This week, I am in training as a result of my job. I thought that not having access to my usual stockpile of low-carb snacks and foods at work that I usually stock away in the refrigerator would be a problem... but boy, was I wrong! I don't tend to sit down to eat a full-on meal during the day; I tend to keep a bag of whatever it is I'm eating nearby, and munch on it through my next meal time. Because I knew I was in training, I knew that I needed to carry pretty much everything with me that I was going to eat through the day. This was the result:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and a 24 oz glass of water. Pretty typical breakfast for me, 10g of protein, 13g of fat. I have a high-protein snack "chaser" pretty soon after this breakfast; in this case, some edamame and a few bites of my tuna & egg salad.
I then packed my "lunch", or rather, all the stuff I was going to eat for the day.
Snacks:
- 60g of Seapoint Farms dry-roasted, lightly-salted edamame. These are just soybeans, very lightly salted. I consider them my "secret weapon" in the war on body fat. They are high in protein, high in fiber, low in carbs, low in fat, and since they are dry-roasted they store well at room temperature. Perfect for filling out my protein allotment, and a pretty good snack, too. Additionally, they, along with milled flax seeds, can really drop your LDL cholesterol. 28g protein, 8g fat, 20g carb, 16g fiber. Excellent low-carb food, and I think the "worries" about soy protein for men, if it's consumed in moderation, are way over-stated.
- 60g of walnuts. Walnuts pack enormous amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, so if you don't want to down bunches of fish oil capsules with the attendant fishy burps, they are another great tool! 10g protein, 38g fat, 6g carbohydrate, and that's almost all fiber.
- One pork chop. Leftovers from last night's dinner. Pork chops are right up there with chicken breast as great sources of protein. In general, I try to eat foods that give me a good "trade" on protein to fat... at least a 1:1 ratio. Eggs are a perfect example of a 1:1 food. This was a snack because I cut it up, and planned to eat it as a snack food, just a bite at a time. 47g protein, 24g fat.
Of course, I just keep the water coming all day long, and urinate during every single hourly break...
Lunch:
- Mustard, mayo, dill relish, a whole can of tuna, and two hard-boiled eggs makes an excellent topper for a salad. The mayo in this tuna salad really allows you to dial-in your fat consumption for the day, because it allows you to totally control the fat content of the meal with how much mayo you use. Fat is the main variable in a low-carbohydrate, high-protein eating plan, so learn to manipulate it wisely. I did 4tbsp of mayo, so it's 48g protein, 50g fat, and 2g of carbohydrate in this dish. I love how this tastes! It's like tuna salad and egg salad in one.
- Killer salad. Typical salad greens and toppings; I like to use 50g, 100g, or 200g of given ingredients to suit my preferences. The fact is, the salad is so big it's really two meals, and I tend to split it up into an early and late lunch as a result. After the edamame, this is my main source of fiber for the day, right around 11g.
Dinner:
This is always variable. I tend to look at what the family is eating. Tonight, my daughter cooked "breakfast for dinner": French Toast, sausage, eggs, hash browns, and various fresh fruits. I gave it all a pass and cooked some chicken breast and asparagus sautéed in olive oil, followed with a chaser of half of a Clementine orange since I still had a carbohydrate allowance left. 27g protein, 13g fat, 9g carbohydrate, 4g fiber.
Post-workout shake:
Well, I haven't done my workout for the night, but it's going to be a two-scoop serving of Nature's Best Perfect IsoPure Low-Carb Dutch Chocolate Whey protein. 50g protein, 4g carbohydrate, 3g fiber.
Totals for the day:
146g fat, 67g carbohydrate, 37g fiber (net 30 carbs exactly!), 219g protein, 2445 calories.
Bear in mind, I'm 6'1", 212 pounds, trying to cut down for summer. Your numbers will certainly vary.
For more details on how you can custom-tailor a diet for your specific fat-loss goals, pick up a copy of Total Six-Pack Abs from Mark's web site at http://www.musclehack.com/. It simply works, and I lost twenty-one pounds of fat while gaining six pounds of muscle on my last twelve-week TSPA cycle. I wonder how much fat I can lose and muscle I can gain on this twelve-week challenge?
Tomorrow's plan includes making some homemade protein bars tonight for my snack foods, going for a higher-protein breakfast, and "saving up" carbs throughout the day so I can have a few more carbohydrates in my system at dinner to help fuel my evening workout.
Regards,
Matt B.
