I am 195 pounds, and about 5'10. This summer I had 2 months to hit it hard. I lost 10 pounds of fat, while gaining 5 of muscle putting me at 190 at the start of Augest. Now this month I'm going even harder trying to get to 170.
My trainer sent me a meal plan, and an interval program aside from my other training I thought I'd share!
A few of the major guidelines - super basic but super important:
1. Drink water. And LOTS of it! Without proper hydration, basic bodily functions are less efficient and fat loss will be virtually impossible. The easiest way to make sure you are getting enough is to buy a bottle that you can keep with you and refill throughout the day. Shoot for a minimum of 2 litres per day, 3 litres on workout days.
2. Establish a regular sleep schedule and aim for at least 8-9 hours per night. This is the optimal amount of time to rest and recharge your system. Getting enough rest is crucial to achieving optimal health and will help your muscles recover properly after workouts, which promotes rapid fat loss.
3. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours. The key to burning fat is speeding up your metabolism by keeping it fueled and working all day long. By eating small amounts every few hours, your system is in a constant state of digestion and you’ll be burning more calories at rest. This will also prevent any feelings of starvation or deprivation.
4. Eat breakfast every day. This is the most crucial factor in speeding up your metabolism. By eating within 30 minutes of waking up, you jumpstart your body’s internal fat burner and prevent the desire to overeat in the afternoon/evening. Try to drink a cup of coffee and/or glass of ice cold water with your breakfast to get your system working even faster.
5. Never starve yourself, if you’re hungry – eat something! This isn’t a licence to indulge whenever you have a craving, but rather a way to listen to what your body needs and feed it when it really needs fuel. When you go into starvation mode, your body stores fat and burns muscle.
6. Write down everything you eat. Self-monitoring is a great tool for weight loss and makes you accountable for what you’re consuming throughout the day. When you actually see it written out, it’s easy to see what you need more of (i.e. vegetables) and what you can cut down on (i.e. fast food).
1. Try to stick to foods that are as natural as possible. Think lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice and pasta, low fat dairy products, unsalted nuts.
2. Avoid foods that are high in sugar, fat, artificial ingredients. White breads, white rice and white pasta consist of refined sugar and should be eaten rarely, if at all.
3. Each of your small meals throughout the day should consist of complex (healthy) carbohydrates and lean proteins. By adding protein to a meal, digestion takes longer and you will feel full longer.
Lean Protein Sources
Chicken breast or thigh (skinless)
Turkey breast (skinless)
Lean beef (look for round or loin)
Bison (just as good as beef, way leaner)
Eggs
Low-fat dairy products:
- Milk
- Cottage cheese
- Yogurt
Salmon
Shrimp/Prawns
Tuna
White fish:
- Halibut
- Cod
- Tilapia
Beans and lentils:
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Garbanzo (chickpeas, hummus)
- Red and yellow lentils
When cooking your proteins, try to grill, bake or broil instead of frying.
All vegetables (limit potato intake)
All fruits
Dairy
Low-fat milk
Low-fat yogurt (look for varieties with low sugar & high protein)
Greek yogurt
Reduced-fat cheeses
Cottage cheese
Nuts (unsalted) – a source of healthy omega-3 fats, but limit to servings of 10-15 (small handful)
Almonds
Walnuts
Pistachios
Cashews
Pecans
Peanuts
Peanut butter
Almond butter
Complex Carbohydrates
Brown or wild rice
Sweet potato
Baked potato
Whole grain pastas
Whole grain breads
Whole grain crackers
Steel cut oats
Quinoa
Hot breakfast cereals (look for natural/organic ie. Cream of Wheat)
Cold breakfast cereals (low sugar, high fiber)
Sample Daily Meal Plan à
| Breakfast | Mid-Morning | Lunch | Mid-Afternoon | Dinner | Evening Snack |
| 3 egg omelette with cheese, peppers and onions Water | Banana with 2 tbsp peanut butter Protein shake Water | 2 whole wheat wraps with chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mayo Water | 1 piece of fruit Protein shake Water | Steak with grilled or steamed vegetables baked potato or whole grain rice Water | 1 piece of fruit cut up in 1 cup greek yogurt or cottage cheese Water |
That is just the diet, here is the interval training!
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Workout
This concept can be applied to running outside or on the treadmill, cycling, the elliptical machine, rowing machine, or pretty much any piece of cardio equipment.
The idea is to sprint at 90% of your maximum effort for a specific amount of time, followed by an equal amount of recovery time at 50% maximum effort. Here is the first 3 weeks of a high intensity interval training plan à
Week 1 (2 days/week)
5 minute warm-up (easy jog)
30 second sprint (90% of maximum running speed)
1 min 30 second recovery (light jog)
-Repeat this 2 minute cycle 10 times for a total of 20 minutes
5 minute cool-down (easy jog)
Week 2 (3 days/week)
5 minute warm-up
45 second sprint (90% of maximum running speed)
1 min 15 second recovery (light jog)
-Repeat this 2 minute cycle 10 times for a total of 20 minutes
5 minute cool-down
Week 3 (2 days/week)
5 minute warm-up
1 minute sprint
1 minute recovery
-Repeat this 2 minute cycle 12 times for a total of 24 minutes
5 minute cool-down
This program works, to make sure it is 100 percent effective make sure to hit the gym a couple times a week!
Every Monday I workout at a Gym, and have an on ice hockey session. Tuesday I have a workout where I train at. Wednesday I have a one ice session. Thursday I have a morning workout, a dryland outside, and a workout in the evening. Fridays is all beach body muscles, and then the weekend is where I rest.
MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS KEEP ACTIVE!
Thanks for listening
-Muscle Maniac (Justin Penner)
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