I’ve been getting this question a lot lately from clients and class participants so I’m finally going to answer it wholeheartedly instead of just in little snippets of vague details.
First of all, don’t think for one second that all trainers are orthorexics who shun the sight of sugar and alcohol and eat under 1,500 calories a day. I know trainers who drink socially, binge on MacDonald’s and indulge their sweet tooth more often than they care to admit.
The last part about the sweet tooth applies to yours truly. Well, at least it did apply to me until 3 months ago. Thirteen weeks ago I decided to kick the sugar and crap foods from my diet. What does this entail? Here’s an extensive outline of my food plan:
LIST OF FOODS I CAN ENJOY AS MUCH AS I WANT:
- Beans (all types)
- Deep Sea Fish (tuna, marlin, halibut, sea bass, wild pacific salmon)
- Unsweetened Soymilk
- Eggs
- Chicken & Turkey
- Raw or soaked Nuts and Seeds (except cashews, peanuts and pistachios)
- Stevia (herbal sweetener)
- All Vegetables that are not overly sweet or starchy
- Garlic
- Soybeans
- Flax oil, Extra-virgin Olive Oil, Butter
- Almond Butter (raw preferably)
- Tahini, Soy and other raw nut butters
- Lemons
- Herbal tea (Chamomile & Peppermint)
LIST OF FOODS I ONLY HAVE 2-3 TIMES A WEEK (IN TOTAL, NOT EACH):
- Brown Rice (any kind)
- Whole-grain pasta (rice, kamut, spelt)
- Whole-grain yeast-free Breads
- Organic Oatmeal
- Oat, Spelt, or Kamut whole grains
- Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes
- Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Watermelon
- Red Meat
LIST OF FOODS THAT I DO NOT EAT AT ALL:
- All Pastries, Cookies, Bars, Pies
- All Candies including gum and mints
- Barley, Corn & rice syrup
- Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses
- White, Brown, Date Sugar
- Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, Lactose, Sorbitol
- Cheese, Cow Milk, Goat Milk, Yogurt, Kefir
- Alcohol, Pop, Coffee, Black Tea, fermented beverages & ciders
- Pickles, Olives
- White Crackers, Potato Chips, Corn Chips
- Muffins, Pancakes, Cereal
- Soy Sauce, Relish, Worcestershire, Sauerkraut
- Vinegar, Mustard, Ketchup, BBQ Sauces, Mayonnaise
- Smoked Meats & Fish
- Sausages, Ham, Bacon, Corned Beef, Pastrami, Hot Dogs, Lunch Meat
- Corn
- Peanuts, Cashews, Pistachios,
- Most Fruit, Dried Fruit, Canned Fruit, Fruit Juice
- White Rice, Refined Flours, Refined-grain Pastas
- Hydrogenated or refined vegetable oils
- All Shellfish
Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a permanent thing. I don’t think I could live without my raw-cookie-batter fix every once in a while. My goal is to stick with it for 6 months to give my body a much-needed sugar break and then I’ll slowly start reintroducing treats in moderation. But ideally, I’d like to stick to my plan and hopefully I won’t go back to eating pints of ice cream in one sitting. I hope.
To be completely honest, the toughest week was the very first one. But after the self-pity party it got progressively easier each following week. Amazingly, the cravings subside. Now, you could dangle a Meinhardt’s bird’s nest cookie (my favourite) in front of my face (my sister did at Xmas time) and I won’t even let out a whimper.
And now, since I know you have them, here are some answers to your questions:
No, I haven’t cheated yet. Not once. Really. True story.
Yes, it’s a lot easier than it looks. When you eat good and you feel good, you really just want to keep it up because you know how crappy you feel when you don’t.
No, I’m not starving. In fact, I’ve been eating A LOT.
No, I’m not the perfect eater. I’m still a gluttonous pig. As mentioned above, I’m eating a lot, and often times too much, even though it’s all good for me, which is why I don’t beat myself up over it. But I still need to work on my portions!
Yes, the above list is pinned to my fridge for reference.
Yes, I have been tempted on a few occasions but these occasions consisted of the object of my desire being flung in my face by way of TV commercials or a cruel friend or family member. Otherwise, as the saying goes: “Out of sight, out of mind.” Truly.
Yes, I try and eat organic/free-range/grain-fed, etc. whenever possible. Especially my meat.
No, eating out at restaurants isn’t challenging. This is Vancouver afterall, so every restaurant in this city has at least a couple of dishes consisting of meat with veggies.
Yes, I have a weekly meal plan (also pinned to my fridge) and yes, I follow it. Why? Well, for one, because I don’t want to waste time with preparing/buying/thinking about food any more than I have to and secondly, because I love my food plan! It’s soooo good. I purposely created it so that it consists of all the foods that I LOVE the most (like meat, hummus, guacamole and more meat).
So there you have it. Now you know firsthand what this trainer eats. If you have any other questions or would like to learn more, send me an email at: info@beefbootcamp.com.
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