FIRE WORLD
How I Stayed Fit at Low Cost While Traveling the World [1] Diet/如何在旅行时低成本地健身和保持体型健美【1】饮食篇
My Four Secrets to Staying Fit as a Full-Time Globetrotter/我作为全职环球旅行者保持健美的四个秘诀
As someone who’s already FIRE and passionate about global travel, I’ve spent nearly three years (up to 2023) journeying through various destinations. People often commend my healthy, muscular physique and wonder how I maintain it amidst the ever-changing environments. The truth is, it’s not as difficult as it seems, and today I’ll be sharing all my secrets. This series consists of four articles.
First, I’ll explain why I’ve chosen this approach and provide a simplified yet practical set of guidelines that anyone can follow (especially optimized for travelers). In my view,
overly complex advice is usually bad advice.
Diet plays a crucial role, as the saying goes: you are what you eat. That’s the principle.
In reality, 70% of fitness results stem from maintaining a healthy diet, following these principles:
1. Sugar-Free
Pay attention to the sugar content in foods you consume, like cereals, ketchup, pasta sauce, and milk. Always opt for options with the least sugar or low sugar. Exclude sugary drinks and foods like soda, chocolate, juice, and ice cream from your diet. By doing this, you’re already halfway there.
You don’t need sugar, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, or a deity to make you happy.
Principle: No sugar, no sugar, no sugar.
2. Low Fat
Completely avoid fried foods, whether it’s fries or fried chicken. This easily helps you steer clear of high-calorie foods. Of course, if there’s no choice, don’t worry excessively. The impact of fried foods on fitness is primarily due to their high calorie content, which can be offset by exercising after consumption. On the contrary, learn to cook using boiling methods. It’s healthier and also travel-friendly. For instance, when protein is lacking, I usually consume 5 to 8 boiled eggs a day. While traveling, boiling is one of the simplest cooking methods, especially in hotels with limited kitchen facilities (many European hotels fall into this category, lacking complex cooking options or having unclean environments).
Principle: Low fat, completely avoid fried foods.
3. More Vegetables
Include a variety of vegetables in your diet, whether fresh or frozen. Frozen veggies are usually cost-effective and easy to store in hostel kitchens. For fresh vegetables, I recommend cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions (widely available globally and among the cheapest options). Often, I eat them raw and uncut to save time. These vegetables can also serve as a good substitute for fruits, reducing sugar intake. My personal experiment shows that excessive fruit consumption can lead to fat gain, so even if you love fruits, moderation is key, especially if your goal is low fat.
Principle: Cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions.
4. Adequate Protein Intake
Protein is crucial for maintaining the body, immune system, and muscle growth. Consume protein from various sources such as eggs, meat, plant-based protein, or protein powder. As someone aiming for muscle definition, I usually intake 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For instance, if I weigh around 75 kilograms, I consume 100 to 150 grams of protein per day. This aspect is a significant challenge for many travelers and backpackers — ensuring sufficient daily protein intake.
Simple protein content reference: 1 egg contains 6 to 7 grams of protein (including the yolk). About 300 grams of chicken breast per kilogram. About 12 grams of protein per chicken leg. About 200 grams of steak per kilogram. This helps you quickly calculate what and how much to eat per day to ensure your protein intake.
Principle: Intake more protein, be it boiled eggs, chicken, or protein powder.
5. Carbohydrates are Fine, But Skip White Staples
Opt for whole grains more, and cut down on refined white rice, pasta, or noodles. I won’t delve into the glycemic index (GI), as when traveling in foreign lands with different languages, it’s nearly impossible to accurately determine the nature of foods. Don’t fret too much or be overly concerned. Consuming carbohydrates is permissible and cost-effective, but lean towards brown instead of pure white options. My preferred carbohydrate source is oatmeal, requiring just a bowl and hot water.
Principle: Consuming carbohydrates is okay. Oatmeal is the best choice. Larger grains are better.
6. Fast Food Choices
In case you’re short on time or funds — — Subway (avoid cheese and various sauces) in Australia or Kabab wraps (high protein content, just ask for no fries) in Europe. In other words, if you’re resorting to fast food, ensure you’re getting enough protein; calories are typically high anyway.
Try to avoid pizza or sushi, as they’re essentially carbohydrates.
7. Protein Powder Tips (2023 Update)
Purchase bagged instead of canned protein powder, or buy a small bag each day to minimize luggage volume. This serves as a shortcut and alternative for overcoming protein deficiency when trying local cuisine. When traveling to new places, it can help alleviate worries about what you’re consuming.
The above was written by me two years ago, and since then, I haven’t consumed any protein powder for two years, with no visible impact on my fitness. Thus, my ultimate advice is to forgo protein powder and simply rely on food intake.
(To be continued…)
For more content related to fitness and health while traveling, please refer to the list: Fitness + Health.
