When it comes to sports and performance, eating is just as important as how you train or what you wear—it’s the key to building a lean, agile, action-ready body that can handle hours of competition. Food can guarantee that your mind will stay nimble and your body charged. On the flip side, the wrong foods can sabotage even the most-natural athletes, slowing and weakening their games and allowing other, more nutrition-savvy competitors to take home the gold.
This chapter is devoted to making food a partner in your quest for athletic glory. Follow my advice here, and you’ll not only build a sports-ready body, but you’ll also know exactly what to feed that body when it’s time to play.
If you’re a competitive guy, look at it this way: What separates you from the next guy, over time, are the little things. Something like nutrition, which your opponent may overlook, provides the perfect chance for you to get a leg up. Even elite athletes will often say, “Hey, I’ve gotten this far without worrying about what I eat. Why should I bother now?” If that’s how some guys in the NFL or NBA approach nutrition, imagine how your opponent in the club tennis tournament is thinking about it. If you become an athlete who genuinely cares about what he puts into his body and pays attention to what he eats before he goes out to play three sets, you’ll be able to wipe the court with your opponents—even ones you once thought were unbeatable.
If you don’t believe me, ask NFL coach Bill Belichik, whose New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2002 and 2004. I worked with him a decade or so ago, when he coached the Cleveland Browns and I was the team’s consulting nutritionist. Belichik was incredibly focused on details. In fact, he was so detail-oriented that many observers at that time considered it potentially negative. They asked how any coach could pay so much attention to so many small details and still remain focused on winning the big one. He told me that the details were precisely what would make the difference between the one team that wins it all and the many teams that don’t. He was ahead of his time in having a nutritionist work with his players, and I would suggest that’s a major reason that he has those Super Bowl rings today.
What I’ve found is that athletes need their nutrition plan to be as regimented as their training and recuperation. You can’t think of it haphazardly, like, “Oh, yeah, I know I’m supposed to eat a little more protein, so I’ll throw some of that in.” Guys at the top of their game know exactly what they need to eat, and they plan their menus accordingly. They shop for the right foods, and, when necessary, they take the time to prepare their meals. When they leave home, they make sure they have what they need in their backpack or carrying case, whether it’s turkey jerky, fruit, dried nuts, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, a sports bar, or a ready-to-drink protein shake. That way, they have access to the right foods at the right times.
The successful athletes I’ve worked with never go anywhere without taking some food along with them. These guys never travel without a cooler of food in the car, and once they reach a destination, they exploit whatever refrigerators, blenders, and kitchen facilities they can find. These athletes pay attention to what they eat and when they eat, and they never risk missing a meal. That meal, they know, may be the one that makes the difference between recovering adequately between workouts or not recovering at all.
You probably aren’t a professional athlete, but it doesn’t matter. Exciting new research shows the importance of eating the right foods at the right times to build as much strength and endurance as possible from your workouts. In other words, no matter what you do, the more you focus on nutrition, the better you’ll do.
You’ll find two meal plans in this chapter. The first is for guys mostly interested in increasing sports-related strength in the gym. The second is for guys who are mostly interested in game-day endurance. (Incidentally, the strength program should also improve your endurance, and vice versa, although to a lesser degree.) I envision these plans being used one of three ways.
1. Some of you will want to follow the strength meal plan exclusively. For you, I recommend going back to the last chapter and reading about muscle growth. Much of what you need to know is there. Then, use the information and the meal plan for strength to get stronger without putting on too much bulk.
2. Some of you will want to use the endurance meal plan exclusively. Those of you who focus primarily on running long distance year-round, for example, might not be interested in a strength plan.
3. A good number of you, especially those who play organized sports, will want to make significant gains in both strength and endurance. For you, I suggest treating the strength meal plan as an off-season cross-training program. When your season arrives, switch to the endurance meal plan.
Before I get to the meal plans, I want to talk about an important topic: guys who want to not only perform better but also lose fat. It’s surprisingly difficult to get the most out of the former when you’re primarily concerned with the latter. Sports nutrition is a catch-22 that way: You try to lose fat so you look and feel more like an athlete. That means, among other things, cutting calories. But when you cut calories, you also cut the amount of energy you have available for strenuous activities. That means you won’t have enough in the tank to get you through any sport more vigorous than chess.
There is a way to do both—to lose fat and to have enough food to fuel your favorite pastime. You just have to give up on the idea of doing them at the same time.
Let’s say you’re trying to lose a little fat. You hope to look better, of course, but you also hope your streamlined physique will help you get around the bases a little faster, or maybe get up and down the court a few more times before you wave in a substitute off the bench.
Your goal is—or should be—to lose that fat before your competitive season begins. Aside from the energy issue, you want your body to be used to its new weight before the games begin. (The same, of course, would apply to a serious body-building program, which will also lead to weight gain. You don’t want to be in the middle of that when your season begins.) Your sense of balance, your center of gravity, your muscles, your inner ear—these have all calibrated themselves to a specific body weight and certain distribution of body fat. Even if you look in the mirror and hate the extra fat you see, you should remember that your body has learned to operate efficiently with that fat just where it is. (This assumes, of course, that you’ve been practicing and playing your sport at this weight.)
If you want to lose weight, try this: Use the fat-loss meal plans in chapter 3, starting during the off-season and continuing for as long as it takes to shed the fat—or up until a month or two before you want to begin competing. Then, transition to one of the meal plans I outline in this chapter.
Regardless of which meal plan from this chapter you go with—the strength plan or the cardio endurance plan—there are going to be some general rules to follow.
Eat more food. This is something you’ve heard before if you’ve read the last two chapters: You need to eat a lot of calories, probably more than you’ve been eating if you’ve been a couch potato. You’re going to be expending more energy as an athlete, and you’ll need to consume more to account for it. You also need to fuel your workouts and have enough raw materials to help heal and build your muscles during your recovery periods.
How many more calories you need is hard to say, precisely because everyone is different. But I’ll give you some ballpark numbers to shoot for in the individual plans.
Eat more often. Eat five meals daily. Better yet, eat six or seven. Because you’ll be training harder than before, you’ll need to chow down every 3 hours or so, and you can’t afford to skip meals. If you do, you’re liable to run out of fuel when you need it most: mid-workout. What’s more, if your meals are spaced too far apart, your body will adapt by slowing down its metabolism, which will promote fat storage. If it’s time for one of those five meals and you’re not hungry, don’t force-feed yourself. However, don’t overcompensate by eating excessively at your next meal.
Eat simple and natural. It’s this simple: If you eat junk, you’ll probably turn in junk-worthy performances. I’m not saying you can never eat processed food, but keep in mind that processed food is usually nowhere near as nutritious as whole foods. It’s been stripped of much of the stuff that will boost your energy, not to mention valuable components such as fiber. The easiest way to avoid processed food is to focus your shopping on the periphery of the supermarket, avoiding the aisles. On the fringe, you’ll find good things like fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, low-fat milk, and fresh farm eggs. In the belly of the beast, you’ll find junk food, TV dinners, and shopping carts stuffed with the National Enquirer and screaming kids. Steer clear.
Here are some of the foods you should be looking for.
Healthy, energy-packed carbs, including brown rice, buckwheat, whole-wheat pasta and couscous, potatoes with skin, fruit, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beans, peas, and assorted fruits. Keep your bread consumption to a minimum. If you do eat bread, choose a sprouted-grain high-protein variety, which can be found at most regular grocery stores these days, as well as at whole-foods stores. Also, go for the so-called “free” vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, celery, jicama, radishes). These make great snacks because they’re completely or nearly calorie-free and loaded with fiber.
Assorted lean proteins, with an emphasis on fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, eggs, chicken, turkey, dairy, vegetable proteins, protein powder, and red meat, the latter eaten sparingly.
Selected healthy unsaturated fats, such as canola oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and olives.
Eat meals that smartly combine protein and carbs. If you can, get protein and carbs at every meal. One of your main sports-nutrition goals is to get more carbs stored in your muscles, where you can access it fairly easily. I’ll get into this more later, but for now, understand that a mix of protein and carbs is one of the best ways to make sure this happens. Carb consumption causes your body to secrete insulin, which transports sugar out of the blood into the muscles. Protein consumption enhances this process, first by making insulin more efficient, and second by slowing the release of glucose into the bloodstream. If too much glucose is released at once, your insulin won’t be able to shuttle it into your muscles fast enough and the glucose will ultimately become fat. Of course, getting more athletic and getting fatter are contradictory goals, so it’s best to avoid this.
