Nutritional Guideline:
I’ve formulated this diet for myself and catered it to my own body and training habits. Each year of the past 3 that I’ve used this diet for at least two months in the off-season, I’ve come in to camp anywhere from 3-5% body fat and felt as if I could take on the world.
Aside from me, I’ve seen this diet work for quite a few people as well, and it could work for you should you have the discipline to stick to it while implementing an active workout schedule.
You’ll find yourself often hungry on this diet as your body will feel depraved of carbohydrates. Resist the urge to snack but if you must snack, snack on high protein low fat, low carb snacks if possible. Some examples are:
- almonds
- beef jerky
- deli sliced turkey or roast beef
- tuna
Supplements:
For my post workout shake I use a protein called “Isopure” which is a low carb protein that dissolves very pure. I’ve used it since my time in the NFL and it’s what I know, but feel free to substitute in whatever protein shake you like and that you find works for you. For my evening shake I use a protein called “muscle milk” which is a catabolic protein designed to work best while you’re asleep. I combine this with a scoop of “super seed” which is a flax seed/fiber based powder that is designed to offset the high protein intake of the diet and ensure regularity.
Beverages:
This is a predominantly water based liquid consumption diet, try to take in at least a gallon a day for best results. NO FRUIT JUICE, SODA, OR ALCOHOL. Even if it says “diet” there’s way too many carbs/sugars substitutes or empty calories in them. Gatorade can be taken in moderation but should only be taken at ¼ the rate of your water intake.
Any milk that is consumed in cereal or oatmeal should either be skim or 2% at most. No whole milk.
Veggies:
Try to stay away from corn in your vegetable consumption. Personally I stick to spinach and broccoli and occasionally steamed collard greens and nothing else. But peas, green beans, asparagus and brussel sprouts are also a good change up.
Salads:
Keep salads stocked and fresh, I recommend romaine lettuce, or baby spinach. You’re always ok with tomato in it, but no croutons. Only add a Clementine or fruit on the days when you’ve worked out twice. For dressing, olive oil and vinegar is the standard for this diet. In a pinch where it’s not available, use balsamic vinegarette. Leftover meats from dinner the night before or from that lunch come in handy to make the salad more tolerable because 2 salads a day gets old quickly, but it works.
Fruits:
While fruits are always a good snack and option be careful with them because the sweetness comes with a price. Bananas are loaded with carbs, as are all fruits really. Good carbs mind you but carbs nonetheless, so as you start to get a feel for how many carbs you need to function and get through these workouts and your work day without falling apart, you may substitute and add fruit in for any needed carbs.
Meats:
The meats I’ve put on the diet are the best for the money. Filet mignon can always be substituted for steak if cost permits. Shrimp, salmon, beef, turkey and chicken are your highest protein contents for meats. Pork is a good meat as well you just have to be careful because it’s the fattiest of the meats, but on occasion it’s fine to throw in some lean center cut pork chops (boneless) for your meal, if you trim the fat on them. The steaks you choose should be the leanest available. This also makes them tougher to cut and chew so be aware of that when thinking of family dining as well as your own.
Starches:
You’ll notice there are never significant starches or carbs with dinner. Always only with lunch on days when there’s two workouts so that your body has more opportunity to burn them off rather than storing them as fat. The carbs that are listed are base carbs but Yams, baked potatoes and wild rice are the best 3 for this diet. If pasta is your thing, then make sure it’s a wheat pasta and be careful with the portions and again…none for dinner.
Non-protein snacks:
When you need a quick 20-50g of carbs but don’t need to overdo it I recommend these;
- No fat fruit snacks
- Granola mix (both from Costco)
- Fruit/granola trail mix
Sandwiches:
You don’t see any sandwiches on the diet listing however, AFTER WEEK 3 of the diet and workout and after a 2 workout day (days 2 and 5) you can substitute the listed lunch meat for that day, for a turkey or roast beef sandwich with ¼ cup of real cheese (no processed cheeses), tomato, onion or pickle, lettuce and a dab of miracle whip on whole wheat, multigrain wheat or rye bread. If you can find it however, a wrap, flat bread or pita works even better.
