Jim Stoppani's Dieting 101
Looking for a way to get Lean and Stay Lean?
How to get lean AND stay lean for good!
Before you even read this article, I suggest that you first read my article “Jim’s Updated Muscle-Building Nutrition Rules” by clicking on the link below:
http://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/jims-updated-muscle-building-nutrition?preview
After all, when we talk about dropping body fat, we still want to at least maintain, if not build lean muscle mass and muscle strength. So your first goal is really to make sure that you have your diet and supplement plan set in place to maximize muscle growth. So study those 9 rules I break down. They are still as ever critical to you even as your goal shifts to fat loss.
If you’ve followed any of my training and diet programs to maximize fat loss, you know that they work very well.
Consider my very popular Shortcut To Shred, as it is known on Bodybuilding.com and as 1-2-3 Lean here on JimStoppani.com. Millions of people have gotten leaner than they ever thought possible with this training, diet, and supplement plan. You probably were one of the millions who actually witnessed those benefits on your own body. Yet I have to admit, the 1-2-3 Lean/Shortcut To Shred diet is not ideal for everyone. After all, every body is different and every body responds differently to diets. The problem is that when I create a program like that that is meant to be helpful for millions of people it needs to be easy to follow. That not only goes for the training, but more importantly the diet. Many people don’t even understand the difference between protein and carbs. And if you asked them if rice was a protein or a carb, they might not know the answer. When you consider all the people that have followed Shortcut To Shred, you realize that they come from all over the world and have a wide range of educational backgrounds. Unlike you, most of these people just want to be told what to do and not have to think much about it. So I have to create a diet that is easy for them to follow but very effective for the majority of the people following it.
Yet, as effective as the Shortcut To Shred diet is, it may not be the best diet for your body to lose body fat while maintaining or building muscle.
With the Shortcut To Shred diet, you start with carbs at 1.5 grams per pound of body weight for one week. This is designed to help your body get used to the intense training and to keep your metabolic rate up before you start dropping carbs and calories. However, if you are already eating a very low carb diet, then starting off at 1.5 grams of carbs may be too high for you. In the second week of the Shortcut To Shred diet you drop carbs down to 1 gram per pound of body weight and then in weeks 4-6, you drop carbs again down to 0.5 grams per pound. This is a very effective strategy for continuing to drop body fat without hitting a plateau… for most people. Yet, maybe you did not need to drop carbs by that much or during those weeks yet to continue dropping body fat. While it is a great diet for most people, it just may not be the ideal diet for you.
A better diet for you is one that considers what you are currently eating and how your body responds throughout the diet and adjusts accordingly.
Since I cannot be there in person to monitor your every move and how you progress, it will require a bit more work from you than just following along with a diet such as my Shortcut To Shred diet. But that’s why you are a member of my site. You want to learn more and figure out how to apply the info to your own body for better results. And this is what this article will teach you. How to figure out where to start on a fat loss diet and how to progress based on your own body’s response, not on a random time course.
So let’s begin!
This article breaks down the nutrition information to maximize fat loss into steps.
That’s because fat loss is a continual process and your diet must change gradually over time. The worst thing that you can do is to immediately jump down to a very low amount of calories and carbohydrates. For example, many people ask me if going on a keto diet where almost all carbs are removed from the diet is a smart plan. The answer is no. Yes this can result in very rapid fat loss at the beginning of the diet. But after a couple of months or less, when the fat loss stops and they hit a plateau, they have little wiggle room to remove more calories from their diet and continue losing body fat.
When you diet, your body responds by going into “starvation mode”.
That basically means that your body slows down your metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn just sitting around. The reason for this is to conserve energy stores, namely your body fat. Your body prefers to not be lean, since body fat is stored energy that it can rely on in times of food scarcity. In developed countries, food scarcity is obviously not a real threat for most people. But your body has developed this process should there be a time when food is scarce. So once you reduce your calorie intake, your body reacts by slowing down your metabolic rate. The greater you reduce your caloric intake, the bigger the drop in your metabolic rate and the quicker this will happen.
To prevent a massive slowing of your metabolic rate, you need to gradually reduce your calorie intake little by little.
Of course, exercise will help to keep your metabolic rate higher, but it can not prevent the gradual lowering of it as you lower calories. So you actually want to start a diet for fat loss by eating as many calories as you can but still losing weight. This way you will have ample room to keep lowering calories as your metabolic rate drops and fat loss hits a plateau. This way you can keep losing body fat. How do you figure out how many calories to start your diet with? This is covered below in Step #1: Analyze your diet.
