Making an meal plan can be hard. Hell, many people find just thinking about good nutrition as a hard task. This is the main reason why so many people go towards the "next best thing". Products like fat loss pills, fad diets and "lose weight without needing to change" products are everywhere. People know they need to make changes, but they do not know how to focus it around their lives, so they need it done for them and easy.
The problem is, is that these "sexy" meal plans and products that promise to get crazy fast results are not sustainable. Instead, people needing results can make their own meal plans that are focused around their own lifestyle by using Macro nutrients and myfitnesspal (click here to learn how to set up MYFITNESSPAL).
We keep breakfast pretty consistent for our meal plan. You generally always have time for breakfast or you need something super fast and easy. Either case, breakfast can become pretty consistent and it should stay that way as part of your plan.
We will then pick two of each macro nutrient (protein, carb and fat) plus two veggies for lunch and dinner.
For Example:
Lunch Becomes:
Dinner Becomes:
Time to bust out your food tracking app of choice (My fitness pal, Fat Secret, LoseIt!...We prefer MFP). We have got a game plan on WHAT we will be eating....But how much? What about snacks? Post Workout?
Start by logging protein at every meal:
Then Carbs:
Then Fat:
Then Veggies:
You should now have a full day planned in your tracking app of choice...SWEET!!! In MFP, scroll to the bottom of the food diary and click "Nutrition". You should see current macro totals (make sure you select "nutrients" up at the top). Keep adjusting entries until numbers match up with macro goals.
Need More Protein?
Need More Carbs?
Need More Fats?
Just remember, these are just examples. The important thing is to look at your day and adjust your meal plan so that you can live your life while still getting results. The difference between using myfitnesspal and counting macros and strict meal plans is control. Strict meal plans and programs like Weight watchers and Jenny Craig give you something to follow, but they do not give you control. When you are done with those programs, the direction is gone and many people do not know what to do. Following the examples above will give you an idea to get the control that everyone needs to make sustainable nutrition a part of their life.
If you wish for some help to make your own unique nutrition plan. CLICK HERE and we can jump on a phone call to come up with your nutritional blueprint
Committed to your success,
Derek Ledwidge
You need a Meal Plan for fat loss. You are on a diet. Whether you think so or not, it’s true. Your diet could consist of chicken nuggets, nachos, and diet soda. Or maybe it's a Muscle Milk for breakfast, pad thai for lunch, and frozen pizza for dinner. Whatever goes into your mouth on a regular basis is literally, your diet.
More often than not, people think that a diet is a resolve to all their health issues; that a 30-day challenge Detox or Strict Diet is the thing that is missing. Many people believe that these challenges will finally get them the body they want (Read More HERE On Why This Is Not True). They may survive this Detox or challenge and get the quick results. But what happens when the diet ends? If you are like most people, when the diet ends....The plan ends. You gain the weight back, you feel like shit, and you’re right back to where you started. I hear this same sad story over and over again. Most diets are just quick fixes. Limiting your food intake to grapefruits, high amounts of fat, or portion sizes that couldn’t feed a newborn, are unrealistic expectations and do nothing but set you up for failure.
Reaching your goals requires more than just a diet you practice intermittently when you feel like losing a few pounds. It requires an entire LIFESTYLE change, commitment, and most of all CONSISTENCY.
Watch the video below and read through this post to learn some helpful habits that you can instill easily into your lives and get the results you want without restricting yourself to insane limits.
Over the last thirty years, the average American diet has increased by 500 calories per day, with nearly 80% of those added calories attributed to simple carbohydrates or sugar starches. The simple reason; packaged and processed foods are more easily accessible than ever and it’s cheap. Donuts, fries, pastries, pie, sodas, and chips flood grocery store aisles and provide a quick fix to your hunger.
So what should you do? Eat the right carbs is what.
Carbs can be distinguished into two main categories, simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates are simply sugar and come in the form of glucose and fructose. Glucose raises blood sugar quickly and foods that are higher on the glycemic index (GI) has a greater impact on blood sugar.
