It should have very little sugar, starch and other carbs.
I really like spicy oily flavorful foods. Italian, Mexican, Thai, Indian, that kind of thing. (This is meant simply as a flavor guideline, not a set of requirements.)
I despise the taste and texture of all fruits and most vegetables. (But see parenthetical comment above, and also, I’m sure I can get over this to a degree.)
I can cook.
Some of it should be of the portable “snack” variety.
So you want something to be nutritionally balanced but not include:
sugars
carbs
fruits
vegetables
That’s one heck of a restriction to the whole “nutritionally balanced” aspect. I dunno. A glass of water, some multi-vitamins, and 1690 calories worth of Crisco.
How “exactly the same” is exactly the same? Could you get by on pizza every day if sometimes it’s a ham-and-pineapple and sometimes it’s a mushrooms-and-black-olives and sometimes it’s pepperoni-and-onion?
For a long period of time, Bucky Fuller ate nothing but steak, along with some prunes and jello, washed down with tea 3 or 4 times a day. Dymaxion eating, I guess. His theory was that since meat was higher up on the food chain than plant-based food, he got more nutrients and vitamins per square inch of food that way (well that explains the steak – the prunes and jello probably have similar explanations though).
Nutritionally balanced for what? What’s your age? Gender? Are you training for a certain sport? Or do you just workout casually? Or are you sedentary? Do you live in a sunny climate? Do you drink enough water, or do you find that difficult? Do you drink alcohol often, regularly, or never?
First, you’re going to have some issues without supplementation.
My recommendation (and I have no qualifications in this field other than a working knowledge of basic nutrition and fitness) is:
4-5 small meals, approx. cal as follows:
breakfast: 450 - protein shake + small portion of high fiber complex carbs (dry cereal works if you find one you like and doesn’t contain much if any HFCS or white flour) - I’ve often used a vanilla protein shake as the milk for some grape nuts, and it’s pretty good.
brunch: 300: lowfat yogurt + small portion of healthy nuts (almonds are really good)
lunch 450: cup of cottage cheese + homemade jerky (easy to make, good for you, trim the fat…)
supper 250: protein shake
dinner 250: light broiled fish or skinless chicken breast, small side of dairy. Or - my favorite - vegetarian chili. tons of protein from the legumes, and the soy-based vegetarian meat crumbles add protein and texture.
It’s really tough without fruits or vegetables. Protein shakes are great, but homemade smoothies are better, and you can hide a lot of veggies in there without tasting…spinach and carrots are both really good for you and when blended into a shake don’t contribute much flavor if any…but the color can be unsettling at first.
Drink tons of water, and make sure you’re taking supplements as needed to fill in the gaps, nutritionally speaking.
IANADoctor, Nutritionist or anything remotely related to health.
I use a similar diet, but no meat, I substitute lots of fresh greens and fruit.
A protein shake - egg, whey or soy protein
Good questions. I’m 33, male, generally sedentary but looking to take up fencing (again) soon, I drink lots of iced tea, drink alcohol very rarely (twice a month or so).
3-4 eggs (many ways to dress them up) for breakfast, nuts or unsweetened yogurt or cottage cheese for midday snack, meat or fish prepared/flavored however you like, with a little potato or rice (and a veg, if there are any you can stand) for dinner. Use natural fats to cook with, they are nutritious and satisfying. Low-carb and low-fat is miserable.
Nutritionally balanced, low in total carb, you’ll have to plan out amounts to make sure it’s within your calorie goals. ETA: 1700 sounds too low for a tall man with plenty of lean mass who is planning on doing lots of cardio. You might well lose all the fat you need to on my suggested regimen without watching calories at all.