I never make meal plans for anyone. Why?
I think if I give you a grocery list with "safe" foods and "not safe" foods you'll learn to make better decisions. If I give you a set list with 7-10 meals on it the majority of people will make one mistake and then trash the whole thing or they will get bored with the same foods and throw it away.
However, I'm going against what I normally do and I'm making a sample meal plan(s) for anyone interested.
Here we go -
Meal 1. 2 Whole eggs, and 3 egg whites plus 3 pieces of turkey bacon. 7am
Meal 2. BCAA powder and creatine (For me this is around 10am)
Meal 3 Lunch. 3-4 pieces lean brisket, 4-5 pieces deli turkey, 1/2 cup green beans, 2 cups of water. I usually have more veggies here or a huge salad with no dressing. I use avocado and salsa as a dressing.
Meal 4. 4 pieces of turkey, hand full of grapes or blue berries, or raspberries. Or I skip this
Meal 5 DINNER: A huge salad with grilled chicken, steak or tuna or any type of grilled meat (fish, shrimp, chicken breast, steak, lean ground turkey.
That is a typical day for me.
Here are the veggies I always use: lettuce, spinach, collard greens, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, red pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, celery, sweet potatoes and olives.
Meats: Fish is first- salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel. Chicken Breast, turkey breast, lean ground turkey, lean cuts of pork, shrimp and lean lean cuts of red meat.
Fruit: berries, apples, pears, peaches, plums, bananas, oranges, and grapefruit. I limit fruit to one time per day.
Just a start. More to come!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, August 2, 2010
All Thanks to Robb Wolf
Shopping
I am stunned by a few facts:
1-People do not know how to cook in general. Microwave meals and fast food seem to predominate. Sandwiches and other grab-n-go crap are the norm. Food quality matters. You need to learn how to cook. Acknowledge, accept, move on.
2-People are “too busy”. If you are “too busy to cook” you need to reevaluate your life. How much time do you spend watching TV? Be honest and realistic because if you legitimately do not have time to feed yourself correctly you are heading towards serious health problems.
3-People go absolutely fetal if they do not have their bread, rice, pasta and all the other garbage carbs. Inevitably the question arises “how do I cook this?” It is simply a cover for “I want my comfort food”. If you want results you need to alter what you are doing. I know this seems obvious, but apparently it is not! If you want to keep doing the same old thing join a Globo gym, don’t go (most people don’t) and keep eating what you have been eating. Wasn’t that easy?! Not surprisingly you will continue to get the same results.
4-As day follows night, eating can only follow shopping. You cannot and likely should not eat out all the time. That means you need to stock your pantry and have the vittles on hand to cook nutritious, possibly even tasty meals. Hence the handy guide that follows. You CAN do this. We have clients who are not very bright (not naming names) who do this. They are committed and will not accept failure. If they fall off the pony, they get up, catch the lil’buggar and get back on. If you are not committed to this please step away from the ride, do something else and leave this hour open for someone who will listen, grow and reap the rewards this program can offer. All right, enough finger wagging, here is your shopping guide.
Fruit & Veggies-
Trader Joes has a great selection of frozen berries and
Vegetables. Hit the farmers market and buy what is in season. Avoid bananas and other tropical fruit. Buy local. FoodMax actually has a very good produce section. I think they sell enough volume that they constantly turn the stock over. Many of the supermarkets have anemic looking produce sections…I’d swear I see the same avocado from week to week in one store. Try buying some non-traditional veggies like Napa cabbage and some other goodies. Expand your horizons for crying out loud! That said however you should ALWAYS have the following in the freezer from Trader Joes:
Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, blue berries.
TJ’s has some other frozen veggies that are good but you MUST have these on hand. You can easily throw together a meal with some meat or chicken and a half bag of these veggies. Remember the excuses above of not having enough time? Keep this stuff on hand and you will have no problems. FYI-We make random checks to peoples homes to verify veggie stocks…just kidding, but man we should!
Fresh meat-
Trader Joes is good for grass fed meat. This is your first choice with all varieties of meat. Grass fed is better than organic. Free Range chicken, wild meat if available. Conventional cuts like London broil for beef and pork loin are good options if the organic and or grass fed options are not available. The Chico State farm is an excellent source but they are only open Thursday and Friday so plan ahead. Costco has good prices and good quality. Stock up! People tend to make bad food choices when they run out. Don’t be on of “those” people.
Vegetarian? Find another trainer, I will not work with you. You won’t make progress and all we will do is argue. Someone else can take your money and watch you not make progress.
Fish and shellfish-
S & S-is the place locally.
