Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

[3bnRanger]

I've waited to see if this topic would arise and figured I would be the one to bring it help. I thought we could all contribute to this thread by providing our tactics for shopping, recipes, cooking styles, websites, food selection, etc...etc. to assist those who have limited knowledge and for those who are looking for a change. As many of you know, many times our efforts in the gym are negated by our behavior at the table. To provide some structure I thought we could discuss the above topics but within the following parameters:

1. If you're single, make sure and say so because your diet usually is very different from a family due to prep time and finicky kids.

2. Tell us if you're a family man/woman and what works well for eating clean on a budget and with...let's say two kids.

Obviously, BMR & BMI as well as numerous other factors come into play for different people so keep an open mind.

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

I'm married but my wife and I basically have seperate diets we both cook for one.

I generally cook 6 - 8 chicken breasts on Sunday of whatever the weeks variety is gonna be.

I'll boil a dozen or so eggs, every other week I bother to make deviled eggs.

I add in a couple steaks a week intespaced with salmon or tuna.

I get Adam's peanutbutter and Dave's killer bread for the occasional PB toast with my Whey.

Fry eggs for breakfast or dinner along with a meat and broccoli, yams all that kind of stuff.

I try to keep everything on rotation so that I don't get sick of it. Go through about a tub of cottage cheese every other day or two. Have some almonds or walnuts during the week for snacks.

Also whip up pancake batter out of cottage cheese eggs and ground oats. SO GOOD.

 

[bcw1284]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Single dude here, but other family members in the household (who I try to push helathy foods on as well)
in no particular order, some of my staples:
*lean chicken
*lean beef (steak or very lean ground, just depends on the meal)
*thin cut, well trimmed pork chops
*tuna fish
*tilapia
*mahi mahi
*sliced turkey & ham for sandwiches
*turkish apricots (no sugar added)
*dried cranberries & raisins (in moderation, they are a laxative you know)
*dry roasted peanuts
*roasted almonds
*whole grain bread without preservatives, etc. (flax bread, oatnut, etc.)- usually oroweat since that it the one available locally.
*I snack on the 50cal(orie) cups of mixed fruit, peaches, mandarin oranges (del monte, IIRC. no sugar added!)
*fresh gala apples
*fresh oranges
*I also have a huge pile of organic applesauce cups (fruit punch flavored) that I have yet to finish off. I got them super cheap due to being discontinued at a local store. (just over $1/ 8pk... woot!)
*eggs once/twice a week, I like 'em but I can only eat them so much or I get sick of 'em.
*green beans
*snow peas
*asparagus
*salad mix greens w/ a light ranch dressing
*other veggies from time to time
*brown rice
*cheddar right off the block, in moderation of course. No processed "cheese-like" shit.
*1% milk
*special K red berries cereal, not always for breakfast
*oatmeal, often with fresh fruit added
*For PB I always choose one of the "natural" varieties that doesn't have all the shortening and shit in it. Scudders, smuckers, Adams, whatever is on sale at the time cause i'm a cheap bastard and it's all basically the same.
btw- I just found out that the smuckers natural PB is made on the very same production line as adams, and in my AO it is typically cheaper. YMMV, just putting it out there.
*occasionally will indulge in a diet coke, not more than 3 a week and often less
*green tea a couple times a week because I like it and because it has good anti-oxidants. I know there is a debate about tea, i've been drinking it for years without issues so I say "bah humbug" on the disputes.
*I cook with EVOO exclusively unless a special occasion dictates something else.
That's all I can think of right now. When I go out to eat I try to make healthier choices whenever possible. Fast food = subway most of the time, or even when it's not I skip the fries and go with a diet soda. Restaurants mean I choose fish or a steak, grilled chicken, healthy pasta choices, etc. I always pair it up with salad or veggies on the side for fiber. Sweet potato instead of white potatoes.

I've never paid so close attention to my diet as I have this year, and it has already made a great difference in my overall health and how good I feel. I firmly believe now that all the additives in processed foods really screw with your overall health. Never noticed it until I stopped eating them.

 

[benchmstr]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

i will use my meals from yesterday as a example...

1)10ounces of grilled chicken breast with italian blend salad with olive oil..

