What Diet is Mikey On?
One question I get all the time is, “What diet did you use to lose 105 lbs?”. The truth is, I ALMOST don’t know. I’ll explain.
When I started my own transformation, I remember starting on a Wednesday. Sure, everyone else starts on a Monday, but I’ve never understood that. But I do remember that the first day of the new year started on Wednesday that year, and I was planning on jumping on the New Year’s bandwagon.
I decided to give myself one cheat day a week, and 95% of the time, that cheat day was on Saturday. So, that was actually a good strategy for a guy that was eating ridiculously (it’s a word, look it up) bad. This was basically my diet at the time:
Breakfast – an iced honeybun and a Mr. Pibb for breakfast
Lunch – a supersized meal at a fast food joint with 2 large servings of a soda
Snack – candy bar and a soda from the vending machine
Dinner – an entire bag of chips as I decided what to eat for dinner, which usually ended up being an entire frozen pizza followed by 2 big bowls of ice cream
I’m guessing dinner alone was typically around 4,000 calories… good times.
So, to sum it up, I would allow myself to eat like this one day a week, while the other days, I just simply “ate better”. For example, I switched my morning iced honeybun and soda for water and a bowl of oatmeal (with a tbsp of peanut butter… know about it).
For lunch, I remember going to the mall instead of a fast food joint and getting chicken with green beans. I made the green beans better by putting hot sauce on them. Sure, it’s weird, but they are my beans and I can do what I want.
That’s how I ate 6 days a week. But when Saturday hit, I went all out. The old Mikey came out to play.
But here’s the thing – as weeks went by, my “cravings” for the junk food each Saturday were lighter. The next thing you know, I went from cheating all day to just having 1-2 cheat meals all day, and the portions weren’t nearly as big.
I was eating salad almost every day… what the heck? This was coming from a guy that despised lettuce, let alone salad with a bunch of lettuce. My taste buds were literally changing. It was actually pretty awesome.
So, I basically followed that method for 6 months and it changed my attitude towards food. Luck? Perhaps. I don’t know… all I know is that it worked.
So, if you’re a junk food junkie like I was, cheating once a day might be the ticket for you and Joel’s Cheat Your Way Thin might be right for you. Everyone is different. Moving on…
How I’ve Kept it Off
Losing 105 lbs is one thing, but how would I keep it off? That’s just as big of a battle as losing weight.
Here’s the truth – I get bored with using a specific diet. I find myself having to “change it up” as much as my workouts (that’s a whole new discussion – I change my program every 4 weeks).
One approach that I don’t get away from week after week is intermittent fasting. I’ll be honest with you and trust me when I say I’m a little shy of admitting this – I scoffed at the idea of fasting. I thought it was ridiculous and was a fad.
But one summer, I had about 5 weeks before we were heading to the beach for vacation in Hilton Head. Sabrina, my wife, was knocked up and I knew it would be our last vacation with just the two of us.
By the way, yes, I said she was “knocked up”. She hates that and I know she’s reading this at some point and I like to push her buttons. There is no reason to push buttons other than it rocks. I’m a jerk, and that’s awesome.
So, I invested in Joel Marion’s Xtreme Fat Loss Diet, where there is one day of fasting after a cheat day. Already being relatively lean, I was still able to drop about 14 lbs of fat in 25 days.
That’s when intermittent fasting caught my interest and I wanted to learn more.
So I read Brad Pilon’s book, Eat Stop Eat and it was one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I read it in one weekend and was hooked.
I’ve been fasting 1-2 days per week for 20-24 hours for well over 2 years now. I find that funny because I originally thought intermittent fasting was silly. Oops… now it’s a lifestyle that has helped me keep my weight off (and it’s much easier).
I’m not saying intermittent fasting is for everyone, but it certainly works for me and several of my coaching clients.
Other than that, I typically eat the same foods just about every day with the exception of dinner. I know it works, that’s why.
Do I cheat? Well, sure. This weekend I had some “Cinnamon Roll” cake and some Chinese take-out. It was deliciousness hitting my tongue.
My diet isn’t perfect… nor will it ever be. After dinner, I usually eat 1-2 Dove chocolates for dessert. When I’m out of town, I hit the local Starbucks in the morning for a cinnamon latte knowing that it has sugars. I don’t sweat it though.
At the end of the day, each and every bite you take will take you closer or further away from your goals (thank you Alwyn Cosgrove for that insight). You just have to find an approach that would work with you, not against you.
If you love fruit, and try to go low-carb, you’re going to fail. So my advice to you is this – try anything that might fit your lifestyle for 2 weeks. If you find that it doesn’t match you and your personality, skip it. Move on to the next approach.