Trader Joes (No, I do not have stock in them) has a good selection of frozen fish and shellfish. They also have a canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. Great stuff for salads. When you buy any type of salmon make sure it is WILD. “Fresh” does not mean wild. They also carry a mild sardine called “Bella Olhao”. I cannot stand other sardines. These are actually pretty darn yummy. Again great for salads, just pour in the olive oil they are packed in.
Raleys- They are another good seafood option. They carry some less popular fish like mackerel that are pretty strong tasting but amazingly nutritious. BBQ mackerel outside or your house will smell like fish for a year. Raleys on east ave. is pretty good. Notre Dame…not nearly as good.
Eggs- Omega-3 enriched only. Costco has a great deal on these and they are top quality. Trader Joes is even better! Any major supermarket carries these however.
Store Interior:
Coconut milk- If you like curries this is a great carrier. Safeway and Raleys carry a Thai brand “ Chakoh”. No idea on the pronunciation. The two Asian food stores in town carry this one as well. Just a personal favorite but any coconut is good coconut milk.
olive oil- Pacific Sun or one of the other top shelf brands will lighten your pocketbook a bunch but they are amazing. You get what you pay for with olive oils. Trader Joes has a good base model that is ~$7.99/liter. This is a good day-to-day olive oil.
Tomato paste/sauce Trader Joes to the rescue again. They have a canned marinara called “Sugo di Pomodoro”. You can pour this over any meat/veggie dish and LOVE it.
Spices- The more the better. If you do not know how to cook, learn. We have a DVD in the works. Google specific recipes, look for examples on youtube. If you MUST watch television then watch the food network…unless Battle Star Galactica is on. You MUST watch BSG.
Green tea-Any
Coffee- Raleys carries an espresso called “Café La Llave”. Buy a stovetop espresso maker from Pete’s coffee and prepare to get wired.
All Items listed below can be found at either Trader Joes, the Farmers Market or S&S produce.
seeds
nuts (raw, but not cashews or peanuts)
nut butters
organic fruit and vegetables
unsweetened coconut flakes
nut flours (almond, pecan, and chestnut)
Based on the shopping list you could probably figure out what you are supposed to eat…here is a hint: it’s not bread, rice, pasta nor potatoes. What IS on the menu? Glad you asked:
Protein - Every Meal:
Chicken – 3-4oz
Beef – 3-4 oz
Fish – 3-4 oz
Eggs – 2-3 whole eggs
Now…I’m assuming you are pretty sharp but oddly enough a few things seem to slip by people…repeatedly. When I say “every meal” I in fact mean EVERY BLESSED MEAL. This is especially critical if you are trying to lose body fat. Another frequently confused point is the topic of “protein”. If you are fighting for survival in a 3rd world country then yes, beans and rice count as protein. At NorCal S&C it most assuredly DOES NOT. You need chicken, beef, fish, pork lamb, turkey…are you picking up what I’m putting down? If you think beans, nuts or Tofu count as protein please re-read the vegetarian clause above and follow those directions appropriately.
Vegetables - Every Meal:
Vegetables – all varieties…as much as you want, especially:
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Cabbage
Asparagus
Onions
Tomatoes
Newsflash-More vegetables exist than those listed above, you may eat those…unless they appear on the “no-no” list below.
Fat - Every meal:
Nuts: raw or LIGHTLY roasted and preferably unsalted – small handful
Almonds
Cashews
Pecans
Walnuts
NO PEANUTS
Avocado – ½ of medium sized one
Olive Oil – use as salad dressing – 1-2 Tbs.
Newsflash 2- Fat does not make you fat. We recommend a moderate to low carb diet. It is healthy and effective. Ask questions, check blood lipids but for crying out loud, just do this stuff for a month! Do you see ANY processed food in this? Any sugar? Trans fats? No, no and no. It’s whole, natural foods and you will thrive on it.
Fruit – Occasionally, always with protein!
In order of preference:
all berries
melons
oranges
grapefruit
tangerines
apples
Eat what is in season and local.
Coffee – Espresso or Americano’s only – preferably black - no sugar or artificial sweeteners!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
All flour products (bread/cake/cookies/scones/tortillas/pastries etc.)
All sugars
No Jamba juice! – too much sugar!
No Dairy (cheese/milk/butter/cottage cheese, etc)
No Mochas, No Latte, No Frappaccino’s
No Artificial Sweeteners
No potatoes, corn beans or other starchy vegetables
Now…similar to the admonition to “eat this at every meal” the “absolutely not” category means….don’t eat it! You have a month of introduction in which we will help you get your insulin levels normalized, clean up your digestive health and likely a whole slew of other considerations, all while losing fat and feeling better.
