My Current 2012 Food Plan

I have been getting numerous emails lately about what my current diet consists of since i have a full time job now. Also since i no longer do nutrient timing but eating a balanced diet throughout the day i have been getting a lot of questions what balanced meals are for me. well first off you know that i base 60-70% of my lifestyle primal so i do implement a lot of the primal strategies into my life. I want you all to realize though that while this food plan may work perfect for me, it might not be perfect for you because remember my full time job is a desk job as a graphic designer so i do not eat as many carbs as someone say that works in an active job. so below are pictures of each meal starting with the very first thing i eat when i wake up and ending with the last thing i put in my body each day. i will also explain the importance of each meal (note that not all these are meals like the pre workout and post workout ect.

(4:45am)- Pre Workout: 120 grams of frozen banana topped with salt and cinnamon, and 2 glasses of water.

110 Calories (0 grams protein, 30 grams carbs, 0 grams fat)

- This small meal is designed for a fast pre workout that supplies my body with fast acting carbs to raise sugar and insulin levels back to normal after fasting throughout the night. the salt is included because an equal balance of sodium and potassium is needed to provide for proper muscle contractions and better nutrient absorption from the pump effect throughout the workout, also the equal balance helps to delay the effects of lactic acid so you will be able to last longer in each move, the cinnamon is added because for one it gives the banana an amazing flavor! but also the cinnamon is used for it's thermogenic benefits and keeping insulin under control. the two glasses of water hydrate me from loosing water throughout the night. *notice the unique thing here- there is no protein source that i take in before a workout. here is the reason why. the body will use tons of extra energy to digest protein and it takes protein the longest to digest so if i would add protein to this quick meal 15 min before my workout. my body would be working on digesting the added protein from this meal instead of focusing all energy reserves on the workout. that is exactly what you don't want happening during a workout. thats why a banana is perfect fuel for a pre workout. the banana is digested quickly because it is a simple carb and all energy is ready to be used within 15 min of eating it. thats what i call a perfect pre workout! also along with the protein note. my body has tons of protein stored up from the day before to rebuild during the workout so thats another reason why adding extra is just a useless idea unless you have an hour to digest it.

(5:00am)- Workout

(6:15am)- Post Workout: 24 Grams Whey Protein, 1/2 scoop Results and Recovery Formula.

200 Calories (24 grams protein, 20 grams carbs, 1.5 grams fat)

- This post workout has one simple task and thats to replenish my body from the workout i just put it through. you will notice tho that i don't take in a crazy amount of carbs (like recommended by fitness enthusiast) and thats because i know my body and since i have that banana pre workout it's more beneficial for me at that time to take in more protein and just enough carbs for nutrient transport plus i still have breakfast to take care of any extra replenishment needed.

(7:00am)- Breakfast: 1/2 Cup oatmeal, 1 scoop whey (24 grams), cinnamon, 1 cup mixed berries, 10 raw almonds, 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup egg whites, spinach, bell pepper, avocado, salsa, coffee.

550 Calories (50 grams protein, 50 grams carbs, 20 grams fat)

(12:30pm)- Lunch: 1 chicken breast, 3 cups mixed veggies, avocado, salsa, mustard, 175 grams sweet potato, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, 1 whole egg, 1/3 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt.

530 Calories (50 grams protein, 50 grams carbs, 12 grams fat)

(5:30pm)- Dinner: either- 2 chicken breasts/ fish/ or steak, 3 cups mixed veggies, avocado, salsa, and quinoa (on a strength day).
530 Calories (60 grams protein, 50 grams carbs, 12 grams fat)

8:00pm)- Daily Shakeology: 1 scoop chocolate shakeology, 1 scoop whey protein, cinnamon, 1 tbsp natural Peanut butter, 1 whole Raw egg, and frozen fruit (could be frozen peach slices, berries of some type, or other fruit, about a handful of fruit total), 2-3 tbsps greek yogurt, water and ice.
500 calories (60 grams protein, 35 grams carbs, 14 grams fat)- this last meal supplies me with everything i need to recover while i sleep and rebuild healthy muscle, and fuel it for the next mornings workout.

(10:00pm)- In bed for the night

i hope this clears up a lot of the questions i have been getting about how i have changed my diet. also remember if you guys have any questions at all just let me know i would be happy to answer them for you!

Changes I Have Made in Workouts and Nutrition.

Hello all i know it has been a while since i have published a blog. The reason being is i just got a new job as graphic designer and web manager for a newspaper company so a lot of my time has been donated to that. anyway though my last blog was about starting the journey of P90X2 and today currently is day 58 of the program and i have to say this program is Awesome! I have made so many improvements since starting this program. It really does a great job of covering the total body. after i finish the 90 days i will provide a full review of the program for all of you so you know how it stacks up against others.

Today i wanted to cover 5 of the major changes i have made since originally starting X2 back in the beginning of January. since then i have acquired a full time job 40 hours a week so my diet has changed along with my meal plan, so i wanted to discuss the changes i have recently made.

1. I now wake up everyday at 4:30am to get my workout in before work, i wake up, drink 2 glasses of water, and have a frozen banana with some salt and cinnamon on it 15 min before i start my workout. (salt to balance out the ratio of potassium to sodium to get better muscle pump and contraction, and cinnamon for the thermogenic properties/ benefits.

2. I used to eat 6 Small meals a day. Now i eat 3 Big Meals and my Shakeology before bed every night. Each meal is now 500-600 calories to still get in the amount of calories needed daily but instead of splitting it into 6 small meals of only around 300 calories each now i eat giant meals and have 5-6 hours between meal times. My ratios are still 40/40/20 for the most part (pro/Car/Fat).

3. I used to have my shakeology at around 4pm in the afternoon, now i have it at 8pm every night. On a strength training day my nighttime shakeology will consist of; 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology, 1 Scoop Whey Protein (24 grams), 1tbsp Natural PB or Natural Almond Butter, Cinnamon, Mixed variety of fruit (1 cup total), 1/2 cup greek yogurt, and ice. that totals about 500-550 calories with great balance ratios for before bed. if it was a cardio/plyo/yoga day then my shakeology will have all the same things without the greek yogurt tho and a little less fruit, it will total about 400-450 calories.

4. I used to workout for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours 6 days a week. Now i am limited to exactly 1 hour in the morning for a workout. this might sound amazing but ever since i don't workout as much my gains have been truly awesome! i still maintain a low body fat percentage and still great amounts of lean muscle! i still take every sunday off for rest and recovery too! if your results have pretty much stopped improving try not working out as much. it works!

5. I know longer use nutrient timing, i know just eat 3 balanced meals throughout the day and i also don't track as much as i used to. somedays i will but since i eat pretty much the same ratios all the time i can do that in my head so there's really no need to track daily anymore, maybe just once or twice a week to make sure I'm still on target.

So as you can see i have really switched things up and i really like how they are going! if you guys have any questions at all please let me know! i will get back with you all i promise. Sunday will be officially day 60 of the program so i will take my day 60 picks and post them up.