Steadily eating protein throughout the day has its advantages, beyond helping with carb utilization.
The body can absorb only a certain percentage of the protein you eat at each sitting, and no one is entirely sure what that percentage is. Because the body doesn’t store protein except in very small pools, it makes sense to replenish it throughout the day.
Probably most important for the athlete in you, protein is an important anabolic driver. You want to make sure your body has what it needs to build muscle throughout the day in response to your workouts. Remember that your body breaks down and rebuilds protein in your muscles constantly, and that this process is in overdrive in the 48 hours after a workout.
Aim for variety. Different foods within different groups contain different combinations of nutrients. Nutritionists are only now discovering how important that is, mainly due to technology-driven changes in our ability to measure things in smaller and smaller amounts. We can now get a much clearer picture of why foods affect us, often dramatically, in specific ways. That’s how we now know why you need a variety of animal products, fruits, vegetables, and other foods in your diet.
IF YOU’RE LIKE MOST GUYS, your cue to head to the supermarket is rooting around for a “sell by” date that postdates the new millenium. To be primed for the pump before you hit the gym, however, you’ll probably need to do a better job of keeping healthy foods at arm’s reach. You’ll also want to make sure that you have these six things in your kitchen at all times.
A variety of fresh fruits. Tip: Each time you shop, buy three each of several kinds of portable fruits, such as apples, bananas, pears, grapes, and oranges.
Whole-grain breads. Tip: Look for brands with at least 2 grams of fiber per slice.
Lean meats for making quick sandwiches. Tip: Try turkey, chicken breast, lean roast beef, or lean ham.
Fresh greens and salad fixings. Tip: Buy precut veggies from the supermarket’s produce section. Keep them well wrapped and sealed.
Frozen chicken breasts and healthy “create-a-meal” frozen entrées. Tip: Opt for these instead of fast food when you’re pressed for time.
Fat-free or low-fat dairy sources. Tip: When in doubt, rely on milk and yogurt.
To ensure dietary variety, set aside two-thirds to three-quarters of your plate for plant-based foods. That will help you eat enough fruits, veggies, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds at every meal. Then put differently colored plant foods on your plate, aiming for at least one green food, one yellow, one red, one orange, one white, and one brown during the course of the day. Stay away from single-color meals. The all-white meal is famous among dietitians: It’s usually some combination like potatoes or rice, white fish, milk, and a banana. Although these foods aren’t bad choices, too many of them may mean you’re not getting enough variety.
Steer clear of beer. All it offers is empty calories and more fat storage, along with a short buzz and, perhaps, a long hangover. Obviously, it’s hard to play your best when you’re nursing a headache, sore limbs, and woozy eyesight. Alcohol consumption in general should be minimized, although an occasional glass of wine or whiskey is fine.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I saved this one for last because I want to emphasize this: When it comes to athletic performance, no nutrient is more important than water. It will trump carbs and protein in a heartbeat. Loss of just 2 percent of your body weight as fluid will diminish your physical and cognitive performance by 20 percent. Once you become 3 to 4 percent dehydrated, your health is at risk.
How quickly can you lose that much fluid? Contrary to our drive to eat, our drive to drink is not as keen. Our thirst mechanism doesn’t kick in until we are already mildly dehydrated. When you’re working out moderately in a mild climate, you are probably losing 1 to 2 quarts (2 to 4 pounds) of fluid per hour through perspiration. That means that a 150-pound person can easily lose 2 percent (3 pounds) of his body weight in fluid within an hour. If exercise is more intense or the environment is more extreme, fluid losses will be greater. You can see how easily you become dehydrated. If you don’t replenish your fluid losses during exercise, you will fatigue early and your performance will be diminished.
Design a fluid plan just as you create a food plan (see “The Dehydrated-Guy Fluid Plan” in chapter 6). In addition to replacing the fluids that you lose just because you’re alive and walking around, you need to replace the fluid that you lose during exercise. This has to happen every day: a couple cups when you get up in the morning, a few more mid-morning, a couple at lunch, again in the mid-afternoon, and then at dinner. That covers your minimum intake. Make sure that these are nonalcoholic (because alcohol can promote water loss), and make at least five of them water. If you drink more than three caffeinated beverages daily, then you’ll need to drink a few extra cups of noncaffeinated fluid to make up for the diuretic effects of caffeine. Then add what you need to be well hydrated before, during, and after exercise.
Dehydration is cumulative. If you work out on Monday and lose 2 percent of your fluids but replace only 1 percent, then the following day you are already beginning your workout slightly dehydrated and probably a little fatigued.
Monitor your hydration status. One of the easiest ways is to check your urine—it should be relatively odorless and no darker in color than straw. Anything more and it is a good sign that you are dehydrated and need to be drinking more.
These are all general goals for a general training diet. Now, let’s get to specific advice that will help you eat to maximize specific types of workouts and goals.
HERE ARE SOME BASIC GUIDELINES TO STAYING HYDRATED and healthy.
Drink a minimum of 1 quart (4 cups) of fluid for every 1,000 calories you eat every day.
Drink at least 5 cups of water every day.
Drink cool fluids.
Drink water after moderate exercise that lasts 1 hour or less. (If you like flavored drinks better, then use flavored beverages.)
Drink carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks after intense exercise that lasts less than 1 hour and for any exercise lasting more than 1 hour.
Drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before exercise.
Drink 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
After exercise, drink 16 to 24 ounces (2 to 3 cups) of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
Strength training is the bread and butter of most elite athletes, and it is probably the number-one issue I address with my private clients. Many, including some undersize football players, want to get both bigger and stronger. (If that is your goal, I again recommend looking back at chapter 4.) Others want to stay about the same size and simply teach their bodies to become more powerful, resilient machines. If that is your goal—if you want to sprint faster, be able to box out on the b-ball court, or have more power in your bat swing—this eating plan is for you.
As with the previous chapters, I’m not going to prescribe your weight-lifting plan or the other techniques you’ll use to build strength—your programs will vary widely depending on your sport, your goals, your skill level, and the amount of time you can dedicate to your training. What I will do is give you the tools to ensure you train efficiently and effectively, no matter what your program is. Everyone who lifts weights, at some level, is after the same thing: more lean tissue, better known as muscle. The plan I’ll lay out in this section satisfies most every muscle-building plan, provided you remember to tweak it for your goals. You can use it 7 days a week, regardless of whether you are exercising or competing.
Here are the general rules you need to remember if you are eating to build strength for sports.
Consume 2 to 4 grams of carbs for every pound of body weight each day. When you lift weights, your primary energy source is carbohydrates. You may associate carbs with endurance exercises, and protein with strength training, but you can’t confuse the building materials with the fuel. Eat a healthy dose of carbs daily and you’ll get the energy you need during training cycles, when the intensity and volume of your training are high. The greater your training volume, the more carbs you’ll need. If you really are training mainly for fitness and health and not to gain much mass, then keep your carbs in the 2-gram-per-day range. Otherwise, you’ll start to bulge rather than burn. Our meal plan for strength-building days uses 2.6 grams of carbohydrate per pound as a midpoint, putting a 185-pound guy close to a 55 percent carb diet, which is ideal for starting or maintaining a hard training program.
Something to remember here: Most weight lifting taps the carbs stored physically in the working muscles. To fuel the short bursts of activity that weight lifting entails, you need good fuel stores in the muscles that you’re exercising. It doesn’t matter how much glycogen is in your legs if you’re banging out reps on the bench press. If you did a heavy upper-body workout two days ago and now you’re about to train upper body again, you won’t be able to maximize your performance in the gym if you haven’t recovered from the preceding workout. And recovering fully requires eating carbs between then and now.
A key replenishment window opens up for the few hours after you train, but the process of replenishing glycogen stores in the liver and muscles will continue, albeit at a less intense rate, from one workout to the next. Assuming an ideal intake of carbs, glycogen stores are replenished at a rate of 5 to 7 percent per hour, meaning that it takes pretty much a full day to restore muscle-glycogen levels to what they were before you started training.
The goal, then, is to keep stoking the glycogen replenishment and tissue building from one training session to the next. That’s something you’ll want to keep in mind when designing your training routine. It’s one of several reasons that heavy lifting sessions for the same muscle groups are best avoided on consecutive days.
