If you want to get fit, training is only part of the equation.
What you eat to fuel your body is just as important as what you do in the gym, and this is something Zack George knows better than anyone.
Having beaten all other British athletes at the 2020 CrossFit Open, George is currently the fittest man in the UK.
But unlike many athletes, he wasn't always into sport and fitness.
In fact, George, who grew up in Leicestershire, UK, said he was "massively overweight" as a child, eating fast food after school every day and regularly consuming whole bags of candy.
Zack George as a child and now. Zack George
Now 29, the gym owner and athlete has been on quite the fitness journey since then, and his diet is a far cry from that of his childhood.
George broke down his diet to Insider, explaining exactly what and how much he eats to remain at the top of his game.
Many people are under the impression that fitness is about starving yourself, but this couldn't be further from the truth, as George's daily diet shows.
The athlete consumes 4,000 calories a day, but at six foot tall and around 100 kg (220 lbs), this is what his body needs.
"It's a lot, but it's not as much as people think because of my size and the fact that I'm training for three to four hours a day," George said.
Zack George has to keep an eye on his weight. Zack George
Despite how active he is, George has to watch his weight because being too heavy hinders his performance.
"I put on weight so easily," he said. "It's a good weight, it's muscle mass, but still, if I weigh 102 kg (225 lbs), it doesn't matter if it's muscle, it's too heavy.
"I think what really contributed to me winning the Open was that I went into it weighing 95 kg (209 lbs). It just makes a massive difference being able to move your body quicker and being lighter in general."
Even though 4,000 calories may seem a lot to the average person (guidelines are 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men), George points out that there are athletes who may weigh 20kg less than him but eat more, because they're not as heavy.
"I really have to try to control my weight," George said.
Zack George is a CrossFit athlete and affiliate gym owner. Zack George
This means that when preparing for a competition, he has to be very disciplined with his diet.
"During off-season, I just eat relatively well and I'll have one or two cheat meals a week," he said.
"But when I'm getting close to a serious competition, I'd be on a very strict diet. I wouldn't have any cheat meals or anything for about three months."
George doesn't track his macros (where you aim to hit specific targets for protein, carbs, and fat), but that's because he knows roughly what's in everything he eats.
"I'm not someone who does it every day because I'm so used to eating certain things and getting what my body needs," he said.
"I pretty much eat the same every day so I don't have to worry about tracking every single day. My diet is very, very similar from Monday to Friday."
George said he's quite happy eating the same foods during the week, safe in the knowledge that his meals will be fueling his body in the right way.
Come the weekend, during off-season anyway, George relaxes and mixes things up a bit.
"On the weekends I can be a bit more experimental and I enjoy it a little more," he said.
"But in the week I just see food as fuel really, just for training, and then I really enjoy my food at the weekend."
Zack George
Although he still has the occasional pizza takeaway, George said he hasn't had fast food like McDonald's or KFC for 10 years.
"I don't really ever fancy it any more, it's odd," he said.
"On my cheat meals, I normally have sweets and chocolate now, I don't tend to have fast food."
Here's what an average day on George's plate looks like:
He doesn't drink alcohol and keeps coffee to one a day in the morning.
A post shared by zackgeorge (@zackgeorge)Apr 8, 2020 at 11:35am PDT
Dinners vary most in George's day to day diet.
"My girlfriend's a good cook so she'll cook a variety of things, but it's always based around the protein source, which is usually white meat or fish like sea bass, tuna, or chicken," he said.
"Occasionally we have red meat like lamb."
And that protein is usually served alongside sweet potatoes, white potatoes, or rice, and vegetables like carrots, kale, or spinach.
If George is still hungry in the evening, he makes himself protein pancakes, simply using eggs, banana, and protein powder.
Read more:
How Zack George went from 'massively overweight' child to the UK's fittest man, and how he trains to stay there
A new CEO isn't enough to save CrossFit if Greg Glassman remains 100% owner, says athlete and gym owner Zack George
The 5 principles that helped Tia-Clair Toomey become the fittest woman in the world and how she trains to stay there
See more here:
The UK's fittest man eats 4,000 calories a day. Here's what his diet looks like. - Insider - INSIDER
