A big part of keeping weight off and staying in great shape comes down to my diet.
I’ve talked before about how removing (or drastically reducing…) my reliance on white carbs in my diet radically transformed my energy levels, my ability to moderate how much I ate, and ultimately my weight.
Changing diet is always easier said than done. I’d created a habit over ten years or more of eating certain foods. Even if I knew I wanted to change, overcoming that comfort zone and learned behaviour was daunting.
As with all parts of my daily routine. Changing my diet needed to be super simple and super easy to achieve.
Once I knew what I wanted to do (reduce my intake of white carbs) I needed to work out the simplest and easiest way of achieving this .
In summary:
- I stopped buying white carbs (potatoes, bread, pasta, cereals etc).
- This forced me to look for alternatives to fill my meals.
This did a couple of things. It removed temptation to cheat because I simply didn’t have the white carbs in my fridge and cupboards. And it drove me to think creatively about how to make enjoyable meals with different ingredients.
My daily meal plan has ended up looking something like the below:
Breakfast:
- 2x boiled eggs
- 1x apple
- 1x carrot
- 2x coffee (sometimes with cream…)
Occasionally I add some cheese to this if I’m really hungry. But more often than not, the above on its own is satisfying and gets me through to lunch easily without needing to snack.
Lunch – Salad that includes…
- Chicken breast
- Lettuce
- Baby tomatoes
- Cheese (cheddar normally)
- (I might throw in some other bits and bobs like cucumber, carrot etc.
- sometimes I add a super simple dressing (olive oil, pepper, mustard).
I basically chop all the above up and mix it together. One of the main reasons I like the above is that I can put in a tupaware and take into work.
I found trying to buy lunch during the day resulted in too many temptations and often expensive alternatives. It’s tasty, satisfying, and keeps me going through to the evening no problem.
Evening meal
- Meat (normally chicken or fish but also beef and lamb)
- 2x vegetables at least (normally broccoli, carrots, green beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, peppers).
I’m typically eating this at about 7:30pm – 8pm. This is where I would have previously had a huge portion of pasta or potatoes. I found the easiest way to remove these was to basically cook the meal I’d normally have, but exclude these white carbs.
So for example:
- Spaghetti bolognaise became… bolognaise with vegetables.
- Steak and chips became… steak and vegetables.
- Roasted potatoes became… roasted sweet potatoes.
This was actually very easy to do and also didn’t feel like a massive change. This limited the emotional resistance I experienced with the new approach.
Treats and snacks
Sometimes I need a bit more. Maybe I’m just a bit hungry or I might have done some exercise that triggers an appetite. This doesn’t really happen more than once or twice a day.
My go to snacks include:
- Cheese
- Carrots
- Fruit (especially blueberries and raspberries)
A slice of cheese I have found to be very effective at satisfying the urge to snack. Eating fruit also brings balance to what I’m eating.
My experience is that sometimes just the action of eating something small can be enough to satisfy the urge to eat.
Water
Drinking lots of water throughout the day is something I’ve done for years. It keeps me hydrated which helps me stay focused throughout the day. It’s a really important part of my diet.
Something I’ve learned is that if I have the urge to snack, before I do anything else I have a glass of water. I’m still surprised how this often quenches my appetite. Maybe I was just thirsty.
Cheat days
I don’t really have cheat days. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a day here and there where I might have pizza, or roast potatoes, or a pasta dish. (For example, if I am with friends or at a restaurant my choice might be limited…).
My approach is about having a core routine that means most of the time I’m eating what I want to eat. I’m satisfied so I don’t really want to cheat.
But if I want or need to eat something different it’s not a big deal. I know I have a strong foundation and that gives me flexibility whilst still being true to what I want to do.
Shifting my diet was one of the most transformational changes I’ve made in my life.