Consume 0.8 grams of protein for every pound of body weight every day. This is the nobrainer. As discussed in the last chapter, protein is the key between training sessions for muscle repair, protein synthesis, and maintaining hormone balance. In this plan, you’re going for strength, not size, so you’ll need a little less. If you want to see some size gains, bumping up your calories by adding extra protein around your exercise sessions, in addition to what you’ve calculated for the day, is a good strategy.
How many calories you need varies from person to person and is influenced heavily by body composition, activity level, and numerous other factors. To give you a yardstick, the bodybuilders that I’ve worked with over the years have needed 19 to 20 calories per pound every day just to maintain their way-above-average muscle mass. To build, they would need 24 or more; to taper, 17; and to prepare for a contest, 15. The average guy needs to drop a whole category to achieve similar results. In other words, that maintenance figure for bodybuilders, 19 to 20, is basically what most guys need to gain size. When you try to taper, you need the cutting-level calories, and so on.
Allow the rest of your calories to come from fat. We know quite a bit about how much protein and carbohydrates you need to fuel your exercising body. We know a lot less about fat. Here’s a good guideline: After you meet your needs for protein and carbs, you can allow the rest of your calories to come from fat. Choose healthful sources, such as fish, nuts, and olive oil, over unhealthful sources, such as fatty meats and processed foods.
Favor water over sports drinks. As I said before, drinking liquids is important, no matter what your exercise program entails. But different liquids are better for different things. When it comes to training for strength, I suggest water over sports drinks and other sugar-laden liquids.
A weights-base workout usually uses less energy than a cardio workout and causes the body to lose fewer electrolytes. A strength-trainer’s replenishment needs are therefore less dire than an endurance athlete’s. In the end, water should be more than capable of keeping you hydrated during your workouts, allowing you to get your energy-stoking carbs from more nutritious sources, including grains, fruits, and vegetables. If you’re a hardgainer, you might benefit from using a sports drink during your workouts. Go back to chapter 4 to find a meal plan for the hardgainer.
(Note: Athletes don’t only abuse water by under-drinking it. Some, especially endurance athletes, overdrink. See this page for more on this.)
Begin your workout well nourished but with your stomach pretty much empty. If you’re undernourished by having, let’s say, skipped breakfast and lunch before an afternoon workout, your body will likely run out of fuel and crash before the workout ends. Conversely, if your stomach is full of food before you lift your first weight, too much blood will be drawn to your stomach rather than to your muscles, where you want it, and an insulin spike will have negative effects on growth-hormone release.
Ideally, you want to consume a high-energy meal 2 to 3 hours before your workout—one loaded with complex carbs, along with some protein. Then, an hour before training, get an added boost from a meal-replacement shake or a formulated energy drink with protein and some carbohydrates, plus 16 ounces of water. If you’re an early-morning exerciser and just can’t face breakfast before your workout, try to drink a cup of fat-free milk or eat a small carton of low-sugar yogurt. It will make a world of difference.
Fluid replacement should equal fluid loss. The recommended water intake per hour is 20 to 40 ounces. Drink cool or cold water (40 to 50 degrees) at a rate of 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes while training.
Remember, you probably won’t need anything more than good old-fashioned water to rehydrate. If you want an extra dose of electrolytes, find a bottled water with them added.
This meal is really an extension of the workout because the results you get will depend directly on what you eat and drink after training. Secondarily, what you consume afterward will have a direct effect on your next workout, even if it’s several days away.
The impact that post-workout nutrition can have on your body is profound. Along with hydration, a major priority is replenishing glycogen stores. (The average Joe stores 1,500 to 2,000 carbohydrate calories, equal to 375 to 500 grams, as glycogen in his muscles and liver.) You need to consume carbs to do that, and how many you take in is largely a function of your training goal. Because mass building and fat loss have dedicated chapters, for general training take a middle-of-the-road approach. In all situations, you need some carbs to help maximize increases in muscle mass and provide the fuel needed for your next workout.
Refill your muscles and liver with glycogen, in the form of carbohydrates, ASAP after exercising. Those carbs will raise your blood-sugar levels, and this is the one time of day when this is a good thing. In fact, now is when simple carbs that score up near 100 on the glycemic index are ideal. What this does postexercise is promote the release of insulin, the “master” hormone, which in turn will stimulate the transport of amino acids into muscle, promoting protein synthesis. What’s more, it will blunt the rise of cortisol. Immediately after exercising, your body begins repairing damaged muscle proteins, so give your body all the help it needs.
Specifically, this is when you need a major slug of protein and carbohydrates—about 250 to 500 calories’ worth, combined. Because it’s often hard to eat a meal right after training, you might try bringing a premade smoothie with you to the gym for consumption afterward. Depending on your size, the right mix for this drink is 20 to 40 grams of protein and 40 to 90 grams of carbs. By combining blended whole foods (bananas, berries, etc.) with some protein powder, fat-free milk, flaxseed oil and other essential fatty acids, and water or ice chips, you get a great combination that your body will soak up like a sponge.
The research on caffeine and endurance dwarfs the research on caffeine and strength, and no evidence suggests that you’ll lift more weight in a given workout if you take caffeine beforehand. However, some of the research does hint at the possibility that a reduced rate of muscle fatigue might allow you to lift the same weight longer.
Caffeine studies using animals have attributed enhanced muscle-force production to the supplement, but human studies have not. Still, the possibilities are intriguing.
One caveat: caffeine appears to negate the effects of another popular supplement, creatine, when they are taken together. Coffee drinkers who are taking creatine should probably limit themselves to no more than 2 cups a day.
Have a real meal. For example, combine protein and carbohydrates this time by eating 6 ounces of grilled salmon with an ear of corn, brown rice pilaf, and sliced tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, all washed down with a big glass of water. For a different feel, go for ground sirloin with a slice of cheddar on a whole-grain bun with sautéed mushrooms and onions, bean soup, and a big salad with olives and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Rapid rehydration is also important here. As a rule of thumb, after exercising, you need to ingest at least 16 to 24 ounces, or 2 to 3 cups of water for every pound of body weight lost during that session.
There’s no substitute for consuming a muscle-friendly diet as outlined in this chapter and in the accompanying menu plans, but as you take your training to the next level, food alone often isn’t enough. Consider adding some of the following supplements to the mix.
CREATINE. Your body relies on carbs and fats for most of its energy needs. But to fuel short bursts of energy, such as lifting a weight “X” number of times or sprinting “X” yards, it taps something called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Through a series of biochemical reactions, creatine helps replenish ATP stores, providing more energy for your muscles. Creatine also pulls water into muscle cells, enhancing the “pumped” look that accompanies weight training.
In numerous studies, the supplemental form has been shown to improve the performance of high-intensity exercise performance and increase gains in both muscle mass and strength. What’s more, it helps mitigate the lactic acid buildup that leads to the burning sensation in muscles near the end of a set.
Some people are still concerned that creatine may be dangerous if used long-term. But studies from the last 7 years have shown no adverse effects from the use of the supplement in healthy individuals. As always, it’s your call, but to date there appears to be no cause for alarm.
Dosage: The typical recommendation calls for a 5-day loading phase of 5 grams, four times a day, followed by a maintenance dose of 2 grams a day. However, a study published recently in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise showed that a 2-day loading phase produces similar benefits to the 5-day one.
If you decide to use creatine, take 5 grams daily, mixed with at least 1 cup of grape juice, which will improve absorption. You’ll need at least 35 grams of carbohydrates in your grape juice to do the job. Adding in some protein may also help. (Citrus juices appear to interfere with the supplement’s efficacy.) On workout days, take it immediately after your training with your recovery drink to improve absorption and recovery. Because creatine draws extra water into muscles, drink an extra 8 to 12 ounces of water for every 5 grams you take. A recent study showed that even though creatine enhances cell volumization and water transport into the cells, those subjects ingesting creatine had a lower risk of dehydration and cramping when compared with those not taking creatine.
GLUTAMINE. I’m not that excited about glutamine—it’s in the “may help” category for me. Supposedly, it helps the body synthesize protein and prevent muscle-tissue breakdown, and it supports the immune system. Taking it as a supplement can spare glutamine in muscle tissue, blunting muscle-protein catabolism while improving nitrogen balance. If you train hard, glutamine may help to promote speedy muscle recovery.
Dosage: Depending upon your diet, health, and exercise regimen, take 8 to 20 grams per day. Taking a 2- to 5-gram dose two to four times a day is probably more effective than larger doses taken less frequently. On training days, try taking 2 to 5 grams before and after training. On off days, spread the same amount throughout the day.
CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID (CLA). A nonessential fatty acid, CLA taken as a supplement may help burn body fat while preserving muscle mass. The research is still equivocal, with different isomers of CLA showing either benefit or no effect.
Dosage: Take 3 to 6 grams daily.
PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE (PS). This supplement may reduce the production of cortisol. Secreted in response to long and heavy training sessions, “endogenous” phosphatidylserine has been shown to relieve overtraining symptoms such as muscle soreness. (“Endogenous” means this is stuff your body produces; its opposite is “exogenous,” meaning it comes from outside sources. Supplements are exogenous versions of nutrients that may or may not also be produced endogenously.)
Dosage: 800 milligrams of PS taken 30 minutes before training has been shown in studies to reduce post-workout cortisol levels by 30 percent. Save it for hard training days.
MULTIVITAMIN/MINERAL. You won’t always know if your diet is providing you with all the vitamins and minerals you need, especially because the roles many of them play are subtle, albeit crucial. The B vitamins, for example, help your body absorb food properly. A daily multivitamin/mineral is the cheapest insurance policy you’ll ever buy.
Dosage: 100 percent of daily value.
HMB (BETA-HYDROXY BETA-METHYLBU-TYRATE). This is a metabolite produced by the breakdown of leucine. Because of its nitrogen-retaining effect, HMB is supplemented to prevent or lower muscle damage and blunt muscle breakdown associated with intense physical effort. It may also assist in the repair of muscle damage resulting from very strenuous training. When combined with intense training and adequate nutrition, HMB may enhance strength, increase muscle mass, and decrease body fat. It appears to be most effective when starting a training program, either for the first time or after a lapse, or when increasing the volume or intensity of training.
Dosage: Take 3 grams a day in three 1-gram doses. If you weigh more than 200 pounds, up that amount to 5 to 6 grams, equally divided. HMB is best taken with meals.
In 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought their famed Rumble in the Jungle, an eight-round pummel fest that, blow for blow, is considered one of the greatest tactical boxing matches ever. The first seven rounds saw Ali take a heroic beating: Unable to stand up to a bigger, stronger Foreman, Ali seemed drawn to the ropes, where he faced one Foreman barrage after the next. By the eighth round, it appeared that Ali was doomed. Instead, Ali rose from his corner relaxed and poised, and proceeded to knock Foreman out.
The millions of stunned onlookers who couldn’t believe what they saw learned later that Ali had spent those rounds letting Foreman wear himself out, using the ropes to absorb the power from most of Foreman’s blows. Meanwhile, Foreman was throwing himself at Ali, assuming he was on the brink of a knockout. That knockout never came, and Ali left with the heavyweight title.
The Rumble in the Jungle is a prime example of the need for sports endurance, not so much on Ali’s part (who, admittedly, had to endure a lot, ropes or no ropes), but on Foreman’s. Foreman was easily the stronger, more vital man, having just won 41 straight bouts. In comparison, Ali, who was 32 years old at the time, was past his prime—a slower, less effective version of his former self. None of thatmatters when you are not tired and your opponent is. Foreman’s body may have been a fantastic machine, but when the parts weren’t working, he couldn’t do a thing with it.
You probably don’t consider boxing a traditional endurance sport. More often, people think of aerobic exercises, like marathon running or swimming. But endurance is a much more general idea. And it applies to nearly all sports. The entire range of athletes, from prototypical triathletes to football lineman, needs the physical endurance to avoid weariness and stay focused. That is the subject of this section.
It is next to impossible to endure in sports if you haven’t mastered the art of eating carbs. Your body hordes the stuff in its muscles, waiting until you need it—like when you are about to dive into the water to start a triathlon or explode from the starting blocks to begin a track meet. Without carbs, your personal best would be awfully similar to your worst performance. Carbohydrates make the difference.
Having enough carbs is especially important toward the end of a competition. Ideally, you’ll have already prepared your body to take advantage of these carbs. With proper training, you can help your body reserve carbs longer in your muscles and revert to them only when your body has used a significant amount of another fuel source: fat.
Here’s how that works: Your body will begin any athletic endeavor by burning carbs. If your body is well trained, it will soon stop burning carbs and move to your stores of body fat for energy. From about 10 to 20 minutes into exercise (depending on your training status) until just before you hit the wall with fatigue, you’ll use that fat. After that, it’s back to carbs again.
The logic here is simple. The faster you can access fats for fuel during exercise, the more glycogen (the stored form of carbohydrates in your muscles) you retain, and the more fuel you’ve got left for those last few moments of exertion at the end of a competition. Over time, the more well trained you are, the better your endurance.
None of this matters, though, if you don’t have enough carbs in your system. The amount of carbohydrates stored (a.k.a. glycogen) in muscles is directly related to how many carbohydrates you eat and how well trained you are. In general, a diet with upward of 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates will allow for the greatest storage of glycogen in the muscles on a daily basis. In the meal plan I outline on this page, that will come to just over 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
(Note: If you are training for more than 2 hours daily, you’ll probably need more. I’d suggest increasing your carbs in that case to around 3.6 to 4.5 grams per pound. This high level of intake will reduce the common risk of chronic fatigue and over-training syndrome. But beware of the trap in this diet strategy. You must still consume enough protein and fat. The body cannot perform on carbs alone! If you can’t eat enough calories to consume adequate protein and fat and still maintain your body weight, then drop your carbs down a notch.)
As you realize by now, not all carbs are created equal. If you don’t know how certain carbs release in your body and how the nutrients they contain aid performance, you cannot effectively use your carbs. There’s the right time for whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and there’s even a right time for sugar (especially if you are a long-distance runner). There’s also the matter of how they all fit in with proteins and fats, and how carbs interplay with them. Knowing how to mix your macronutrients like a pharmacist mixes drugs will help you maximize certain effects.
Here’s what you should concentrate on.
Consistency. The first rule of eating carbs for endurance is consistency. When you’re fueling for endurance performance, you must include carbohydrates every time you eat throughout the day. Each meal and snack should have either some whole-grain bread, vegetable, fruit, legume, or milk product.
Variety. Notice how pasta is not listed as the only source of carbohydrates for the endurance athlete’s diet? I’m certain that some of my clients used to think that the more pasta they ate, the faster and longer they’d run, until almost all they ate all day was pasta. Oh, and of course, potatoes.
This way of thinking couldn’t be more wrong. Though pasta and potatoes are good carb sources, all the other foods listed above are so much fuller in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and food factors, all incredibly important for supporting elite athletic performance. Athletes who focus solely on pasta and spuds consume a diet remarkably devoid of protein and fat. Ultimately, performance diminishes, and that’s why they end up in my office looking for help.
Combination. Carbohydrate-rich foods should always be eaten in combination with protein and/or fat. The goal is to keep your body from absorbing the carbs too fast. The protein and fat act as gatekeepers, allowing carbs to enter the bloodstream at a time-released pace and avoiding a carbohydrate stampede. If carbs aren’t controlled, you’ll experience the super-elevated peaks and valleys of insulin secretion associated with high-carbohydrate diets. Your body will not rush to remove sugar from the bloodstream (which leads to fat storage) and instead will use that sugar as energy or put it into muscle storage. Also, you’ll minimize the secretion of stress hormones, which will negatively impact muscle recovery and performance.
With all the low-carb hype, you’re probably wondering about the sanity of eating a moderately high-carb diet. A study at the University of Colorado showed that cyclists on a low-carb diet (100 grams per day) performed just as well on a 45-minute endurance test as those eating a high-carb diet (600 grams per day). But the high-carb group had much higher levels of muscle glycogen (carb storage) at the end of the test, and the low-carb group gained no fat-burning advantages, either. If this test had been performed on the same riders over the course of several days, I suspect the results would be different. If you’re planning to do just one bout of exercise and no more, ever, then that low-carb diet is for you. If you plan to exercise day after day, then your exercise will become harder each day as your muscle fuel stores become depleted on a low-carb diet. If you exercise intensely more than 3 days per week, a low-carb diet is not for you.
Even though you’re not training to build muscle, you still need protein to repair your training muscles and help them recover and gain strength and endurance. You can’t do any of this without adequate protein. You need protein to cover the jobs that only protein can perform throughout your whole body. An endurance athlete needs at least 0.54 to 0.64 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. If you are a vegetarian, add another 10 percent. If you’re eating fewer calories than you need in order to burn more fat, then you need at least 0.72 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
Speaking of vegetarians, you will benefit greatly from having a variety of sources of protein in your diet, just as I’ve been advocating variety in all the other food groups. Though poultry is high in tryptophan and pork is high in thiamine (vitamin B1), red meat is highest in iron and zinc, two incredibly essential minerals supporting endurance performance.
