I tried the intense diet and fitness regimens that 40-year-old NFL quarterback Tom Brady touts in his new book "The TB 12 Method." Along with a diet that's heavy on vegetables and lean protein, Brady stays away from alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and sugar.
This is what it was like to eat and train like Tom Brady for a week, including a taste test of the avocado ice cream Brady is known to enjoy. Following is a transcript of the video.
I just tried the Tom Brady diet for a week. So, Tom Brady's got this new book called "The TB12 Method." In the book, he outlines in detail the fitness regimens he undertakes and diet as well. Tom Brady's nutrition plan definitely made me tweak my already-okay diet.
In terms of the food that I ate during the week, you're staying away from sugars and dairies and refined carbohydrates, etc. It's a lot of vegetables, lean white meats. We had ground turkey burgers over lots of greens, peppers, and carrots. We also had a grilled chicken breast, some Brussels sprouts, and then quinoa. Then during the day, I would eat an apple. I would eat almonds.
Tom Brady is all about the hydration and constantly drinking water. It's recommended that you take your total body weight, cut that in half, and then drink the corresponding amount of ounces of water that's half your body weight. Every day I would drink approximately 90 ounces of water. Three big Poland Spring bottles of water.
In terms of caffeine, I usually drink like four cups of coffee a day on average, which is a lot. It's too much. Tom Brady - he does not drink caffeine, but he recommended a maximum amount of 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, and that equals two cups of coffee.
In terms of alcohol, Tom Brady, in the book, says that he does occasionally have a cocktail, but he says that, if you're going to drink alcohol, you need to match the ounce-amount of alcohol that you drink with water. So if you have a 12-ounce beer, you need to drink a 12-ounce glass of water.
One of the dishes that I tried was the avocado ice cream, which Tom Brady's been famous for making before. I wasn't a fan of the avocado ice cream. Sorry, Tom.
Overall, the Tom Brady "TB12" experience was a big improvement over my regular routine. I love always focusing on eating healthy and avoiding unhealthy, rich, sugary foods. I think this is definitely a positive tweak for me. I feel like it's already had a positive impact on me.