The summer good-body guide. Pt1

Part 1 – Nutrition

As we head into spring the thoughts of warmer weather enter our heads and we dust off the summer wardrobe. The stark reality is that your summer clothes don’t fit anymore and there is way too much winter weight still hanging round. This prompts many people to make the decision of starting a fitness regime to try and get summer body ready.

For this style of rapid transformation, the simplest strategy is to reduce body fat, maintain or increase muscle tissue and get fitter.

You cannot change your shape without attacking your nutrition so here is a guide that will get you well on the way to looking great: -

1. Write a food diary and assess your current food intake. Use a free online calculator to work out your daily calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown.

To work out your suggested calories and macros, follow these basic guidelines: -

· Multiply your bodyweight in Lbs (kg x 2.2) by 12 to calculate your recommended calorie intake for fat loss.

· Try to balance your macronutrients to: –

40% protein

40% carbohydrate

20% fat

For example - 200lb person x 12 = 2400 kcal daily for fat loss

Protein – 960 kcal @ 4 kcal per gram = 240g

Carbohydrate – 960 kcal @4 kcal per gram = 240g

Fat - 480 kcal @9 kcal per gram = 53g

2. Then answer these questions in relation to your suggested daily intake: -

Q1. Am I eating too many calories overall?

Q2. Do you have an unbalanced macronutrient ratio?

Q3. Is my protein intake high/frequent enough to support lean mass?

Q4. Are my meals consistently at the same times of day?

Q5. Do I binge eat at any time of the day?

Q6. Am I eating too much junk food?

If you’ve done your food diary and compared them to the guidelines I’ve set out, here’s how you should plan your meals: -

A1. If you’re eating too much overall, reduce your total intake to that calculated above.

A2. If your macronutrient ratios don’t match that above then adjust the quantities to be more in line with the suggested ratio.

A3. Check your protein intake and adjust it to hit the correct volumes and evenly space the servings throughout the day.

A4. If you’re leaving too long between meals spread them out more evenly and eat at the same time of the day regularly so you’re not starving.

A5. Don’t eat all of your calories in one or two meals, spread them more evenly throughout the day to help balance blood glucose.

A6. Make food swaps to whole foods.

3. When you have adjusted the food numbers to mimic the ratio above follow the next steps: -

Step 1 Remove/limit the junk food and swap for whole foods

Step 2 Remove alcohol

Step 3 Increase water intake

Here is an example fat loss diet plan for 2000 kcal and 1500 kcal. You can increase or decrease the volumes to suit your calorie goals: -

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1500 kcal meal plan

Meal 1

50g porridge oats

100g egg white

200ml unsweetened almond milk

10g almonds

15g raisins

Meal 2

1 50g whole egg

1 slice brown toast

Meal 3

150g turkey breast

200g green vegetables

50g rice (dry weight)

5g olive oil

Post workout

120g banana

40g whey isolate

Meal 4

150g chicken breast

200g mixed vegetables

5g flax oil

100g blueberries

Protein 150g – Carbohydrate 150g – Fat 33g

2000 kcal meal plan

Meal 1

2 x 50g whole eggs

120g egg white

150ml semi skimmed milk

75g porridge oats

Meal 2

2 rice cakes (7g each)

120g chicken breast

80g orange/satsuma

100g sugar snap peas/asparagus

Meal 3

125g white fish

260g sweet potato

200g green veg

5 g olive oil

Meal 4

120g turkey

1 whole grain bagel

Post workout

40g whey isolate

Meal 5

100g salmon

200g mixed vegetables

Protein 200g – Carbohydrate 200g – Fat 44g