Time and time again we’ve all uttered, “I’ll start again on Monday.” Be it travel, a hectic work schedule, school, an event or bout of sickness, many of us begin our week with good intent and execution regarding exercise and nutrition only to abort later in the week. “It’s easy for you to stay in shape Hollis, you live in the gym. But I exist in the real world. I have dinners to go to. If I don’t drink with my boss I’ll miss that promotion. How can I possibly eat clean going out?” EASILY!
While it may seem challenging and even overwhelming ordering healthy choices while on the road, there’s always a way. Nowadays nearly all restaurants will cater to the health-minded individual, many even offering a light section on their menus. (YAY!)
Nearly all restaurant meals start out healthy and it is in the preparation that an otherwise lean meal becomes a high-glycemic, fat-inducing, non-nutritious source of energy that is liable to leave you full, sweaty and depleted for hours. (This is the state I am usually in following one of my famous “cheat meals” that many of you know about.)
General Tips:
Arming yourself with words such as grilled, steamed, baked or broiled are your first defenses for truly having it your way and being able to still fit into those old jeans.
As a paying customer, you have the right to have it your way, so do not hesitate to ask such.
Carry MRP (meal replacement packs – Myoplex or Met-RX) RTD (ready to drink – Lean Body) or bars (Pure Protein or Nitrotech) in your purse, gym bag or pocket so as to keep your blood-sugar levels stable and not give in to sudden binging. (HEY, I’M FAMILIAR WITH THAT.)
Never go more than three hours between meals. Your energy will remain constant and you will actually burn more fat this way provided the meals are clean due to a constant supply of good fuel coming in and the body will thusly dip into stored adipose for energy.
Fill up on near caloric-free foods such as greens, rinsed pickles, egg whites, water, tea and diet sodas. (DIET SODAS? ARE YOU CRAZY?) Good question people. My answer is this: I believe a good jolt of caffeine from these diet sodas used in conjunction with food is a good thermogenic aid and while dieting for national competition and going to bed starving every night, diet sodas saved my soul and delivered me a national trophy. It is the high sugar “energy drinks” that offer empty calories and result in heavy crashes that I do not advocate.
Do visit fast food restaurants. (WHAT?!) Yes, fast food coupled with wise choices will provide clean energy in a fast, cheap and convenient way when on the go. EXAMPLE: Chipotle. My personal meal: Rice bowl, black beans (PINTO ARE PREPARED WITH BACON) chicken breast and salsa coupled with a diet coke. (WAIT! WHITE RICE IS BAD?) White rice is higher on the glycemic index – the rate at which different foods convert to sugar and are thusly stored as bodyfat. Most do not know that when a high gylcemic food is mixed with a lower choice such as black beans, the index as a whole drops!
By the way people, the true way to permanent fat loss is not in low carbs but rather in low glycemic carbs! End of story. I don’t care what Dr. Fatkins advocated…
And for all you drinkers out there…alcohol is alcohol. There is no such thing as Bacardi and Diet Coke yielding zero calories when one gram of sugar contains 7 calories whether in the form of beer or vodka which is nearly twice that of a normal gram of carbs or protein and second behind a gram of fat at 9 calories per gram. (SOME FAT IS NOT ONLY HEALTHY IT IS ESSENTIAL.)
EATING OUT – LET’S KEEP IT CLEAN PEOPLE!
STEAK RESTAURANTS
Order a less marbled cut of beef and opt for top round or flank steak. Or go grilled with chicken or broiled with seafood. Dry baked potato (MAKE SURE THEY DID NOT PRE-SPRAY WITH BUTTER) and steamed vegetable
CHINESE FOOD
Order your favorite dish steamed, ask for brown rice, which many of these establishments now serve and get sauce on the side
MCDONALD’S
Order a grilled chicken salad without cheese or heavy dressing or a chicken breast with lettuce and tomato dry or a plain hamburger
SUBWAY
Order turkey or chicken breast on whole wheat, lettuce, tomato, black olives (good source of fat), pepper chi and mustard. (WHAT ABOUT TUNAFISH?) Good question: Full of mayo!
ITALIAN FOOD
Chicken breast over whole wheat pasta with dry salad. Avoid breads and heavy sauces.
(WHAT ABOUT US VEGETARIAN FOLK?) You guys are weird. I don’t trust anyone that doesn’t eat meat. Just kidding. You’ll have to combine carbs to equal whole and complete proteins. Beans and rice by themselves contain some but lack all of the essential amino acids. Combine them and you have an A+ source of protein. (WHAT DO I NEED PROTEIN FOR?) Good question people. Protein is what our muscles are composed of. By consuming lean choices in protein you will ensure muscle strength and firmness are ever-present.