OVERALL STRATEGY
"What?" means "What do I eat?" and "What don't I eat?"
"What?" means "What are my constraints?"
There need to be some guardrails.
Eating anything and everything isn't working!
I want to make this as easy on myself as possible.
I want to be able to know right away, that's "allowed" and that's "not allowed."
I don't want to always have to negotiate, "Can I have this? Is this on the diet?"
Ideally, not too many rules and exceptions, I don't want to make it too complicated.
ALLOWED
What diet am I going to follow?
The "protein and vegetables diet!" LOL
- Protein
- Chicken
- Beef
- Turkey
- Pork
- Eggs
- Beans
- Tofu
- Beyond Burger/Beyond Breakfast Sausage and related products (Impossible, veggie burgers)
- Protein powder
- Nuts
- Fish (very little, because of mercury concerns)
- Vegetables
- Rice
- Potential issues with lettuce/salads in the U.S. right now
- Base for lunch/dinner bowls
- Satisfying
- White or brown
- Dairy
- Spicy feta and tzatziki yogurt sauce at Mediterranean-inspired fast casual lunch places
- Cheese at a party, but not crackers
- Tahini adds dairy-like creaminess to Mediterranean bowls
- Fruit
- Drinks
- Water
- Tea
- Spindrift (Lime is my favorite)
- LMNT (electrolyte packets, Pink Lemonade is my current favorite)
- Bai (Brasilia Blueberry is my favorite)
- Seltzer water
- Mas+ if I can find it
NOT ALLOWED
- Noodles
- Pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo)
- Ramen
- Bread
- Bagels
- Sandwiches
- Pita bread/pita chips
- Naan
- Rolls
- Tortillas, wraps
- Quesadillas w/ sour cream
- Pizza
- Mac and cheese
- Mozzarella sticks, and other foods with fried breading
- Potatoes (Sweet potatoes and yams are OK)
- French fries
- Waffle fries
- Potato wedges
- Mashed potatoes
- Crispy potatoes
- Tater tots
- Home fries
- Hummus
- This is one of my biggest "domino" foods (h/t 4-Hour Body)
- Especially tubs of hummus with crackers or chips
- Falafel, chickpeas
- Nut butters (easy for me to overdo it)
- Corn
- Tortilla chips, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos
- Corn salsa
- Sugar
- Brownies
- Cookies
- Brookies (brownie + cookie)
- Crookies (croissant + cookie)
- Cheesecake
- Gatorade
- Lemonade
- Ginger ale
- Soda
- Other sugary drinks
- Restaurant meals may have hidden sugar, I'm not expecting myself to be 100% perfect
- Processed foods (anything in a bag, box, jar, can, or tube, h/t Dr. Alejandro Junger)
- Exceptions for pantry staples like cooking oil or salt
- Condiments
- Olive oil
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Coffee (my personal preference)
- Alcohol (my personal preference)
MONTHLY SPECIAL OCCASIONS
I'm not going to say "I'm never having pizza again."
"Never again" is hard, and probably counter-productive for me.
For me, daily, weekly, or biweekly "cheat days" are too frequent.
I'll have "monthly special occasions" instead.
- Not a regular delivery option (Wonder, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc.)
- Not an "everyday indulgence," like a pizza from the neighborhood pizzeria
- Ordinary
- Too easy
- Not special enough
- Ideally with family or friends
- Requires planning
- Opportunity to add to my life experiences while living in NYC
- Ideally something I haven't tried before, but I can return to an old favorite
- Hopefully a monthly cadence will help lower the volume of the voices in my head that want me to indulge
Examples of monthly special occasions:
- Birthday party
- Anniversary dinner
- Wedding
- Michelin-star restaurants
- 50th birthday dinner at NYC Wine and Food Festival with Food Network star chef Maneet Chauhan
- A restaurant on a "Best of NYC" list
CASE STUDY: CHIPOTLE
- Bowl
- White rice
- Chicken, steak, barbacoa, or a limited-time option like Honey Chicken or Carne Asada
- Pinto beans or black beans
- Medium salsa
- Fajita vegetables
- Cheese
- Guacamole
- No chips
- No soda or juice