What Do Actors/Models Eat?

[caj]

A college couple approached me at the walking track to ask me for the time a few weeks ago. The guy was pretty muscular and had what looked like about a 28 or 29 inch waist - no body fat at all.

I asked him what his diet was like and he said all he ate were egg whites, tuna, Greek yogurt, and protein shakes. I looked at his girlfriend and she shook her head 'yes' so I guess it was true.

Sounds horrible but it sure works for him.

[Cyke]

A college couple approached me at the walking track to ask me for the time a few weeks ago. The guy was pretty muscular and had what looked like about a 28 or 29 inch waist - no body fat at all.

I asked him what his diet was like and he said all he ate were egg whites, tuna, Greek yogurt, and protein shakes. I looked at his girlfriend and she shook her head 'yes' so I guess it was true.

Sounds horrible but it sure works for him.

The amount of food and exercise would matter, too. If your diet was a large amount of those same foods on its own, that would still be pretty bad (for example, Greek Yogurt and protein shakes can be full of sugar, so buying smart would be a factor). Conversely, time and effort to devote to a regimen should be considered too, such as what if he was a trainer, or a college athlete -- Michael Phelps easily eats 2 days worth of calories in a single meal, but only when he trained for the Olympics, a full time job. Muscle greatly helps with losing weight and fat reduction, so weight training is almost like a boost when alternated with cardio. A muscular guy like in your encounter burns more fat lying down than the rest of us because all that muscle is using it up and is trained to do so.

---

Generally speaking (that is, not aimed at Caj or OP specifically), at the end of the day, you want to take into account both calories and exercise routine. I like using MyFitnessApp for food tracking -- you can put in most foods (and even scan the barcodes of grocery items) to see how much you're taking in in terms of calories and nutrients, plus there's a goal setting app to track progress and warn you which foods you've eaten that you should be cautious of in the future. as well as portion sizes and warnings about overeating. It also has an app for documenting workouts, but I prefer more dedicated apps for that. There are also diet and portion guides online that are super helpful as well.

But also note that regimen means habits and the right mindset -- what you owe yourself and what are the best practices to honor yourself. Much of that means discipline and attentiveness, but throwing a good "party" for yourself (of sorts) is also a way to honor; that is, don't deprive yourself of enjoyment. The famed once a week cheat meal is fantastic for satisfying your deep cravings, and giving yourself a meal to just eat whatever you want is both a reward and reminder of how your taste buds work; but going back to habit, when it comes time for the cheat meal, you may just find yourself subconsciously choosing healthier options or losing the taste for certain foods because your body becomes more aware of the effects that healthy food has on the body.

Conversely, it's not gonna kill you to have a slice of pizza on a non-cheat day. However, you may find yourself adjusting your thinking a bit -- is one slice enough rather than the usual three? What do I have to do to make up for this pizza on my next workout? If I have pizza now, am I delaying a goal? Am I depriving myself of another objective (like, were you saving that cupcake for a special occasion? If you eat that slice now, you might not be able to eat that cupcake when the time comes.)? If the answer is that you can eat it, go for it, but remember the deals you made with yourself. For myself as an adult male, I aim to eat 1500 calories a day, or 500 less than the daily recommended amount (as the body requires burning 2500 calories to lose a pound -- so that 500 kcal/day deficit really adds up), but when I work out (especially cardio), I have to keep in mind that my workouts affect that total number of calories -- if my weight lifting means I've used up 300 calories, I can either try to make up for it (so eating 1800 calories that day) or try to consider if I feel full now at 1200 calories. But be warned, not eating enough calories in a day is *terrible,* plus you're depriving your body (and taste buds!) of kindness.

All in all, there are a wide variety of ways to eat well, workout, and not have it be torture. The reason to take care of your body should be to offer your body kindness -- if you look well, feel more energetic, perform better, and notice things like a calmer heart rate, fewer body aches, and fewer migraines, that's kindness. Avoiding overindulgence and maintaining healthy habits are just as important as food and exercise.

And to reiterate, this is in recognition that bodies and abilities are different, too. So what works for one may not necessarily work for the other. Some folks may want to be more muscular, others may want to be lean like a runner, others may just want to lose weight, and others still may just want to, say, counter knee pain, challenge heart disease preventatively, or reduce stress. So even those factors have to be accounted for adjustment. Clarity about what you want in 3 months is important. That muscular dude definitely didn't get that body overnight, so allow your body time to do the same. And, staying on topic in this thread, those super fit actors have their own motivation -- their paychecks and their careers, which are obviously big factors, but for the rest of is, motivation to keep in mind can manifest in so many other ways.