If you avoid animal products, then you must supplement with fortified foods and dietary supplements to ensure adequate nutrition.
A healthy diet includes healthy dietary fats. Fat should make up between 20 and 25 percent of your calories. Stick with vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Choose lean meats and low-fat and fat-free dairy products. Just because you’re active does not mean that you’re protected from the health dangers of saturated fats.
When you are looking for great fatty snacks, choose nuts. They are dense in calories, healthy fats, protein, and fiber. They are also high in chromium and magnesium. Chromium, often found lacking in the diets of athletes, is essential for the transfer of glucose into cells for energy production. Magnesium helps relax muscles after contraction and plays a role in the conduction of nerve impulses.
Getting dehydrated when you’re working for strength is possible but not a given. But dehydrating when you’re working toward endurance is almost guaranteed if you aren’t replenishing your system regularly. Without fluid replenishment after exercise, your performance on successive days will decay, and your long-term health may be at risk. I suggest carrying water and fluids with you as a constant reminder to drink. Freeze fluids in water bottles to keep them cold during long-distance exercise. Don’t forget that fruits and vegetables are great sources of water.
If you’re working out for more than an hour (or even just working out intensely for less than an hour), you’ll probably need more than water to stay appropriately charged. Carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks are an excellent choice to help you do this. By replacing carbs during exercise, you’ll have more fuel available at the end of your training or competition, when you need it most. These drinks contain sodium to help drive your thirst mechanism, and they also enhance carbohydrate absorption by helping to usher glucose across the intestinal lining into the bloodstream. During ultra and extreme events, you’ll benefit from the electrolyte replacement, because your body will have lost significant amounts of electrolytes through sweat, and your performance could suffer without an external source.
If you want something even more cutting edge, new research suggests sports drinks that combine a little protein with carbs may be even better. A study done at James Madison University showed that a product with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein (Accelerade) enhanced endurance and reduced muscle damage after cycling to exhaustion in the lab. The jury is still out on these, but I think they’re worth a try.
This is a story of trial and error. Try different products and see what works best for you. Find something you’ll be willing to drink during your workouts and competition. No matter how scientifically based the product, if you don’t like it, it won’t keep you hydrated if you don’t drink it.
Long-distance, ultra-marathon, and extreme sport athletes sometimes need special products to keep their bodies from using up fuel. That means refueling on the fly, so to speak. There are many ways to do it, but among the most popular are gels and goos. Basically, these products provide concentrated sources of carbs in the form of sugar, allowing athletes to consume far more carbs than they would if they simply drank a bottle of Gatorade during competition. Also, many people’s bodies cannot handle more-complex, dense foods (like bread and fruit) when they are in the middle of an event. Eating these can make an active body nauseous, which isn’t a wonderful feeling when you’re standing still, but it’s even more burdensome when you’re running 25 miles. Of course, some people get nauseous from goos and gels—it’s all about figuring out what works for you.
Two words of advice on using gels and goos: First, try them out on training days before using them in competition. You never want to try a new product—especially not a goo or gel—on the day of a competition. Second, make sure you drink water with them. Although these products are designed to provide carbs without the extra liquid from a liter of sports drink, you’ll still need a cup of water or two to regulate your body’s fluid levels. Forget to drink, and your body will go looking for more liquid to dilute the carbs in your intestines. This will come from other cells, which will lead to dehydration.
On the flip side of dehydration, you must also worry about overhydration. Hydration is a delicate balance between fluids and minerals in your body. The concentration of sodium and other minerals (collectively known as electrolytes) in your bloodstream must fall within a very narrow range, or it can affect your muscle contractions. That includes the most important muscle: your heart.
When you take in too much water relative to the amount of electrolytes in your body, the result will eventually be a condition called “hyperhydration,” or hyponatremia. The problem is that your blood has become too dilute, which is just as dangerous as dehydration, in which you have high levels of electrolytes without enough fluids.
Hyperhydration occurs more frequently than you might think, particularly in endurance and ultra-endurance sports like marathons. You can avoid hyponatremia with a few simple precautions.
If you’re training for your first marathon or triathlon, don’t cut all the salt out of your diet (even though, as a general rule, most of us could get away with a lot less than we currently take in).
If the day is cooler or less humid than you expected, compensate by drinking less than you’d planned during the event.
Go for sports drinks over pure water.
Don’t think you have to match the more highly trained competitors drink for drink. Their sweat is literally different from yours, containing more water and fewer electrolytes. Your body is leaking sodium, while theirs are holding onto it.
If you find yourself slowing down toward the end of the race, don’t take this as a sign that you should drink more. If you’re running slower, you’re also sweating less.
If you see pretzels being handed out along the course of a distance race, help yourself, assuming you’re not sodium sensitive and you don’t have high blood pressure.
Surprisingly, the symptoms of dehydration and hyperhydration are basically the same. If you collapse and require medical attention, that doctor or paramedic may not be able to tell if you’ve had too little or too much to drink. If you’re in a condition to answer his questions, one of the first will concern your fluid intake.
Here’s how this all works out during a typical day.
How you eat before your session will contribute greatly to your overall athletic development.
If you work out first thing in the morning: Replace the fluid and carbs lost during sleep by eating or drinking carbs in some form. Cereal and milk, a bagel and cheese, plain yogurt and fruit, even a cold slice of last night’s pizza will all fit the bill. Going into your workout feeling good will enable you to work even harder and burn even more calories, and your ability to burn fat is going to be enhanced when you end a great workout still energetic. The food before exercise will improve endurance on a long-distance workout, decrease the muscle-damaging effects of exercise, and enhance your recovery afterward. Eat or drink just enough before your workout to feel good—but not so much that you feel sluggish and tired. What’s more, leave the buckets of coffee and soft drinks for later in the day. A little caffeine is fine, but the last thing you want to do is ingest a potful of a diuretic before or immediately after your workout. That defeats the purpose of staying well hydrated.
If you do cardio at any other time of day: Consume your carbs long enough before exercise that they will have been assimilated into your body to some extent.
If you want to burn body fat, the best approach is to consume 60 calories of protein and 150 calories of low- to moderate-GI carbs 2 to 3 hours before exercise for nonathletes, and an hour to an hour and a half before exercise for athletes. Avoid an insulin response pre-workout. Manage insulin by keeping it within as narrow a range as possible. That way, the food you consume will be burned as fuel rather than stored.
Not only does combining protein and carbohydrates offer your body a good source of fuel before exercise, but it also appears to decrease the catabolic effects that naturally result from the exercise to come. As you exercise, you work your muscles, and that work inflicts damage. By repairing it, your body will build. It’s just the natural way the body works. By minimizing that damage, you’ll be less sore, allowing you to work out harder on successive days, but you’ll still provide enough stimulus to produce an adaptive response.
Nowthat your session has started, your goal is to maximize your performance. That may not be possible, though, if you didn’t take in carbohydrates beforehand. Fatigue will come sooner without those carbs.
That’s why it’s a good idea to sip liquid carbs from a sports drink throughout your session. Once you begin to fatigue, your body is less capable of making the enzymes available that are required to transport oxygen from your lungs to your working muscles. As your body is less and less able to get oxygen into the cells, fat will be less available as an energy source, and carbohydrates will come back into the picture with a vengeance as your primary fuel source. Remember, you’ve got to have oxygen around to burn fat but not to burn carbs. Even though your muscles are nearly out of carbs at this point, you’ll get an extra burst of energy from that external fuel source toward the end of your session, and it will take you longer to reach fatigue.
Immediately after cardiovascular work, you have to replace the fuel stores you just tapped in your muscles. As soon as possible after your foot leaves the pedal or rubber, begin maximizing the muscle-recovery process by consuming a little over ½ gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight, along with about ¼ gram per pound of protein. The sooner, the better: This is the time when these nutrients are entering back into your cells the most rapidly. Repeat this strategy again within 2 hours of the workout. For the average 190-pounder, that would amount to 95 grams of carbohydrates and 47 grams of protein for the first meal immediately after exercise. If you are smaller, cut those numbers in half. You can eat slightly less for the meal 2 hours later. As you can see, a pretty big slug of your day’s nutrition will come at these two times. Don’t, however, neglect the rest of the day, because you will continue to recover all day long.
