The Way I Eat- A Monday-Sunday Look at the Nutrtion of Yours Truly

A little while back I wrote an article titled Eat Fat-Get Lean. This was an in depth look at the many benefits of a low carb, high fat diet. If you seek some in depth education on the intricacy's and science behind the way my clients and I eat and why then read that after this when you click here. This article however, is all about me; a week of how I eat, and how you could benefit from adopting some of the eating habits I list in the following lines.

*Please note, that the following week of eating represents the basic outline of a normal week. Come be a fly on the wall when I'm home with the family for the Holidays and you may see a watered-down version of this nutrition program. But, the principles would nevertheless be intact, principles that you will soon become aware of.

**Also note that I have left out some of the specific protocols involved with macronutrients and recipes as they are customized and unique to my particular needs. To find out about a custom nutrition program that is catered to your needs please inquire here. I would be happy to discuss a program that is right for you.

In my infinite quest to find, build or manifest the fountain of chiseled, high-performance Youth I have tried out many different diets, programs, protocols and fads. I have never and will never roll out a particular style of eating unless I have tried it out myself or done some in-depth research on how one's particular physiology, set and setting may be cohesive for such diet. With that said, I have been following a version of the diet spelled out below for nearly three years now. In this time I have adapted this eating style to fit for certain circumstances such as extended travel, race/performance preparation, and made necessary adjustments with the accumulation of further knowledge. I refuse to become dogmatic in any of my practices however; and as soon as the diet stops serving me in every cognitive, physical and evolutionary way then I will be happy to entertain a new way of fueling my body. So then; here is a snapshot of the way I stay happy, healthy, ripped and full of super-charged, focused, energy. Enjoy.

Monday:

The Transition Day

This is my day for keto re-adaptation. After a weekend of filling my body with muscle-fueling carbs (more on this on Sat/Sun) Monday is one of my favorite days because I get to transition from glucose back to ketones as a main fuel source for my brain and body. Generally I kick my net carbs down to about 30 - 70 grams on Monday. This variance allows me to listen to my body as it responds to re-adopting fats as a fuel source. If, for instance, I happened to indulge in some excess carbs over the weekend or my activity level has been greater than the norm, then come Monday I may taper my carb intake back a bit slower on my way back into full keto which will begin Tuesday. Most importantly, I listen to my body (and brain). My one non-negotiable is that I am done eating by 9:00pm at the latest in order to prepare me for an Intermittent "Elevated" Fast which will be carried into Tuesday.

Tuesday:

Keto Day 1

Generally by about early to mid-Sunday I start really looking forward to Tuesday. Once you experience the undeniable benefits that a ketone-fueled diet has on the brain's cognitive function and mental clarity it can become addicting! Tuesdays I don't eat anything solid until about 2 pm or later. Instead, I load up on about 200 calories of fats, oils, mushroom powders, exogenous ketones and coffee…

What the hell did I just say?

Yes, the Elevated Coffee drink is a force to be reckoned with. For a full dive into the recipe click Here. And to order your own exogenous ketones click here. But, just know that this drink helps in allowing me to comfortably and enjoyably reach a deep state of sustainable nutritional ketosis before I have even begun the many tasks of the day. Upon breaking my "Elevated Fast" roughly 18 or so hours after my last feeding of anything that could potentially drive up my insulin levels, I delicately and mindfully DEVOUR a big ass salad full of deep greens, colorful vegetables, heaps of protein and lots of fat. This feeding is usually satiating enough to keep me feeling full for quite a while, so only once I am hungry again do I eat. I keep my fats high and proteins moderate. Generally my net carb intake on Tuesdays is somewhere between 15-40 grams and comes from vegetables, small amounts of fruit and naturally occurring sugars found in things like dairy.

Wednesday:

Shred Day

While enjoying the many cognitive and physical benefits of being well into a state of nutritional ketosis, Humpday is quite often an enjoyable creative manifestation of art, writing, new business and program creation combined with lots of fat-melting activity (for the best fat-melting formula while in ketosis reach out by clicking here and allow me to build the program that best fits your needs.) Due to the increased function of certain centers of the brain while in a state of ketosis, I often take advantage of the increased yearning for creativity, memory recall and light-speed focus. I eat when I feel hungry, a diet high in specific fats, and moderate in proteins. Still keeping my carb intake below 50 grams*

*Keeping your carb intake below 50 grams is really not extremely difficult when you are regularly practicing an ancestral type of diet such as is described by books like: The Paleo Solution  by Rob Wolfe, The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson or The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey. If we are already are practicing a diet void of many starches, wheat, and legumes then it becomes simple and enjoyable to replace your normal sandwich with a leafy salad, your bagel and jam with eggs and bacon, and your Spaghetti Bolognese with avocado mashed veggies and salmon!

