THE BOWHAY DIET

I'm over weight.

I did the BMI and based on my age and height I need to be in the ball park of 160-165.

I started out this year at 235.

Right now I'm 218.  I'm cool with that.

Here's my diet philosophy.

1. Big ass protein heavy breakfast.

2. Medium sized lunch.

3. All-Bran for dinner.

The later in the day that you eat, the more likely it is that your food will turn to fat.

For breakfast I usually heat up some stuff I cooked earlier in the week.  Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage is a personal favorite.  I'll usually have it with eggs and toast.

Now, it's not good to have eggs every day, you need to be on a rotation.

If I'm lazy I'm grab some frozen chicken patties and some sweet potato fries.  I try to alternate with salmon and tofu.

I know, fish in the morning?  That sounds gross, but let's face it, where has western style eating habits gotten us?  Out of shape and unhealthy.  It does require a paradigm shift.

All-bran is the cereal with the highest amount of fiber.  Fiber is good, it will help you lose weight. Eating cereal for dinner will drastically affect your social life, bringing a ziplock bag of All-bran over to dinner at your In-law's place.

But, if your friends love you then they will support your lifestyle change, I mean, if I was diabetic (actually my doctor said I was pre-diabetic) then no one would say boo.

The Bowhay diet is kinda like coming out of the closet.  People will be uncomfortable around you because your lifestyle makes them confront their own lifestyles... or it's just awkward because it's out of the ordinary.  

For lunch I try to have two shots of wheat grass and a venti coffee. The coffee is very filling, but it's not good to drink your calories.  My advice is to learn to appreciate a good coffee without all the whip cream and syrup.  The peaberry is quite nice. The good thing about the wheat grass is that I don't like vegetables, so a few shots a week and I'm good.  If you've never had wheat grass before, WATCH OUT.  The taste is awful, it's like having your sinuses stuffed with fresh lawn clippings.  Keep the altoids handy, they're pretty good at masking the after taste.

SNACK OFTEN 

Carrots take more calories to digest than what they introduce.  Soyjoy cranberry bars are the highest in potassium and lowest in calories, also a good source of fiber.  Cheese sticks and apples are good too. I rarely reward myself with a dark chocolate or green tea cola. If I'm really fiending  then I might chomp on some of my daughter's rice crackers.

SUPPLEMENT YOUR DIET.

You probably already know the vitamins that you need, 

A (Retinol)

B₁ (Thiamin),B₂ (Riboflavin), B₃ (Niacin), B₅ (<Pantothenic acid), B₆ (Pyridoxine),  B₇ (Biotin), B₉ (Folic acid), B₁₂ (Cyanocobalamin)

C (Ascorbic acid)

D (Calciferol)E (Tocopherol), 

K (Phylloquinone)

but there are around 16 different minerals that the body needs to stay healthy.  

Calcium Chloride

Cobalt Copper

Iodine Iron

Magnesium Manganese

Molybdenum Nickel

Phosphorus Potassium

Selenium Sodium

Sulfur Zinc

Also, there are 8 different simple sugars that the body needs. 

Xylose Fucose

Galactose Glucose

Mannose  N-acetylgalactosamine 

N-acetylglucosamine N-acetylneuraminic acid

Most multi-vitamins that are available at your local drug store won't have anything with the 8 sugars.  If you don't have a specialty shop near you then go here.  But if you do then SUPPORT SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS!

You can't rely on a balanced diet to diet to take care of it for you any more.  In this day of corporate farming the soil is depleted of nutrients and produce is harvested before they have a chance to store any real nutrients. If you have farmers market near then go to it.  The key is to eat the freshest and most unprocessed foods as possible.

*When taking supplements you must drink lots of water.  Water is the catalyst. 

Vitamin D and Omega-3's will help you lose weight.

Omega-3's tell your body to burn stored fat.

Omega-6's (found in bread, pasta, and white starches) tell your body to store fat.

Your body doesn't make fat from consumed fat, it makes fat by converting starch into fat.

Last bit.

LEARN TO LIKE EXERCISE

I bought a pair of running shoes and my buddy David gave me bike.

I try to use one of them daily.

My friend James showed me a thing called the Powerbase.

It is light and compact (fits under your bed) and offers modular low-impact isometric workouts.

That's a good thing.

I got on craigslist and found the exact stair-master I wanted, the 'Climbmax 3000' (very sexy).  I got it for $275. It was in Jersey.  It was a huge time (12 hours), money (I think the gas cost more than the 

machine), 

and space

 investment (my laundry room is crowded as hell).  But I'm worth it :)

Also, if you are cheap and lazy like me, there are simple floor and stair exercises that you can do on your way from the kitchen to the couch.  

*one last tip

Mustard does wonders for bland healthy foods.

And it doesn't have all the sugar that ketchup or barbecue sauces have.  Here are some of my favorites.