Holidays approaching!

One concept that I hear from time to time is, "must be nice to eat whatever you want and stay (insert your fit/skinny/slender, etc adjective here)." Truth is, you are what you eat. And furthermore, your body is an engine...if it was a race car would you fill it with regular unleaded? Of course you wouldn't. Heck, same logic goes for a nice sedan. So yes, I can eat whatever and would probably maintain a certain waistline, up to an extent. But my goals in triathlon goes beyond a waistline or appearance, I want to perform. So I watch what I eat, consistently. To give you some perspective...

I stay away from processed foods whenever possible, natural and organic. I don't drink cola, except during races. I will drink diet cola, but try to limit this when possible. Sweets, after the calendar turns the page to a new year, you will probably not see me order a desert at a restaurant. I do eat low fat ice cream at home as a treat though. I try and eat lean cuts of meat whenever possible and stay away from chicken thighs, fatty cuts of steak, etc. Pizza is a weakness of mine so I allow myself to have it every so often, but ask for half the cheese. And as far as cheese, I don't eat it unless it's on pizza. Out to breakfast, I'm that dude, the one ordering egg whites. Vegetables and fruits all day long. Alcohol, like a lot of other people, I enjoy our local wines and micros. Post January 1, I limit my intake. If I'm going to have more than a beer or glass of wine, it's a weekend and I'm slamming water before bed to try and rehydrate before my workout in the morning. And finally, water, sleep and vitamins. Repeat daily.

So, at the end of the day, I try and fuel my body with proper fuel that will help my engine preform to a level that it's capable of. I don't eat whatever I want, but I also don't feel guilty if I have a steak from time to time (great iron content!) for instance. With the holidays approaching, I make a concerted effort to balance my diet and yet still enjoy a few escapes from the daily diet. Thanks for taking the time to read!

-T