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Diet Do-Overs
Is your nutrition up to snuff? Our experts give you tips to change your worst eating habits.
By Linda Formichelli
It’s all about the nutrition, baby. What you eat determines in large part how much you weigh, how intensely you can work out, how much get-up-and-go you have, and how much you’re plagued by downers like diabetes and heart disease.
It’s easy to tell someone to cut down on saturated fat, nosh on more fruits and veggies, eat regularly throughout the day and include protein in every meal. What’s harder is translating that advice into your own diet when you’re a vegetarian, or you can’t stand the thought of eating before noon, or you have only five minutes to pound down a meal as you race through the airport. .
Don’t let it get you down. We found three guys willing to serve as guinea pigs to show you how you can improve your nutritional profile by making small, easy changes. As an extra bonus to our male readers, we have twins—twin nutritionists. Tammy Lakatos Shames, R.D., L.D., C.D.N., C.P.T., and Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., L.D., C.D.N., C.P.T., New York City-based nutritionists, examined the diets of our three test subjects.
Note: We give just one day of the men’s diets here, but our twins looked over three days’ worth.
Steve Watts:
Height: 5’ 11"
Weight: 190 pounds
Age: 29
What Steve says:
I’m 29 years old and just found out that my cholesterol is through the roof. I have a few months to get in shape and make a dramatic change in my cholesterol through exercise and diet, or I will be forced to take Lipitor for life, something I’m not crazy about.
Ten years ago, I had a 29-inch waist and weighed about 150 pounds—not bad for a height of around 5’ 11". I was working out and in great shape. I now have a 36-inch waist and weigh about 190 pounds. I’m not huge, but definitely have some weight to lose, and I need to change my diet and get on a good exercise program..
As for my eating habits, I have loved red meat from the time I was about 14 years old, and I’ve eaten it several times a week ever since. I have also eaten things like butter, sour cream., ice cream., etc., in huge quantities for the same period of time. My intake of soda and snack foods has been a bit out of control, but I’m getting better about that now. I’m a bit of a midnight snacker and have a habit of eating things like a bag of popcorn right before I fall asleep. I typically work long hours and end up skipping meals or grabbing fast food whenever I have a few minutes.
Sample diet
5:45 a.m.: McDonald’s Hot Cakes and Sausage, 1 Coke at airport
12:30 p.m.: Beer-batter Halibut and Chips with coleslaw and 2 Pepsis during lunch meeting
8:00 p.m.: Pizza Hut personal pan Supreme pizza with water at the airport
Where Steve rocks:
- He’s ready to make a change. Steve is inspired to improve his diet—and that’s half the battle.
Where Steve can improve:
- He needs to be prepared. Steve’s travel and work schedule aren’t doing him any favors. "Steve has such a crazy schedule that in order to eat healthy, he’ll have to do some extra planning," says Tammy. Instead of grabbing a greaseburger on the run, for example, Steve can make sure to have his kitchen, office and briefcase stocked with such healthy and portable goodies as nuts, baby carrots, containers of low-fat yogurt, cups of instant oatmeal, protein shakes and bars and low-fat string cheese.
- He should banish bad fat. "I don’t know if Steve knows which foods raise cholesterol the most, but he’s eating all of them," says Tammy. "Fatty meats, mayo, full-fat dairy products like cheese." Instead, Steve should opt for lower-fat versions of foods, such as using skim milk in his coffee.
Even on the run, he can order a grilled chicken sandwich minus the mayo, a plain burger with a side salad, pizza with extra veggies and half the cheese, or a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat with veggies. If he wants to indulge in beef, Steve should order lean cuts like loin or round and slice away all visible fat.
- He needs to eat more greens. Steve’s diet is sadly lacking in fruits and veggies. Portable snacks like apples, bananas or pears can get him through crunch times at work, and when eating out he can order a salad or a side of steamed veggies. This will also give Steve more filling fiber.
David DeWitt
Height: 6’ 0"
Weight: 180 pounds
Age: 38
What David says:
I’m in fairly decent shape, although I could lose a few pounds and tone up. I follow a vegetarian diet, however, I do eat junk sometimes. Probably my biggest problem is when I eat. I normally do not eat in the morning and just do the coffee thing—unless, of course, someone brings donuts to the office.
I generally do not eat lunch, maybe snack here and there throughout the day, and end up having my big meal between 5:30 and 8 at night, and then just lounge about sedentary until bed. Those meals are frequently pasta-based, which loads me up on carbs. I often end up having a bowl of cereal (most often sweetened in some way) between 9 and 10 p.m. as dessert. There are times, too, that I’ll indulge in a frozen pizza.
