How I Eat Now: 5 Things I've Started Doing To Be a Little Healthier
As I've mentioned in the past, I am a naturally fat man that has to do unnatural things to try to keep that unfortunate situation from getting out of control. When trying to drop weight and stay fit, I've learned (the hard way) that what I eat is just as important if not more important than the workouts that I try to get in each day. That's a major bummer because I really, really like to eat.
1. More Veggies & Less Meat
By definition I identify more as a carnivore than omnivore. There are many times when a meal for me could easily consist of a dozen or more chicken wings and a few beers. I'm that guy. Many people have a sweet tooth, I on the other hand have a fried chicken tooth. Having said that, I recognize that it's a shit idea if I want to avoid diabetes and obesity.
2. Beans As A Major Protein Source
Since I reduced the amount of meat that I eat, I needed to supplement my protein intake and legumes where the heir apparent. The problem is that I'm not a huge fan of beans. Unfortunately that doesn't matter. I have to eat them. They're good for me, super healthy and a great source of protein. I usually eat lentils, navy beans and black beans. The rest of the bean family can Fuck off as far as I'm concerned.
3. Cheat Day
One day per week (Saturday usually unless it's football season, then it's Sunday) I eat and drink whatever I want. No restrictions. I've learned that this is critically important for many great reasons not to mention my sanity. I need to binge and eat pizza, beer, pasta, ice cream and burgers from time to time. Life's too short to NEVER eat for pleasure. God bless cheat day!
4. Eating the same few things every day
I'm a foodie, plain and simple. I love good food and with the amount of travel that I do for work, I get to visit many different cities and enjoy the good eats. It's a problem. I often over eat and it's usually all the worst foods. I get to eat for enjoyment on Saturdays. The rest of the week it's all business.
I start the morning with a protein shake and a large glass of water shortly after waking up. After my work out I eat eggs and veggies. This comes in a few different forms but it's always the same thing. Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and peppers. When at home I eat mini egg soufflé's and when I'm on the road it's an omelet. (When I'm in a rush and don't have time for a sit down breakfast, I get a few of the egg white delights with no cheese from McDonalds and just eat the eggs.
The soufflé is easy to make in advance. I cook my veggies with Pam and then put them in a muffin pan and pour the eggs over them and bake them. I usually eat two "muffins" for breakfast. The egg mixture that I use is mostly egg whites. It's a 2:1 ratio of whites to a whole egg.
Lunch at home is usually sautéed kale and garlic (cooked in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil) with little white navy beans. I usually prepare this in advance and portion it out into small containers and keep them in the fridge. A few minutes in the microwave and I'm good to go. I eat about 4 cups of the kale (cooked) and about a half cup of the beans. It's surprisingly filling and packed with nutrients.
Dinners vary but is made up of either chicken breast or white fish and lots of veggies. Veggie favorites for me include broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach and roasted Brussel sprouts. For snacks during the day I eat hard boiled egg whites, a pre cooked lentil, mushroom and garlic concoction that's not half bad and steamed edamame to name a few things.
5. Water, Coffee & Wine Only (During The Week)
This is pretty simple and self explanatory. I have a large coffee every morning and yes I add a little cream (Some things are just not worth giving up) and no sweetener.
The rest of the day it's water only. I keep it interesting with sparkling water often but that's it. At dinner I indulge in no more that 2 glasses of red wine. Yes, pretty much every day.