如何在旅行时低成本地健身和保持体型健美【1】饮食篇
我作为全职环球旅行者保持健美的四个秘诀
作为一名已经FIRE的环球旅行爱好者，我在旅行和颠沛流离的生活中度过了近三年（截至2023年），人们经常对我的身材给予积极评价，无论是保持健康还是肌肉发达。许多人都好奇我是如何在不断变化的环境中保持身材的。事实上，这一点也不难，今天我将分享我所有的秘诀。这个系列共包含四篇文章。
首先，我会解释为什么我选择了这种方法，并提供一套简化但容易实现的准则，任何人都可以遵循（尤其针对旅行者进行了优化）。在我看来，过于复杂的建议都是糟糕的建议。
#1. 饮食
饮食非常重要，有句谚语：你吃什么，你就是什么。说的就是这个道理。 实际上，70％的健身效果来自于保持健康的饮食，只要我们牢记以下原则即可：
1。无糖
注意你所摄入的食物中的糖含量，比如谷物、番茄酱、意大利面酱和牛奶。总是选择含糖量最少或低糖的选项。从你的饮食中剔除甜饮料和食物，比如苏打水、巧克力、果汁和冰淇淋。做到这些，你就已经成功了一半。
你不需要糖、尼古丁、酒精、大麻，或者上帝来让你开心。
原则是：不要糖，不要糖，不要糖
2。少油脂
完全避免油炸食品，无论是薯条还是炸鸡。这样可以简单地避开高热量的食物。当然如果没有选择，也无需过于担心。油炸食物对于健美的影响无非就是热量高，那么在吃完后进行相应的运动可以抵消消极的影响。
相反，学会使用水煮的方法进行烹饪，这样更健康，对旅行来说也更友好方便。例如，当蛋白质不足时，我通常一天会吃5到8个水煮蛋。 在旅行中，水煮也是一种最简单可行的烹饪方法，尤其是在厨房设施有限的旅馆。 （欧洲的许多旅馆属于这一类，无法进行复杂的烹饪，或者环境很脏）
原则：低脂，完全不要油炸食物
3。多蔬菜
无论是新鲜的还是冷冻的，都要包含多种蔬菜在你的饮食中。冷冻蔬菜通常价格实惠，并且在旅馆厨房中易于存储。对于新鲜蔬菜，我推荐黄瓜、番茄和洋葱（全球各地都可以买到的，价格也是最便宜的几种）。很多时候，我直接生吃它们并且不切割以节省时间。这些蔬菜也可以作为水果的良好替代品，以减少糖的摄入。
我亲身的实验可以证明，过度食用水果是会造成脂肪增加的，所以即使你很喜欢水果，一定要适度。如果你的目标是低脂的话。
原则是：黄瓜、番茄和洋葱
4。充足的蛋白质摄入
蛋白质对于维持身体、免疫系统和肌肉生长至关重要。从各种来源摄取蛋白质，比如鸡蛋、肉类、植物蛋白或蛋白质粉。作为一个追求肌肉线条的人，通常每公斤体重摄取1.5到2克蛋白质。例如，如果我体重约75公斤，我每天摄取100到150克蛋白质。这一项其实是很多旅行者，背包客最大的问 — — 无法保证每天的蛋白质摄入充足。
简单的蛋白质含量对应表：
1个鸡蛋含量6到7克蛋白质（含蛋黄）
1公斤鸡胸肉含量300g左右
一根鸡腿含量12g左右
1公斤牛排含量200g左右
这样你可以速算你需要吃什么，吃多少一天以保证蛋白质的供应。
原则是：摄入更多蛋白质，不管是水煮蛋还是鸡肉，或是蛋白质粉。
5。吃碳水化合物没问题，但不要吃白色主食
尽量多吃粗粮，少吃精致的白米饭、意大利面或面条。我不想引入升糖指数（GI），因为在异国他乡旅行时，用不同语言，几乎不可能准确知道食物的性质。不要过多或过度担心。吃碳水化合物是可以的，也是经济实惠的，但尽量选择棕色的而不是纯白色的。我最喜欢的碳水化合物是燕麦片，只需要一个碗和热水。
原则是：吃碳水化合物是可以的。燕麦片是最佳选择。越大的颗粒越好。
6。快餐选择
以防万一你时间不够或资金不足 — — Subway（不要加奶酪和各种酱汁）（在澳大利亚），或者Kabab烤肉卷（蛋白质含量高，只要告诉他们不要放薯条）（在欧洲）。换句话说，既然都沦落到吃快餐的份儿上了，至少保证蛋白质摄入充足吧，反正热量怎么都很高。
尽量避免披萨或者寿司，基本上就是碳水。
7。蛋白质粉的小贴士（2023年更新）
“购买袋装的而不是罐装的，或者每天购买一小袋，这样可以最小化你行李的体积。当你尝试当地美食时，这是解决蛋白质不足的捷径和备选方案。在前往新地方旅行时，它可以帮助减轻你不知道自己在吃什么的担忧。”
以上是我2年前写下的话，从那时候起，其实我已经有2年的时间没有食用任何的蛋白粉了，没有对我的健身效果造成任何可见的影响，因此我最终的建议是摆脱蛋白粉，单纯的从食物摄入即可。
(未完待续）
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