So… I’m not one for diets and I’m not one for restriciting what I eat… but I thought I’d try something new. New year and all that. In the last 6 months I’ve changed some of the things I eat, and I’m all together thinking more about what I put into my body (so what I get out – exercise wise – might be better).
I’m in the bad habit of eating the same things most days, and although the things I eat are generally varied, I do have a pattern of having ‘this in the morning’, ‘this for a snack at this time’ and ‘this for a snack at that time’. I think it’s time to see what different types of food do for me.
My diet is quite carb rich, but (I think) it can be / needs to be as I exercise so much. After a morning run/exercise I’ve got into the habit of having porridge AND two slices of toast and a glass of milk. I possibly don’t need to the toast, but it’s become a habit. 🙂
Here’s what I usually have most days:
Porridge, 2x wholemeal toast with jam, glass of milk – breakfast.
Bagel and nutella at half 10am.
Chicken or tuna wrap (plain flour), muller rice – lunch.
Pear or apple – 2:30pm
Pepperoni slices and cheese – 3:30pm
Tracker bar or snack sized mars bar or cashew nuts – 4:30pm
Chicken meal or microwave meal for dinner – 7pm
Pudding – Yoghurt or cereal or something – 7:30pm
Not ideal… 😛
Now, what I’m thinking is – for one to two weeks – to cut it back to reduce my carb intake and increase my protein and fat intake. Put simply – it’s for me to stop eating crap and cut it back to basics… eggs, meat, vegetables, nuts and fruit.
I can eat: | |
Eggs | |
Meat (unprocessed: beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, fish) | |
Tomato or carrot juice | |
Cooked or raw vegetables (not potatoes or corn) | |
Nuts, seeds, nut butters | |
Oils, vinegars, mayo, salsa, mustard, spices | |
Coffee, tea, water | |
Do not eat: | |
Bread, rolls, pasta, pancakes, cereal muffins, chips, crackers, crisps, rice cakes and similar carbohydrate foods | |
Sweets including foods that contain ketchup, honey, sugar. | |
Processed meats | |
Potatoes, corn, rice, beans. | |
Milk, half and half, yoghurt. | |
Diet drinks / soda. |
It’ll be quite a shock to the system I think, but it’ll be good to see how I fair without eating bread, milk, pasta and sweets! I’ll either start it on the 2nd January or the 9th… I’ve still to decide.
A typical days food might look like this:
Boiled Eggs, with bacon & tomato | |||||
Carrot Sticks / Banana | |||||
Tuna salad, with tomatoes, cheese, onions, peppers, nuts. | |||||
Nuts | |||||
Apple / Banana | |||||
Fresh meat & Cheese | |||||
Grilled Chicken, peas, brocolli, beans & salad. | |||||
Cherry Tomatoes |
I think I’ll most probably miss my porridge in the morning, and milk and my snacks… but I’ll see if I can do it anyway. 🙂 Then after it I’ll introduce carbs back in and try and make them the healthy ones! (maybe!)