Follow these steps:
Step #1: Analyze your diet – To get the best estimate of where you should start for calories, you will need to take an honest look at your current diet. I typically recommend recording everything you eat for one full week. But if that seems daunting, do at least two weekdays and one weekend day. If you have a scale, weigh food such as chicken, beef, fish, etc. For liquids and grains like rice, cereal, etc., use measuring cups and measuring spoons. Or if you have a good take on how much is one cup of something, or how much is 8 oz. of chicken breast, then estimate as best you can. The calories and macros for most foods will be covered in my Food/Nutrient Database that you can access by clicking on the link below:
http://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/foodnutrient-database?preview
For packaged foods, use the nutrition facts table on the box, and for other foods use a reliable source, such as USDA site. The direct link to their food database is: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
It’s important that you do not alter your typical diet when you record your food intake.
One trick that we use to keep individuals from steering astray from a diet is to have them record everything they eat. When they have a weak moment and crave a donut, knowing that they have to record that in their food log helps them avoid eating the donut. But during this week, do not avoid eating any of the foods that you normally do. The point is to access your true current diet so that you know where to start your new diet at. If you alter it, it can actually work against your fat loss efforts.
Calculate the amount of calories, grams of protein, grams of carbs, and grams of total fat for each food that you eat.
Then add these up for all the foods that you eat each day. Using an Excel sheet can help make this easier and will allow you to keep track of your diet going forward. In fact, take the numbers from my data base and enter them into excel and then you can easily copy and paste them into your current diet as you go.
Once you have the total amount of calories, grams of protein, carb and fat for each day, you need to get an average of all the days.
So if you recorded seven days of food intake then add the calories up for all seven days and divide this number by seven to get the average calorie intake for the seven days. If you did just three days, then obviously you would add up the total calories for the three days and divide by three. Do this also for grams of protein, grams of carbs and grams of fat. But the real critical factor is your average calorie intake. Take your average calorie intake and divide it by your body weight in pounds to calculate your average calories relative to your body weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and you consumed an average of 4,000 calories per day, you currently consume an average of 20 calories per pound of body weight.
Step #2: Build your initial diet by using the muscle building guidelines in my Updated Muscle-Building Nutrition Rules – The most critical rules that you want to focus on to build your initial diet are Rule # 1: Focus on protein, and Rule # 3: Get ample fats. Start your diet by making sure that you consume close to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight and about 0.5 grams of fat per pound. Since there are 4 calories per gram of protein, that means that you will consume 6 calories from protein per pound of body weight. Since fat has about 9 calories per gram, you will be consuming 4.5 calories from fat per pound of body weight. Adding the calories from protein and the calories from fat, equates to 10.5 calories per pound of body weight. Subtract 10.5 calories from the number of calories per pound of body weight you currently eat based on your food record. For the sample 200 pound person consuming 20 calories per pound of body weight, that equals 9.5 calories.
This is the amount of calories you can consume from carbs per pound of body weight. Since there are 4 calories per gram of carbs, that equals about 2.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. Round that number down to 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight.
So your new diet will consist of about 1.5 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbs, 0.5 grams of fat and 18.5 calories per pound of body weight. For the 200 pound sample person, that equates to 3700 calories, 300 grams of protein, 400 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fat per day. See sample diet for a 200-pound person following these guidelines below. Please note that the sample meal plans in this chapter are very similar for reason of illustrating how to change the diet when you move through the different steps. This does not mean that you should eat the same foods every day and the same foods in each step of the diet. Quite the contrary. You want to have as much variety in your diet as possible. For food alternatives to replace the foods in the sample diets refer to my Food Alternatives list that you can access by clicking on the link below:
http://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/food-alternatives-list
Follow this diet for as long as you continue seeing fat loss results. Note that many of you will gain muscle mass even though you are dropping body fat. So do not use the scale as your major indicator of fat loss. Use the mirror and either waist size, or the fit of the waist on your pants. An even better option is to have your body fat professionally measured by either a 7-site skinfold caliper, underwater weighing, or DEXA scan. Do not use bioelectrical impedance, which calculates percent body fat on how fast it takes a current to travel through your body. This method is not accurate at all!
The sample meals below are for workout days. On rest days from the gym, skip the postwokrout meal and have the preworkout meal as a snack.
