D^3
01-05-2008, 09:38 PM
The biggest problem for most guys who want to eat better, is that its hard to be picky when you don't have many options available to you. Many of you guys have 8-5 jobs, some of us are college students with class through the day.... whatever the case, almost every guy has that one meal during the day where he finds himself eating *gasp* fast food.
While I know this seems like a daunting task, eating right while you're out CAN be accomplished. You just have to make yourself more knowledgeable on your choices.
One option is to bring your own lunch with you. This way, you can control everything you eat, because you know exactly what you're eating and what it has in it. The problem with this is, for many of us... bringing lunch to work just isn't going to happen. Maybe the lunchbox won't fit in the briefcase, or you just aren't blessed to have a cool place to store your vittles while you scurry through the mornings work. Don't worry. You're not lost.
Fast Food options: Forget about McDonald's. NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING they carry should be something you would put in your mouth, except a diet coke (and I recommend cutting out soda if you're really serious about losing weight) and water. Don't let them fool you into thinking their salads are good for you; truth is McDonald's salads are about the fattiest salad on the market. No, Mickey D's can't even make salad without making it fat. Same goes for Burger King, Hardees, Carl's Jr, Jack-in-the-Box, etc.
If you are craving something beefy, Wendy's chili is actually not a bad option. There is good protein in the meat and beans, and not too many carbs, virtually no sugar. Don't eat it everyday, but its not a bad choice.
Fresh is good. Subway (NO Quizno's... Quizno's= the fatass' hoagie), Chick-fil-A, Moe's, Barbarito's (if you're blessed enough to have them) are all decent places to get a healthy meal. Also I'm sure you all have deli's.
What you want to remember is if you are going to eat bread, get the bread with the highest fiber possible. Whole grain is great if you can get it. Also if you must have it, limit your bread to 1 serving a day. Cut out the mayo... pay attention to your salad dressing, its a killer if you don't watch it. Don't be fooled just by seeing that something is low-fat or fat-free, sometimes those dressings have tons of sugar in them. Oil and Vinegar you can't go wrong with, but if thats not available, go with whatever light vinaigrette's they have, or Ranch and Blue Cheese. WATCH YOUR SALT INTAKE TOO! Too much salt will really hinder your ability to shed weight, as it causes you to retain water.
SPEAKING of water.... make sure you're drinking plenty of it. That eight 8 oz glasses stuff just isn't going to cut it. A guy my size (6'3" 225) should be drinking a gallon a day. Its really not that hard. Keep a good sized water bottle with you all day and you will see how extremely easy it is to drain that thing 4x a day.
But back to the food. Stick with chicken, fish (ALL GRILLED, no fried) and try to limit your beef. If you like Sushi, thats an excellent choice as well.
Tips on foods to keep with you as snacks:
Tuna: God bless whoever first produced Tuna packed in water, it gives you plenty of nutrition and cannot hurt your diet at all.
Nuts: Cashews, Peanuts, Pistachio's etc... UNSALTED and no honey roasted BS either. These will give you energy AND curb your appetite throughout the day.
Cheese sticks: Bet you haven't eaten these since you were a kid.... but they are a great hunger killer and give you protein, which = energy.
There you go guys, just a few pointers from a guy who once lost 100lbs inside of 18 months.
While I know this seems like a daunting task, eating right while you're out CAN be accomplished. You just have to make yourself more knowledgeable on your choices.
One option is to bring your own lunch with you. This way, you can control everything you eat, because you know exactly what you're eating and what it has in it. The problem with this is, for many of us... bringing lunch to work just isn't going to happen. Maybe the lunchbox won't fit in the briefcase, or you just aren't blessed to have a cool place to store your vittles while you scurry through the mornings work. Don't worry. You're not lost.
Fast Food options: Forget about McDonald's. NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING they carry should be something you would put in your mouth, except a diet coke (and I recommend cutting out soda if you're really serious about losing weight) and water. Don't let them fool you into thinking their salads are good for you; truth is McDonald's salads are about the fattiest salad on the market. No, Mickey D's can't even make salad without making it fat. Same goes for Burger King, Hardees, Carl's Jr, Jack-in-the-Box, etc.
If you are craving something beefy, Wendy's chili is actually not a bad option. There is good protein in the meat and beans, and not too many carbs, virtually no sugar. Don't eat it everyday, but its not a bad choice.
Fresh is good. Subway (NO Quizno's... Quizno's= the fatass' hoagie), Chick-fil-A, Moe's, Barbarito's (if you're blessed enough to have them) are all decent places to get a healthy meal. Also I'm sure you all have deli's.
What you want to remember is if you are going to eat bread, get the bread with the highest fiber possible. Whole grain is great if you can get it. Also if you must have it, limit your bread to 1 serving a day. Cut out the mayo... pay attention to your salad dressing, its a killer if you don't watch it. Don't be fooled just by seeing that something is low-fat or fat-free, sometimes those dressings have tons of sugar in them. Oil and Vinegar you can't go wrong with, but if thats not available, go with whatever light vinaigrette's they have, or Ranch and Blue Cheese. WATCH YOUR SALT INTAKE TOO! Too much salt will really hinder your ability to shed weight, as it causes you to retain water.
SPEAKING of water.... make sure you're drinking plenty of it. That eight 8 oz glasses stuff just isn't going to cut it. A guy my size (6'3" 225) should be drinking a gallon a day. Its really not that hard. Keep a good sized water bottle with you all day and you will see how extremely easy it is to drain that thing 4x a day.
But back to the food. Stick with chicken, fish (ALL GRILLED, no fried) and try to limit your beef. If you like Sushi, thats an excellent choice as well.
Tips on foods to keep with you as snacks:
Tuna: God bless whoever first produced Tuna packed in water, it gives you plenty of nutrition and cannot hurt your diet at all.
Nuts: Cashews, Peanuts, Pistachio's etc... UNSALTED and no honey roasted BS either. These will give you energy AND curb your appetite throughout the day.
Cheese sticks: Bet you haven't eaten these since you were a kid.... but they are a great hunger killer and give you protein, which = energy.
There you go guys, just a few pointers from a guy who once lost 100lbs inside of 18 months.