Say you’re on the road. You’ve got to travel, train at the gym, make it to the arena on time for that night’s show, then travel to the next town for the next one. Break it down for me—in a perfect scenario, when and what are you eating?

You can always help yourself if you book a better hotel. Some guys will try to save some money on the road and book a cheaper hotel. I'll spend a little more so that I have a good restaurant. If you have a very specific order, the restaurants will usually make it. You can even get two or three meals in advance, and you're good to go. You can put that tag on the door and have your breakfast order coming at the time you want it at.

I’ll get six to 10 eggs in the morning, and maybe a little bit of bacon or sausage. Then I train and get a protein shake, which will usually make me feel full. About an hour or so later, I'll try to get another meal in, and that one will be pretty protein-heavy. Sometimes I’ll have one more protein shake. Late at night on the road, you can’t be picky. Your options are limited, so you just have to make that work. That is where the meal plans are nice to have.

Have you ever considered switching to a meal plan, just to take the thinking out of it?

When I’m at home, actually, meal planning is something I always do. We have good friends at this company, Nutrition Solutions, and they take good care of us. They’re located in Tampa, so it really works out conveniently for my meals when I’m home. It allows me to knock out my meals at home without worrying about going out and eating. It doesn’t take me away from the kids, so I get to spend as much time with my family is possible. I just unwrap it, put it in the microwave, and eat it. My diet is pretty bare bones. I don't do a lot of different sauces or seasonings. If you saw it, it's protein, carbs, and greens for digestion. It's pretty simple, and I try to emulate that on the road.

You've been very public about your battle with leukemia. How did your diagnosis impact your diet?

Right from the get-go, I had to take it a lot easier on my digestive system, because the medication I'm on can be pretty harsh on your liver and stomach. I had to really take care of myself and make sure I wasn't overloading on protein like guys who are trying to gain muscle typically do. And I had to be picky with the proteins I did take in. Red meat takes a lot longer to digest, and it's a lot more work on your liver. Also shellfish—my uric acid levels can rise really quickly, so I can't go crazy on shellfish anymore. I can't have those big crab leg dinners. The “king meals” is what we call them. I've had to really focus on more chicken and lighter fish.

There were a lot of other things I had to address. I had to increase my water intake. I really had to cut down on alcohol. Like anything else, it's portion control, and being conscious, so we know that I'm not overworking my body.

You were previously diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. Were there any major changes when it came to how you handled your diet between then and your diagnosis this past year?

Back then, I was still playing football, and I was only 22 years old, so my body was resilient. Thank God I managed to take care of myself, but at 22 years old, you can get in a car wreck, run out of it, and go swimming across the channel. So I was still able to maintain my weight and train like an athlete and continue to pack on some weight. But now I'm 34. I'm a different human. I just can't manage everything like I used to. I don't have the same resiliency that I did when I was 22. My body didn't bounce back, and the recovery is not the same. It's a whole different process now, and I'm working a different job, in a different place, with a different type of athletics.