If your cardio session lasted for more than 1 hour—or much longer than 1 hour, if you’re training for, say, a marathon—you really need to consume not only enough water but also electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The best way to do that is by draining any one of the numerous sports drinks on the market formulated to include those electrolytes. They speed up the absorption of fluids and help your body retain them. Remember, if you are looking for an edge, try a sports drink with added protein.
Although most media discussions of pills, powders, and potions relate to those designed to spur muscle growth, elite endurance athletes have spent at least as much time exploring the frontier of performance-enhancing aids. So widespread is their use that the International Olympic Committee tests athletes for a laundry list of substances.
Most of these products aim to prolong the time it takes you to reach exhaustion. How quickly your body hits that wall depends largely on how much fuel it has and how efficiently it burns that fuel, which in this case comes primarily from carbohydrates and fat. Certain supplements that supposedly increase endurance, such as carb drinks and medium-chain triglycerides, attempt to boost endurance by increasing your body’s stores of carbs and fat, respectively. Other supplements, such as pyruvate, attempt a metabolic shift from an emphasis on carb-burning to one that focuses on fat burning. Thus, your body would have more carbs for later, giving you the energy for a final kick.
Rest assured, the relationship between the human machine and its fuel is a bit more complicated than that. Even regarding supplemental carbohydrates, we’re not sure that the only mechanism is the provision of a substrate (energy source). Yes, it seems to be useful, but in many studies we can’t really distinguish between the energy that comes from blood glucose (the energy source in your bloodstream, which would have come from something you ate or drank recently) and the energy coming from muscle glycogen (the stored form of that sugar, which would have been created sometime before the test). So if you have a study in which one group gets supplemental carbs and one group doesn’t, we can’t necessarily tell from the results of the study whether the supplemented group really used the additional carbs for energy during the event. The performance enhancement, if there is one, may come from something besides the carbs themselves.
Regardless of the mechanism, the key is to figure out which ones actually do what they purport to do, safely. For the times when you need one of those magic bullets, here’s a rundown onwhat you should—and shouldn’t—slide into the chamber.
CARB SUPPLEMENTS. The higher the energy demands you place on your body, the more carbs you need, so endurance athletes often resort to carb drinks to ensure that their body’s reserves don’t run dry in midstream. Supplementing with carbohydrates is very well documented way to improve performance in lots of types of prolonged exercise.
Whereas most endurance boosters are best taken before an event or workout, carbs are best “loaded” into your system after a workout, when muscle cells are most receptive to ushering them inside. I suggest going for liquid carbs over whole-food sources. Of course, if it’s going to take you a while to eat after training, you can drain a carb drink ahead of time. Many such drinks are formulated with an optimal mix of moderate- and high-GI carbs for post-workout glycogen absorption and loading.
Dosage and timing: Variable. Endurance athletes should probably consume at least 1 gram of carbs for every 2 pounds of body weight immediately after training, or at least within a half-hour of training.
PYCNOGENOL. The manufacturer of this supplement, which is an extract from the bark of a particular type of pine tree found in France, says it increased endurance by 21 percent in a recent California State University study. (It should be noted that the manufacturer funded the study.) The purported ergogenic effect is based on improved blood flow and pycnogenol’s antioxidant properties, which the manufacturer claims mitigate damage to muscle tissue. These are early data and not conclusive, but with some positive possibilities and no apparent side effects, it may be worth a try.
Dosage and timing: 100 milligrams taken twice daily.
PYRUVATE. This is a naturally occurring substance that your body breaks down to form ATP, which is the molecule that provides the energy for your muscles to perform. The jury is still out on its synthetic form. Although some research suggests that pyruvate might be an effective fat burner, its benefits with respect to endurance are dubious.
Dose and timing: 5 to 10 grams taken an hour before event.
CIWUJIA. This Chinese herb is purported to delay lactic-acid buildup and increase the contribution of fat to energy during endurance exercise, thus prolonging time to exhaustion. Research in this area is sparse, with the majority of articles published in Chinese.
Dose and timing: The manufacturer of Endurox, a supplement derived from the herb, recommends taking 800 milligrams 60 to 90 minutes before a workout.
GINSENG. Endurance athletes typically experiment with the Asian version, known as panax ginseng. Termed an adaptogen because of its ability to “normalize” stress-induced abnormalities, ginseng has also been labeled an endurance booster by some. The research is inconclusive at this point.
Dosage and timing: 250 to 500 milligrams of extract per day.
MEDIUM-CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES (MCTS). These occur naturally in some vegetable oils. The supplement is purported to provide an alternative fuel to carbohydrates, although the research is inconclusive.
Dosage and timing: 8 to 20 grams daily.
RIBOSE. This naturally occurring five-carbon sugar is found in the body primarily as constituents of riboflavin, nucleic acids, nucleotides, and nucleosides. Some studies indicate that ribose supplementation (10 to 60 grams per day) can increase ATP availability in certain patient populations, among other medical uses. Whether it affects exercise capacity in trained athletes is still unknown.
Dosage and timing: Follow label instructions.
L-CARNITINE. This one looks great on paper: It chauffeurs fat into muscle cells for use as energy, thus sparing carbohydrates for later use. However, the literature suggests that L-carnitine ingested as a supplement doesn’t necessarily end up in muscle cells.
LACTATE SALTS. As a precursor of blood glucose, lactate has been hyped in some circles as an endurance booster. Hype is right: A recent study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that it produced no increase in time to exhaustion.
GLYCEROL. Some athletes take glycerol to attempt “prehydration.” Getting more glycerol into the bloodstream, the theory goes, increases the volume of blood plasma by osmosis, which allows blood to hold more water. The research supports the theory of superhydration, but that hasn’t been shown to improve performance. Unless you see yourself as a serious long-distance athlete, this is not worth trying.
Regardless of which of these supplements, if any, you take out for a test drive, keep in mind that the best way to improve endurance is to combine regular aerobic exercise with a balanced consistent diet and adequate sleep and recuperation. If you think you can abuse your body all week, only to pop a pill and set the world on fire come Saturday morning, think again. They haven’t come up with a pill for delusions just yet.
THIS IS THE DIET TO HELP YOU TONE UP, IMPROVE STRENGTH, and support all your sporting endeavors. It is the ideal program for a cross-trainer. There is enough carbohydrate to fuel your training but avoid fat gain. Proteins are carefully selected and timed for strength gain and muscle recovery. Use sports drinks for your high-intensity workouts and game days. If you’re looking for bigger muscle gains, go to chapter 4 and follow the muscle-building diets.
3,434 calories
489 grams carbohydrates
185 grams protein
82 grams fat
14 bread
8 fruit
4 milk
23 teaspoons added sugar
6 vegetable
9 very lean protein
5 lean protein
1 medium-fat protein
7 fat
Note: Occasionally, a fat-free product, like mustard or cooking spray, is included on the menus. These do not count toward your daily breakdown but should not be overused.
*Use every day.
†Based on a 185-pound man.
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-grain bread |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup cubed cantaloupe |
| 1 cup fresh raspberries | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons 100% fruit spread |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, scrambled in a nonstick pan |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 egg whites, scrambled with whole egg |
| 2 fat | 1⁄8 avocado, diced into egg |
| 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed | |
| Water | |
| Oil-free cooking spray (for eggs) |
Snack
| 2 bread | 8 whole-wheat crackers |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup celery sticks |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter |
| 5 bread | Foot-long Subway sandwich (choose from “6 grams fat or less” list) |
| 2 vegetable | Lettuce, tomato, pepper, onion |
| 2 fruit | 1 small banana |
| 1 apple | |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | Included (in sandwich) |
| 1 fat | 1 teaspoon olive oil or 1 tablespoon salad dressing |
Snack
| 1 fruit | ¾ cup blueberries |
| 1 bread | ¼ cup Grape Nuts cereal |
| 1 milk | 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon honey |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 sweet potato, baked |
| 1 small ear corn on the cob | |
| 1 fruit | 1 slice watermelon |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | Salad with 2 cups romaine lettuce, ½ cup tomato, |
| ½ cup cucumber | |
| ½ cup cooked broccoli | |
| 5 lean protein | 5 ounces salmon, grilled |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons olive oil (for dressing) |
| Vinegar (for dressing) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Combine yogurt, fruit, and honey. Combine muffin, avocado, and egg for sandwich.
