We talked to Chuck Bent, age 69, about how he got started on his fitness journey in his 50s — and we all can learn from his approach and attitude.
What do you eat?
Lots of high volume, high nutrition, low calorie foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like chicken and fish, and a few whole grains. Also, because I work out a lot, I will add a scoop of chocolate protein powder into my decaf coffee. It’s like a Starbucks Mocha Grande without all the calories.
What’s an example of a regular food day for you?
I am a huge eater. Breakfast is typically a small bowl of oatmeal, with blueberries and protein milk. Sometimes I will have two eggs and a piece of Ezekiel toast. You cannot work out on a full stomach, but I believe you need something. After my cardio workout, a bottle of water, a decaf smoothie, and a banana. Late morning, early lunch: shredded chicken with some chopped veggies in a protein wrap and an apple. Late lunch: a bowl of vegetable soup and tuna salad made with 10 calorie honey mustard and sugar free pickles. Snack: a fruit and nut bar and some apple slices. Broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner with a mocha decaf coffee shake. I typically have a yogurt during the day or evening, and a sugar free pumpkin brownie for dessert (my wife’s specialty). And lots and lots of water throughout the day.
Sometimes though, I am in the mood for a salad so I will run to Jason’s Deli and get the salad bar to go and fill up with over 2 lbs of veggies and 4 hard boiled eggs. I will throw away two of the yokes, and chop everything up in a large bowl, and use my 10 calorie honey dijon dressing. I will eat on that throughout the afternoon. It’s very filling.
Weekends are different. Breakfast could be egg burritos with lots of air-fried veggies, salsa, and avocado. Or french toast made with Ezekiel bread topped with fruit. Weekend dinners usually consist of grilled salmon or orange roughy with lots of roasted veggies and a sweet potato. Or sometimes we will roast a pork tenderloin and have a few ounces of that with a plate full of roasted veggies. We have two air fryers and use them for everything. We also have an InstaPot which we use for soups, chili, or to shred chicken for our burritos.
By Chuck Bent | Photo by Melissa Donald
P.S. Check out Part 3 of his journey — Changing Sleep and Stress.
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