2) 2 scoops isopure

3)11 ounce sirloin....salad with olive oil

4)1 scoop isopure, and 1 scoop casein

5)grilled chicken salad (2 chicken breast)with olive oil

6) 1 1/2 scoops of isopure...1/2 scoop of casein...

i eat like this during the week....i throw in 2 carb loading days on saturday, and sunday.....

bench

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Single but eat with roommate and friends.
*Sugarless multi-grain crereal with soymilk, flax seed meal and trail mix or pint of egg whites.
*gym; train with weights two days weekly minimum with a trainer unless experienced
*aerobic two days also, like 4mph, 4%incline, 40mins minimum.
*protein shake.
*two to three hours later; almonds, pumpkin seeds, or cottage cheese.
*ditto; organic peanut butter sugerless jelly and Ezekeil bread sandwich.
*ditto; shake / trail mix.
*ditto; apple, grapefruit, nuts.
*ditto; dinner, grilled steak, baked or broiled chicken, turkey, fish, shrimp, and vegetables, soup.
*Cheat day; Chili, pizza n beer, fried seafood.
*If you have to have cake or pie do it on Sunday?
*Consume a gallon of water daily at a minimum.
*No salt
*No sugar
*Cayenne pepper is the best anti-oxidant one can use.
Two months of the year take a break. Don't work out, and eat what you want.
Don't work out more than five days in a week.
Don't become hungry. Don't over eat.

 

[pistolpete75]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

anything non processed. tuna, chicken breast, low fat red meats, and whey protein are my main protein sources. 1gram of protein per pound of ur weight. eat oatmeal, and limit any types of simple carbs such as white bread and rice. stay away from dairy, no soda of any kind, low salt, low fat, no alcohol. also try to sleep 8 hours a day.

 

[KarlSG]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Any and all meats in large quantities.
Fruit, veg and eggs.
Nothing else.

 

[Highground]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: COURAGEWOLF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm married but my wife and I basically have seperate diets we both cook for one.

I generally cook 6 - 8 chicken breasts on Sunday of whatever the weeks variety is gonna be.

I'll boil a dozen or so eggs, every other week I bother to make deviled eggs.

I add in a couple steaks a week intespaced with salmon or tuna.

I get Adam's peanutbutter and Dave's killer bread for the occasional PB toast with my Whey.

Fry eggs for breakfast or dinner along with a meat and broccoli, yams all that kind of stuff.

I try to keep everything on rotation so that I don't get sick of it. Go through about a tub of cottage cheese every other day or two. Have some almonds or walnuts during the week for snacks.

Also whip up pancake batter out of cottage cheese eggs and ground oats. SO GOOD. </div></div>

PM sent on the pancake batter!

 

[Doc Holiday13]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Start with calorie counting, cutting sugars 1/2-3/4 on intake. Increase your intake of fresh fruit and veggies by 2 fold. That stuff doesn't really need to be counted to calories unless you are eating an entire bag of apples and carrots every day. Cut out beer, soda, liquor, and eating out.(at least till you understand how much you have to work your body to get it out)

Start by keeping a food log for 1 week. Everything!!!. Then sit down and look up nutritional value for each item and total up what you ate. Then adjust your diet as necessary for balanced portions

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

I got quite a few emails on the pancakes so I'm going to post the recipe here:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/fit-pancakes/


Just grind the oats into the consistency of dust with a magic bullet or food processor before blending all the ingredients together to make the batter and you'll have smooth fluffy pancakes taste just like bisquick only with a much better macro profile.

I try to make a bunch on Sunday night and then have them for breakfast twice a week or so.

 

[chain]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

We have a medical condition that just happened in our falily last fall. It woke us up ( myself and Sue my wife ) We eat raw veggies everyday now 2-3 X. Nothing "white" flour, potatoes, pasta. Shitloads of fruit, it is tough because our lat. is 45 degrees. Elk and lean chicken. We have 1/4 of grass feed beef ordered from a local guy who is pretty careful about his cattle and what they eat. I am in the gym for an hour at least 6 days a week,(3 cardio, 3 lift) I follow that with a protein shake each time. We try to Xcountry ski or snow shoe on days off. Thanks for the pancake recipe.

 

[dgwelsh]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

engaged
basically i avoid as much processed food as possible. Summer time we crush the local famers market. We also try not to eat the same thing that often. Variety is the spice of life. Tons of veggies, meat in moderation, lots of nuts and fruit.
Michael Pollan-In defense of Food is a good read on better eating.
But you know sometimes a pizza from dominos is necessary.

 

[fokai_zach]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

engaged,

morning- oatmeal blended up with protein powder
snack- cliff bar
lunch- depends on my night workout (running or bjj)
snack- cliff bar/ banana
dinner- depends on what I will be doing for work out the following morning. (swimming or trx)

I've been wrestling and doing bjj for 10+ years, with my body i know i can eat what ever I want because I will use it up. but on the days i dont train, like this week where I have to study my ass off for an exam, i have to limit the amount of food i take in. as an idea, I weight 150lbs 8% fat 5'5" during training, now because ive been studying for exam for tomorrow i weigh 156-157lbs. my workout for the week consists of running (mon, wed), swimming (tues, thurs), trx (everyday), and bjj (everyday) to keep me at 150lbs this week im only doing (trx). So the amount of fuel i am taking in is greater than the expenditure.

great tips to follow

1. drink lots of water, your body does not know whether your hungry or thirsty

2. take a multi vitamin and 1000mg of vitamin C- I feel sluggish when I miss my dose of this

3. eat every 3 hours. think of your body as a fire place, if you put a lot of wood all at once it will create a big fire and last long then it will be hard to start back up when the flam dies down. If you keep adding wood at a consistent pace, the flame will keep burning at a steady rate. So wood= food you eat, flame= metabolism.

