Sample Nutrition Plan

This week I wanted to feature a Sample Nutrition Plan that has proved successful for one woman following a fitness program similar to the ones that I provide at workoutSMARTER.

But first, if you simply start avoiding the Western Lifestyle eating habits that tempt you on a daily basis, and live according to the Lifestyle I have adopted as part of my training protocol, you can lose fat and gain muscle.

That means no more snacks that contain carbohydrate and fat and no protein (i.e. vending machine treats), no more fizzy drinks, and of course, getting back to eating high-quality fresh produce and lean protein.

You might say that you can’t eat like this, but the truth is even if you start making only one change per day you will start to see improvements. Make this a goal that you will start today - to choose one healthier food option per day that will get you one step closer to your lean body.

Here are the guidelines.

– 4-6 meals per day
– Remove all sugar from diet.
– Have at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (up to a maximum of 200 grams per day)
– Have 3 servings of fruit per day (sticking to high-fibre fruits such as apples or grapefruit and high-antioxidant fruits such as berries)
– Drink at least 4 cups of Green Tea
– Have a protein-only shake as your first post-workout meal.
– Follow Dr. John Berardi’s 90% rule - if you eat according to the guidelines 90% of the time, you can cheat 10% of the time and still make incredible body changes.

This is the exact meal plan & training plan that one woman used to get lean and achieve a flat tummy and toned legs.

Each meal is full of flavour, quality ingredients, and lean protein sources.
Here is her story…

Daily Calorie Intake: 1900 calories

All meals are about 350-375 calories

Breakfast

• 1/2 cup porridge oats (about 40g) (stir in 1/2 serving fruit at very end... peach is my favorite lately, but blueberries are yummy too, and frozen berries work out of season.

• Omelette (1 whole omega 3 egg, 3 egg whites, ½ serving chopped baby spinach, red or yellow pepper, mushroom).

• ½ cup milk (skimmed) in coffee


Mid morning

• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese with 1-2 serving fruit (about 200g, depending on type) (strawberries, blueberries, clementines became my favourites, mango, or a mixture of all of the above)

• 15g nuts (walnuts, almonds) or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter plopped on top.
• (sometimes 2 tablespoons of toasted wheat germ too, if I need the extra carbs depending on how much fruit I add)

• All mixed in one bowl.

Or

• 1 cup fat free or low fat yoghurt

• 100g fruit

• 15g nuts

• This has less protein than Cottage cheese, but I make up for it when I have my protein shake post workout.

Or

• Smoothie made from fresh or frozen berries, scoop vanilla protein powder, dollop of peanut butter on bottom of the glass.

• Sometimes add a little water or flavored sparkling water (or yogurt then less fruit) for a bit of liquid.

Lunch or mid-afternoon

• Spinach salad with sliced turkey breast, ham, chicken, tuna, or whatever meat I have for the week.

• More veggies to add in the better the salad - tomatoes, peppers, artichokes, spinach, cucumber, celery, etc)

• Dressing: ½ tablespoon olive or flax oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar, squirt of Dijon mustard - put in little dish with lid and shake up then pour on salad

• Apple or peach or cherries, sometimes wholegrain bread

• Another good one is tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tuna, red or yellow bell peppers all mixed in a little dish and marinating during the morning.

• Plus some sort of whole grain carb (bread, pasta, rice) or fruit

Or

• Whatever leftovers I had for dinner when I made something that was actually like a meal

Or

• 2servings frozen baby sweet peas microwaved and a protein on the side

Or

• 200g cooked butternut squash (or sweet potato but smaller portion) good sprinkling of cinnamon, and 15g walnuts.
• Mush all together and microwave to heat up.

Or

• ¼ cup quinoa with low fat cheese melted on it...any veggie on the side


Dinners

Usually I’m just looking for a meat and veggies and throw together whatever I have in the fridge/freezer…

• 2-3 servings of frozen stir fry veggies (I eat a lot of frozen veggies-tons of variety for stir frys) with some sort of meat, salmon, chicken, prawn, etc.

• 60-90 g low-fat cheese (jarlesburg makes a lite swiss cheese that’s 8g protein and 2.5g fat per 30g. (fat free cheese is disgusting) I eat a lot of cheese, love it melted, cause I get tired of meat.

• Make this into a grilled cheese - using wholemeal wrap (melted in microwave), or corn tortillas (to make a quesadilla cooked in george foreman) and salsa.

• Add whatever veggies I have around

• Lean beef burger on whole grain bread with mustard - or no bread and a different carbohydrate.

• Sauteed spinach salad (I double the spinach when cooking it). Heat l tsp olive oil, and ½ -1 clove garlic. Add fresh baby spinach and a squirt of lemon juice. Saute until wilted. Have protein on side (grilled salmon, chicken, pork, whatever)

• Or a microwave spinach dip – 2 servings fresh (or frozen) spinach, chopped. Little bit of red or green onions. Microwave spinach for about 2mins, drain a bit. Add ½ tablespoon mayo.

• Eat with protein on side and your favourite dipping carb (whole grain crackers) I usually just eat it with a fork and have another carb on side.

• Courgette and squash (pumpkin) grilled in george foreman and sprinkled with a wee bit of olive oil (sprinkle on herbs de province too) makes a nice veggie side.

I hope this gives you some ideas of different meal variations that you can try. Losing weight does not mean that you have to have boring, tasteless meals.