I never stopped working out for an extended period. If I go 3-4 days without doing anything athletic, I start to get irritable and generally don't feel good about myself. A 30 minute run is usually enough to make me feel normal again. We have a shower at our office, so it's easy to go out for a run, and be back at my desk within a few minutes of getting back. The other workout I do is yoga, which is an great full-body workout. Doing a couple of workouts a week, consistently, has helped me keep my metabolism from falling way off.

I usually only eat two meals a day. My co-founder and I are on the Paul Graham manager-maker schedule. We come in to work mid-morning (or sometimes early afternoon), schedule any meetings or other interactions to take place in the afternoon, and then work into the night. Because of this, I have lunch when I get in to the office, dinner later in the evening, then basically don't eat again until I come back the next day. For some reason it feels odd to eat a large meal after midnight, so I just don't.

I rarely eat sugar (besides fruit). I don't drink juice or soda, and we don't keep any sweets around the office. Eating simple carbohydrates causes a body to use carbs as a fuel, and makes you crave more carbohydrates. Not having this stuff around keeps my appetite from getting out of hand.

We keep the office stocked with bread, peanut butter, jelly, apples, and clementines. Occasionally, we'll also buy bulk nuts and deli meat. Nothing really sugary, no chips or snack food, or the kinds of simple carbohydrates that a person might crave. A PB&J or apple with peanut butter, or a small cup of almonds and cashews fills me up, and I'm not hungry again for hours.

During the Spring, when I was working from home and trying to get the company off the ground, I'd be working on a hard problem and wander into the kitchen to find something to snack on. Now, when I get up to pace around and think about something, the only easy snack available is fruit.

I drink lots of water and coffee. I love coffee, and drink 3-4 cups a day, sometimes more. No cream or sugar, so close to no calories there. In the evenings, I drink lots of water. This keeps the stomach full, which again, controls the appetite.

When someone takes us out to eat, or we attend a fancy dinner, or go out for drinks, I don't worry about what I'm eating, and just enjoy myself. This happens infrequently enough (once or twice a week) that it doesn't throw me off, and because of my reduced appetite, I don't go crazy when there is a lot of food in front of me.

This simple strategy of almost no sugar, low caloric intake in general, and a very limited amount of exercise has allowed me to work longer hours than I ever have in my life, and still looking and feeling fit. Consistency, not following a specific set of rules, is the key.

Photo by hibecki