4. check out my friends blog he has a masters in nutrition i believe. http://fitforittraining.com/?cat=3

its a quick rundown, i just got up 10 min ago..

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dgwelsh</div><div class="ubbcode-body">engaged
Michael Pollan-In defense of Food is a good read on better eating.
</div></div>

cool!

 

[FALex]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KarlSG</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Any and all meats in large quantities.
Fruit, veg and eggs.
Nothing else.


</div></div>

I do that as well. I've gone from 335 to 215 in 1 year. Plus, I get to eat as much steak, chicken, pork, etc as I want, and YES< my cholesterol is great.

 

[chain]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Couragewolf pancakes were great . Thanks again

 

[bmt]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Hot dogs, Mac&Cheese, meatloaf, Tacos, Spaghetti, pancakes, peanut butter & jelly.

Yep, Married with 4 kids.

BMT

 

[NBly]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Just have to mention my dislike of FAD DIETS! (low-carb, low-fat....) Yes they work but that's not balanced nutrition and shouldn't be done for any extended period of time.

Cutting BF% should be done by putting the body into a caloric deficit while maintaining a balanced diet, exercising and (if you're a guy) keeping as much muscle mass as possible.

.......25 male not married

 

[CUTRIGHT]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

You fellas ever drink beer?

 

[CUTRIGHT]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Thanks for the pancake idea. Tell me about this PBJ sandwich you mentioned.

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cutright</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You fellas ever drink beer? </div></div>

I try to limit beer to once a week, but sometimes it sneaks in on an off night.

I just try to make sure on those days over everything that I got enough prtoein regardless.

I try to limit myself to a 2 beer max, but living here in Portland I generally drink significantly higher alcohol content beers than most are probably thinking of so considering I generally get a pretty buzz off of that anyhow

If it's going to be a strippers and blow night I'll switch to vodka or gin and tonic and just try to keep it clean.

Nothing with sugar in it the alcohol is already bad enough.

All that said I'm right around 15% bodyfat, and if I ever hope to get to 10 I'll have to cut all this out

For now though I'm fine with it.

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cutright</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks for the pancake idea. Tell me about this PBJ sandwich you mentioned. </div></div>

1 slice Dave's powerseed bread

2 tbs Adams peanutbutter

and 1 cup of ON Whey in water is my on the run breakfast.

It's a little high on fats, but I can make up a fat imbalance throughout the day much easier than a carb imbalance

 

[Stout916]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

Single. No kids.

Keep it simple with foods like baked chicken breasts, lean beef, salmon, vegetables, peanut butter, whole grain breads, oatmeal, greens with little to no dressing, and you should see results within a couple months.

Being single, I keep the meals very simple and plain and don't have to worry about having a fancy meals. So sorry guys no "amazing" recipies here. Just cook it and eat it for me.Lol.

Of course every person is different, but changing diet up just like you would a workout works well for me. Most importantly start watching wand weining your sugar intake during cutting season. My body type is more of an ectomorph, therefore I can take in much more complex carbs than most throughout the day and be fine, but I still have to keep simple ones in check.

Only other thing that has worked well is to eat every 2 to 3 hours and stay committed to this routine. Think of the body as a engine that needs fuel this often. A good bodybuilding quote "I'd rather miss a workout than a meal. Shit, yeah it's that important". Reduce your meal sizes but keep the food coming often and your body will be much more likely to burn fat because it knows it's going to get nutrients in a couple hours, whereas if it has no idea when the next meal is coming, it's gonna go in survival mode and store.

 

[Highground]

Re: Eating Clean....Practically Speaking!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Highground</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: COURAGEWOLF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm married but my wife and I basically have seperate diets we both cook for one.

I generally cook 6 - 8 chicken breasts on Sunday of whatever the weeks variety is gonna be.

I'll boil a dozen or so eggs, every other week I bother to make deviled eggs.

I add in a couple steaks a week intespaced with salmon or tuna.

I get Adam's peanutbutter and Dave's killer bread for the occasional PB toast with my Whey.

Fry eggs for breakfast or dinner along with a meat and broccoli, yams all that kind of stuff.

I try to keep everything on rotation so that I don't get sick of it. Go through about a tub of cottage cheese every other day or two. Have some almonds or walnuts during the week for snacks.

Also whip up pancake batter out of cottage cheese eggs and ground oats. SO GOOD. </div></div>

PM sent on the pancake batter! </div></div>


These were good. Thanks for the info.