Final notation:
This diet is a guideline, if you want to follow it to a “T” that’s wonderful but everyone’s body is different. From this guideline in the first 2 weeks you should be able to get a feel for what is working for your body and what’s not. Don’t abort it because you feel hungry because you’re supposed to feel hungry. Tweak the diet and find out what fits best into your budget, eating patterns etc. but let me know if you need a recommendation on what good substitutes would be for any of the foods before you begin to stray from it.
You’ll only get out of this experience (diet/workout plan) what you put into it. You can’t expect great results without doing all that can be done to achieve them. Aside from the diet, the most likely thing that is to be strayed from is the cardio and of course those two are the MOST IMPORTANT in terms of the goals that you two have set. Keep that in mind as you embark on this new experience.
Good luck!
Day 1 - Lift (Chest/Triceps/shoulders/basketball)
Day/Meal Food
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/peach slices
(or 1 bowl special “K” w/berries) with 1% or skim milk
Meal 2 Post Workout Shake
Meal 3 Lunch
7oz cooked salmon
1 baked sweet potato w/butter
Large Salad w/Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Dinner
10 oz steak
1 cup steamed broccoli
Large Salad w/olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 Evening snack
1 cup canned tuna
Day 2 (Legs/Quadricep emphasis/burst runs)
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/peach slices (or 1 bowl special “K” w/berries)
Meal 2 Post Workout Shake
Meal 3 Lunch
1 chicken breast
1 baked potato
Large Salad w/Clementine slices +olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Dinner
Large Serving shrimp and scallops
1 cup steamed spinach
Large salad w/olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 Evening snack
2s muscle milk + 1s super seed
Day 3 (Active rest) ie; hoop, softball, pilates, swim
Meal 1 Breakfast
4 eggs scrambled (all whites)
3 slices turkey bacon
Meal 2 Lunch
8oz Salmon (or tilapia, halibut)
1 cup steamed mixed veggies
Large Salad w/Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 3 Dinner
2 chicken breast
1 cup steamed cauliflower & broccoli
Large Salad w/ Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Evening Snack
3 slices roast beef (or sliced turkey)
Day 4 (Chest/triceps/shoulders/back/cardio)
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/peach slices (or 1 bowl special “K” w/berries)
Meal 2 Post workout shake
Meal 3 Lunch
8oz broiled/grilled ahi tuna
1 cup steamed mixed veggies
Large salad w/ olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Dinner
10 oz steak
2 cups spinach
Large salad w/tomato + olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 Evening Snack
2s muscle milk + 1s super seed
Day 5 (Legs/ Hamstring emphasis; Top end speed runs)
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/ peach slices
Meal 2 Post workout shake
Meal 3 Lunch
7oz cooked salmon
1 baked sweet potato (no butter)
Large salad w/ Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Dinner
8 oz rack of lamb or (8 oz halibut)
1cup steamed broccoli
Large salad w/olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 Evening snack
2s Muscle milk +1s super seed
Day 6 (Pilates or yoga) Cardio/Juggs Machine
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/peach slices (or 1 bowl special “K” w/berries)
Meal 2 Lunch
2 turkey burger patties
1 baked potato
Large Salad w/ Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 3 Dinner
Large Serving shrimp and scallops (or 2 chicken breasts)
2 cups steamed spinach
Large Salad w/tomato + Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Evening snack
3 slices sliced roast beef (or turkey)
Day 7 (off)
Meal 1 Breakfast
3 poached eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
1 cup cooked oatmeal w/peach slices (or 1 bowl special “K” w/berries)
Meal 2 Protein shake
Meal 3 Lunch
6oz broiled or grilled halibut (or salmon)
1 cup wild rice
1 cup steamed mixed veggies
Large Salad w/ Olive oil and vinegar
Meal 4 Dinner
1 large serving mixed seafood
1 sweet potato
1 cup steamed mixed veggies
Large Salad w/ olive oil and vinegar
Meal 5 Evening Snack
3 slices roast beef (or turkey)
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