Complex carbohydrates are the type of carbohydrates you should be eating. As opposed to simple carbohydrates, which is simply glucose and fructose, complex carbohydrates are composed of multiple sugar molecules that keep you fuller for longer. Foods like sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole-wheat grains, whole-wheat pasta, and butternut squash provide you with the proper nutrients you need to keep you satiated. When you’re full, you eat less.
Carbs help us have the energy for some awesome workouts and help with recovery after workout. They are great for people looking to get that lean full look for summer.
Protein gets a lot of play in the media, for good reason. Today, you are going to explore how protein is your friend when it comes to weight loss.
Protein helps you lose weight for a few main reasons:
Starch is found in carbohydrates like white rice, white bread, and pasta. Starch is made of long chained sugar molecules, held together by a weak chemical bond. Once digested, they’re absorbed more quickly and will cause your blood sugar to spike, creating a roller coaster like we talked about earlier. The simple solution - replace them and eat more whole grains, complex carbs, vegetables, and fruit. Produce contains a ton of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to help your body function at a more optimal level. The average American intake of vegetables consists of just two well-known culprits; potatoes and iceberg lettuce. You need to diversify. Go to a local market that has fresh fruit and vegetables and try new things. You’d be surprised at how many pounds you can drop, by just cutting back on your starch intake and replacing it with quality sources of organic produce and whole grains.
Greens, meaning any kind of “leafy” vegetable like spinach, kale, and lettuces, are awesome but you probably already know this. Its our job to simply remind you 🙂
Greens are well known for being some of the healthiest foods on earth -- and there is good reason for this!
Studies show that eating 7 servings of these veggies a week can decrease your risk for cancer by 50%! While many nutrition experts disagree about which exact foods may be the healthiest, eating a lot of greens is the one thing that nearly all nutritionists agree on.
So with each meal, your focus should be on adding in a variety of vegetables (2 fists worth). You may want to think about throwing extra greens in! Simple, right?
Greens...
Greens are high in VOLUME, but have a very LOW CALORIE DENSITY, so you can eat loads of them. This means you can eat large portions of greens without consuming too many calories or gaining weight (which is ideal for any effective meal plan)
Greens (and all vegetables) help to “crowd out” other foods, especially junk food. For example, picture number of fries you could have for 100 calories versus the amount of kale you could have for the same calories. Now, consider how full you would feel after eating each. This is an example of how your stomach responds to the feeling of “filling up” on high volume, low calorie foods. Your stomach works with your brain to turn off your hunger signals based on volume consumed, allowing you to eat fewer calories overall.
Greens of all kinds are definitely your friend. If you miss everything else in these lessons about nutrition, remember this: eat more greens! Add them to omelets and soup, toss them in a stir-fry, make big salads using them as a base, or cook them down and serve your other food right on top of them.
Out of all the macronutrients, (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) fat is the only one that does not cause insulin to release. Despite its villainous name, fat is only guilty by association. Most diet meal plans restrict fats and carbs all together (among other things). Fat does not make you fat, carbohydrates and added sugars do. But with all the different types of fat, it can be confusing which ones you should include in your diet and which ones you should stay away from
One thing you may not know about fats is how they affect our energy, especially if we are training hard.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also considered a good or healthy fat as they help with inflammation, boost brain function, help fight heart disease, and even decrease signs of aging. Fish, walnuts, and avocados are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The easiest way to get your essential Omega 3 fatty acids is through supplementation. Opt for Fish Oil Or Krill Oil.
Creating a healthier life to look good and feel great is more than just temporary change. All diets work to a certain degree short term. But the reality is that no diet is sustainable unless you make a complete life change. With so much misinformation on TV, the internet, and from misinformed friends it can be hard to pave a path through what’s good information and what’s just plain disinformation.
Rule Of Thumb:
If you want to know how to create your own EFFECTIVE meal plan that is right for YOU!!! Watch the video below to create your own
