Balanced Meal Ideas

BREAKFAST

1. Oatmeal made with a scoop of protein powder, fresh or frozen fruit, and a tablespoon or two of nut butter. 

2. 1 whole wheat bagel topped with mashed avocado and scrambled egg whites. 

3. A large smoothie made with almond milk, protein powder, frozen fruit, a handful of spinach, and a tablespoon or two of nut butter. 

4. A slice of whole wheat toast topped with peanut butter, banana and cinnamon along with your favorite protein shake. 

5. Greek yogurt with shredded coconut, cocoa powder, chia seeds, and fruit mixed in. 

6. Protein pancakes made with oats, protein powder, and almond milk- topped with fruit and nut butter. 

7. Breakfast scramble with egg whites, baby potatoes, ground turkey, bell peppers and onions- top with salsa and avocado. 

8. Chia pudding made with almond milk and a few tablespoons of chia seeds. Top with fruit and either a little shredded coconut or nut butter. 

9. Whole grain toast topped with sliced avocado and your favorite protein shake. 

10. Protein donuts or muffins made with oat flour, almond milk, protein powder, nut butter, and your favorite fruits/spices. 

LUNCH/DINNER 

1. Stir-fry with sautéed veggies and grilled chicken on a bed of brown rice. Top with a tablespoon or two of chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro. 

2. Black bean turkey burgers made with mashed black beans, ground turkey and minced cooked veggies- serve on a whole wheat bun with a side of steamed veggies or your favorite raw veggies and hummus.

3. Homemade tortilla pizza made with a whole wheat tortilla, marinara sauce, a little mozzarella cheese, your favorite lean protein, and your favorite veggies. 

4. Roasted bell peppers stuffed with a blend of couscous, your favorite veggies, and your favorite lean protein. Serve with hummus for dipping. 

5. A large salad topped with grilled salmon, cooked quinoa, beets, shredded carrot, diced tomatoes, cilantro, cucumber and fresh avocado with a little balsamic vinegar. 

6. Crock pot chili made with your choice of veggies, beans, and lean protein. 

7. Tacos, nachos or a burrito made with either corn chips or a whole wheat tortilla, ground lean turkey or grilled chicken breast, avocado, lettuce, diced tomato, roasted corn, black beans, greek yogurt sour cream, and salsa. 

8. Vegetables and tofu cooked in a curry sauce made with coconut milk and spices- serve over a bed of brown rice. 

9. Wraps made with a whole wheat tortilla, hummus, shredded lettuce, tomato, and your favorite lean deli meat. 

10. High protein chickpea pasta with marinara sauce and a side of steamed veggies with a little melted cheese on top. 

11. Summer rolls made with rice paper, your favorite raw veggies, marinated and grilled chicken or shrimp, brown rice, and avocado. Dip in a homemade peanut sauce. 

12. A BBQ chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun served with a side of coleslaw. 

13. A sushi bowl made with your favorite variety of fish, brown rice, shredded nori, raw veggies, edamame, avocado, sesame seeds and a little soy sauce. 

14. A gyro made with a whole wheat pita, grilled chicken breast, greek yogurt sauce, tomato, lettuce, and onion. 

15. Grilled salmon or tilapia served with a baked sweet potato and your favorite veggies.

BALANCED SNACK IDEAS 

1. Chocolate tofu mousse made with silken extra firm tofu, cocoa powder, stevia, and a little almond milk- blend together in a food processor. 

2. Raw veggies and a few whole grain crackers with hummus or guacamole. 

3. Protein cookie dough bites made with chickpeas, protein powder, peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, and a little stevia or maple syrup. 

4. Frozen grapes and a few tablespoons of roasted almonds. 

5. Trail mix made with nuts and dried unsweetened fruit. 

6. Popsicles made by blending almond milk, protein powder, your favorite fruit, and cocoa powder together, then pouring into molds and freezing. 

