My Bullpen of Meals

The Food Blueprint I Follow for Success

For the most part, what you see above my my daily bullpen of meals. Not pictured are a few eggs and bacon, ingredients in my occasional smoothie, and some occasional fruit (usually red grapes or clementines). In varying combinations and amounts, and with the rare exception here and there, this is what I eat day in and day out.

Breakfast

I usually wait as long as possible before having breakfast. On my off duty days, I’ll eat 2-3 eggs with a slice of bacon or two before taking my kids to go to school and going to the gym. Sometimes I use cheese and sometimes I don’t. I try to not get in the habit of using cheese every time.

On my on duty days, I skip breakfast completely and wait to eat until my mid morning snack. I am busy enough in the morning that it keeps my mind off food. Coffee also helps and I drink lots of it.

Mid Morning Snack

On duty days, for my mid morning snack I’ll eat my honey crisp apple. I usually sit down and enjoy the apple, slicing it up with a knife and eating it slowly. I usually eat it between 9:30 and 10:30 am.

If I’m off duty, I usually skip the mid morning snack since I am at the gym. Also, If I am off duty that usually means I had a breakfast of eggs and bacon so the mid morning snack isn’t needed.

Remember, don’t eat because its time to eat or that’s when you normally do; instead eat when you are actually hungry.

Lunch

For lunch I eat the entire bagged salad with all the fixings it comes with. I also eat a side of protein. The protein varies from day to day. Usually its some cut of chicken or pork. Nothing against red meat or steak, its just not something I eat everyday and that’s mostly due to the ROI (return on investment). Red meat is expensive and there is no more benefit to eating it than any other meat; in my opinion, so I stick to poultry and pork.

Afternoon Snack

It’s not everyday that I have an afternoon snack. If I don’t get or feel hungry for one, then I don’t eat one. I find much of the time, the afternoon snack hunger is simply boredom. Ever notice when you’re engaged in something you almost forget you have gone without food for a while? Knowing that this afternoon hunger is just a craving or the need for a pick me up is half the battle. Its mind over matter.

If I am off duty and at home, that usually means I had a pretty long and intense workout that morning so this is usually when I’ll whip up my Alternative Health Insurance Smoothie.

If I am on duty, I have two options:

I keep a tub of protein powder at the station and I’ll mix up a scoop with some whole milk or I’ll go with my trusty Quest bar.

If you don’t already know, I fuckin love my Quest bars. They taste amazing and, nutritionally, they are the best protein bar product on the market. Read my post about sizing up different protein bars here.

What is a net carb?

Net carbs are calculated by taking the total grams of carbs and subtracting the grams of fiber. What you’re left with is net carbs.

Dinner

Dinner is extremely similar to lunch. When I am at home, its either a bagged salad or a home made salad with another side of protein. When I am on duty, its whatever vegetable is served along with the protein.

If you’re following my nutrition advice here or on a different posts, you know that I feel dinner is the most pivotal meal of the day. Eat a light dinner and don’t go for seconds.

Dessert

If you must call whatever you eat after dinner dessert than do so. I don’t consider it dessert. It’s just what I eat after dinner, once the kids are down or I am lounging and unwinding. 9 out of 10 times its the Carbmaster Yogurt from Kroger or Harris Teeter. Here is a snippet of the nutritional information:

• 9g protein per serving
• 4g carbs per serving
• 2g sugars per serving
• 70 calories per serving

1 out of 10 times in its a Triple Zero Yogurt.

Important Notes

• Not every one of your bullpen foods needs to be eaten everyday. Food items can be swapped out and replaced with other foods.
• Dinner is the most important meal, not breakfast, for staying lean. Eat light.
• Find substitutes for dessert. For me, Carbmaster and Triple Zero yogurts work great. Find what works for you.

And that’s it. This is the blueprint I’ve stuck with over the past year and it has helped my lose over 15 pounds and cut my body fat percentage in half. Of course, exercise plays a huge role in this process as well. However, I don’t change the way or the amount of food I eat regardless of the intensity of my workouts. I don’t see working out as a justification for eating more or for eating shittier foods. Working out is something you should be doing anyway, so don’t reward yourself for it.