Off-Season Meal Plan

Happy Thursday, Gym Rats! It is a happy day indeed as the workday is almost over and I am taking tomorrow off on PTO. Ahhh I’m feeling relaxed already just thinking about the 3-day weekend ahead J Now that my show schedule is on hold, I’m going to try to make more of an effort to write more informational blogs rather than just personal status updates. Hopefully we can get some good discussions going! Today’s topic is the off-season meal plan.

I’ve come to the point where I have lost count of the number of friends, co-workers, and other acquaintances who have asked me what my daily meal plan looks like. It’s usually people who are trying to get in shape and have finally realized that fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand. As the saying goes; “abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”. Well, flat abs anyway…that bulging 6-pack we all want definitely requires some serious core work LOL! “What do you eat on a typical day”, “Do you track your calories”, “Do you drink protein shakes”, “Do you eat something specific pre- and post-workout? These are just some of the many questions I’ve been asked over time and based on my goals when asked, my answer may have changed. In general however, my meal plan stays rather consistent. Thus, I figured it was time to outline a typical day in the life of a Gym Rat’s diet for all those inquiring minds.

First things first, this is not rocket science. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you’re hungry, when you are satiated, and when you are merely cramming-in extra calories to satisfy an emotional need or boredom. Some people are able to eat according to their physical needs while others do better by tracking calories to ensure they stick within the range recommended for their activity level. I personally track both calories AND macros…but that’s another topic for another day. I can hear it now; “Wait, what are macros?”…

Dieting is trial and error. You must play around with your intake (both WHAT you are consuming and HOW MUCH you are consuming) to find the best plan for you. What I outline below is simply what works for me. Take it or leave it. Oh and when I use the term “diet”, I do not mean “trying to lose fat”. To me, my “diet” is simply the meal plan I am currently following. So, here goes. I generally eat simple repetitive meals because it’s easy, they are filling, they satisfy my calorie and macro goals, and most importantly I enjoy them. I have a few different items I swap out for each meal from time to time but here is what a typical day often looks like for me:

Meal #1 – 6:00 AM – ½ cup oats with 1 scoop whey and ½ cup fruit or ¼ cup nuts

Meal #2 – 9:00 AM – 6 oz Greek yogurt with ½ cup fruit

Meal #3 – 11:30 AM – spinach salad with 4 oz chicken breast, ¼ avocado, ¼ cup mandarin oranges, mixed veggies and balsamic dressing

Meal #4 – an apple or banana (usually eaten around 1:00 PM), a Quest protein bar (usually eaten around 3:00 PM), and 1 scoop whey protein (post-workout around 6:30 PM)

Meal #5 – 7:30 PM – 4 oz baked salmon, small sweet potato, and 1 cup asparagus sautéed with EVOO and garlic

Meal #6 – A before bedtime snack that will keep me satiated during my sleep and keep me from waking-up ravenous before my alarm goes off. This is usually an apple or banana with almond butter or lately I’ve been obsessed with having a bowl of casein protein pudding. Yum!

That’s it. Nothing fancy here but all are filling and in my opinion, well balanced meals. It’s really not as much food as it looks like on paper. Over the next few months I’ll probably adjust the quantities depending on how my progress is going in the gym but in general the meals with remain the same. My main concern each day is to ensure that I get adequate protein for my muscle building goals and this plan does just that. If you don’t want to track your entire intake on paper or via a website or mobile app (I use myfitnesspal), simply ensuring that you get a protein source with each of your meals is a great way to ensure that you don’t fall too far behind on this crucial muscle-building macronutrient.

Pretty simple, eh? Feel free to start a discussion below if you have any specific questions or would like to share your personal plan. I’d love to hear from you!