The Plan - Part 1

Ok, so basically this post is actually going to be me responding to some of the questions that have been sent in or posted.  The majority of this post will be in response to the most asked question, "What is your diet and exercise routine?" The Diet part will be today's subject, exercise will be next.

Before I dig in, I want to, again, thank everyone for their comments, questions, and concerns.  I am doing fine, the divorce doesn't bother me anymore (after all it's been two years since we separated), and no, I'm not in a relationship nor am I actively seeking one.  Alright, that should slow down a few emails, I hope.

The Diet

I've actually kept it pretty simple, but it works.  Let me begin with saying that carbs are not to be avoided like the plague.  You needs carbs, just the right type of carbs.  You need protein.  Muscles are protein, and when they need to rebuild after a workout (where fibers are broken), they need protein to do it.  Lastly, and this one some people will scream about is this: you need fats.  Not a lot, and not saturated - but you do need them.

My formula has been simple. With each meal (which I have about 4-5 a day because I'm wanting to gain a lot of lean muscle - i know it sounds like it doesn't make sense, but it does) I'll have a serving of meat (4-6oz, red meat is ok), a serving of carbs\starch (a medium potato, or a cup of brown rice are good examples), and finally a serving of a vegetable (Preferably green like broccoli or kale - the more green, the more chlorophyll, and the higher the benefits).  See? Not bad to follow, and with the right recipes and rotation you never feel full or get tired of the food.

Now to tell you what I've cut out (or I'm trying to) - excess sugar.  In dieting, sugar is the root of all evil.  in 1909 the average person consumed 15g of sugar per day.  Today, it's between 100-120g a day.  I mean a 20oz cola contains 20g of sugar.  Some sugar is ok, but look at the obesity rates from 1909 and from today, especially childhood obesity. A recent study shows that just in the last 50 years those rates have increased ten times their original number. 1000%.  Sugar hides in places you wouldn't expect. Well, we know carbs do get turned into sugar in our body. Some more so than others. Bread.  It tastes great, but it turns into a lot of sugar in our body, especially bread made from enriched\bleached flour (white bread).  That is a carb to use as little as possible, there is very little benefit from it.  Now something that may surprise you is this one - milk.  Milk has added sugar. Processed milk anyway.  It was introduced originally to make milk "taste better" but it also led to higher sales because of America's sugar addiction (and that is exactly what it is).  Also, be careful of sugar-free products that just replaced sugar with HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup).  It's just a different evil with similar effects.

Lastly, if you drink diet colas, stop. Right now.  They are so much worse than any other drink. The combination of phosphoric acid and aspartame should be considered lethal. Read this on what Diet Coke does within an hour of consuming.

Well, that's about it on the dieting side. It's working for me, but that doesn't mean it will work for you.  Like I've said, I've read a LOT of books and studies (formal and informal) and figured out pretty quickly that there isn't a "One Size Fits Most\All" diet, but the skeletal structure of this diet should, in my opinion be a good starting point for you to tweak however you need to.

Just remember: DO NOT SKIP MEALS & STAY CONSISTENT!!

Part 2 is going to be exercise, and 3 will be supplementation.  Been thinking about including a grocery planning\weekly meal prep guide too - let me know if you would be interested.

Until Next Time Dear Readers