Another great day in Prep-ville! I’d compare my current state of mind to the weeks leading up to graduation from college. My days, nights, weekends were packed full of activities and responsibilities. I remember thinking and worrying what I would do with my time when graduation was over. A 9-5 job would hardly compare to my schedule in college. And now, here I am, waking up at 5am. Spending every free minute and hour on something related to contest prep. My list of ideas for post contest is getting longer. I will certainly need to find something to fill my time almost immediately. Right now…watching Thursday night football…I should seriously consider spending more time on my fantasy leagues.
I do know that many things will stay the same after the contest. Food for example. Crazy thing about me and food…I’ve been a ‘clean eater’ for almost 4 years now. And in that time I’ve lost and gained a fair amount of weight through cycling. Let me explain….eating clean doesn’t make you lose weight. I ate clean and gained 40 pounds in about 9 months. Folks….you can eat clean and still gain weight…or shall I say gain lean muscle mass. Big difference between the two! I can also say that I ate clean and lost 50 pounds in 4-5 months. So what’s the difference? Balancing macros…proteins, carbs, fats. I posted my eating plan a few weeks ago. Very heavily concentrated on protein and fat. If I was to post my off-season eating plan it would include not much more food, but greater balance between the macros. I could never buy in to a low-carb diet…until I tried it myself. Understanding how my body responded to 25 grams of carbs compared to 150 grams of carbs transformed my shape and gave me the knowledge I needed to get as shredded as I am today.
I’ll add the disclaimer here…only because the next time I don’t eat clean someone will see me and call me out on it…I do not always eat clean (contest prep is the exception). Having a cheat meal or cheat day or the occasional slice of cake to celebrate a birthday is certainly ok. It can actually help you. Eating junk once a day or every other day or multiple times in a day is not helping! I can eat my way lean…but I can’t spend enough hours on an elliptical burning off a day’s worth of poor eating!
My guide to eating clean is pretty simple. Here are the rules I follow:
- Limit processed food. Read the label – If you can’t pronounce it…don’t eat it.
- Know what you’re eating. Track the food you eat in an online nutrition guide. Start understanding how many grams of carbs are in the food you eat. It keeps you accountable and it educates you on why those last 10 pounds aren’t coming off!
- Define your portions. You can have ice cream…you can not have 3 cups of ice cream.
- Identify clean carbs:
- Brown rice.
- Oatmeal.
- Gluten-free bread.
- Whole grain food.
- Identify clean proteins:
- Lean beef.
- Chicken.
- Tuna.
- Whey protein isolate.
- Bison.
- Eggs.
- Cottage cheese.
- Identify clean fats:
- Almonds, walnuts (unsalted).
- Natural peanut butter.
- Fish or fish oils.
- Olive oil.
- Eat your veggies. Green veggies are the best. They are good for you and help make you feel full.
- Find dessert. Everyone loves dessert or some food that they crave and can never get enough. During contest prep…my dessert is coffee. If ever I am feeling down or want to reward myself…I head to the coffee shop as my payoff. Find something healthy to make as your ‘dessert.’ A spoonful of natural peanut butter is like gold right now!
- Cheat! Mentally I can tell myself ‘no’ to eating bad food if I know there is a cheat meal in sight. It’s a mind trick I use to keep focused.
- Plan ahead! There is only one way I could sabotage my eating clean plans….not being prepared! Cook a week’s worth of chicken, pack your lunch each night, take an extra 10-15 minutes to think about what you need before you go to the store (and make a list) and even create a menu (posted on the fridge) of what you’re planning on eating at every meal.
- Don’t be afraid to eat out! It’s almost habit to look at a restaurant’s menu before I head anywhere. It’ll never be exactly as you want, but you can always ask for healthier versions (no salt, no butter, substitute items, etc.). I try to eat something before I head out just so I’m not tempted by the basket of rolls or sucked in to getting dessert. (This rule doesn’t apply to a cheat meal)!
No comments:
Post a Comment