No One Gets Fat From One Bowl of Ice Cream: Volume 1

Mmm..breakfast!

According to my Instagram poll, 2/3 of respondents wanted to hear more about my eating plan and some tips for healthy eating. I’d like to kick this post off with a quote from my certified personal trainer/girlfriend, Tamara Bernard:

"Completely depriving yourself of the foods you love will only lead to a binge session and the guilt that comes along with that. No foods are inherently bad. No one gets fat from one bowl of ice cream just like no one gets fit from eating one salad."

I love eating. I'm convinced that if I didn't work out as much and as hard as I do, I'd easily weigh 240lbs - which on my 5'8" frame would not be very flattering. And although I love eating, I can unequivocally tell you that I am not a foodie. Foodies have standards - I kind of don't.

That fact that I don’t have food standards actually plays in my favor in my quest to introduce the world to the abs I had when I was 23. I’ve learned to roughly estimate how much food I need to eat so that, at a minimum, I can fuel my workouts and stay relatively lean. My secret? Eating relatively the same thing every single day. Not everyone can do it… but it’s a skill that has made allowed me to eat relatively haphazardly while staying in relatively good shape.

But before any of this was possible, I needed to start somewhere. I needed to figure out how much food I needed to eat (or not eat) in order to attain my goals. This is where math comes in.

At the end of the day, it’s all math – which if you’re anything like me, you HATE. Who remembers if/then statements from high school?

-       If you eat more calories, then you will gain weight.

-       If you eat less calories, then you will lose weight.

Your next logical question should be, “Consume more (or less) calories than what?”

Your body needs a certain number of calories to function based on your height, weight, and activity levels. There are a variety of fairly sophisticated calculators available online that help you figure all of this out, but my favorite is an app called MyFitnessPal. There are both desktop and mobile versions, and the app syncs seamlessly with wearables like the Apple Watch, Samsung’s Galaxy and Gear watches, and a variety of others. Once logged in, you’re asked to fill out a profile which includes your current stats (height, weight) and goals, and the app automatically provides you with a roadmap to safely attain your goal, whether that is to lose weight through a caloric deficit, build muscle through a caloric surplus, or maintain by consuming the prescribed amounts.

The app also allows you to scan the foods you eat and enter them into your diary. It conveniently lets you know the amount of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) you are consuming with each meal, and displays a running tally of the calories and macros left (or surpassed) for the day.

This works. The list of foods in the app’s database is extensive, and there are even full menus for many of the popular chain restaurants on the list. Note – you are going to be REALLY SHOCKED the first few times you fill out your log, assuming you’re entering honestly. Most people do not realize the shear volume of food – and unhealthy food, at that – that they consume. It’s truly eye opening.

You will need a scale. It’s a pain, but if you’re going to do this, do it right. After a while, you can start eye-balling a little but it’s best to measure and weigh in the beginning for accuracy.

So that’s pretty much it. For anyone interested in either losing weight or putting on muscle, use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your food intake and achieve your goals. Eating the right amount of food is way more important than working out. If you work out every day and eat like crap, you are only wasting your time.

As for me, I definitely treat myself to the occasional slice of pizza, burger, and “bowl of ice cream,” but I try to ensure that it fits (within reason) into my daily calories. Like Tamara said, “no foods are inherently bad.” That’s kind of my motto.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please submit your questions on how to get started in the comments below. In No One Gets Fat From One Bowl of Ice Cream: Volume 2, we’ll dig deeper into macronutrients, and why not all nutrients are created equal.