I knew when I started exercising, that I would at some point have to get serious about my diet. I love pizza, pasta, steak, and all yummy things to eat; especially ice cream. Well, after three years, it's time.
After talking with a Jon at Max Muscle in Placerville, I took an inventory of my daily food intake to analyze how much sugar I was taking in each day. Know what, I was eating a LOT of sugar every day. Oh my! It freaked me out how much I was eating. From the brown sugar in my morning oatmeal, to the 5g to 20g in each item I ate like low fat yogurt, to Grape Juice, to my evening ice cream fetish; I was a sugar zombie.
So last Monday, I cut my sugar intake by 75% which wasn't hard to do. I stopped the brown sugar in my oatmeal, stopped the mid-day cookies, and the evening ice cream. I replaced the brown sugar in my oatmeal with Agava Nectar along with high protein supplements. I also started eating about every 3-4 hours so my stomach always has something in it and I never feel hungry. Actually, the mid morning and afternoon snacks are basically high protein shakes which keep my stomach feeling full while providing fuel for my muscles. Lastly, I cut the size of my lunch and dinner portions; this was the challenge for me.
I have to travel a few times a week for business and eating while traveling is always a challenge. Chipotle is a favorite stop, but their meals are at least 800 calories which is way too big for one sitting. So I have to drop the flour tortilla and eat just the contents, but that is still 500 calories.
I was always told that you shouldn't fill up just before bed, but this is wrong. Lean meat and the proper protein (no sugar) for dinner and a late night snack are OK; just not too much. Oh yeah, drastically reduce the pizza and pasta intake as it will convert to sugar while resting. That's how God created our bodies, store up for a time of famine which we never experience here in the US.
It's assumed that I'm exercising at least five times a week. Cardio walking is key, but I switched it around too. More about that next time.
