Effective eating with the 4 Hour Body & Nutrition Cycling

'Abs are made in the kitchen'

This is so true. Exercise and good nutrition must go hand in hand and I couldn't agree more.

So on my 50 day journey, have I met my goals? Let's see.

Is it now second nature to eat clean?
Yes, at least when I'm at home. I'm so used to buying chicken breast, eggs, frozen fish fillets and shrimp and salad and stir fry veggies on a weekly basis now. I love the ritual of steaming the chicken and boiling the eggs to keep in the fridge so I'm always well stocked with good, lean protein. I love grilling (sometimes steaming) my fish fillets because the fish tastes gorgeous and melts in my mouth! I love the sweet and crunchy shrimp added to my raw salads or stirfried veggies.

When I'm planning to eat out, I automatically search for the menu online so I know what good foods I can order even before I step into the restaurant. Even if I want to eat items that are not so compliant to clean eating, I already know what I want to order, so I don't go overboard on the day itself.

Have I reached my physical goals?

Measurements wise, I would say I've exceeded expectations. My plan was to have a 24.5 inch waist by December. I've achieved that now and some mornings, my waist is almost 24 inches. I'm not so bothered by measurements though, I just don't want to lose lean muscle.

Fitness wise, I think I've made a vast improvement from when I first started working out in February, but have started to plateau and not have as many personal best timings or reps. This is also one reason why I started adding more high octane carbs to my meals, like fruit or muesli to breakfast on days I feel tired. I also noticed that the day after I eat significantly more, I manage to hit personal bests in my workout. There may come a day when I will include carbs at both breakfast and lunch if I continue to see my fitness plateau for an extended period. I'm still hitting personal bests for now, so I'll keep things the same for now.

Most importantly, am I happy?

Yes, most definitely! I like the clean foods and I like the results! I like feeling lean and not bloated. Going easy on myself also helps prevent wild binges that make me feel terrible.

So I think this lifestyle is sustainable and I think I'll carry on with it. I like that there are also many salad places around now, like Sumo Salad and Salad Stop in town where I can get my protein and salad fix anytime! Yay!