Hi bodybuilder,
I’m leaning into some new goals for myself and changing up my nutrition just a bit - I’ll likely write more on this in the future. But I was thinking of how much self-experimentation I’ve done, and what I’ve learned that can help you be super successful with nutrition.
Over the years I've tried:
- Paleo
- Carnivore
- Low carb
- High carb
- Vertical diet
- Intermittent fasting
- Gut health protocols
- And probably more I’m forgetting at the moment.
As I’ve written about before, there are two things that primarily make all of these work: eating enough protein, and controlling for overall calories.
And how do you tell exactly how much protein and calories you’re consuming? If you’re serious about it, you track it - closely.
Great, some of you may say - not interested. Tracking is a hassle! Tracking messes me up mentally. Or I just feel too overwhelmed to take that on right now.
No worries. You won’t get the most perfectly dialed results, but there is an easy way to still control for protein and calories, without tracking a thing: high performance foods.
List of high performance foods
How to:
- Look for a couple swaps you can make to meals you eat all the time - egg whites for whole eggs, for example, or homemade oatmeal for the Starbucks version.
- Try the “yes and” approach. Eat whatever you normally do, but put a mound of veggies on the plate.
- 50g Protein Breakfast: get a head start earlier on lean protein, whether a whey shake, Greek yogurt, or leftovers from dinner. Get 50g of protein (or a third of your overall target) before 10am.
And most importantly, ditch the all or nothing mentality - great habits are built a little at a time, in ways you can keep doing sustainably.
