Fitness Donut In My Mouth

Suprise. Disbelief. Shock. Suspicion. All part of the typical reaction when someone learns I’ve visited 153+ donut shops across the U.S. and have a goal to hit 1,000. Usually the first question they ask is “How do you stay so fit?” or “You don’t actually EAT the donuts, do you?!” or my all-time fav “You must be one of those lucky people with an amazing metabolism”. I’m here to tell you that yes, I eat the donuts and no, I do not have a tapeworm-supported metabolism. So about question 1…

Like you, I’ve loved donuts all my life, but these last few years my appreciation and passion for donuts really began to grow. Traveling for work opened my eyes to other donuts in the sea, and gave me an opportunity to expand my donut horizons and start seeing other donuts. If only I’d started this in my early 20’s, while I still had that Michael Phelps-like metabolism…

Around the same time my donut obsession started to rise, so did my desire to live a healthier lifestyle. Talk about internal conflict! I starting eating better, took up running, knocked out a couple of marathons, and managed to lose 50lbs along the way. And yes, running 50+ miles every week helped me stay fit while enjoying lots of donuts. Then, after watching my amazing wife Heather undergo an incredible transformation through dialed-in nutrition and lifting heavy stuff in the gym, I started dedicating more time to lifting and less time to chaffed thighs, blisters, and stress fractures.

Fast forward 5 years to today, and one thing consistently rings true – you don’t have to starve yourself or give up all the sweet treats you love or do endless hours of cardio to get or stay fit. The key is MODERATION. That’s what I’ll call Donut Secret #1. Fact is, excess consumption of any macro nutrient (especially combinations of carbs & fats (think donuts, pizza, potato chips, etc.) will lead to weight gain.

So how does this middle-aged, donut-loving guy manage maintain 7% body fat and still enjoy donuts? For me it takes lifting weights and 20-30 mins of cardio, 6 days a week. I eat clean 90% of the time which allows me to indulge (in moderation of course) the other 10%…of which 9.98% happens to be donuts. I’m no fitness or nutrition expert (nor do I play one on TV), and I don’t have a chiseled 6-pack, but I do know that I’m in pretty good shape and will continue to improve my physique and overall well-being.

The pic below is a good example of how I enjoy donuts and stay fit.

Now you Donut Secret #2…I rarely eat an entire donut. Yes, it’s true. Most of the time I take one bite and no more. Now, don’t go thinking I have solid titanium willpower or anything like that, not hardly. Instead I’ve adopted what I like to call an ‘abundance mindset’ when it comes to donuts…“there’s more where that came from” or “I’ll visit another shop tomorrow/next week/next month and have more”. I know that the donut in my hand right then is NOT the last donut I’ll ever eat, so I can take a bite (ok maybe two if it’s really good) savor it, and move on.

It’s time to stop with the fad diets, pills, creams, and gadgets, and start working towards a sustainable lifestyle. Don’t give up just because you did great all day only to binge on limited edition Blueberry Pie Oreos in the middle of the night (nope, NEVER done that…). Take it one meal, one day at a time.

My fitness and nutrition coach Jeff Later once said, “Just because you get a flat tire doesn’t mean you stop the car and get out to pop the other three. You fix the flat and get moving again.” This is how it is with living a fit lifestyle – keep moving – don’t let a bad meal, or day/weekend/week of bad meals keep you down. Fix the flat and get moving again!