Dietary Monogamy – Stop Being a Hoochie!

Remember when you were five years old? If not, I'm sure your parents do. You were a nagging (albeit cute) pain in the ass, constantly seeking attention and entertainment every second of everyday, never satisfied until you got exactly what you wanted.

Well guess what… you may have grown up, but your stomach hasn't! Most adults seem to have the stomachs of five-year-olds: I need sweet, I need fat, I want more and more and more! And it doesn't stop until you've thrown up a bucket of Cheetos! Okay, maybe you don't do that anymore, but you get my point.

Most people are constantly seeking to entertain their stomachs with fatty, processed foods at every meal and snack. When you try to convince these people that they need to eat healthy, their excuse is that they can't because they love food too much.

Everyone loves food! But just like you changed the habit of crapping your pants as a child, you need to mature your dietary habits. You must set up rules and boundaries (just like your parents did).

Here are 10 simple rules to get you on the right track (check out the 10 Rules to Healthy Living for more details):

1) Eat every 3-4 hours
2) Drink ½ Your Bodyweight in Ounces
3) Get Your Protein
4) Avoid Processed Foods
5) Plan Ahead. Preparation is Key
6) Keep Track of Everything
7) Measure Food Intake
8) Set Goals Regularly
9) Sleep
10) Indulge (Every Now and Then)

I'm not going to go into the details of these rules; I just wanted to get you on the right track. So, onto Dietary Monogamy…

Learning the Skill of Dietary Monogamy

One of the problems with changing a bad habit (in this case, your lifelong obsession with horrible food), is that it takes time and discipline to alter your behavior. You need to unlearn a nagging desire for instant gratification through orgies of dangerous ingestion, and learn a safe approach to satisfy your body's need for food.

Now, some "gurus" and countless nutrition companies will try to convince you that the only way to lose weight is by satisfying your constant lust for tasty entertainment by eating THEIR food instead (conveniently packaged and delivered to your home for a fee). Unfortunately, this does nothing to change the real source of the problem: YOU. Sure, it might help you lose weight for a time (about as long as you are willing and able to waste tons of money), but in the end you will go back to eating the same way, or worse, than you had before.

What you need to realize is that you are now an adult; you may have the same likes that you had as a child, but you are now fully aware of the consequences. In the case of your love of hamburgers and French fries everyday for lunch, you now know that the consequences for this habit are heart disease, diabetes, and death. Fun stuff.

The best way to form your new healthy-eating habit is by simplifying the process, understanding that you need to walk before you run. You can do this through Dietary Monogamy: eating the same thing almost every meal of everyday.

I wasn't always the sculpted beast that I am today (you like that imagery don't you?); in fact, I never really cared about what I ate until I realized how fat I had gotten. Even so, I got no less lazy with my eating habits. I still don't like spending a lot of time preparing food (or even eating it).

The only way I could meet my fitness goals was to simplify the process and recognize a simple fact about food: Food is Fuel. It is something you need every single day to function, no matter what it tastes like. With that in mind, I could easily plan and prepare my meals each day while also tracking my intake without being distracted by the constant need for taste bud entertainment.

Constant Entertainment is for Five-Year-Olds

I still love a good meal and I really enjoy some of my boring diet, but the fact of the matter is that I've moved beyond caring about the taste of my food most of the time. Rather than having a fattening hamburger that left me satisfied for 10 seconds (and slow and tired for much longer), I have nutritious meals that leave me energized and healthy throughout the day.

And you know what? When I do indulge on something that I really like, it tastes a million times better than it used to, and without the guilt to boot!

So, what does my healthy, boring, lazy diet entail?

My Lazy, Boring, Fantastically Beneficial Diet

The following is a typical day for me. I'm trying to gain muscle while trimming fat, so it's a high-protein, high-calorie diet. PLEASE DON'T USE THIS DIET IF THOSE ARE NOT YOUR GOALS.

6:00AM - Protein Shake with 12 egg whites

8:00AM (Pre-Workout) - Oatmeal w/Apple Sauce

8:45AM (Post-Workout) - Chicken & Pineapple

12:00PM - Beef, Spinach, & Sweet Potato

3:00PM (Pre-Workout) - Oatmeal w/Apple Sauce

3:45PM (Post-Workout) - Chicken & Pineapple

6:00PM - Steak, Broccoli, Brown Rice

9:00PM - Cottage Cheese

Sounds like a lot of work, but the only thing I need to cook is a bunch of chicken and beef on Sunday to get ready for the week. The rest of the food can be cooked in the microwave.

So there you have it! Simplify your healthy eating through Dietary Monogamy and grow up!