few of those treats, then you'll just have to have some willpower and realize that eating any of those treats is doing nothing good for your body or health.

If you don't feed your kids unhealthy treats, they won't want them. Your progress will stop dead in its tracks if you cave in to any tempations. Don't use your kids as an excuse to buy bad foods either. The kids don't need that garbage either.

Make your kids eat healthy most of the time. They will thank you later in life. Nothing is more important than one's health. Your grocery list should reflect this.

You're going to want to have a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. After that, you can add in some whole grains if there's a place for it in your diet. Most weight gain diets will need some carb sources that are high in calories, such as rice, oats, cereal, and pasta.

Get Those Veggies in Your Weight Lifting Diet

I want you to make sure to get your veggies in first before adding any other carbs to your diet or your grocery list. Make up a big bag of veggies for every day and eat them with all your meals.

Put some raw broccoli, carrots, green peppers, red peppers, cucumbers, and more in the ziplock bag and put it in your lunch cooler.

You'll learn to love the taste of veggies and you'll appreciate what they do to your physique. You can eat as many of these veggies as you want. No limit on these for any diet. I love my veggies.

Fruits are important too.

Don't let anyone out there fool you. Unless you're a body builder getting ready for a competition and you want the judges to see every minute detail of every muscle in your body, fruits are not going to hurt you.

Fruits are your friend, and I really can't believe they have been put down by so many people out there just because they are a carb source.

Crazy people. Fruits are an awesome source of nutrition.

Put some fruit on your grocery list if it fits with your diet plan and you have room for the extra calories from fruits. Make sure you are getting your veggies in first. I like to add bananas and apples to my diet. I also like strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, and certain melons. A good plum is one of my favorite fruits.

You can pick whatever fruits you like and might even want to make them a dessert for your meals. Try a good variation of fruits cut up in a bowl and add just a little fat free cool whip on top. Makes a delicious dessert.

Fats Are Very Important So Get Them On That Grocery List

I usually like to get my good fats in when I have a liquid protein shake as a meal replacement.

It's very easy to add some liquid fatty acid oils to 1-3 liquid shakes per day. Some of these fatty acid oils don't taste too great. Good fatty acid oils are fish oil, flax oil, Udo's choice oil, borage oil, and olive oil along with many others.

Other sources of fat I use for my other meals are going to be nuts I find at the grocery. I like walnuts the most along with sunflower seeds. I then try to mix in some almonds and pecans. I substitute peanuts every once in a while when I get tired of eating the other nuts.

Pistachios are another favorite of mine!!!

Most nuts and seeds are very healthy for you… just get them unsalted and raw. You'll learn to like them better this way too.

What Does My Grocery List Look Like?

Extra Lean Hamburger Meat 96%, 5 pounds
Cans of Tuna, 2 cans
Shrimp, 1 bag
Salmon, 1 pack
Deli Turkey Breast, 1 pound
Shredded Chicken, 1 can
Cottage Cheese, 2 tubs
Chicken Breast, 1 pack
Steak, 1 pack
Eggs Omega 3 enhanced, 1 dozen
Skim Milk, 2 gallons
Pork Tenderloin, 1 long package
Bananas, 2 bundles
Apples, 1 bag
Grapes, 1 bag
Broccoli, 4-5 stalks
Lettuce, 2 heads
Baby Carrots, 1 big bag
Green, Yellow, Red Peppers, 2 packs
Celery, 1 big stalk
Cucumbers, 2
Squash, 2
Quaker Oats Old Fashoined, 1 tub
Brown Rice, 1 small bag
Low Carb Protein Enhanced Tortillas, 1 pack
Green Beans, few cans
Lima Beans, few cans
Peas, few cans
Tomatoes, few cans of various tomatoes
Soups, few cans of various soups
Olive Oil, 1 bottle
Walnuts, 1 bag
Sunflower Seeds, 1 bottle
Peanuts, 1 can
Peanut Butter, 1 bottle
Healthy Salad Dressing, 1 bottle
Fat Free Mayo, 1 bottle
Fat Free Cheese, 1 pack
Swiss Cheese, sliced from Deli

Some of the other fatty acid oils, whey protein, and other supplements I buy online from my favorite supplement companies.

Depending on what I need, my list may be longer or shorter. Sometimes I find new foods that are good and my wife and I will try them.

We try to change up the grocery list as much as possible to add variety so the above list is just an example.

We never get tempted to buy bad foods. Well, maybe every once in a while… But we stick to our list 99 percent of the time.

One last grocery list tip…

Never go to the grocery when you're hungry. Eat before you go.

You'll be less tempted to buy everything in the store, and you'll stick to your list. Get only what's on the list unless you forgot something.