Aw c'mon Al, what about red wine? That doesn't get slight approval? I need it!

One glass a day is okay with me, Fitz. I actually find it easier to have none than to have one though. Also, that doesn't mean you can save it up all week and drink a whole bottle on Friday night!

I'm curious about the nuts/nut butters. I used to eat 1-2 oz. a day (usually almonds or walnuts) but cut back after I was told it should be more like 1-2 oz. a week. Thoughts?

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by jessica vandyke, Camille OB. Camille OB said: Al Kavadlo – We're Working Out! » Diet and Exercise (Part Two): Diet and Exercise (Part Two) … Home > Rants and … http://bit.ly/akPv7H [...]

Hey Marisa – one to two ounces a week seems way too restrictive for me. I sometimes eat half a jar of almond or cashew butter in a day! I couldn't imagine doing that every day though. I suppose if you had that much every day it might be excessive.

Nuts are sometimes scrutinized for their high calorie content, but I think the nutritional benefits outweigh the negatives. Besides, you need to get your calories from something and if all you eat is veggies and seeds you wont have enough energy to do a killer workout.

Hi Al,
Another great post! I'm not surprised to see that your approach to nutrition is similar to other aspects of fitness, simple, sensible and practical.
Couple of questions if I may. You place meat in the moderation category. I eat a good serving of meat at least once a day (chicken, beef, fish etc.) would you consider that to be “moderate”? Also, I find breakfast challenging when trying to avoid processed foods like bread and cereal. I could gladly eat eggs every day but that's probably too much. Can you tell us what you typical have for breakfast? -Fmte

Hey Fmte – I put meat in the category that is a bit more than just moderation. I think meat once a day is great. In fact, I often eat meat twice a day!

When I'm not having eggs for breakfast, I'll usually have fruit, a smoothie or a veggie juice. If I'm in a hurry, I'll grab a Larabar.

I was going to comment on alcohol restriction but someone beat me to it. I do know a weekend binge drinking session halts progress a couple of days for me personally, so I don't make a habit with beer. For me, as far as meat and fat I prefer to get my energy from fat instead of carbs and blood sugar. Granted because of my lack of carbs I can't go run a marathon but you would be surprised how far the human body can go with out living on carbs. I should clarify i eat NO processed man made carbs (any man made food with grains), so I do get carbs from veggies just not enough to make my blood sugar go up and down (I do not enjoy the spikes at all). I do believe I could get away with eating some man made food (pasta, bread) but I just feel to good to add it back to my lifestyle. In my opinion your diet is just that, YOURS. It's up to each individual to find out what works and what doesn't. It took me over a year to fine tune mine and it was a very liberating experience.

Hey Aaron – It's important for me to point out that I am not looking to lose weight. I am interested in maintaining my current body composition and I need energy to work out daily and lead a fairly active lifestyle. I need carbs for energy because I am not looking to burn up my minimal fat stores and I definitely don't want to drop muscle. I eat a lot and without fruit (and occasional grains), I wouldn't get enough calories. Besides, fruit and bread (and nuts) are relatively cheap compared to things like beef and fish.

About the alcohol:
“All things in moderation… EVEN MODERATION.” -Mark Twain.
Some hooch (particularly red wine) is fine. Life is to be enjoyed. That's why we work out and eat well– to get more enjoyment out of life. Someone who eats well and trains hard won't fuck it up by getting drunk one night a week, the same way a raging alcoholic won't cure his alcoholism by being sober one night a week.

Good point. There are no black and white answers to the questions. Like I say in my book, life is 50/50.

[...] do a pull-up, so the first area to assess is your weight. Hopefully, you’ve already started cleaning up your diet. Once you drop the fat, doing a pull-up gets way more [...]

[...] some of its potency. After you’ve drank the water, scoop out and enjoy the meat. I recommend using it in a smoothie along with cashew butter. [...]

[...] Post Workout Nutrition Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but your post workout meal is also a key time to be mindful of your diet. This doesn’t mean you need to consume a bunch of supplements and protein powders. On the contrary, supplements are usually processed half way to hell and loaded with chemicals and sugars. Just eat real food! (Check out my list of “Al approved” foods). [...]

Hey Al really like your site and the info presented here. Do you just do mainly bodyweight routines? Im quite interested in strictly bw and love the Bar-barians. Also wondering as you say eat grains, do you eat bread quite often? Just wondering as I’ve been off grains for awhile but am thinking of putting them back in but don’t want to interupt my workouts. Cool site!

Hi Eddie – I do mostly bodyweight training but I do lift weights from time to time as well. As for the grains, I try to avoid them but I still wind up eating small amounts on a regular basis. It’s a lot less than I used to though!

Keep looking around the site and remember to use the search feature – I’ve accumulated over 150 posts since the site began so I’ve covered a lot of topics!

Cool Al yeah thanks for the info. The problem I find with grains is how convienent they are lol. Do you have any routines listed on your site in terms of strictly bodyweight or are there any in your book? I need to work out my legs more and love your new post on the pistol, thanks for keeping with the updates Al Sorry for all the questions was also wondering what you do for cardio, just running?

