My diet plan

I don't even like calling this my "diet plan." When I think of the term diet, I think of fads, eliminating carbs, and eating less. While going through this process, the change to my diet doesn't involve any of these things. Eating clean and consuming less calories is something I need to do not just for the next 4 months but as an overall lifestyle change.

Eating clean doesn't have to equal suffering. I still eat food I enjoy but in a much smarter manner. Will I miss eating sweets, unhealthy food, and going out to eat? Of course. But I don't eliminate that 100%. Part of my diet includes one cheat meal per week. Over the course of that meal, I can eat anything I want to. I try to target my cheat meal at lunch so that I can burn the extra calories throughout the day. But if for example I take my girlfriend out to dinner and it's my cheat meal, I'm not going to feel guilty if I indulge. Cheat meals are good for my metabolism and for my general sanity.

My diet plan involves eating 6 meals and drinking a gallon of water every day. I also eat a few slices of deli turkey after my evening workout. Here's a breakdown of what I consume each meal:

1. After my AM workout- Protein smoothie. I make my own smoothies using various frozen fruit, whey protein, no sugar-added cranberry juice and Dannon carb control yogurt. Prepackaged smoothies are usually filled with sugar, although the Naked protein-zone smoothie isn't as bad as others. Places like Robeks, Smoothie King, etc load their smoothies with sugar. Fat free sorbet and guava juice does not equal healthy. Occasionally, I will eat a banana before my AM workout if I need something in my system right away.
   
2. Around 10:00- Go-lean Crunch cereal topped with blueberries, chocolate milk, and either Smart Bacon or Morningstar vegetarian sausage. I keep a kosher style diet and do not eat pork. No, turkey bacon DOES have pork in it (I get asked this all the time). Soy bacon and sausage is lower in fat, lower in cholesterol, and tastes amazing (the sausage especially).
3. Around 11:00- Yogurt and a banana. This is just a light snack. Occasionally I'll mix in another fruit. Kiwi is a particular favorite as it's delicious and filled with fiber. I eat the skin which is surprisingly good.
4. After my midday workout- Empire skinless turkey sandwich on Men's Bread with lettuce and sun-dried tomato spread, carrots and hummus, and a Kashi protein bar. The Men's Bread can be found at Wegmans and Whole Foods. To be honest, it's not great tasting as it's filled with whole grains, flax seed, and other nutrients you won't find in other bread (There's even a woman's version of it too). Sometimes I will microwave and add soy-bacon to make it a club sandwich. I do vary my sandwiches to tuna fish or turkey pastrami so I don't get bored. Many deli meats have sugars added to them for flavor and I avoid those. I also make turkey chili or a chicken sausage bean stew for lunches every few weeks too.
   
5. Around 4:00 to 4:30- Health Valley soup (I get the ones with no salt added) and an apple with peanut butter. Sometimes I will treat myself to something sweet such as sugar-free Jello or one of the 100 calorie packs (like Chips Ahoy, Oreos, etc). This is the last time I consume carbs for the day.
6. Around 6:00 to 6:30- I eat a protein based meal. This can be skinless rotisserie chicken, turkey burgers, fish, etc. I don't have it with any sides.