I thought I would take you guys food shopping, Im about to reveal to you some very sensitive nutritional information, the way I do things isnt for everyone, so I wouldn’t suggest eating this way until you consult a nutritionist.
Ever since the road trip Ive been working out again, nearly everyday, and as of last week, twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening. Ill talk about what Im doing in the gym a little later, but I just wanted to share a VERY important piece of information with you:
Eating habits have a much greater effect on our body condition than exercise.
The problem comes when we fail to educate ourselves about what we are putting into our mouths and eating. I definitely dont want to seem preachy, Im just saying, if you dont like the way you look, start with nutrition instead of hitting the gym to only want to eat more. (More on this later too) Also, Ive been around athletes long enough to know that you really can workout like crazy and look awful at the same time.
Right now my diet consists mainly of something like this:
Wake up, drink two glasses of water- go workout, typically light-to-medium cardio for an hour.
Post Workout Usually around 1030) – A Myoplex Protein Shake (I shoot for 50grams of protein within the first half hour of working out, and Myoplex also has the good carbs for post workout recovery), Ive used Metrex in the past too.
Within about an hour Ill eat a chicken breast sandwich on whole wheat bread, with baby spinach, dill pickle slices and a touch of bbq sauce for flavor. (I essentially “boil’ the chicken breasts, then drain the pan and fry them without any oils- throw them in a container and will eat them over the space of the next 2-3 days.)
Afternoon snack: 1 cup of Cottage Cheese, Apple (or other available fruit), Whey Protein Shake + 5gr Glutamine
1-2 hours later: Late Afternoon meal: Usually white albacore tuna in a whole wheat pita, with tomatoes, hummus and baby spinach
Pre-workout: Myoplex Shake, Ill hit the weights and do another hour of cardio
Post workout: Syntha 6 Protein Shake + glutamine
Dinner: One of the following: Either: 1. Another Chicken sandwich on whole wheat, 2. 8 scrambled egg whites or tuna 3. occasionally a steak + sweet potato at Outback if Im in the mood to splurge.
An hour before bedtime: Whey protein Shake & 1 banana
I also supplement with vitamins, a tablespoon of olive oil 2x a day and if I ever feel the need for sugar I typically eat fruit. I try to eat it fresh, but if Im in the mood for ice cream I eat frozen: Blueberries, Raspberrys, or Grapes. They taste more like candy to me frozen.
Im weighing in at about 240 right now (without trying to be conceited…I look fantastic) my abs came back strong last week and to minimum maintain my muscle mass I need to be eating about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. At the same time, I am trying to lose another 5 lbs of fat (about 2%).
Typically when I do this routine I drop 20-30 lbs in a month, but last time I did this I lost some muscle so I am trying to be a little more careful. I believe my ideal weight when Im all dialed in (meaning in a healthy day to day way, not contest weight) is between 230 and 240. Im not doing any contests or anything, just want to be more careful about what I eat and be more healthy in general. I do this about once every six months and then let up.
In any event, I am definitely planning a photoshoot in a few weeks, so yes, you definitely will see whats going on! Ill be posting some more information about how I workout and where you can learn more about how to eat better.
I see you like to bargain shop at Wal-Mart. My cart always looks similar to yours, packaging wise, not so much as healthy as yours though!!!
Thanks for sharing this. There is a balance to life well being and mental fitness given how hectic our lives can be. This is very important and I am guilty of not being persistent and appreciate your reminder that we need to take time out to take care of ourselves and can’t expect our bodies to keep up all the time.
I want to know when the Michael Andrew workout instructional video comes out.
I love dieting too. love staying in great shape.. i also run with the players. Used to, anyway…damn lane kiffen. Anyway, go UT!
Sadly, I don’t have the perserverence – and it’s totally just me caving, no real excuses! My husband does SOOO much better. I never had a weight problem growing up, not until after I had kids, now I wish I could lose 15lbs…oh, lets be honest – 20 🙂 The eating vs workout comment is really helpful though, very encouraging, especially since I end up spending so much time at the computer everyday! I’m sure your photoshoot will be Great – great idea for motivation too!
forget how awesome you look, ARE YOU WEARING PANTS!!!!!!! :)!!
Whoa… MA in pants??? Must be getting cold outside! Or else he’s really far behind in laundry and they were all he had left.
Believe it or not, me wearing pants was my Halloween Costume too! I don’t think anyone caught on….
Love the shot from the shelf. I have been eating better the last month since I found out I’m diabetic. my family was sick and I didnt get it. I think the proper eating and rest saved me
Michael, why are you using both Myoplex and Syntha-6?
Carb Amount and Taste – Myoplex has more and is enough to be considered a small meal, Syntha-6 has less carbs and is absolutely delicious. Whey protein has almost no carbs, so between the three I have various options of supplementing my protein with diff amounts of carbs. I like Myoplex after workouts because I need the carbs.