the number one rule is your metabolism! You MUST eat every 3 hours or your body will go into a catabolic state and store fat. Eating every 3 hours will prevent you from being sluggish, having low energy, low blood sugar and eventually getting sick just from missing meals. Not eating and waiting until you are completely hungry will make you eat twice as much when you do eat from the hunger pains.
Fat (Good fat, like Olive Oil, Fish, Almonds…) Absolutely, keep the bad fats to ZERO!
Sugar (zero if you can)
Carbs (low as possible<25-35g/meal)
Sodium (under 2 to 5g/day) too much sodium will make you feel bloated because of the water retention; but, our bodies do need sodium to help aid the transport of blood & oxygen across to other parts of our bodies.
If you are not dieting at the moment you may want to wean your normal meals to a diet meal giving your body will have time to adapt. For example, when someone doesn't diet and wants to start eating "clean", I always refer them to substitute one regular meal with a diet meal for a few days then substitute 2 regular meals with 2 diet meals and so on until your body (taste buds) agrees to the "clean" types of food. On the flip side, some people can just do it cold turkey!
To calculate your caloric intake in respect to your protein: carb: fat intake, use this formula
A=protein (4cal/g)
B=carbs (4cal/g)
C=fat (9cal/g)
X=total calories
A+B+C=X
If you know algebra you will see that an increase in A and decrease in B, can result in the same amt of Calories ( X )
(Don't stress too much about the total calories per meal at this point. Just work to keep the meals below 500 Calories each. After some practice the meals will balance out and each meal count will dictate the total daily amount. People are fixated on the total count but in reality it is different for each person. Depending on the male competitor it may range from 2000-4000 calories.)
DO NOT CHECK YOUR WEIGHT AT THE SCALE TOO FREQUENTLY. Maybe check once or twice a month. A majority of people get discouraged when they don't see the scale tipping to their favor or get even more discouraged when they see their weight going up and not down. That's because short-term muscle gain can on occasion outweigh short-term fat loss. The best judge is the mirror and the jeans that you've haven’t worn in a long time. =)
So how much protein and carbs should you be taking in? This is what I do:
Protein count = 16 ounces is one pound equals about 80g to 100g of protein. Every meal you should eat about half that amount or 8 ounces per meal. For women is about 4-6 ounces of protein per meal (including protein shakes; if you notice on the protein shakes the nutrition facts, recommended intake is 2 scoops, that equals about 40-50g for men or for women, 1 scoop)
Carb count = approx. 1 cup of carbs (i.e Rice, yams or potato) is about 35-40g of carbs. So for each meal, you should eat about 1/2 to 1 cup of carbs. (20-40g); you can include veggies in your meal, also.
Here is an example meal plan I follow to maintain my diet.
Remember, the most important rule! EAT EVERY 3 HOURS, this will increase your metabolism, avoid catabolic stages, avoid storing fat from being sluggish, and over eating.
(for Females, cut the protein intake half the amount of males, 4-6ounces)
THIS IS A LOW FAT EATING PLAN. Though LOW FAT is not the only way, it is what has worked well for me.
MALES (NOTE; Eat food, then in 3 hours, drink shake and alternate)
Meal 1 - 8 to 10 egg whites, 2 slices of turkey bacon with 1Tbs of salsa, 1 packet of Regular Oatmeal (no sugar), Use sweetener or 1 banana. (40-50g of protein/30g of carbs)
Meal 2 – 8 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or any veggies (season with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (40-50g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 3 - Protein Shake (40g protein/0g of carbs) or 8 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or any veggies (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (40-50g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 4 - 8 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or any veggies (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (40-50g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 5 - Protein Shake (I use VPX brand SRO Shake - 40g protein/0g of carbs) --> sometimes i use Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk (2.5g of fat/1g of carbs/0 sugar for 8 ounces and the rest add water)
Meal 6 8 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or any veggies (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (40-50g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 7 - Casein Protein Shake (40g of protein, 5g of carbs) before bed
FEMALES (NOTE; Eat food, then in 3 hours, drink shake and alternate)
Meal 1 - 4 to 6 egg whites, 1-2 slices of turkey bacon with 1Tbs of salsa, 1 packet of Regular Oatmeal (no sugar), Use sweetener or 1 banana or fruit of choice. (20-25 of protein/30g of carbs)
Meal 2 – 4 to 6 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or veggies of your choice (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (25-35g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 3 - Protein Shake or 4 to 6 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or veggies of your choice (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (25-35g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 4 - 4 to 6 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or veggies of your choice (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (25-35g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 5 - Protein Shake --> sometimes i use Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk (2.5g of fat/1g of carbs/0 sugar for 8 ounces and the rest add water)
Meal 6 4 to 6 oz. grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of spinach or veggies of your choice (seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper - 0 sodium) (25-35g of protein/25g of carbs)
Meal 7 – (OPTIONAL) Casein Protein Shake (25-30g of protein, 5g of carbs) before bed.
Meals 7 are optional, but if it falls into your 6th meal, drink the casein protein shake. Casein protein is a slow digesting protein that will help recover and build your muscles while you sleep and also help increasing your metabolism while you sleep. You will feel leaner when you wake up. I guarantee it!!
Protein Substitution: lean red meat (filet mignon), lean ground turkey, lean pork chops, tofu, salmon, tuna, egg whites.
SUPPLEMENTS this is very important! Since you are dieting, multivitamins will help take in nutrients that are missing in your daily regimen and give you a boost. You need to keep that immune system UP!
Protein Shakes – You might have heard the term MRP or Meal Replacement Powder, this is because some protein shakes have the same amount of calories as a diet meal. If you can’t make the time to eat your meal, then grab an MRP or RTD (Ready-to-Drink) protein shakes that come pre-made. Make sure you get a high protein and very low carb/fat protein powder (right now, I am drinking Dymatize Elite XT – 1 scoop is 24g of protein, 0 sugar, 2g of fat, 6g carbs and it’s very delicious!) and Casein protein for bedtime, I drink the Dymatize brand, this provides the necessary building blocks to repair muscle while I sleep!)
Protein Bars – There are tons of protein bars. Find one that you like, make sure the content are suitable to your diet. A lot of these bars are high in fat, high in carbs, and high in sugar content… so, WATCH OUT!
Supplements
1) Multivitamins you take daily!
2) B-Complex - helps with energy and cardiovascular system
3) Milk Thistle - cleans liver/kidney - detox
4) Glucosamine - maintains healthy joints (since you will be working out a lot)
5) Glutamine/BCAA - both needed for muscle recovery - I take glutamine after waking up, after working out and sometimes before bedtime.
6) L-Garnitine - promotes fat burning
7) Flaxseed oil – Omega 3 Fat Oil (optional)
Thermogenics
Thermos are a great option to expedite fat loss and help you get lean!!! It helps by increasing your metabolism. Thermos have caffeine and some have nitric oxide (NO), NO acts as a vasodilator (opens up the vessels), while more blood and oxygen can be pumped into your muscles quicker; hence you get a "pumped" feeling.
Example thermos - Hydroxycut, 1MR, RoxyLean ECA, Thermolyn, Ripped Fuel, Redline, Lipo6, and basically anything that has caffeine, green tea, yohimbine acts as a thermo. Even coffee!
In conclusion, to build your best physique you must workout AND eat clean. Both combined will make you look and feel what you visualize yourself to be.
Stay Focus, my friends!
Erik Mara
Respiratory Care Practitioner III
BeachBody Coach :: Fitness Enthusiast
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