| 3 bread | 1½ whole-wheat English muffins |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free unsweetened yogurt |
| 2 fruit | 2½ cups fresh strawberries |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons honey |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 eggs, hard-cooked (discard yolks) |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 1⁄8 avocado, sliced | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 4 rice cakes |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup vegetable sticks |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons salad dressing (for dipping) |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 2 slices whole-grain bread |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 2⁄3 cup brown rice | |
| 2 vegetable | Large salad with 2 cups romaine lettuce, plus tomato, grilled eggplant, roasted red pepper |
| 2 fruit | 2 kiwis, sliced |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 1 fat | 2 tablespoons fat-free dressing |
| 1 teaspoon olive oil (for roasted vegetables) |
Snack
| 1 fruit | 8 dried apricot halves |
| 1 bread | ¾ ounce pretzels |
| 1 milk | 1 flavored latte, tall |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon syrup (for latte) |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 cup cooked pasta |
| 1 slice garlic bread | |
| 1 fruit | 1¼ cups whole strawberries |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup flavored gelatin dessert |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup ratatouille (over pasta) |
| Salad with 1 cup lettuce, ¼ cup tomato, ¼ cup cucumber | |
| 5 lean protein | 5 ounces lean ground beef (add to ratatouille) |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons dressing |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-wheat bread |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese (on bread; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon) |
| 2 fruit | 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice (with pulp) |
| ½ cup sliced pineapple | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons sugar |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, cooked sunny-side up in a nonstick pan |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 egg whites, cooked with sunny-side up egg |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 1 teaspoon oil (for egg) | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 1 bagel |
| 1 vegetable | Tomato, sprouts |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons cream cheese |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 12⁄3 cups brown rice |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup Chinese vegetables, stir-fried with garlic, onion, fresh ginger |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup citrus sections |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces scallops, stir-fried |
| 1 fat | 1 teaspoon oil (for stir-frying) |
| 1 fruit | 1 ¼ cups sliced strawberries |
| 1 bread | 1 slice 8-grain bread |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon honey |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 2-inch square of corn bread |
| 1 cup kidney beans (for chili) | |
| 1 fruit | 1 pear |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup chopped cooked tomatoes with chili seasoning (for chili) |
| ½ onion, garlic (for seasoning) | |
| Salad with 1 cup lettuce, ¼ cup tomato, ¼ cup cucumber | |
| 5 lean protein | Included (in beans) |
| 3 ounces soy crumbles (for chili) | |
| 2 fat | 2 slices bacon, cooked very crisp (crumble into chili) |
| Included (in corn bread) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 2 fruit | 2 cups raspberries |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk (½ cup for French toast) |
FRENCH TOAST (See recipe directions on this page.)
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-wheat bread |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons maple syrup |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 egg whites |
| 1 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 1 teaspoon oil (for frying) | |
| Water |
| 2 bread | 16 Wheat Thins |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup sliced bell pepper |
| 2 fat | 4 tablespoon reduced-fat salad dressing (for dipping) |
Lunch
| 2 fruit | 1½ cups blueberries |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
FAJITAS
Combine ingredients.
| 5 bread | 1 cup Spanish rice |
| 2 tortillas | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup sautéed onions, peppers |
| 2 tablespoons salsa | |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 1 fat | 1 teaspoon olive oil (for cooking) |
Snack
| 1 bread | ¾ ounce pretzels |
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 fruit | ½ large frozen banana |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup |
| Ice cubes |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 ounce croutons (for salad) |
| 1 cup chicken noodle soup | |
| 4 crackers | |
| 1 fruit | 1 nectarine |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 cup reduced-calorie cranberry juice cocktail |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 5 lean protein | 5 ounces swordfish, grilled with ginger and scallions |
| 2 fat | 4 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 1½ cups quick oats (not instant) |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 apple, diced |
| 1¼ cups sliced strawberries | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons brown sugar |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 eggs, hard-cooked (discard yolks) |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 6 slivered almonds (for oatmeal) | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 1½ ounces baked tortilla chips |
| 1 vegetable | ½ cup salsa |
| 2 fat | 8 black olives |
| 1⁄8 avocado, cubed |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 1½ cups minestrone soup |
| 1½ cups cooked linguini | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup marinara sauce |
| 2 fruit | 1 whole grapefruit, sectioned |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces shrimp, grilled |
| 1 fat | 1 teaspoon olive oil (for cooking) |
Snack
| 1 fruit | ½ cup canned pineapple |
| 1 bread | ¼ cup Grape Nuts cereal |
| 1 milk | 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon honey |
| 3 bread | 1 large pita |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 1 fruit | 2 large figs |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 10 ounces apricot nectar |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups mixed green salad with tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 5 lean protein | 5 ounces lean lamb, grilled with lime juice |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons vinaigrette |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices multigrain toast |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, scrambled in a nonstick pan |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 egg whites, scrambled with whole egg |
| Oil-free cooking spray (for eggs) |
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | ½ cup orange juice |
| 1 fresh peach | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons honey |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons flaxseed oil |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 2 slices whole-wheat bread (for BLT) |
| 1 vegetable | Tomato, lettuce |
| 2 fat | 2 slices bacon |
| Fat-free mayonnaise |
| 5 bread | 1 whole-wheat bagel |
| 1 cup potato salad (made with reduced-fat mayonnaise) | |
| ¾ cup vegetable noodle soup | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup carrot sticks |
| Onion, tomato | |
| 2 fruit | 2 cups honeydew melon |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces smoked salmon |
| 1 fat | Included (in potato salad) |
Snack
| 1 bread | 5 reduced-fat Triscuits |
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 fruit | 1 cup frozen raspberries |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 2 slices rye bread |
| ½ cup pasta salad | |
| 1 fruit | 17 grapes |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup coleslaw |
| ½ cup chopped vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, onions; mix into tuna) | |
| 5 lean protein | 5 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained |
| 2 fat | 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise |
| Included (in coleslaw) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 2 very lean protein | 14 grams whey protein powder |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 8 teaspoons added sugar | 16-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
| 3 bread | 1½ cups Shredded Wheat |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 2 cups raspberries |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons sugar |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 3 very lean protein | 6 eggs, hard-cooked (discard yolks) |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 6 almonds | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 2 tortillas |
| 1 vegetable | ½ cup sliced vegetables |
| ½ cup salsa | |
| 2 fat | 8 black olives, chopped |
| 1⁄8 avocado, diced |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 1 large multigrain roll |
| 6 ounces baked yam | |
| 2 vegetable | Sliced tomato, lettuce (for sandwich) |
| 1 cup radishes, celery, carrots | |
| 2 fruit | 2 nectarines |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 1 fat | 2 tablespoons low-fat ranch dressing (for dipping) |
Snack
| 1 fruit | 2 tablespoons dried sweetened cranberries |
| 1 bread | ¾ ounce pretzels |
| 1 milk | 1 nonfat latte, tall |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | Included (in cranberries) |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 3-inch square of corn bread |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 1 fruit | 1 large tangerine |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup flavored gelatin dessert |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 5 lean protein | 4 ounces salmon, poached |
| 1 ounce shredded cheese | |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons low-fat Caesar dressing |
| Included (in corn bread) |
THE GOAL FOR THIS DIET IS TO KEEP YOU WELL-FUELED to go the distance. It’s got the right carbs at the right times to power your body and your mind. The combinations of protein and fat with carbohydrates are timed to maximize performance, minimize muscle damage, and allow for maximum recovery so that you can go long and strong at your next training session. The plan is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals to catalyze energy production and keep you healthy throughout your training and competitive seasons.
3,500 calories
550 grams carbohydrates
141 grams protein
80 grams fat
14 bread
10 fruit
3 milk
31 teaspoons added sugar
6 vegetable
4 very lean protein
4 lean protein
1 medium-fat protein
9 fat
Note: Occasionally, a fat-free product, like mustard or cooking spray, is included on the menus. These do not count toward your daily breakdown but should not be overused.
*Use every day.
†Based on a 185-pound man.
