The Bachelor's Shopping List - The SMARTER Version

Over a year ago I posted some dribble about what I am currently eating and "cooking" to remain lean and healthy.  As I mentioned previously, I've recently gained some long overdue insight in the area of nutrition and "dieting."  I want to share with you my newly revised edition of the bachelor's shopping list.

The same basic rules apply:  I still have no one to cook for me (say it together..."awww, poor guy"), I still can't cook worth a lick, and I still like to make my trips to the grocery store quick and cheap!  Although the cheapness of this list has all but gone away due to the influx of organic foods, the cost is more than worth the benefits! 

I'll give you the staples of my diet and a little insight to why.  Here we go:

1. Organic milk - Refer back to my previous post about the negative effects of regular old dairy.  I used to drink almost a half gallon of homogenized milk a day!  No wonder I have/had so many issues with inflammation.  I only use it in my oatmeal, tea, and coffee.  No more "glasses" of milk of any kind for this guy.

2.  Cage-free brown eggs - I make an omelette EVERY morning with two or three of these bad boys.  Don't worry about the cholesterol in the yolks unless you have severe cholesterol issues.  Research shows that the cholesterol in eggs won't effect you all that much if you exercise regularly and don't have already have high cholesterol.

3.  Organic baby spinach - I put about 1/2 cup in my omelette each day, use it for all my salads, and also top every sandwich (when I eat them) with the stuff.

4.  Organic green peppers - Again, these are added to my daily omelette, tossed in my salads, and on top of my sandwiches.

5.  Frozen mixed berries - If you make protein shakes and don't include these guys, what are you doing???  I'd be lost without them!

6.  Bananas (organic if you can) - They come pre-wrapped and travel like a gem.  Nutritious and convenient!

7.  Nature's Promise organic turkey cutlets - Throw them on the Foreman Grill and use them for a variety of different lunch and dinner options.  They're very thinly sliced and great in salads, wraps/sandwiches or all by themselves with some veggies.

8.  Frozen veggies - Yes the microwavable kind (steaming, grilling, or boiling veggies counts as cooking, so I don't do it).

9.  Natural cheese - OK, this goes against my anti-dairy thing, but I can't have an omelette or a wrap/sandwich without one HALF of a slice tossed in.  I am human.

10.  Orange juice - I know it's loaded with sugar, but a small glass first thing in the morning tastes SO good!

11.  Green tea - No brainer

12.  Newman's Own organic vanilla caramel coffee - Again, a no brainer

13.  Truvia sweetener - I need it in my coffee and/or tea, so I try to keep it "natural"

14.  Organic apples - Almost forgot them...a must have!

15.  Oatmeal - I use Nature's Promise organic rolled oats.  I just add organic milk and pop it in the microwave.  Its actually better tasting than any other regular old oatmeal I've had.

16.  Emerald cocoa roasted almonds - I keep them in my car.  For a quick snack, grab a handful and you'll feel like you just had a dessert!

17.  Skippy natural peanut butter - This is probably my favorite thing on the list.  I include it in EVERY shake and hammer down a tablespoon just about every time I walk past the pantry.

That's really all I can think of right now and I know what you're thinking, "he has to eat more than just this."  I wish I could tell you that I did.  Other than my cheat meals or when I go out with friends, this is sadly about all I eat. I make as many different combinations of meals as I can with the above ingredients and also drink TONS of protein shakes as meal replacements and c'mon I'm a bachelor...I drink a fair share of my calories too :)

Let me know what you think of my new list and let me know what your shopping cart looks like.

You only get 1!

New Year, New Knowledge

It's no secret that the health and fitness industry is a constantly changing,hard to follow discipline.  You can go buy five different fitness magazines right now and there is a great chance you will find contradicting articles in all of them. 

From the way to train, the way to eat, the way to supplement, and the way to recover it seems that there is always some new trend or research to confuse the hell out of us.  How do you know which is right?  More importantly, how do we know which is right for you?

I wish I could give you that answer, but unfortunately I can't.  It takes some time to get to know your body and how it responds to different stimuli.  What works for you won't necessarily work for me and vice versa.  I'm going through the struggle myself right now and I want to share with you some knowledge that I have gained recently that already lead to some pretty exciting results.

Back in May I posted about things I'm currently excited about (currently being the key word).  In this post I'm going to list some new things I'm currently doing in my own experimentation to find the right mix to looking and feeling my best ever. 

I no longer want to be the guy who looks the same as he did three, five, or even ten years ago.  Being able to maintain a healthy weight and decent physique for over ten years is an accomplishment in itself, but my new desire to look and feel amazing over age 30 will take a little bit more attention to detail, focus, and sacrifice. 

Here are a  few things I'm trying that have definitely worked for me thus far and may work for you too:

1.  Increased Fish Oil Supplementation - I used to take 2 grams a day and wandered what the heck it was actually doing for me.  Sure it's great for the cardiovascular system, but I wasn't feeling that result.  The true benefits of proper fish oil supplementation include:  decreased inflammation, lower body fat, better skin, improved brain function, higher sex drive, and better recovery.  I increased my dosage to 6-8 grams each day and I gotta tell you, I've been experiencing ALL OF these benefits.

2.  Decreased (almost eliminated) Dairy Consumption - I used to drink close to a half of a gallon of plain old homogenized 1% milk a day...I now realize how truly harmful that was to my body.  Studies have shown the negative effects of dairy on the body.  Non-organic dairy is extremely inflammatory and has been linked to certain cancers and other illnesses. 

Now to say I went cold turkey and quit dairy all together after drinking as much as I did would be crazy.  I now only include organic milk in my oatmeal, coffee, and tea and stopped eating yogurt (I may consume some organic greek yogurt here and there).  I only recently made this change and can't wait until I start to feel the benefits of it!

3.  Decreased Carbohydrate Consumption - I've never done this before and I was worried about how miserable and worn down it would make me.  I limit my carbohydrate consumption to cheat days, breakfast, fruits/vegetables and my #1 vice alcohol.  This has been surprisingly easier than I thought it would be and it has had zero effect on my energy levels.  This is by far the biggest contributing factor to my decreased body fat percentage and improved appearance in the mirror.

4.  No More Program Hopping - It takes at least 4-6 weeks to find out if your fitness program works for you.  Aside from nutrition, this is the main reason that people look the same as they did for years even though they train hard and often.  They either program hop or do the same exact thing over and over and over again for years.  Neither of those methods work.  Plan to devote 4-6 weeks to a program, have a trainer or strength coach write the program for you, and STICK TO IT!  Program hopping doesn't work.

5.  Sprinting - Want to sweat, burn fat, and feel like an athlete?  Just sprint baby!  Either immediately after your strength training routine or on your non-strength training days plan to spend 15 - 25 minutes sprinting.  Some methods are better than others; like outside versus the treadmill and hills versus the track. The bottom line is that it all works.  Find your range and speed that you can challenge yourself with without risking injury and aim to increase those ranges and speeds each time you sprint.  This has helped me feel stronger, makes "cardio" tolerable, and has helped me stay injury free when playing sports.

These five things (amongst others) have definitely helped me achieve some pretty cool and exciting results recently and I think they can help you too.  It's always a challenge trying to find out how to improve the way you look and feel. Make it a goal to train, eat, and live smarter and it doesn't have to be so frustrating.  Your body will tell you what is working and what isn't and if it doesn't, your mirror will! 

You only get 1!