Issue 138
February 2016
Elias Theodorou is disciplined during fight camp so he can dig in during his downtime
Q. What’s your diet like when you’re training?
A. I’m lucky that I have a meal sponsor, Fuel Foods, which takes care of all aspects of my nutrition. Basically three components go into it: carbs, protein and veggies. They’re an absolute lifesaver. I know so many fighters that don’t have the same lunches I do. Every Sunday they’re forced to meal-prep, but I just take naps. I can just put them in the microwave or throw them in a pan and throw a little more spice on them or some avocado. It’s really taken a lot of the stress of being an athlete out of my hands.
Q. What are your favorite meals?
A. Any of the real meaty stuff like ground beef or pulled pork. The cool thing is that Fuel Foods change their recipe every week so I never get bored. The only thing is: the fish is all fresh and in order for it to stay that way I’ve got to eat it first. So that’s the hardest part of my week, making sure I eat fish first (laughs).
Q. Do you cook your own food too?
A. I’m actually a good cook.
I have a few specialties I focus on. I love stir-frys and pad Thais.
Q. Do you struggle to cut weight?
A. Actually, I love how fresh my body feels when I’m drinking all that water. That really does clean all the gunk out of your body. I feel really strong.
Q. Do you still eat clean after a fight?
A. My coach hates this but I’ll throw back an energy drink and just walk it off. I enjoy the energy drinks, the alcohol and all the cheat meals I’d planned for the weeks after my fight. Sacrifice now so I can pig out later.
Q. Was it tough to have a fight just after Thanksgiving?
A. Our Canadian Thanksgiving was October, and it was also my dad’s birthday, so I had to watch what I ate while everyone got to eat everything. My mom only cooks three times a year and she goes all out, which is usually an amazing thing, because when I’m at their place I get to just eat, eat, eat and sleep – and then wake up and eat again.
Q. How did you go all out for Christmas?
A. I had pretty much a week’s worth of food every single day leading up to the New Year. I got to pig out and then go into the New Year and get my beach body back.
Q. Did you enjoy a drink too?
A. Oh yeah: the eggnog. I got to be a little belligerent for a couple of weeks (laughs). I’m huge on rye and ginger with crushed orange in the middle – double rye and ginger, for sure!
LOVES
Yams
A 100g serving has 28g of healthy complex carbs to fuel your body. Just go easy on the sugar.
THE STATS
Elias has cut down from 235lb to make the 185lb middleweight limit.
THE FACTS
A cup of eggnog contains 223 calories. A few drinks would have helped you pile on the pounds over Christmas.
THE INFO
Boston University insists that energy drinks should not be used while exercising, as the combination of fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic quality of the caffeine could leave you severely dehydrated.
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