Okay, so I have a confession to make. I have become very lazy with my diet over the last few months. I have not stepped on a scale for several months, but I can guarantee you that I have put on a few. For a while there, I was exercising so much that I burned most of it off, but the injury brought back the weight. I tell you all this for accountability. I am going to start the “Daryl Diet” (named for my boss that crafted the heart of the plan) once again.  Not only am I doing this for weight management, but for overall health and my athletic performance.

Melissa requested that I put the diet on this blog so that she and others could follow if they wish.  So I will outline what I will start doing.

Breakfast: 

1. Skim milk with 1-2 scoops of whey protein.  I prefer Hammer Whey, but there are others out there.  Just look for whey protein isolate, not concentrate.

2. 15 almonds

3. 8oz V-8, low sodium

4. 8oz Coffee no sugar (I don’t drink coffee, so this is out for me and no, Mountain Dew is not acceptable, even diet)

Mid-Morning snack:

1. Apple

2. 10 almonds

3. at least 8oz of water

Lunch:

1. Tuna, Chicken, Salmon or Turkey on a salad with balsamic vinaigrette or sandwich with wheat bread.  I can’t eat fish, so I either have a chicken salad or a Morningstar Farms Grillers Original (soybean burger) on wheat with a slice of fat free cheese and one ketchup and one mustard packet.

2. 16oz of water

Afternoon snack:

1. 1 scoop whey protein in 4oz water

2. 1 orange

Dinner:

1. Baked chicken or baked fish, you may do turkey as well and you can bake or grill.  Also, Morningstar Farms meat substitutes are good as well, although a bit higher in sodium than what is ideal, so keep an eye on that.

2. Green beans, or something green

3. Brown rice if desired

Late Snack:

1. 15 almonds

2. 1 scoop whey protein in 8oz skim milk

Another note from the Daryl himself:

“You may want to get a fat burner to take to boost your metabolism. I recommend Xenadrine RFA-X [now replaced with Xenadrine RZR-X].  Take 2, 30 minutes before lunch. On workout days, take 2, 30 minutes prior to going to Gym or doing cardio”

The idea is this: follow this plan for 6 days a week and the 7th you get a “cheat day” and you can eat anything you want that day.  This diet will increase your protein intake and reduce fat and sodium and will cause you to lose weight.  Cardio is needed too though.  At a minimum of 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days a week.

I also use a fiber supplement called Konsyl.  It really helps keep you “regular”. 

As far as my other supplements, I take a flax seed oil caplet (1000 mg), Hammer Premuim Insurance Caps, Hammer Race Caps Supreme & Hammer Mito Caps.

Before a run or workout, I consume a serving of Hammer Gel and if the run is 5 miles or longer, I will drink HEED while I am running.  If the workout is to be 2-3 hours or longer, protein is needed during the workout and Perpetuem is ideal.  Immediately after each workout, I consume 2 scoops of Recoverite in water.  This may seem all very complicated, but the folks at Hammer have really made it very easy to get exactly what you need.  Sure, you could eat certain foods that contain protein and carbohydrates, but to measure everything out and ensure you aren’t getting excesses of fats and sodium would get quite difficult.  If you are interested in ordering Hammer products, let me know and I can get you 15% off your first order.  They will give me some credit too, just to be upfront, but that is not why I recommend them.  I truly believe they are the best choice out there for fueling endurance athletes.  If you ever have any question about fueling or supplementation or just diet in general, a wealth of free knowledge can be found on Hammer’s website.

And I guess I need to step back on the scale and see the damage I have done.  Perhaps I will go a step father and post weekly “weigh ins” like Tyler does.  What do you all think?