After a month you can tinker with re-introducing some of the banned foods, but you need to know that non-compliance in the first month is grounds for termination. No messing around. I have limited time and love what I do and I WILL NOT waste my efforts on someone who cannot hang in at least a month. Like I said previously, there are a slew of trainers who are fine with taking your money and allowing you to continue along with bad nutrition. Not me. You will get results; you will feel and look better. Why? Because you followed these guidelines and reaped the benefits from sound training and nutrition.
I am stunned by a few facts:
1-People do not know how to cook in general. Microwave meals and fast food seem to predominate. Sandwiches and other grab-n-go crap are the norm. Food quality matters. You need to learn how to cook. Acknowledge, accept, move on.
2-People are “too busy”. If you are “too busy to cook” you need to reevaluate your life. How much time do you spend watching TV? Be honest and realistic because if you legitimately do not have time to feed yourself correctly you are heading towards serious health problems.
3-People go absolutely fetal if they do not have their bread, rice, pasta and all the other garbage carbs. Inevitably the question arises “how do I cook this?” It is simply a cover for “I want my comfort food”. If you want results you need to alter what you are doing. I know this seems obvious, but apparently it is not! If you want to keep doing the same old thing join a Globo gym, don’t go (most people don’t) and keep eating what you have been eating. Wasn’t that easy?! Not surprisingly you will continue to get the same results.
4-As day follows night, eating can only follow shopping. You cannot and likely should not eat out all the time. That means you need to stock your pantry and have the vittles on hand to cook nutritious, possibly even tasty meals. Hence the handy guide that follows. You CAN do this. We have clients who are not very bright (not naming names) who do this. They are committed and will not accept failure. If they fall off the pony, they get up, catch the lil’buggar and get back on. If you are not committed to this please step away from the ride, do something else and leave this hour open for someone who will listen, grow and reap the rewards this program can offer. All right, enough finger wagging, here is your shopping guide.
Fruit & Veggies-
Trader Joes has a great selection of frozen berries and
Vegetables. Hit the farmers market and buy what is in season. Avoid bananas and other tropical fruit. Buy local. FoodMax actually has a very good produce section. I think they sell enough volume that they constantly turn the stock over. Many of the supermarkets have anemic looking produce sections…I’d swear I see the same avocado from week to week in one store. Try buying some non-traditional veggies like Napa cabbage and some other goodies. Expand your horizons for crying out loud! That said however you should ALWAYS have the following in the freezer from Trader Joes:
Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, blue berries.
TJ’s has some other frozen veggies that are good but you MUST have these on hand. You can easily throw together a meal with some meat or chicken and a half bag of these veggies. Remember the excuses above of not having enough time? Keep this stuff on hand and you will have no problems. FYI-We make random checks to peoples homes to verify veggie stocks…just kidding, but man we should!
Fresh meat-
Trader Joes is good for grass fed meat. This is your first choice with all varieties of meat. Grass fed is better than organic. Free Range chicken, wild meat if available. Conventional cuts like London broil for beef and pork loin are good options if the organic and or grass fed options are not available. The Chico State farm is an excellent source but they are only open Thursday and Friday so plan ahead. Costco has good prices and good quality. Stock up! People tend to make bad food choices when they run out. Don’t be on of “those” people.
Vegetarian? Find another trainer, I will not work with you. You won’t make progress and all we will do is argue. Someone else can take your money and watch you not make progress.
Fish and shellfish-
S & S-is the place locally.
Trader Joes (No, I do not have stock in them) has a good selection of frozen fish and shellfish. They also have a canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. Great stuff for salads. When you buy any type of salmon make sure it is WILD. “Fresh” does not mean wild. They also carry a mild sardine called “Bella Olhao”. I cannot stand other sardines. These are actually pretty darn yummy. Again great for salads, just pour in the olive oil they are packed in.
Raleys- They are another good seafood option. They carry some less popular fish like mackerel that are pretty strong tasting but amazingly nutritious. BBQ mackerel outside or your house will smell like fish for a year. Raleys on east ave. is pretty good. Notre Dame…not nearly as good.
Eggs- Omega-3 enriched only. Costco has a great deal on these and they are top quality. Trader Joes is even better! Any major supermarket carries these however.
Store Interior:
Coconut milk- If you like curries this is a great carrier. Safeway and Raleys carry a Thai brand “ Chakoh”. No idea on the pronunciation. The two Asian food stores in town carry this one as well. Just a personal favorite but any coconut is good coconut milk.
olive oil- Pacific Sun or one of the other top shelf brands will lighten your pocketbook a bunch but they are amazing. You get what you pay for with olive oils. Trader Joes has a good base model that is ~$7.99/liter. This is a good day-to-day olive oil.