7. An apple dipped in plain greek yogurt mixed with a little cocoa powder and peanut butter. 

8. A small salad made with lettuce, black beans, shredded carrot, tomato, and topped with a little bit of your favorite dressing. 

9. Dry roasted or steamed edamame- shelled or in the pods. 

10. Tortilla chips served with a black bean salsa and a little guacamole. 

Fad diets pop up everywhere we look but the problem is, they're just NOT sustainable. Especially if you are thinking of the long game. Aside from that, once the diet is over most people tend to return to the way they were eating prior to starting said diet, which just seems whack. 

I mean, wouldn’t you rather have nutrition and workout programming that is sustainable? Of course you would. If not, STOP reading now. 

So, now I want to talk a little more about how you can use my programming to:

• Modify your behaviors and your habits to support a consistent eating and fitness lifestyle 

• Set up your fat loss nutrition intake specific to your body, your goals, your food preferences and most importantly, YOUR Lifestyle. 

• Set up your exit plan on how you are going to safely bring yourself out of the calorie deficit once you reach your goals in a way that adds back calories, and repairs your metabolism without sacrificing results. You do want to keep those gains, yeah? I gotchU

There are concepts that cookie-cutter plans leave out, but have the biggest effect on your body. Like….

Meal Plans

When it comes to meal plans, most tend to think there is a magical combination of certain superfoods that when consumed, yield the perfect body. 

Alas, nothing of the sort exists. 

The key player in weight loss is calculating your energy requirements correctly (Energy Balance) and then CONSISTENTLY consuming macronutrients in a way that promotes fat loss. No two people have the same energy requirements, this is why the cookie cutter plans almost always fail in the end.

Now, don’t be put out. That doesn't mean a meal plan can't help you achieve your weight loss goal. 

I personally prefer flexible dieting, but I incorporate meal planning into my own personal diet plan and I will teach you how to do the same. 

Let's go over some of the positives and negatives of meal plans:

CONSISTENCY

Eating a consistent food intake over time is KEY and allows your body to change and enables your metabolism to adapt. After some time under your belt of following a specific plan, your body reaches it’s caloric set point. This is your MAINTENANCE CALORIES. Here, your body is at its equilibrium with its energy intake and expenditure and you hit a plateau with your weight loss.

If you're following a basic cookie cutter plan, your morale and attitude toward this whole process hits the wall side by side with your progress. The gain train stops and we can’t be having that. To push past this, you simply just need to know how to adjust your macros for next week's meal prep and BOOM, baby! Your progress starts again and all's right with the world. 

SAVES TIME

For those new to macro tracking, meal planning and prepping can save a lot of time. Just sit down and spend a few minutes figuring out how much of each food item you are going to eat and then spend an hour or two preparing all your meals on a Sunday afternoon or a day off and that's it. No more having to worry about tracking food. Until you get more comfortable using a tracking app of course. 

WHO DO MEAL PLANS WORK BEST FOR?

• People that have highly structured schedules with very little variation in their day-to-day lives

• People who don't mind consuming the same foods each day 

• People who have access to a refrigerator and a microwave throughout their day

WHO THEY MAY NOT WORK FOR

• People who travel for work or have a more inconsistent unpredictable schedule. Some may not have access to a fridge or a way to reheat their meals, making meal planning difficult to adhere to. 

• People whose plans change from day to day or life gets inevitably in the way on the regular and you have to continually divert from your nutrition plan, throwing your daily macro numbers off that day. This is where knowing how to track your food intake to hit your macros comes in handy. 

• Competitors. A set meal plan may not work for physique competitors and bodybuilders because your macros can change from day to day, so having the flexibility to make these adjustments is crucial. 

Flexible Dieting

Flexible dieting is just that - FLEXIBLE. It is a diet style that is defined by hitting macronutrient targets with a variety of food choices rather than sticking to a set, specific food intake each day. There is a short learning curve when it comes to tracking, but the benefits far eclipse the alternative. Especially when a sustainable lifestyle is the goal.  