Hey Eddie – check out this post on bodyweight routines: http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/04/zero-equipment-workouts/

There are also a few other routines in my book, but more importantly, the book goes much more in depth on my training philosophy.

If you like this website, I highly recommend that you get the book.

Awesome Al cool thanks alot, I really enjoy your vids. I plan on purchasing your book as soon as I can. Hopefully it will be an xmas gift! Keep up the good work!

MAN do I love the site, al. Just have to ask you, why no coffee and tea?

Thanks, Hooty! I didn’t say no coffee or tea, just to use them in moderation. One cup a day is fine but too much caffeine is a no-no. But as always, do what works for you. I don’t drink coffee or tea at all, but I have tons of energy without ‘em – I’d be bouncing off the walls if I drank coffee!

you da man! thanks for the reply

Hey Al just curious what are your thoughts on oatmeal, as in real oatmeal none of that sugar crap, just plain rolled outs or steel cut, do you eat em?

I generally avoid oatmeal, as it is a grain. However, as far as grains go it isn’t that bad as it ranks low on the glycemic index compared to most breakfast cereals.

Al you need some Raw Honey And Raw Milk!!!!

I love raw honey! Can’t stomach the raw milk though.

Hey Al, I have a question on caloric intake:

I’m a 20 year old male with a bodyweight of 171 pounds. I do all calisthenics and my goal is to gain lean muscle and be at 165 pounds (see a six pack…or close to it). How many calories would you suggest (roughly) that I should eat a day. I did some research and it said 2800cal/day and tried that but I think that’s too much. I’m thinking something like 2300-2500 calories a day. What would your opinion be?

Thanks for your help!

Hey Vladimir – thanks for stopping by!

If you keep training hard, eat when you are hungry and stick to mostly real foods, the rest should all fall into place. I don’t really believe in counting calories.

thanks Al, that’s pretty much what I thought too

Al I friended you on FB a couple of weeks back and have been enjoying your site ever since. It’s really nice to browse around looking for inspiration, whether it be for a workout or a nice treat like one of your smoothie specials! I’m meeting my weightloss and fitness goals on a week by week basis, I calculate another six weeks and I’ll have reached my ideal body weight.

Keep up the great work you’re an inspiration!

Thanks for the kind words, Guy. It sounds like you’re on the right track – keep it up!

When you say “eat in restraint” what do you mean? I am wondering how many portions a day or week do you suggest eating these foods? I am thinking a portion being 3 ounces of meat, 8 ounces of milk, etc.

It’s different for different people – I honesty don’t count calories or portion sizes.  I just try to not indulge every single food craving I have, which is something most people seem to be incapable of.

Al, i dont know how you manage to stay so lean when you dont count calories or watch portion sizes! Are you as lean as you are in your photos all year round?

From what i gather, you also dont eat as much protein as alot of other athletes either. Does it affect your exercise recovery not eating much protein?

I have played around with high fruit diets and TBH i did not get fat from eating alot of fruit. In fact, i felt pretty good on about 5-8 portions a day. A recent study showed people eating the highest fruit intake lost the most weight compared to low fruit consuming groups. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21621801

Funny you say about people not knowing how to control their portion sizes. I bought my mum a picture book showing what sensible food portion sizes looked like. She was shocked how small they were compared to the sizes she was eating. Once she started eating portion sizes like the book showed, the weight started coming off.
To paraphrase Poliquin “people need to learn the difference between a mouth and a vacuum”

Haha – that’s a nice quote!  Poliquin knows what’s up!  It’s also good to see fruit getting some good press.

In my opinion, protein consumption is very over-rated.  The supplement industry has their best interests in mind – not yours.

As for staying lean, my body fat fluctuates a bit, but I always stay
pretty lean.  My range is generally somewhere between 7-12%.

What is your opinion of steel cut oats? They have really improved by cholesterol (total and HDL/LDL ratio) and triglycerides. 

There are pros and cons to oats.  Overall I’d say there are a lot of better food choices, but there are certainly a lot of worse choices as well.  Here’s a great article on the subject: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-oats-healthy/

Hi Al,

I have become a regular reader of your articles and your workout philosophy has helped me a lot, so thanks and keep up the good work.  In group1 above you have listed roots as a food, which can be eaten in abundance, by roots do you mean root vegetables such as potatoes, yams etc? I thought these were on the high side of the glycemic index and should be avoided.  Also for nuts I normally eat almonds, walnuts, pistachios and peanuts.  I love cashews but have been avoiding them as I was told that they are high on fat and calories.  Any thoughts.

Thanks, Aatif!  Cashews are one of the healthiest things you can eat.  They are high in fat and calories, but your body needs fats and calories in order to function!  Being high in fat or calories and being nutritious are two totally separate things.

Also, go to town on yams, but don’t overdo it on regular potatoes.

Thanks, Aatif!  Cashews are one of the healthiest things you can eat.  They are high in fat and calories, but your body needs fats and calories in order to function!  Being high in fat or calories and being nutritious are two totally separate things.

Also, go to town on yams, but don’t overdo it on regular potatoes.