Fitness models are everywhere these days. Facebook and instagram are covered in images of ripped guys and girls touting their wares. Biceps, shoulders and, the most popular of all - abs.
If you are in a gym or around fitness buffs, you've probably heard the saying "abs are made in the kitchen". Unfortunately, for those of us who are not genetically blessed this saying is true. I have trained since I was sixteen. I started in the aerobics room with my Mum in my teens and have progressed since then. I picked up weight training when I was 18. While I am not hardcore, I do hit the gym for a weights session every work day. I do zumba twice a week and I am about to get back into yoga after a bit of a hiatus.
Problem is, I love food. I might actually be (according to the clinical definition) in love with dairy. Milk, ice cream, yoghurt, cheese - I am not fussy. But abs don't show if you eat like I do. It does not matter how hard you train, if your body fat percentage does not drop to about 15% for women and 12% for men, your abs will be hidden under a layer of blubber. Now, I am not saying that you should aspire to that, it is just the truth.
Unless you are willing to count every calorie and macro-nutrient, lean is not for you. Dedication is required to get to the point where you look like a fitness model. The side effects of being extremely lean (10% body fat for women and 6% for men) are well documented. In my opinion, being that lean is unsustainable (nor attractive). No one wants to hug someone who feels like a steel pole! But I do consider lean muscle healthy and aspire to that for myself.
Like most things in life, it is about balance. I try to eat clean Monday through Friday and relax a little on weekends. For me, that means no dairy during the week apart from some skim milk at breakfast.
My week day menu looks like this
Meal 1 - 1/4 cup oats and a teaspoon of LSA with a little skim milk and half a teaspoon of honey
Meal 2 - 100g blueberries
Meal 3 - 15g raw nuts
Meal 4 - 1/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 an avocado and a 65g boiled egg
Meal 5 - two pieces of pana dark chocolate
Meal 6 - 20g mix of pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds (in equal portions)
Meal 7 - 100g carrot and cucumber sticks or 100g strawberries or 100g kiwi fruit
Meal 8 - 1/4 cup brown rice and 250g vegetables plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil
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