The key to figuring it out.

I had been trying to lose weight July through mid-October of this past year. I ate pretty well, and I was exercising, and I think by then I had dropped about 30 pounds, partly due to being sick - but that's another story.

However, toward the end of October I was presented with an opportunity to try out for a role in a movie in January. The kicker? The role was for a Chippendale dancer. Well, I looked at myself and thought, "there's no way I can try out looking like THIS." At that point, I had a 36" waist, weighed about 220, and my love handles were bigger than VW Bugs.

That's when I had the epiphany that changed everything for me - and if you can live by it, this whole lifestyle becomes a breeze. Here it is - I don't eat anything that doesn't do something for my body. In other words, unless it builds muscle, gives me easy-to-burn fuel, or helps with keeping my body healthy - I don't eat it.

I used to snack on pretzels. One serving had 120 calories, so they weren't bad calorie-wise. But, they do absolutely nothing for my body. I used to add Parmesan cheese to my pasta, but it did nothing for my body. Hell, I used to eat pasta! But it does very little for my body, so I avoid it.

Processed foods do nothing for you. Bread, unless it's whole grain (and REAL whole grain) does nothing for you - even whole grain doesn't do much for you. And no one just eats bread, you add stuff to bread, and virtually nothing you put on bread benefits your body. So, when I plan a meal, I make sure that everything in that meal has a physiological or metabolic benefit to it - proteins and simple sugars are the key.

Here are the foods I include in the "good" list:

Raw fruits and nuts (walnuts have the most good stuff in the nut family)
Chicken Breast
Extra Lean Ground Turkey
Egg Whites
Fresh Fish
Fresh vegetables
Lean red meat (I don't eat any red meat, but that's my choice)
Sweet Potatoes (You can do so much with these)
Romaine lettuce (Iceberg is useless)
Feta Cheese (actually aids in the digestive process)

With those items, you can literally make hundreds of different healthy, and beneficial meals.

The greatest thing about living this lifestyle, is it takes away the whole "dieting" mindset. You're no longer "dieting", you're eating. You don't have any of the nervousness of, "if I eat this, is it part of my diet?" Because anything on that list, if eaten in the right portion size, is only going to benefit your body. You'll look forward to eating, you'll finish and be full because you've eaten the right kinds of foods, and you get to eat a LOT of them.

Since adapting this mindset, not only have I lost about 50 pounds in two-and-a-half months and dropped 8 inches from my waist, but my strength and muscle gains have been through the roof. It really, truly works. And you can take it anywhere you go!

This Christmas, I brought my own food. I still had a little turkey, but I ate walnuts and fruit and salad and veggies, and I actually left my in-laws weighing a pound less than when I went there. So this mindset is foolproof - especially if you prepare yourself for where ever you may go.

Later I'll talk about restaurants, because that's an important part of this lifestyle and mindset. But, you can take this mindset anywhere, and it will work. Just remember, "does this food benefit my body?" And, if the answer is "yes", chow down!

Thanks for readin'!