Tomato paste/sauce Trader Joes to the rescue again. They have a canned marinara called “Sugo di Pomodoro”. You can pour this over any meat/veggie dish and LOVE it.
Spices- The more the better. If you do not know how to cook, learn. We have a DVD in the works. Google specific recipes, look for examples on youtube. If you MUST watch television then watch the food network…unless Battle Star Galactica is on. You MUST watch BSG.
Green tea-Any
Coffee- Raleys carries an espresso called “Café La Llave”. Buy a stovetop espresso maker from Pete’s coffee and prepare to get wired.
All Items listed below can be found at either Trader Joes, the Farmers Market or S&S produce.
seeds
nuts (raw, but not cashews or peanuts)
nut butters
organic fruit and vegetables
unsweetened coconut flakes
nut flours (almond, pecan, and chestnut)
Based on the shopping list you could probably figure out what you are supposed to eat…here is a hint: it’s not bread, rice, pasta nor potatoes. What IS on the menu? Glad you asked:
Protein - Every Meal:
Chicken – 3-4oz
Beef – 3-4 oz
Fish – 3-4 oz
Eggs – 2-3 whole eggs
Now…I’m assuming you are pretty sharp but oddly enough a few things seem to slip by people…repeatedly. When I say “every meal” I in fact mean EVERY BLESSED MEAL. This is especially critical if you are trying to lose body fat. Another frequently confused point is the topic of “protein”. If you are fighting for survival in a 3rd world country then yes, beans and rice count as protein. At NorCal S&C it most assuredly DOES NOT. You need chicken, beef, fish, pork lamb, turkey…are you picking up what I’m putting down? If you think beans, nuts or Tofu count as protein please re-read the vegetarian clause above and follow those directions appropriately.
Vegetables - Every Meal:
Vegetables – all varieties…as much as you want, especially:
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Cabbage
Asparagus
Onions
Tomatoes
Newsflash-More vegetables exist than those listed above, you may eat those…unless they appear on the “no-no” list below.
Fat - Every meal:
Nuts: raw or LIGHTLY roasted and preferably unsalted – small handful
Almonds
Cashews
Pecans
Walnuts
NO PEANUTS
Avocado – ½ of medium sized one
Olive Oil – use as salad dressing – 1-2 Tbs.
Newsflash 2- Fat does not make you fat. We recommend a moderate to low carb diet. It is healthy and effective. Ask questions, check blood lipids but for crying out loud, just do this stuff for a month! Do you see ANY processed food in this? Any sugar? Trans fats? No, no and no. It’s whole, natural foods and you will thrive on it.
Fruit – Occasionally, always with protein!
In order of preference:
all berries
melons
oranges
grapefruit
tangerines
apples
Eat what is in season and local.
Coffee – Espresso or Americano’s only – preferably black - no sugar or artificial sweeteners!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
All flour products (bread/cake/cookies/scones/tortillas/pastries etc.)
All sugars
No Jamba juice! – too much sugar!
No Dairy (cheese/milk/butter/cottage cheese, etc)
No Mochas, No Latte, No Frappaccino’s
No Artificial Sweeteners
No potatoes, corn beans or other starchy vegetables
Now…similar to the admonition to “eat this at every meal” the “absolutely not” category means….don’t eat it! You have a month of introduction in which we will help you get your insulin levels normalized, clean up your digestive health and likely a whole slew of other considerations, all while losing fat and feeling better.
After a month you can tinker with re-introducing some of the banned foods, but you need to know that non-compliance in the first month is grounds for termination. No messing around. I have limited time and love what I do and I WILL NOT waste my efforts on someone who cannot hang in at least a month. Like I said previously, there are a slew of trainers who are fine with taking your money and allowing you to continue along with bad nutrition. Not me. You will get results; you will feel and look better. Why? Because you followed these guidelines and reaped the benefits from sound training and nutrition.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Road Trip WODS!
We all love to hit the road every now and then, here are some examples that you can do on the road. Most of them only require a stopwatch, your body, and the motivation to kick your own ass!
Remember: all of these workouts have a TIME component to them.
Remember: all of these workouts have a TIME component to them.
