The High Protein Diet CC Sabathia Uses to Maintain Major League Muscle

Former Yankees star CC Sabathia has transformed his diet since his MLB career ended in 2019. The 2009 World Series champion and former Cy Young winner’s previous life on the road during baseball seasons gave way to bad eating habits. Long days meant grabbing whatever was available, like chicken sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. During his career, Sabathia weighed around 300 pounds.

“My tagline as a baseball player was mass equals gas,” Sabathia says in a new episode of Men’s Health’s Eat Like. “And I always thought the bigger I was, the better I pitched. And that was always the case for me.”

A major health scare started Sabathia on a new path. In January 2020, Sabathia started a ketogenic diet and lost 25 pounds. After his weight loss, he decided to focus on gaining muscle and eating healthier long-term.

He wakes up at 6:30am every day for a breakfast of grits, sausage and six egg whites before he goes into the gym. Sabathia then meets with his personal trainer, Dave, six days a week, where he does leg workouts and “crazy” arm workouts. Afterwards, he has a protein shake, then heads home for apples and greek yogurt as a midday snack.

For lunch, Sabathia has a T-bone steak, wild rice, and asparagus around noon. If he wants another snack, he’ll grab some almonds or beef jerky. He tops it off with a few cold glasses of water. Yum.

Dinner is another chance to get in much needed protein. Sabathia says his meals consists of a lot of chicken, fish, and quinoa with mustard greens. He’ll eat at 6 p.m. and then that’s it for the night. “I’ll wake up normally starving, and it gets my day going,” Sabathia says. “I’m not eating anything late.”

For his occasional cheat meal, Sabathia goes to Brownstone Pancake Factory in Edgewater, New Jersey. He’ll treat himself to a heaping plate of chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter and syrup. “We normally go get it and I’m good for the week,” he says.

“My view has definitely changed on food,” Sabathia says. “Now it’s more fuel to get gains, to try to gain muscle. Less for comfort, less for how I’m feeling, or eating emotionally. Now it’s for eating the right things and making sure I’m feeling great.”

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