Thursday:

Keto-Surfing

Ride the wave of fat-melting ketosis as your body and brain enjoy the benefits of a third day of high-fat low carb clarity, energy and focus. This day looks basically identical to Tuesday; beginning with an Elevated Coffee fast and an active day of living, thriving and enjoying! Carb intake < 50g

Friday:

Sizzle and Build

Friday looks relatively similar to Wednesday until about 3 or 4 pm. As I prepare for a weekend of carb-refeeding to allow for the necessary glucose, insulin and protein upregulation I generally start tapering my fat intake back and increase my protein. I do this because beginning Friday evening (Saturday at the latest) I will be reintroducing a number of insulin-producing-carbohydrates back into my diet. If I have loads of free floating fatty acids in my blood stream when I start my carb re-feed then my ensuing insulin spike will be cramming my fat cells full of- you guessed it- FAT! This is why I generally use Friday as a build and repair day beginning in the early afternoon by replacing much of my fat calories with protein. This way, when insulin kicks in, I will be shunting all those luscious muscle-building amino acids into my muscle cells to get to work on rebuilding after a hard week of muscle breakdown. Carb intake on a Friday generally reaches 50-140g.

Saturday:

Guilt-Free Build

Many people use the term "cheat day" which implies you are doing something wrong. I prefer the term "treat day" because Saturday is the day I have earned because of all the hard work and discipline I have put into the week. And don't get me wrong; Saturday is not a day of gorging your face into every cake, cookie, pancake, beer and pasta dish that you've been avoiding during the week. Instead, I savor each and every bite of any treat meal or drink that I choose to put into my body. I enjoy the many benefits of living a low carb high fat diet so much that I do my best to stay conscious of the fact that my gut flora, hormones, fat cells and performance will all be affected by the choices I make during my treat day. Therefore, I continue to reach for fruits instead of French toast, sweet potatoes instead of pasta, and only 1 scoop of ice cream instead of 2 ;-) . Saturday is my day to indulge a bit; and, if you know me at all, my preferred indulgence often comes in the form of craft beer. Many a hidden carbohydrate and empty calorie come swirling through a tap line and into that pint, so, I save them for the weekend! But, instead of having pint after pint, I generally venture toward sample size glasses and flights to keep from having too much of a good thing. If you ever want to join me for a treat day then give me a holler, and I'll see you at the brewery! Carb intake on my treat day is somewhere between 60 and infinity. Enjoy responsibly!

Sunday:

Build and Drain

Whoa! All of this extra glycolytic energy makes me want to move! So, I do. The first half of Sunday generally spotlights a fun day of care-free, guilt-free eating accompanied by a long bike ride, surf or hike. With all of the extra carbohydrate fuel I've just acquired I generally use my Sunday as a day of long enjoyable movement which leads me directly back into an emptied-out glycogen storage tank and an opportunity to begin fueling back up on fats and protein by the latter half of the day. Again, as always, my most important message for Sunday is to listen to my body; oftentimes I can become "hangry" after a long day of activity which fats alone will not suffice. But instead of reaching for a bowl of carbohydrates, I instead make a conscious choice to eat a balanced meal in an effort to slowly wean myself from glucose burning back into fat burning. This slow-tapered balance allows for a more enjoyable Monday transition as was described in the beginning of this article. Carb intake on Sunday's generally ranges from 50-120g.

So, there you have it. My low-moderately scientific crash course on how to eat in order to stay lean, keep hard, functional muscle, look great and feel like a million bucks! Please enjoy the many benefits of being a fire-breathing dragon in human form, and spread the word so that everyone you care about can thrive while alive! Again, please reach out with any questions, or specifics or to take a deeper dive into the science of a LCHF ketone-rich diet. Many of the steps, and guidelines suggested can be intricate and even dangerous if done without professional guidance. For more information on a programming and/or diet specifics to best fit your needs click here.

And as always, Stay Elevated!