Some benefits include:

• Accuracy- Flexible dieting requires you to track your macro/calorie intake to the friggin’ gram. Because of this, it is the most precise diet method that allows you to control your energy intake and make adjustments to get immediate results.

• Freedom- This approach to nutrition gives you complete control over your diet. As there are no restrictions or limits to what you can and cannot eat. You can eat the foods you love, make your diet fit your lifestyle and enjoy social situations. It’s awesome.  

• Education- Logging the food you consume leads to you improving your awareness and knowledge of nutrition. You will learn how many calories different foods and portions contain, what vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and sugar and which foods are a great source of protein. This requires a modicum of skill that can be developed. It is critical for long term weight management.

• Minimal Restrictions- Tracking food intake does not involve any restrictions, so long as you stay within the boundaries of your macronutrient requirements. With far less rules in comparison to most other diet methods, less restriction is associated with improved adherence. Not to mention, data has shown there are a number of psychological benefits afforded by a flexible diet in comparison to the negative psychological implications restrictive diets tend to have, which lends itself to the next benefit….

• Adherence and Sustainability- Not to beat a dead horse, but flexible dieting allows you to incorporate a wide variety of foods according to your personal preference. Without restriction or limitations you are far more likely to adhere to your diet. When you are in control of your food choices, your ability to follow the plan exponentially increases. Without a doubt, the best diets for fat loss are the ones which you can follow for the longest duration and maintain the improvement in body composition. Again, ADHERENCE and CONSISTENCY

Elimination diets (ie: keto, paleo, low fat, low carb) are not sustainable long term and often lead to the yo-yo dieting –> binge –> diet –> binge cycling and eventually -> even more weight gain.

I personally love food and love having the freedom to wake up, think about what I'm hungry for that day and eat according to what I'm craving. A lot of the time, sometimes daily, my schedule changes and I'm not always close to the house or have access to a fridge and microwave. But guess what? That doesn't stop me from making a little game plan day-to-day, usually on the fly. 

If I know what my schedule is going to look like and where I will be, I can just trade out the types of foods like pre-prepped chicken, beef, rice and veggies that I'd normally be eating for more pre-packaged items that are pre-measured. Foods like: jerky, tuna, baked lays, a piece of fruit or even a protein bar for a carb source 

(some protein bars tend to have more carbs than protein). 

**Most packaged single serving foods will already have some fat so I may not need to try to eat a single fat source. This is also a great way to add variety to your diet.

I combine the two eating styles by doing a 'bulk prep' in which I make and store protein and carb sources like seasoned ground beef, chicken breast, rice, sweet potatoes and non starchy vegetables. Having these items available allows me to eat more prepackaged items that I'm craving, and then I fill in my remaining macros with however much I need from the bulk prep. This keeps me spot on with my program while working in any food items I feel like eating that day. This even works, believe it or not WHILE IN CONTEST PREP. 

As we continue to work together, it is my goal to help you figure out the perfect dieting style that fits your LIFESTYLE 

Research

1. Biology's response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21677272

2. Long-term efficacy of dietary treatment of obesity: a systematic review of studies published between 1931 and 1999. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12119984

3. [The mediocre results of dieting] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23859104

4. How dieting makes some fatter: from a perspective of human body composition autoregulation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475574

5. Metabolic slowing with massive weight loss despite preservation of fat-free mass. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22535969

6. Maclean, P.S., et al., Biology’s response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2011. 301(3): p. R581-600.

7. Dulloo, A.G., J. Jacquet, and L. Girardier, Poststarvation hyperphagia and body fat overshooting in humans: a role for feedback signals from lean and fat tissues. Am J Clin Nutr, 1997. 65(3): p. 717-23. 

8. Dulloo, A.G., J. Jacquet, and J.P. Montani, How dieting makes some fatter: from a perspective of human body composition autoregulation. Proc Nutr Soc, 2012. 71(3): p. 379-89.