Every time you pick up a fitness magazine, they talk about eating a clean diet to build lean mass and reduce your body fat. But then it gets technical, with lots of stuff about calories, timing, balancing protein, fats and carbohydrates, and by this point you are thinking “this is just too complicated, I’ll stick to pizza and burgers.”
So to make it really easy for you, here is a day of perfect eating. Depending on your goals, you can make this – or variations of it – your daily standard, or you can use it once or twice a week as a way of balancing your food intake if you just want to eat a bit more healthily.
These meals are all perfect for lean muscle mass. They are clean, and provided you put in the effort at the gym consistently, they will improve your appearance and promote good health. No need to puzzle over how to assemble the right ingredients – it’s all here for you to just follow the plan.
Breakfast
4-6 egg whites with 2 whole eggs
1 serving of cream of wheat cereal
1 banana
If you need to put on weight, use milk instead of water to cook the cream of wheat. If you are trying to get leaner, use all egg whites instead of two whole eggs, and substitute a cup of strawberries for the banana.
About 500 calories – 40g protein, 60g carbs and 15g fat
Lunch
6-9 oz. extra-lean ground beef
2 cups (cooked) pasta
3/4 cup broccoli
For those wanting to gain weight, use lean (10-15% fat) beef, not extra-lean (under 10%). To lose more quickly, halve the pasta and double the broccoli.
About 700 calories – 60g protein, 90g carbs, 13g fat
Dinner
1 8 oz. chicken breast
1 yam
1 cup peas, corn and diced carrots
To gain more weight, sauté the chicken in extra-virgin olive oil, and add a tall glass of low fat milk. To get shredded, lose half the yam and the vegetable medley, and substitute fresh green beans.
600 calories – 70g protein, 60g carbs, 7g fat
Pre-Workout Snack
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
4 slices of rye toast with 2 tsp. grape jam
To add weight, use more jam! To lose fat, reduce toast to two slices, but keep two tsp. of jam.
530 calories – 35g protein, 90g carbs, 4g fat
Post-Workout Snack
Whey protein shake (2 scoops mixed with water)
1 cup (cooked) rice with 4 tbsp. raisins
For extra calories, use 2% milk instead of water for the shake
To lose weight, use half the rice and raisins.
Finally, the snack for any time you are hungry
Turkey sandwich made with 2 slices whole grain bread, 2-3 slices fat-free cheese, 3-4 slices of turkey breast, mustard and fat-free mayonnaise
320 calories – 40g protein, 35g carbs, 4g fat
All of these meals can be prepared quickly, and most of the ingredients used you probably have already. Needless to say, avoid washing this down with alcohol or soda. Drink water with a little lemon juice during the day, and black coffee when you need a boost.