Sample diet
7:00 a.m.: coffee (throughout morning)
7:30 a.m.: 1 pancake with fruit puree
12:20 p.m.: peach
2:10 p.m.: nectarine
4:30 p.m.: peach
4:45 p.m.: nectarine
4:50 p.m.: 1 cup pasta salad (shells, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, kidney beans, fat-free dressing)
7:00 p.m.: beer (22-ounce microbrew)
7:45 p.m.: organic spaghetti, marinara sauce with mushrooms, soy sausage
Where David rocks:
- He’s getting plenty of fiber. Soluble fiber improves digestion and prevents such maladies as constipation, diverticulosis and hemorrhoids. Insoluble fiber helps prevent heart disease.
- He’s getting his greens. All the fruits and veggies David eats offer a vast array of disease-fighting phytochemicals.
- He’s low-fat. His meat-free diet is naturally low in saturated fat.
Where David can improve:
- Protein, protein, protein! "David’s breakfasts consist only of carbohydrates, which are usually digested in an hour or two," says Lyssie. "He’ll have hunger pangs in a couple of hours if he doesn’t get some fat and protein with his breakfast." Since David is trying to go vegan (i.e., eat no animal products at all), Tammy and Lyssie suggest soy milk, soy bacon or nuts sprinkled over oatmeal. Scrambled tofu is another good choice. Recipes can be found online on sites like VegWeb.com.
- Every snack should also include some protein. "Instead of eating a piece of fruit every hour, he could have a nectarine with 2 tablespoons of nuts," says Tammy. Peanut butter and hummus make good, protein-packed dips for fruits and veggies, respectively.
- He should drain off some booze. A 22-ounce beer is equal to two servings, and on some days David drinks a glass of wine on top of it. "He should limit alcohol to one serving per night, such as one glass of light beer," says Lyssie.
Jason Roth
Height: 5’ 10"
Weight: 180
Age: 28
What Jason says:
Growing up I was always very skinny. In fact, when I graduated high school at the age of 17, I weighed only 114 pounds. Because of that, I have always had issues with my size. I joined a gym at the age of 19 and have worked out about four to five days a week ever since. However, because I don’t have much of an appetite for food, I have had to take supplements to gain weight, and I continue to take supplements to maintain my weight.
Now, at age 28, I weigh about 180 pounds and would probably be considered "in shape." But I am not where I want to be, and I believe most of it is because of my diet. Sure, I get bigger, but it is not the toned look that I would like. I want to have more lean muscle, and I don’t seem to gain much. I guess I don’t know what I need to eat to gain lean muscle instead of just getting bigger.
I never skip lunch because I tend to get very moody if my lunchtime hunger is not relieved with some food. I am always very thirsty.
Sample diet
7:00 a.m.: Protein shake before working out
9:00 a.m.: Three over-easy eggs, two English muffins, each with a small smear
of butter, and two pieces of bacon. Two 8-ounce glasses of orange juice.
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: 18-ounce bottle of orange Gatorade.
12:00 p.m.: One cup of a stir fry dishcontaining steak strips, onion and bok
choy, plus 2 tablespoons of jasmine white rice. 18-ounce bottle of orange Gatorade.
2:00 to 6:00 p.m.: One 8-ounce glass of water, one 18-ounce bottle of orange Gatorade.
6:00 p.m.: One medium size chop, a salad topped with onion, cucumber and
ranch dressing, and about 3 tablespoons of jasmine white rice. One 8-ounce glass of water.
What Jason is doing right:
- He’s keeping well-hydrated. Water flushes wastes from the body, lubricates the joints and connective tissues, and protects and cushions vital organs.
- He’s eating when he’s hungry. Instead of sticking to three squares, Jason eats when he needs to.
Where Jason can improve:
- He should ditch the drinks. Despite his fear of being too skinny, if Jason wants to look cut, he’ll need to take off fat. And a good way to do that is to put the kibosh on such calorie-laden beverages as Gatorade and orange juice. "He’s drinking too many empty calories without getting the nutrients he needs for muscle building," says Lyssie.
- He needs to cut the saturated fat. The sample day boasts butter, bacon and steak—all high in saturated fat. Better choices would be Canadian bacon, low-fat spread and lean cuts of meat, as well as some fish like salmon, which is high in healthy fat. These choices are not only heart-healthier, but they’re also lower in calories, which will help Jason gain more muscle definition.
- He needs fruit. "He should get two pieces a day, maybe with breakfast and lunch," says Tammy.
- He could use more whole grains. Jason noshes on such low-fiber, high-glycemic starches as pancakes, English muffins and white rice. Instead, he should bulk up with whole-wheat pancakes, oat bran English muffins and brown rice. The fiber will keep his motor revving longer and help him work out harder.
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