Men's Health Part II: Eating Lean For Life
Excerpt By Julia Van Tine from ABCNEWS.com

The secrets to eating lean for life from those who know — men greeting middle age still wearing size-32 Levis.

You've stuck to the meal plan , worked out faithfully three times a week, and you're looking trimmer and tighter. You're tucking your shirts in, maybe for the first time in years. We salute you.

Review Part One — Getting In Shape Fast

Now, it's time to ride without the training wheels. To keep growing leaner and stronger, you'll have to start putting together your own lean, healthy meals.

To help you do this, here are nine basic rules to keep your eating on the lean and narrow. They come from the true experts: men we know who are greeting middle age still wearing size-32 Levis.

Nine Lessons From the Eternally Lean

1. THEY KNOW HOW TO EAT OUT.

Lean men don't treat eating out as a free-for-all. When faced with a diner menu of fries and fatburgers, they can still find something healthy to eat. Here's how:

In a restaurant: Don't even look at a menu. Just order something you know is low in fat and calories: a bowl of soup (clear, not creamy), a turkey or ham sandwich (no cheese or mayo), and a salad (light dressing on the side); or broiled fish, a steamed vegetable, and a plain baked potato.

At the drive-through: Instead of a combo meal, order one or two plain burgers (no cheese). Other good bets: grilled-chicken sandwiches; baked potatoes stuffed with broccoli; garden salads with low-cal dressing.

At Vinny's: Ask for a thinner crust, more sauce, and half the cheese.

At the Chinese takeout: Find a place that offers steamed entrees or a place that will steam them without the greasy sauce if you ask. If they won't, order a big container of hot-and-sour soup and some steamed vegetables instead.

2. THEY DON'T EAT ON AUTOPILOT.

Fit men know not to eat anywhere but at a table, sitting on a chair. If you eat in front of the TV, in bed or over the sink, you're probably shoveling it in without thinking, says Dr. Peter Vash, executive medical director of Lindora Medical Clinics, based in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Know What’s Fattening

3. THEY KNOW WHAT A PORTION LOOKS LIKE.

Eating huge amounts of anything will eventually return you to the aisles of the local Big & Tall. Here's how to eyeball what a reasonable portion looks like:

* A half-cup pile of cooked pasta is the size of a tennis ball.

* An ounce of hard cheese is the size of a golf ball.

* A 4-ounce hamburger patty fits inside the lid of a quart-size mayonnaise jar.

* 3 ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards.

* 1 cup of beans or breakfast cereal is the size of a baseball.

* An ounce of potato chips or pretzels will fit in both your open, cupped hands.

* An ounce of nuts will fit in the palm of one hand.

* 2 tablespoons of salad dressing will fill a shot glass.

* 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is the size of a large, unshelled walnut.

4. THEY KNOW THE FAT TRAPS.

There are a small handful of foods out there that are responsible for 80 percent of John Goodman. If you've been reading Men's Health for more than 10 minutes, you've heard this before, but it bears repeating…

Instead of: Potato chips, candy or cookies from the vending machine

Eat this: Pretzels from the vending machine

Instead of: Bacon or sausage

Eat this: Canadian bacon

Instead of: Anything fried

Eat this: Anything broiled or grilled

Instead of: Whole milk, cheese

Eat this: 1 percent or skim milk, low-fat cheese

Instead of: Ice cream

Eat this: Nonfat frozen yogurt; frozen fruit bars

Instead of: Creamy salad dressings

Eat this: Fat-free dressings, or creamy dressings diluted to half strength with vinegar

5. THEY CHOOSE FILLING FOODS.

That means foods that are high in fiber, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Fiber makes you feel fuller longer, and helps you eat less throughout the day.

To work fiber into every meal, have whole-grain cereal for breakfast, or sprinkle some All-Bran over your Lucky Charms. Have sandwiches on whole-grain bread, stuffed with salad-bar vegetables like tomato, cucumber and peppers. At dinner, have a bowl of black-bean soup or chili, or a salad with vegetables and a tablespoon of low-cal dressing. Skip the potato salad, ranch dressing and bacon bits.

6. THEY COUNT LIQUID CALORIES.

Beer, sodas, juices, and sports drinks are all high in calories. "I worked with a car salesman from Kentucky who drank 13 or 14 big bottles of soda a day," says Dr. Michael Hamilton, medical director of the diet and fitness center at Duke University. "That's more calories than some people eat in an entire day." You can save mega calories by sticking with no-calorie drinks: water, seltzer, plain iced tea or diet soda.

Control Yourself

7. THEY KNOW WHEN THEY'VE HAD ENOUGH.

Men want to be lean and emit satisfied beer and pizza belches. The good news is, you can — as long as you learn to recognize when you've had enough to eat, as opposed to eating until the pizza box is empty.

"Men need to learn to differentiate between hunger and fullness," says Leslie Bonci, a dietitian. "A lot of men eat beyond fullness to discomfort. Learning to identify when you're satisfied really pays off in the long run."

8. THEY DON'T USE FOOD TO FEEL BETTER.

When faced with a stressful situation, a thin guy doesn't turn to food for solace, says Vash. "He has learned to use coping mechanisms other than eating," he says. So when you're pissed, take a long run, play a violent computer game, or put on a death-metal CD. Remember, eating a whole can of Pringles won't do jack to alleviate your stress.

9. THEY DON'T GIVE IN TO A BINGE.

For a lot of men, a night of overindulging can easily turn into an entire week of gluttony: You figure you've already blown it, so you might as well eat whatever the hell you want. This is what shrinks call "all or nothing" thinking, and it's been the downfall of many a fitness program.

And it won't help to try starving yourself the following day; you'll just end up hungry and judgment-impaired. There's only one way to get back on track after a gluttonous rampage: "Wake up, have your usual breakfast, and continue as if nothing happened," says Vash.

Reference Source 104