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: -
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
