I’ve had many people – especially friends, asking me what is it that I eat for my daily meals, how am I able to consume adequate protein everyday (I try to get about 170g protein daily), is fried rice after a workout okay, and so on. In fact, a friend sent me at least 10 text messages last night just to ensure that what he was about to eat for dinner wasnt going to ruin his nutrition plan.
Actually, i think getting sufficient protein/carbohydrates in a meal isnt really difficult at all. When I eat, and when I plan my meals – what I do is to go by what I feel and what I have. Of course, I don’t go eating everything in sight, but try to accomodate and improve whatever I may already have prepared and waiting for dinner at home, for example. For me, back home there’s always rice and other side dishes. However, there is almost always insufficient protein for it to be a decent meal for me.. so what do I do? Easy – just boil some eggs and eat it in addition to your dinner. See my writeup on why eggs are an excellent source of protein.
Or if you can already anticipate that there’s not going to be a decent meal at home, then be like me and get a roasted chicken from a nearby hypermarket (these are cheap, approx RM5 – 8 per bird) and keep it in the fridge – ready for you to cut out whenever you wish to bump up the protein content of your meals.
As for me, it helps when my mom (yes, yes, I live with my parents :P) tells me beforehand what she’s preparing for dinner. So if there’s not enough protein to satisfy my requirements – I’ll know and will usually stop at a store to pick up more eggs, etc if I don’t have anything stored at home.
For the hardcore lazy and clueless ones, to be safe – you can make it a point that there is always an ample supply of eggs, milk, and some sort of cereal present at all times so you can always have a meal if there really is nothing to eat.
Here’s a sample of what I had for dinner last night (sorry.. if it doesnt look that appetising, its because of my camera.. didnt manage to capture the yummyness of the food).
1. Broccoli + cauliflower
2. Two large pieces of Chicken (cut in halves)
3. Rice + gravy from the chicken
4. Cut chillies
5. Four egg-whites + 1 yolk
6. Soy sauce + pepper to taste
As you can see, it isn’t a picture of the typical ‘perfect’ balanced meal that you always see in fitness magazines or most people would think I’m having everyday, but hey – it does the job for me. I can see decent improvements and am still able to get lean with just slight increases to the amount of cardio I do. That, for me is all the nutrition that I need. Simple and straightforward, and with a touch of mom’s cooking even.
Bon Appetit!
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Bon Apetit. So, best to have sufficient intake of protein everyday with enough exercise and goal for lean body can be achieved. Isn;t it?
Well surfnux, protein is only one part of the equation.
You still need to ensure you are getting sufficient calories to support weight gain, adequate training at the gym, and enough rest & recuperation to achieve such a goal. Also, do remember that it takes time and there is NO SHORT CUT to it. I’ve said it to many people, and I’ll say it again – Rome wasnt built in a day. ;)
icic. Thanks for the info. Will try to slowly change my lifestyle and get into the ideal one. hoho
Well, I tried the tuna in water for breakfast today. It taste great.
I eat it with bread covered with butter, and a little bit of tomato sauce. Taste as great as the other tuna in mayonaise or others. Delicious. What I have in mind is, I will plan to eat one can for two serving a day. So, first half in the morning, the other half in the afternoon or night.
Does it sounds great?
surfnux: That’s fantastic! Hope you’re going easy on the butter :)
huhu … that’s my diet daily now :)
yeah just a light one. hoho I compare all the available tuna in can, that this one in water has the lowest fat. But, after eating it for sometime, can felt those bad feeling. Like you know. Yackky feeling. hehe But slowly I will get use to it I guess.
yesh yucky a bit but it’s good food :Þ
Great. But don’t forget to treat yourself to a ‘cheat meal’ (eat anything you want) every once in a while. It helps you stick to your diet in the long run because you know that you are still able to indulge in the foods you crave for.
icic. Great idea. I feel like my ideal body is gonna come back if I do this. Apart from jogging and walking, I think I will need to find a swimming pool soon or gym. To improve the process faster and tighten my muscles. kekeke Its so fun doing all this step by step.
lol this has turn to chatting session :Þ
Well.. guess thats what happens when I don’t post any new content to the site. Been busy these few days.. will try to get something up today or tomorrow ppl. Have a great weekend!
hohoho yeah, nice to chat here. Maybe we can chat in messenger sometimes. ehhehe Have a nice weekend guys.
surfnux: I have been going to the pool too. But recent developments has shown that only 10% or so (forgot the exact figure) of casual swimmers will be able to swim at a high enough level to improve cardiovascular fitness.
Unless you are a *bad* swimmer, and you use a lot of energy inefficiently to keep your heart pumping! In which case, the side effects of being a bad swimmer is either unnecessary stress on your body or injury.
This is because, swimming is supposed to be moving through the water most efficiently. Those hardcore super-fast championship swimmers actually use *less* energy than the usual swimmer. Alexander Popov, the world record breaker before Ian Thorpe, used 16% less energy than his nearest competitors. Other champions also typically use 10-25% less energy than their rivals. Surprising, yes?
You still can swim, as it can be relaxing activity, and it trains your breathing, but if you want to lose weight, either you swim one hour almost daily, or put in some jogging like you mentioned, biking or the stairmaster.
surfnux: in addition to what D.M. mentioned, try whole-grain bread instead of white bread. It’s more nutritious (weevils can live on whole-grain flour.. but will die if given white flour!) and also has more fibre.
I tried something new today.. bought a head of lettuce, washed it, tore it into little pieces. Dumped tuna (in oil though..) on it, some ketchup, some tabasco. Yum!! Fresh tuna salad in less than 5 minutes!
aw: i concur. nice salad indeed :)
similarly, this is what i learned from a fine dining italian restaurant once.
lotsa lettuce(of various colours) shredded, i can of smashed tuna, extra virgin olive oil. mix them all up in a salad bowl. top it up with grated goat cheese/blue cheese. alternatively you can use cheddar. add freshly ground black pepper.
i made this for my mum…and omg she loves it!
aw: great insight on swimming. I always knew that it you could get better results in the gym if you’re looking for cardio.
And guys, great recipe ideas. Think I need to go grocery shopping again… ;)
Aw, thanks for the tips. Great recipes u have there. Will try one day.
I didn’t know about the facts of proffesional swimmers using less strength. Nice to know it here. Thanks for it. I believe it is true since most profesional swimmer will have sleeker body and their movements are so smooth.
i still think the fastest and most convenient way to get nutrients into your system is to blend a protein drink. like a large amount. so u can carry in a thermos or something. i read it at some forums on the bb.com site. also in the arnold schwarzenegger bb encyclopedia :D. quite useful to drink during work/school between meals to bump up protein and calories. haven’t really tried that though; scared my shake go bad by the end of the day. cause usually i use milk that needs to be refrigerated. any comments on this anyone ? :)
aw: btw, great idea for the salad! will definitely try it out someday. very useful especially when u have to prepare your own meals
woah i realised the last post was over 2 yrs ago.. hope this little comment section is still active