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-grain bread |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup cubed cantaloupe |
| 1 cup fresh raspberries | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons 100% fruit spread |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, scrambled in a nonstick pan |
| 2 fat | 1⁄8 avocado (dice into egg) |
| 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 1½ ounces whole-wheat pretzels |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup celery sticks |
| 3 fat | 30 peanuts |
Lunch
| 5 bread | Foot-long Subway sandwich, with extra meat (choose from “6 grams of fat or less” list) |
| 2 vegetable | Lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions |
| 2 fruit | 1 small banana |
| 1 apple | |
| 4 very lean protein | Included (in sandwich) |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons olive oil or |
| 2 tablespoons salad dressing |
| 1 bread | ¼ cup Grape Nuts cereal |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon honey |
| 1 fruit | ¾ cup blueberries |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 large sweet potato, baked |
| 1 fruit | 1 slice watermelon |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | Salad with 2 cups romaine lettuce, ½ cup tomato, ½ cup cucumber |
| ½ cup cooked broccoli | |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces salmon, grilled |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons olive oil (for dressing) |
| Vinegar (for dressing) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
Combine yogurt, fruit, cereal, and honey. Combine muffin and egg for sandwich.
| 3 bread | 1 whole-wheat English muffin |
| ½ cup whole-grain cereal (for yogurt) | |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free, unsweetened yogurt |
| 2 fruit | 1½ cups fresh strawberries |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons honey |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 6 almonds, sliced |
| 2 bread | 2 rice cakes |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup vegetable sticks |
| 3 fat | 3 tablespoons salad dressing (for dipping) |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 2 slices whole-grain bread |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 2⁄3 cup brown rice | |
| 2 vegetable | Large salad with 2 cups romaine lettuce, plus tomato, grilled eggplant, roasted red pepper |
| 2 fruit | 2 kiwis, sliced |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons fat-free dressing |
| 2 teaspoons olive oil (for roasted vegetables) |
Snack
| 1 bread | ¾ ounce pretzels |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup |
| 1 fruit | 17 grapes |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 cup cooked pasta |
| 1 slice garlic bread | |
| 1 fruit | 1¼ cups strawberries |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup flavored gelatin dessert |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup ratatouille (over pasta) |
| Salad with 1 cup lettuce, ¼ cup tomato, ¼ cup cucumber | |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces lean ground beef (add to ratatouille) |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing |
| 1 teaspoon butter (for garlic bread) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-wheat bread |
| 1 milk | 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (on bread; sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon) |
| 2 fruit | 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice (with pulp) |
| ½ cup sliced pineapple | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons brown sugar |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, cooked sunny-side up in a nonstick pan |
| 2 fat | 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| Water | |
| Oil-free cooking spray (for egg) |
Snack
| 2 bread | 1 bagel |
| 1 vegetable | Tomato, sprouts |
| 3 fat | 3 tablespoons cream cheese |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 12⁄3 cups brown rice |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup Chinese vegetables, stir-fried with garlic, onion, fresh ginger |
| 2 fruit | 2 cups citrus sections |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces scallops, stir-fried |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons oil (for stir-frying) |
Snack
| 1 bread | ½ cup puffed rice cereal |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon honey (drizzle on berries) |
| 1 fruit | 1 cup strawberries |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 2-inch square of corn bread |
| 1 cup kidney beans (add to chili) | |
| 1 fruit | 1 pear |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup chopped cooked tomatoes with chili seasoning |
| ½ onion, garlic for seasoning | |
| Salad with 1 cup lettuce, ¼ cup tomato, ¼ cup cucumber | |
| 4 lean protein | Included (in beans) |
| 2 ounces soy crumbles (for chili) | |
| 2 fat | 2 slices bacon, cooked very crisp (crumble into chili) |
| Included (in corn bread) |
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 2 fruit | 1 cup raspberries |
| ½ cup orange juice | |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk (½ cup for French toast) |
FRENCH TOAST (See recipe directions on this page.)
| 3 bread | 3 slices whole-wheat bread |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons maple syrup |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg |
| 2 fat | 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 4 walnut halves, chopped | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 16 Wheat Thins |
| 1 vegetable | 1 cup sliced bell pepper |
| 3 fat | 3 tablespoons salad dressing (for dipping) |
Lunch
| 2 fruit | 1½ cups blueberries |
FAJITAS
Combine ingredients.
| 5 bread | 1 cup Spanish rice |
| 2 tortillas | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup sautéed onions, peppers |
| 2 tablespoons salsa | |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons olive oil (for cooking) |
| 1 bread | 2 rice cakes |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon 100% fruit spread (for rice cakes) |
| 1 fruit | ½ large banana |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 ounce croutons for salad |
| 1 cup chicken noodle soup | |
| 4 crackers | |
| 1 fruit | 1 nectarine |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 cup reduced-calorie cranberry juice cocktail |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces swordfish, grilled with ginger and scallions |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons dressing |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 1½ cups quick oats (not instant) |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | ½ cup diced apples |
| 1 cup sliced strawberries | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons maple syrup |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 6 almonds, sliced (for oats) | |
| Water |
| 2 bread | 1½ ounces baked tortilla chips |
| 1 vegetable | ½ cup salsa |
| 3 fat | 8 black olives |
| ¼ avocado, cubed |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 1½ cups minestrone soup |
| 1½ cups cooked linguini | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup marinara sauce |
| 2 fruit | 1 whole grapefruit, sectioned |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces shrimp, grilled |
| 2 fat | 1 teaspoon olive oil (for cooking) |
Snack
| 1 bread | 10 melba toast rounds |
| 1 fruit | 1 cup pineapple tidbits in natural juice |
| 1 milk | ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | Included (in pineapple) |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 1 large pita |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 1 fruit | 2 figs, large |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup apricot nectar |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups mixed green salad with tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces lean lamb, grilled with lime juice |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons vinaigrette |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 3 slices multigrain toast |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, scrambled in a nonstick pan |
| Oil-free cooking spray (for egg) |
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | ½ cup orange juice |
| 1 fresh peach | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons honey |
| 2 fat | 2 teaspoons flaxseed oil |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 2 slices whole-wheat bread (for BLT) |
| 1 vegetable | Tomato, lettuce |
| 3 fat | 2 slices bacon |
| 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise |
Lunch
| 5 bread | 1 whole-wheat bagel |
| 1 cup potato salad, made with reduced-fat mayonnaise | |
| ½ cup vegetable noodle soup | |
| 2 vegetable | 1 cup carrot sticks |
| Onion, tomato | |
| 2 fruit | 2 cups honeydew cubes |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces smoked salmon |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese |
Snack
| 1 bread | 4 crispy rye crackers |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1 tablespoon 100% fruit spread |
| 1 fruit | 2 tablespoon raisins |
| 3 bread | 2 slices rye bread |
| ½ cup pasta salad | |
| 1 fruit | 34 grapes |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ½ cup frozen yogurt |
| 3 vegetable | 1 cup coleslaw |
| ½ cup chopped vegetables (cucumber, carrots, onion; mix into tuna) | |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise |
| Tea |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |
Breakfast
| 3 bread | 1½ cups Shredded Wheat |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 2 fruit | 1 cup raspberries |
| ½ cup grapefruit juice | |
| 9 teaspoons added sugar | 3 tablespoons sugar |
| 1 medium-fat protein | 1 egg, hard-cooked |
| 2 fat | 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseed |
| 10 peanuts | |
| Water |
Snack
| 2 bread | 2 tortillas |
| 1 vegetable | ½ cup sliced vegetables |
| ½ cup salsa | |
| 3 fat | 8 black olives, chopped |
| ¼ avocado, diced |
| 5 bread | 1 large multigrain roll |
| 6 ounces baked yam | |
| 2 vegetable | Sliced tomato, lettuce (for sandwich) |
| 1 cup radishes, celery, carrots | |
| 2 fruit | 2 nectarines |
| 4 very lean protein | 4 ounces skinless white-meat chicken, grilled with lime juice |
| 2 fat | 4 tablespoons low-fat ranch dressing (for dipping) |
Snack
| 1 bread | 3 cups popcorn (air-popped) |
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | ¼ cup chopped dried fruit |
| 1 fruit | Included (in dried fruit) |
Dinner
| 3 bread | 3-inch square of corn bread |
| 1 ounce croutons | |
| 1 fruit | 2 large tangerines |
| 3 teaspoons added sugar | 1⁄3 cup Concord grape juice; mix with sparkling water |
| 3 vegetable | 3 cups salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper |
| 4 lean protein | 4 ounces salmon, poached |
| 2 fat | 2 tablespoons low-fat Caesar dressing |
| Included (in corn bread) |
Pre-Workout Snack
SMOOTHIE
Blend until smooth.
| 1 milk | 1 cup fat-free milk |
| 4 fruit | 1 cup orange juice |
| 1 large banana | |
| Ice cubes |
Workout
| 16 teaspoons added sugar | 32-ounce sports drink |
| Water |