Fixed Meals

In my quest to keep my diet as well-balanced and complete as possible, to include as many vitamins and nutrients as I can, to aid in fat loss and muscle retention and to assist in sports performance, I have formulated several new fixed meals that will remain daily staples in my diet from here on out.

Typically, I eat 8 meals a day, spaced out about every 2 - 2.5 hours. My most important meals are breakfast, preworkout and postworkout, so I carefully consider the type of protein and carbohydrates, as well as ratios, for those meals. In addition to this, I'll be adding an oxygenating food combination to my diet twice daily to assist in recovery and performance. This formulation is based on years of proven research and is commonly used to treat and cure cancer patients, and of course it is all natural.

My daily fixed meals will be:

Breakfast: Oatmeal & 3-sourced protein powder - the amounts will vary based on my carbohydrate intake for that day, but I need slow-digesting carbs first thing in the morning to get out of a glycogen deficit. Many competitors eat whey in the morning for its fast-digesting capabilities, but the downside to this is sometimes it digests too quickly before the next meal. My solution is to take MHP Probolic-SR - a protein powder that contains whey, soy and casein, for a continual release of amino acids to keep me in a positive nitrogen balance always.

Preworkout: Cottage cheese & flax oil + complex carbohydrate - this cottage cheese & flax combination is the miracle food combo that helps oxygenate the body faster than any other food source. The flax oil is organic and cold-pressed to ensure stability and highest quality. When combined with cottage cheese (yogurt is also an option here) the protein makes the flax more easily digestable and readily available for the body. By adding a complex carbohydrate here - either 7-grain cereal, brown rice, or oats, I am getting a completely balanced whole-food meal to fuel my training session.

Postworkout: Sugar & Whey protein - The importance of nutrient selection and timing is unparalleled when it comes to postworkout. My post-workout meal has been the same for the past year, except for a few variations in the off-season that I could count on one hand. My protein of choice is MHP Simply Whey. The fast-absorbing whey contains added glutamine peptides, perfect for post-workout to get the amino acids to the muscles as quickly as possible. Pair that with a fast-carb for quick glycogen restoration and to assist with the post-workout insulin spike, and you have the perfect post-workout meal. My sugar sources are usually sucrose, but sometimes I change it to dextrose or even fructose.

Last meal of the Day: Quality protein + flax oil - For the same reasons I choose this combo pre-workout, I'm choosing it again as my last meal of the day. There are several reasons for this. First, to keep the body oxygenated it is recommended to get at least 2 tbsp of flax oil and at least 1/4c cottage cheese in 1 serving, and to eat that combo several times throughout the day. To keep my flax intake higher without making 1 meal too high in fat, I spread it over 2 meals. Second, I feel that a slow digesting protein with a healthy fat make an excellent combination to eat before going to bed. The fat helps slow the digestability of the protein to give you a slower release of amino acids during the night. No added carbs ensures there will be no excess fat storage. Protein source for this meal will either be cottage cheese or yogurt, or a combination of the two.

Well, that takes care of 4 of my 8 daily meals. The other 4 meals will focus on a variety of quality lean meat and protein sources, as well as fresh fibrous vegetables. This will give me a varying array of amino acids to speed up my muscle recovery between workouts, and the veggies will provide lots of fiber to keep me full, as well as vitamins and nutrients my body needs. Depending on my carb intake that day, I will add complex carbs to 1 or 2 of these 4 meals, and they will come in the form of brown rice or sweet potatoes.

My current protein sources are:
Egg whites
Chicken breast
Ground turkey
Ground beef
*To keep my animal fat down so I can take the flax combo twice daily without going over my fat allotment, I will begin substituting the ground meats with other lower-fat options, such as more chicken breast, egg whites, and white fish such as tilapia.

My current veggies are:
Spinach
Broccoli
Green Beans
Bell Peppers
*To keep my fiber intake high and to get as many nutrients as possible, I will begin adding in leafy greens, cauliflower, and I will always choose fresh or frozen veggies (not canned).

My current carbs are:
Oats
Brown Rice
Kashi 7-Grain Cereal
*I will occasionally substitute these with sweet potatoes. These 4 are my favorites so I rarely substitute them with anything else.

Fat sources:
All added fat will come from the flax oil. The rest of my fat intake will come from the small amounts found in protein powders and lean meats.