Society tells us that we shouldn’t do that and that we have to stick to it even if it makes us miserable. So, tell Society, “Bite me” and do what works for you. Don’t be afraid to try different approaches.
That’s part of the journey – finding the “perfect diet” for you.
I love cashews,
Mikey, CTT
P.S. It’s my blog and I can sign off any way I want to. If I love cashews and want to tell you about that, I can do it.
Leave A Reply (16 comments so far)
Kat C
11 years ago
This is the same approach I use! I really believe that a life long eating plan includes eating like a real person and not by trying to starve yourself to death.
Love your posts-keep up the good work!
Kat
Mikey
11 years ago
Well said Kat – I appreciate the feedback, too. Have a great week!
Mikey
JR
11 years ago
I picked up your finishers, I follow Craig’s workouts, I picked up Brad’s book and live a plant based life. I can’t seem to get my head around the intermittent fasting. Or maybe I just can’ make it through the fasting day. Any ideas? I keep hearing good things about this technique. I also still have enough fat to lose though. Is this something you should use near the end of your fat loss journey?
Mikey
11 years ago
Hey JR, certainly play around with the times that you do the fast. I find that I do my best fasts from around 4pm to 4pm. It’s just like any other diet approach – it’s challenging at first, but once you get started and stay on it consistently, it does get easier. You’ll have good fasts and bad fasts (just like Brad says), but to me, it’s one of the easiest approaches. You can use this whether you have 15 lbs or 100 lbs to lose in my opinion.
I’ll be the first to admit though – I’m not intermittent fasting expert, so certainly check out Brad’s blog at
http://bradpilon.com/brads-blog/
You have a great combo going (Craig’s workout, finishers and Brad’s nutrition approach),
Mike
Scott Jones
11 years ago
I am more of a Diet Solution Plan disciple. I have not tried intermittent fasting, but I think the time has come to jump in. The more i read about it, the more sense it makes.
Thanks. By the way, your Ab Finishers product is terrific. In fact, I did a post on my blog about it.
Mikey
11 years ago
That’s another great program Scott. Thanks for the feedback on the Ab Finishers – really appreciate that. Thanks for spreading the word, too.
Mike
Adrian
11 years ago
Totally agree with cheat days/meals. They keep you on track mentally and nutritionally. I’m know I’m not alone when i say that i really enjoying eating super lean, knowing there is a treat at the end of the week …and it tastes sooo good when it happens (and boy does it happen!)
Mikey
11 years ago
I’m right there with you Adrian. It’s nice to be able to enjoy yourself every once in a while.
Frank A
11 years ago
Hi Mikey! I feel you brought up a really good point about dieting that can also be applied to exercise programs. I know that many of the programs use a lot of science and studies to back them up. And there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
I like Capt. Barbossa’s statement in the first Pirates movie when he replied “We don’t think of them as rules, more like guidelines.” or something to that effect 😉
From my point of view, I look at all the programs and make adjustments/modifications that I can perform so I can continue the program and have fun and make it challenging. Keeping it simple is my approach, the science can get in the way and make it really heady…analysis-paralysis! I may do the intermittent fasting at times, but I generally don’t do the meal plans. We eat pretty clean at home anyway. I just do my best and realize that there may be days I don’t follow it. Not making it stressful also helps reduce cortisol, a hidden benefit.
That’s my approach and that makes it my responsibility to apply it.
All for now.
Mikey
11 years ago
That right there is some great advice and a solid way to approach it Frank. Well said man!
Mike
Alexia
11 years ago
Wanted to let you know this particular blog entry was hilarious.
You sounded like a kid being ornery/having a mini temper-tantum…and it was very funny, yet educational.
On a more serious note, everything in life comes down to balance, especially eating to live (well), not living to eat.
Thank you for sharing your workouts with us.
Mikey
11 years ago
You’re very welcome Alexia. I think fat loss can be educational with the occasional laugh :). I appreciate the feedback.
Mike
Iowamom
11 years ago
I found you through TT and I love the finishers. Great way to end a workout. I really enjoy your style of writing and sense of humor. Your approach is simple and you keep it interesting. I’m changing things up in July and doing MRT/MCT to see how it works for me. Keep up the good work!
Mikey
11 years ago
Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. I think fitness can be informative and entertaining. Please do keep me posted on your progress, and thanks again!
Joseph
11 years ago
Mike, you are like the Tim the Tool Man Taylor of fitness (minus the accidents of course)! Funny and informative. Thanks for trying stuff and sharing! It was great meeting you at this years awesome TT Summit. Congrats on Trainer of the Year! So deserving. I also love cashews.
Mikey
11 years ago
Joseph, you rock sir. I appreciate the feedback and support. That’s exactly what I go for. Have a great week man, and thanks again!