Nobody does eight weeks without a takeaway. The plan is not to avoid them. It is to order like somebody who has a target.
Section
The three rules
- Protein first. Pick the dish with the most meat, fish, or paneer and the least batter or cream.
- One carb, not three. Rice or naan or chips. Not the lot.
- Half the sauce, all the veg. Ask for sauce on the side where you can.
The chippy
Better: fish without batter if they will do it, or a grilled option. Chicken kebab with salad. Decent: fish supper and leave half the chips. Worst: anything deep-fried and battered with extra chips and a pie on the side.
Indian
Better: tandoori or tikka meat, dry, with a plain naan or boiled rice and a dal. Decent: a jalfrezi or a bhuna, which are lighter than they look. Worst: korma, masala, pasanda, plus a peshwari naan, plus pilau, plus pakora to start.
Chinese
Better: steamed or stir-fried chicken, beef or prawns with boiled rice and mixed veg. Decent: a chow mein with a meat. Worst: sweet and sour balls, salt and chilli chips, and prawn crackers on top.
Pizza
Better: thin base, chicken or ham, extra veg, no stuffed crust, and stop at half. Decent: a full thin one on a training day. Worst: deep pan, four cheeses, garlic bread and cookie dough.
Kebab shop
Better: chicken shish with salad and a little sauce. Decent: a doner meat and salad box without the chips. Worst: the mixed kebab with everything, chips and cheese.
Burgers
Better: a single burger with the bun, skip the fries, water. Decent: a chicken burger and small fries. Worst: double, bacon, cheese, large fries, large sugary drink, and a milkshake.
The next morning
Nothing special. Normal breakfast, normal water, next session as planned. A heavy meal is one meal. The damage is done by the "well, that is the week ruined" that follows it.