Eat Fuel, Not Food
The gas can is just a metaphor, so don't be a dumbass.
A FEW YEARS AGO, when I was close to having indisputable abs, I was briefly successful at changing my mindset: I was eating fuel, not food. This is the most critical distinction I think anyone who’s going for abs needs to make. Food is cake, cookies, pizza, and whatever tastes wicked good that comes in some plastic wrapper or foil package.
Fuel, on the other hand, is something you put in your body because your body needs it.
Once you starting thinking of food as fuel, you have to ask yourself: what is it my body needs right now?
You’re not asking what your mind wants, what your mouth wants. It’s about your body.
Does my body need cookies?
Pinch your stomach and look at it. Probably not.
Refuel, Rehydrate, Feed Your Muscles
Fuel, then, comes in certain forms. After a big aerobic workout, which for me is basketball, I’ve got to rehydrate more than anything else. If I’m lazy, that’s a couple of quarts or so of water, a big glass of milk, sometimes a light beer, and usually a Diet Coke.
The water replenishment is obvious — helps stave off muscle soreness, avoids a dehydration headache. The milk has protein to help you keep your muscle mass, and the beer is just to mix it up, get a few carbs in. The Diet Coke angles toward changing it up for my mind (you got to toss your mind a little bone every now and then) and the caffeine boost helps me make it through the day.
Stay away of thinking in terms of maintenance — it’s like middle-management hell.
If I’m not lazy, refueling includes a protein shake loaded with antioxidant-packing blueberries and whatever fruit and yogurt I can scrounge up. The protein shake, of course, is good anytime, but it’s particularly good within a half-hour of working out. And while we’re at it, if you want to maximize your muscle gain after weight lifting, a bit of protein soon after your workout gives your body the building blocks it needs to build new muscle — or at least tricks your body into believing that high-quality food is good enough to keep the muscle you have.
Breakfast Takes on New Meaning
If you think in terms of fuel, most of your sugary breakfast cereals aren’t going to cut it. So no Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. If you ask yourself what your body needs to last a few hours, that’s going to be oatmeal, eggs and toast, or something similarly real. (I focus on whole grains, eggs, protein, fruit — anything that’s not processed in a manufacturing plant.) I’ll share my favorite oatmeal blast in a future post.
The point? Make sure you fuel with good food that will get you where you want to go.
At 10 a.m., I try to have peanut butter toast or a peanut butter whole wheat roll, which will usually prep me for noonball, a workout, or just get me to lunch, which is usually around 1 p.m. or later. If I’m not working out, that peanut butter toast will get me another three hours of action. But if I have a lousy breakfast, the toast won’t make up for it. It’s like needing 5 gallons of gas to get somewhere and trying to get there on just 4 gallons. Doesn’t freakin’ work. Ever.
So you’re either fueling to give your body what it needs to get something done in preparation, or your refueling to replace lost nutrients after a hard workout. Sometimes you’re just maintaining, but a better man doesn’t like to put his life on pause or tread water. So stay away of thinking in terms of maintenance — it’s like middle-management hell.
From today on, I’m remembering that I’m looking for fuel.
When I ask myself, “What does my body need right now?”, the answer should be obvious.
Further Reading: The Abs Diet Power 12 Foods
You can’t really go wrong if you eat foods based on the principles of David Zinczecko’s excellent The Abs Diet book and his handy anagram for the “ABS DIET POWER” foods:
- Almonds (and nuts)
- Beans (and legumes)
- Spinach (and green veggies)
- Dairy Products
- Instant Oatmeal (though non-instant is better)
- Eggs
- Turkey (and other lean meats)
- Peanut Butter
- Olive Oil
- Whole Grain Breads and Cereals
- Extra-Protein (Whey) Powder
- Raspberries (and other berries)
And here’s a link to the book:
The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life
(Seriously, find yourself a copy. It’s worth it even if you aren’t after six pack abs.)
I’ve got to admit something. Last night, after posting “Indisputable Six Pack Abs”, I downed six Oreos and a half-glass of milk. Pretty much the exact opposite of what my body needed. I fed my mind, not my body, and after the last cookie was gone, I was like, “What the heck just happened here? That wasn’t satisfying! I need another six Oreos. . . .”
If I wasn’t going for six pack abs, if I wasn’t trying to change my life here, I would have snagged another handful of cookies. One step forward, one step back. But tonight, no cookies! I’ve got a bowl of blueberries and strawberries calling. . . .
Great/Nice/Good post. I’ll be sure/be back/make the time to read the rest of your blog.
The Abs Diet book is solid! You need it if you don’t have it, but the food is lacking in flavor. You will have to figure ways to get your fuel to taste like food. Lets face it you probably cook and eat with a family so a can of tuna with crackers probably won’t cut it for dinner most nights.