Sample meal plan for those working out first thing in the morning:
Preworkout 1 (As soon as you wake/30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Breakfast (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 tsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil )
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crackers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out at lunchtime:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Lunch (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out after work/before dinner:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my soon-to-be-released postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Dinner (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out at night after dinner:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my soon-to-be-released postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Step #3: Adjust the diet by reducing carbs by 0.25 grams per pound – As I mentioned above, as you reduce calories your body adjusts by lowering metabolic rate. So your body burns fewer calories throughout the day. The only way to combat this and continue losing body fat is to reduce your calories. Since you want to keep protein and fat up where they are to maximize muscle growth and strength gains, your best bet is to whittle away at your carb intake. Each time you hit a plateau in your diet and it seems like you have not made any fat loss progress for at least a week, it’s time to reduce carbs. You will reduce carbs by 0.25 grams per pound of body weight each time you need to cut again. That will reduce your total calorie intake by about 1 calorie per pound of body weight. So for the 200-pound sample person, that equates to about a 200 calorie cut.
Since our sample 200 pounder is currently consuming 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight, his first cut will be bring him down to 1.75 grams per pound of body weight. Where you start reducing your carbs from depends on when you train. But regardless of when you train, you will cut postworkout carbs absolutely last. For those who train first thing in the morning, start reducing carbs from the end of the day and working up as you continue to drop. For those who train at night, start reducing your carbs from the start of the day and work down down as you continue to cut. It gets a little more tricky, if you train at lunch or before dinner. This will bounce around from end to end a bit. See the sample diets below for examples of how to drop carbs from your diet with each 0.25 gram per pound cut.
You will progressively cut carbs each time fat loss hits a plateau until you are down to around just 0.25 g of carbs per pound. That is if you ever have to get that low. Many will not have to get anywhere close to that. But it all depends on where you are starting from, how active your training is, and how your body responds to the training and diet.
The sample meals below are for those making their first cut in carbs from 2.0 grams to 1.75 grams per pound of body weight (or 350 grams of carbs total for the 200 pounder). This drops calories to 17 per pound of body weight or about 3400 for the 200 pound sample person. Remember that these meal plans are based on workout days. On rest days from the gym, skip the postwokrout meal and have the preworkout meal as a snack.
Sample meal plan for those working out first thing in the morning:
Preworkout 1 (As soon as you wake/30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Breakfast (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 tsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil )
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crackers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out at lunchtime:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
1 cup cooked Oatmeal (1/2 cup dry oats before cooking)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gramn taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Lunch (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out after work/before dinner:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
1 cup cooked Oatmeal (1/2 cup dry oats before cooking)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Dinner (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out at night after dinner:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
1 cup cooked Oatmeal (1/2 cup dry oats before cooking)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crakers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 cup of cooked black beans (or pinto beans)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
The sample meals below are for those making the next cut in carbs from 1.75 grams to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight (or 300 grams of carbs total for the 200 pounder). This drops calories to 16 per pound of body weight or about 3200 for the 200 pound sample person. Remember that these meal plans are based on workout days. On rest days from the gym, skip the postworkout meal and have the preworkout meal as a snack.
Sample meal plan for those working out first thing in the morning:
Preworkout 1 (As soon as you wake/30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Breakfast (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 tsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil )
2 cups cooked Oatmeal (1 cup dry oats before cooking)
1 Tbsp honey
(mix honey in oatmeal)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
5 Triscuit whole-wheat crackers
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese and eat with crackers)
Lunch
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
Dinner
8 oz. Steak (or salmon or other fish, or chicken or other poultry, or pork)
2 cups mixed green Salad
2 Tbsp salad dressing (olive oil n vinegar)
Before Bed Snack
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
or 1 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup Greek yogurt (with 1 teaspoon honey)
1 Tbsp Peanut butter (can add to shake or Greek yogurt or eat separate)
Sample meal plan for those working out at lunchtime:
Breakfast
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 Tbsp Olive oil
(scramble eggs cook in olive oil)
Late morning snack
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
(mix pineapple in cottage cheese)
Preworkout 1 (30-45 minutes before workouts)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 grams betaine
1 gram taurine
200-300 mg caffeine (if preferred)
NO Booster, such as citrulline, beet extract, etc. (if preferred)
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my preworkout formula Pre JYM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html)
20-30 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1 large apple
Postworkout (within 30 minutes after workouts)
30-40 grams fast digesting carbs (dextrose, Pixy Stix, gummy bears, white bread)
5-10 grams BCAAs
2-5 grams creatine (depending on form)
2-3 grams beta-alanine
1.5 g betaine
3-5 g glutamine
2 grams L-carnitine
1 gram taurine
(*You can get all of the supplements above plus others with just one scoop of my postworkout formula Post JYM:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html)
20-40 g protein from a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
Lunch (30-60 minutes after postworkout meal)
6 oz. can albacore tuna
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
Afternoon Snack
20-30 g protein of a mixed protein powder (Whey/Casein)
1Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Jam
2 slices whole-wheat (or Ezekiel) bread
(make peanut butter sandwich to eat with shake)
