Boys Vs Girls
So I convinced both my housemates Fergus and Taylor to commit to 6 weeks of clean eating and HIIT exercise to show how effective it is on both the female and male body. Our exercise regime has been pretty slack or non existent over the last two months and our diet left a lot to be desired, so we decided to give it our all for six weeks and see what we achieve.
Eating healthy involves alot of planning and preparation so you have been warned. The fact that the three of us are doing this challenge together makes it a lot easier than if you were doing this on your own. It means you have less meals to prepare and you get to all experiment with different meals. So try encourage a housemate or a friend to join you so that you can motivate each other when the going gets tough.
So this week we tried to lower our carb intake and increase our protein. We tried to have protein with every meal. Fergus and Taylor both have big appetites and were a bit apprehensive about the thoughts of eating such little carbs and such small meals but they were surprised about how easy it is once you plan and have snacks prepared for throughout the day.
The first week will you find that you are tired and weak especially at 11am and 3pm and are a bit sluggish after your lunch. This is your body trying to force you to eat sugary foods as the body doesn't like to use stored fat. This is a last resort. Don't give in and train your body to take that fat for energy. After a few days your body will have no choice but to use the fat stored in your body for energy. When the body eventually starts using fat stores for energy you will find you have more energy than ever as there is more kcals of energy in fat.
So don't make excuses like I feel weak, I need sugar or I need chocolate for energy. If this is your attitude you will never see progress even if you are exercising properly. To combat these hunger pangs prepare snacks throughout the day so you never get hungry enough to be tempted by sugary carbs.
Here is all our diet plans this week combined so that you can get an overview. Do your research and experiment and you can find some really tasty meals.
Breakfast:
Scrambled egg (1 yolk, 2 whites) with avocado or porridge (made with water) and rice syrup
Snack 1:
Celery with peanut butter and green tea or carrots with cottage cheese dip or nuts or seeds
Lunch:
Tuna salad with cottage cheese and green tea or salmon fillet, broccoli, and brown rice or chicken salad or Turkey breast salad
* use apple cider vinegar as salad dressing with some chilli flakes
Snack 2:
Wholemeal cracker and peanut butter or patacchio nuts
Post work out:
Protein shake
Dinner:
Chicken Korea
Chilli Con Carne
Crustless Quiche
Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie
Prawn Stirfry
[Make big portions so you can bring some for lunch the next day]
*all sauces made from scratch using spices
*add green vegetables to each dish or green leafy salad
*keep carbs to a minimum
Dessert:
Greek yoghurt with fruit
Sugar free jelly
Green Tea [try drink green tea with every meal]
****Protein******
Protein is important in your diet when you are exercising in order to repair and maintain your muscle. Remember muscle burns calories throughout the day. The body breaks down muscle first because its much easier to break down muscle. Protein makes repairs and builds your muscle so that it is harder for the body to use as energy so it reverts to your fat stores.
Shopping List
Try use these healthy protein and carb ingredients to plan your meals for the week
- Eggs
- Chicken Breast
- Turkey Breast
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Pork
- Kidney Beans
- Peanut butter
- Greek yoghurt
- Avocado
- Brocolli and any green veg
- Pistachios/Almonds/Walnuts
- Cottage Cheese
- Sweet Potato
