In these documents we’ve outlined 5 days worth of meal plans. Before you take a look at the meal plans, we just want to outline some things you should be aware of.
1. The focus of the meal plans is purely educational.
Many people struggle with what foods they should eat, how much they should eat, when they should eat. Our goal with designing these plans was to help solve and simplify these problems for our members. The meal plans are designed so you can get a better under- standing of the possible ways to set up your day in terms of nutrition to fit with the calorie totals we have assigned.
2. The meal plans are not set in stone.
Just to clarify, the foods we’ve listed are for the purpose of illustration. Please set up your own meal plans with foods you prefer and enjoy. Feel free to use the meal plans as inspiration, but don’t think that you can’t eat anything else apart from what we’ve outlined, once again these foods and meal plans are for illustration only so that you get an idea of the sorts of foods and meals that make up your own calorie intake.
3. In designing the meal plans we’ve put a focus on a) calorie intake first and b) protein intake second.
When it comes to body composition calorie total will be the most important factor with protein being the second important. What this means for you is when setting up your own meal plan, don’t get caught up in the small stuff: focus on total calorie intake, and the assigned protein intake and feel free to fill the rest of your calories with either carbs or fats.
4. While the bulk of your diet should consist of whole, nutrient-rich foods don’t be afraid to put in the foods or treats you enjoy.
Here at Primal Training Club®, we don’t believe certain foods are good, and others bad. While the majority of the diet should consist of nutrient-rich, healthful foods like whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, don’t be afraid to fit in the foods and treats you enjoy as long as they fit into your overall calorie totals for the day.
5. We always recommend having a small snack of between 20-30g of protein and 30-40g of carbs somewhere between 30-60 minutes before you train.
This will help with energy and performance during your session. Just make sure the pre-workout snack is not too heavy (a piece of medium fruit like a banana and 1 scoop of protein shake works well).
6. How many meals per day?
This is totally your call. We know eating six small meals is comparatively no different than eating two to three larger meals and holds no ‘metabolic advantage’ as far as fat loss goes. Ultimately, how many meals you choose to eat will come down to what best suits you and your lifestyle. If you have a large appetite, or you’re currently dieting and calories are low you’ll be best served with a lower meal frequency (2-3 meals). This will allow you to eat larger meals in a single sitting resulting in better satiety and feelings of fullness; conversely, if you struggle to eat large amounts of food in a single sitting, or are currently in a muscle gaining phase which may require you to eat more calories, then spreading out your calorie intake into more meals (4-6 meals) will help solve this problem. There’s also one more important, yet often-forgotten, factor here: Ghrelin. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, controls when you get hungry. Fortunately, ghrelin can also be ‘trained’. Training yourself to eat at set times will keep Ghrelin consist- ent and will create consistent hunger patterns – you’ll get hungry at similar times in the day – this will reduce the risk of falling off plan.
7. Meal / Nutrient Timing.
Meal and nutrient timing are terms used to describe when you eat your meals (meal timing) and the specific macro makeup of those meals (nutrient timing). While meal and nutrient timing aren’t as big a factor as some people make it out to be – no, you won’t lose your gains if you don’t slam back a protein shake the second after finishing your last set, and neither will you go catabolic and crash your metabolism if you skip breakfast – there are some instances when meal and nutrient timing do become important. The first is to do with Ghrelin as mentioned previously. The more consistent you can become with your meal timing, the less variability in when you get hungry. A second factor is that carbs, for some, can trigger hunger and cravings. If this happens to you, then skip carbs at your first meal and save them for around the workout. This will ensure that you can go through your morning without experiencing cravings. Finally, when carbs are low, like during a dieting phase, keeping the majority of carbs around your workout window, pre and post workout – will help with performance in the gym and recovery after.
