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Man Claims He Lost 20 Pounds Eating Chipotle Every Day

Chipotle Dreamstime
Elizabeth Licata|

Chipotle is not often regarded as a place to go for diet food, but one Florida man is going viral this week for saying he lost 20 pounds and 8 percent body fat after eating at Chipotle every day for three months.

In a now-viral post on Reddit, 26-year-old Tyler Marinelli shared a before and after photo and explained that he'd dropped from 172 pounds to 152 pounds in three months by lifting weights three days a week and following a meal plan that involved intermittent fasting and a daily trip to Chipotle.

Marinelli explained that he only ate during the eight-hour period between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. and fasted the rest of the day. On days he worked out, he would eat 1,846 calories a day, and on rest days he would eat 1,200 calories a day.

Marinelli says he does not like cooking, but he loves Chipotle. So he ate Chipotle chicken every day. He told Reddit that he would go to Chipotle and order two bowls, one with three orders of chicken, and the other with three orders of rice. He said that at his local Chipotle, the order came out to $7 for the chicken, and the bowl of rice would be free. Then he'd take the food home, weigh it, and divide up the portions himself and add black beans.

Marinelli is not the first fan to develop a daily Chipotle habit. An Ohio man named Bruce Wayne recently went 500 days straight eating only at Chipotle, but he did not report losing any weight on his meal plan.

Men's Health asked registered dietician Susan Berkman if the Chipotle diet were healthful, and she noted that it was a high-protein diet with no apparent fruits or vegetables.

"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," she explained.

Berkman says she normally advises a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, like a Mediterranean-style diet. For more healthful ways to eat at home, check out these 50 healthy dinners you can make in your slow-cooker.

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