Here’s What One Lebanese Boxer Eats Everyday

The most famous boxer of all time, albeit fictional, is Rocky Balboa. Everyone remembers the scene when his alarm goes off at 4 AM, and he barely rubs the sleep out of his eyes, before proceeding to crack open FIVE eggs into a cup. He then drinks this in one messy go. If you are like me, you grew up thinking that that is what it takes to be a champion. Well, that and a tight grey hoodie. Cue music: dahdundelundundelundahdah (that’s what the rocky theme song looks like when it is written out, I think).

Has there ever been a more motivating movie to get your lazy self to the gym? While exercise is important, diet should not be overlooked. So what do boxers really eat? To find out I spoke to young Lebanese fighter Hani Chehimi to see what it takes to maintain a boxer’s diet! Here’s what he had to say:

1. Forget the coffee

Try to keep java intake to a minimal level, if any at all. Definitely no caffeine-infused diet drinks either! “Caffeine might give you a boost but you will also have to deal with the crash,” he says. “When you are training full-time, you can’t afford to lose any momentum.”

Chehimi suggests drinking authentic green tea to help clean your body of toxins.

2. Chew Gum

Chehimi explains that months before a match, fighters often need to drastically drop weight. “It’s very unhealthy to go on crash diets, but sometimes you have no choice but to restrict your calorie intake in the weeks leading up to a fight.”

Extreme dieting is not something he recommends because you end up losing muscle along with fat. But as a temporary solution, a trick that he has found useful is to buy packs of gum to keep cravings at bay.

3. You can’t be a pro without protein

“To build muscle, you need lots of protein,” Chehimi says. And the leaner the meat, the better. Go for fish, chicken, and turkey. He says to stay away from raw eggs and opt for the hard-boiled version instead.

4. Whole grains only

“Whole grains are the way to go,” says Chehimi. He says that its not smart to cut out carbs entirely because you need to replace the glycogen in the muscles “Just stay away from dough.”

5. Stock up on veggies

You can have as many fruits and vegetables as you need, according to the fighter. “Try to pick ones with high fiber content.”