One week diet plan to get shredded

“What do you eat?” is one of the most frequent questions I am asked. This is why I decided to share a weeks’ menu plan with you. Let me point out that I am not a dietician and that this is not a custom taylored program. You may have to adjust it according to your workout and height. This nutrition plan is low in fats and high in protein, designed for an active person who wants to get shredded.

• I have a few principles when it comes to eating:
• I don’t count calories
• I eat big portions
• I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full
• I never eat fast food or processed food
• I don’t eat ingredients I cannot define or pronounce ever
• I plan and prepare my meals ahead
• I drink 2-3 liters of water a day

People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I don’t agree with that since every single meal or snack is important. But breakfast really is the time you want to fuel your body with vitamins to jumpstart your day. If you like a salty first meal, go for eggs but use the whites only. Make sure they are organic and from happy free range hens. Eggs are full of high quality proteins that you need to build up muscles. Add veggies to it so you have fibres and vitamins as well. f you have a sweet tooth or want to have your breakfast on the way or at the office, consider muesli or porridge. Oatmeal is a complex carb which is going to keep you satisfied for hours. Cook them or soak a full cup of oatmeal in diet milk over night so that they become soft. Eat them with fresh seasonal fruits. You won’t need honey since they are already very sweet. Coffee or green tea are my favorite drinks to wake up.

If you have your breakfast early in the morning, you may want to have a snack before lunch. Depending on what you had for breakfast, fruits or raw vegetables are a good idea that you can easily pack into your bag and eat at work.

For lunch you will have carbohydrates to keep your energy high. I prefer low GI-foods that won’t raise your blood sugar. Good sources are brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes.  Try to eat lots of veggies, they are low in calories and will speed up your metabolism.

Since your lunch is low in fats, you will burn the calories quickly and get hungry around 3 or 4 pm. Have a snack about 90 minutes before your workout. I usually have dried fruits and nuts because they taste awesome, curb any sugar cravings and are spiked with fiber, potassium, enzymes and good fats. Good choices are apricots, dates, prunes, raisins, walnuts, cashew nuts and almonds. Drink at least two glasses of water to keep your body hydrated for the training. Personally, I sip a little water during all the workout, emptying my 5dl water bottle by the end of it. After my heavy training I reward myself with a protein shake and drink more water. About protein shakes: If you don’t work out heavily and eat a protein rich diet, you may not need it. After all you also add calories to your diet. But as a vegetarian who trains hard, this is a delicious way of getting the protein I need to build up muscle tissue for me. I will write about the different protein powders in a separate article.

For dinner you will have lots of protein. There is nothing more important if you want to build muscle or lose weight. The recommended amount of protein for an active sports person is 0,5-0,7gr per pound of body weight.

If you get hungry again after dinner, have diyet yoghurt for extra protein. Eat it plain, no honey or fruits. In Turkey you get containers of 650gr. You can eat half or even all of it, depending on your total calorie intake. By the way, I am not suggesting you count calories. Just listen to your body, if you are hungry eat, if you are not don’t. You can eat the yoghurt until one hour before you sleep. There is no such thing like “no eating after 7 or 8pm”. Your stomach doesn’t care about time, but it really matters what you eat. Help your body to get healthy and strong and eat clean!