I think one of the hardest things to do is eat well. And breaking bad habits are hard as hell. And having a construction job makes it even worse since I don't have a steady place I can bring a lunch to throw in the fridge and heat up at lunch time.
So any fitness gurus out there mind giving your 2 cents on what to eat while watching your weight/excersizing?
Also, people that work in an office, do you pack your lunch or eat out? If the former, what do you usually take?
Hey Demik:
When I started my dieting/exercise, I made up a few rules. This is what I did, and for the most part, I still keep up with it.
1> Avoid pre-processed foods.
Of course this can't completely be avoided but I try to cook with fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables. I don't buy microwave meals, lots of canned foods, etc.
2> Cook my own food and completely stop eating fast food.
This ties in with 1. I learned to cook my own food and made it a hobby. When you have control over what types of ingredients, the amount of oil, sugar, and the kind of meat that you're eating, you're much better off. I cut out fast food entirely as it's completely unhealthy for the most part and it doesn't taste that good to me.
3> Use Splenda instead of sugar.
I use splenda in my coffee, I use it when I make smoothies, milkshakes, even desserts. If you use it for a while instead of sugar, you can't tell the difference.
4> Eat my largest meal in the morning.
I basically switched dinner to breakfast. Because I eat mostly Asian food anyway and am used to eating rice and meat for breakfast, this wasn't difficult. But I remember hearing that it's healthiest to eat your biggest meal in the morning so that's what I did. Now that I run almost every day or bicycle, by the time I get home I'm completely starved anyway.
5> Replace potato chips, cookies, and other snacks with fruit and vegetables.
I love to snack but used to eat anything, snack cakes, potato chips, whatever. Nowadays I still snack a lot between meals, but it's baby carrots, apples, bananas, mango, lychee, you name it.
6> Don't eat before going to bed.
This was a must for me. I used to eat sandwiches, leftovers, whatever just before bed. I stopped doing that completely. I do still drink beer at night. A lot of people said you can't drink and lose weight. I drank beer throughout my diet, I still think you can in moderation and as long as you continue to exercise.
7> Bring my lunch to work.
I started bringing my lunch to work. I still bring the same two things and it's been over two years. I bring a massive salad with baked chicken w/ a side of light dressing (you can eat almost as much of this as you'd like as long as you cut out the croutons and the bacon bits). I also make vegetarian tortilla wraps with either hummus or some other kind of beans with pickles and a container or light yogurt on the side.
8> Drink diet soda
I like drinking soda. I hated drinking diet soda. Just like anything else, you do it enough, you can't tell the difference.
8> Reward myself once in a while.
Once a month or so of consistent diet and exercise, I go to and absolutely destroy a buffet. There's nothing wrong with rewarding yourself once in awhile.
9> Spice it up.
When I started cooking my own food, I thought it tasted bland because it wasn't fatty, oily, or greasy. That is all learned, and had to be unlearned. I started making my food super spicy instead. Now I can eat with Thai people, as hot as they like it, and it doesn't bother me at all.
10> Continue exercising.
This is probably the most important part. Consistent exercise. I started by walking, did it everyday. Now I run 6-8 miles a day, or bicycle 22-24 miles, and I do that six days a week.
Hope this helped...