- 4 x 400m sprint with 2 minutes rest in between
- 3 x 800m sprint with 3 minutes rest in between
- Tabata Something, pick four exercises do 4 minutes of each exercise (20 seconds on 10 seconds rest)
- Tabata Sprinting - Sprint 20 seconds, walk 10 seconds for a total of 16 minutes. See how far you get. Then walk back to where you started (or turn around after 8 min if you're smart)
- Run 400m 50 air squats - 4 rounds
- 5 Burpees, 10 pushups, 15 squats - As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes
- 5 Dumbell Deadlifts, 5 Dumbell Cleans, 5 Dumbell Thrusters, 5 Rounds increasing weight every round
- 10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds
- 200 air squats
- "Susan" Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds
- Sprint 400m and do 50 push ups, 3 rounds
- Tabata squats and tabata pushups
- 5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds
- 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set
- Invisible Fran...21-15-9 of air squats and push ups
- Run 1k
- Run 5k
- 10 push-ups 100M dash 10 rounds
- Tabata Bottom-to-Bottom (rest at the bottom of the squat instead of standing....without support on your hands or butt and make the bottom good, straight back, butt back)
- 5x 400M sprints.
- Run 1 mile, lunging 30 steps every 1 minute.
- Handstand 30 seconds and 20 air squats, 5 rounds
- 100 air squats
- 100 burpies
- 10 vertical jumps, run 400 meters, 5 rounds
- Sprint 100 meters, Walk 100 meters, 10 rounds
- 100 push ups
- 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpies and Sit ups
- 50 sit-ups, 400 meter run or sprint or walk, 3 rounds
- 20 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 10 rounds
- 10 burpies, 100 meter sprint 10 rounds
- "L" sit off the floor. 10 rounds of 10 seconds...if you can't do it sit with your legs straight out and try to lift your heels of the ground for 10 seconds instead!!!
- Run 400 meters, 50 air squats, 4 rounds
- Run 800m, 100 air squats, Run 800m
- 150 air squats, 800m run, 150 air squats
- 7 squats, 7 burpies, 7 rounds
- 50 air squats x 5, Rest equal amounts as it took to do each 50
- 10 sit ups and 10 burpies, 10 rounds
- 100 air squats 3 min. rest, 100 air squats
- Test yourself on a max set of push ups...tight body chest to the floor...full extension! If you cannot do regular pushups do your pushups from the knees. After that do 100 air squats for time.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Fighting it
Stop fighting the diet.
I understand if you are confused on what to eat because everyone has told you, "Fat is bad, Carbs are Bad". Text me, call me, write me an email. There are PLENTY of good food choices out there.
Examples: Caliente Grille E-FIT Bowl. Black beans or pinto, chicken, steak, or pork, pico, lettuce, any of their salsa choices.
Smoothie King- Small choc, van or strawberry shredder. I always add peanut butter to the choc and it is awesome. Tell them to use a purple scoop of PB to keep fat low.
McDonalds: Egg McMuffin with no cheese. Get a mcdouble with no cheese and take off one piece of bread.
Subway: Get a salad with grilled chicken or turkey or other lean meat. Lay off the dressing or get it on the side. Get a 5 dollar foot long but stack all the meat on 6inches of bread. Lay off the cheese or mayo. Don't get both!
Now do advocate eating McDonalds every day? NO! Is it something you can get if you are in a hurry and don't have time? YES!
Dinner Example: Grilled Chicken breast, Green beans and a few almonds or Hamburger Patty with pickle, onion, let, tomato, ketchup, mustard and no bread. Chili made with 93/7 lean meat is AMAZING. Add some beans to get the carb count up. Turkey or lean ground beef meat loaf.
I really could go on and on. We really aren't worried about portions at this stage, because all we are trying to do is clean up our act. Good luck and God Speed.
I understand if you are confused on what to eat because everyone has told you, "Fat is bad, Carbs are Bad". Text me, call me, write me an email. There are PLENTY of good food choices out there.
Examples: Caliente Grille E-FIT Bowl. Black beans or pinto, chicken, steak, or pork, pico, lettuce, any of their salsa choices.
Smoothie King- Small choc, van or strawberry shredder. I always add peanut butter to the choc and it is awesome. Tell them to use a purple scoop of PB to keep fat low.
McDonalds: Egg McMuffin with no cheese. Get a mcdouble with no cheese and take off one piece of bread.
Subway: Get a salad with grilled chicken or turkey or other lean meat. Lay off the dressing or get it on the side. Get a 5 dollar foot long but stack all the meat on 6inches of bread. Lay off the cheese or mayo. Don't get both!
Now do advocate eating McDonalds every day? NO! Is it something you can get if you are in a hurry and don't have time? YES!
Dinner Example: Grilled Chicken breast, Green beans and a few almonds or Hamburger Patty with pickle, onion, let, tomato, ketchup, mustard and no bread. Chili made with 93/7 lean meat is AMAZING. Add some beans to get the carb count up. Turkey or lean ground beef meat loaf.
I really could go on and on. We really aren't worried about portions at this stage, because all we are trying to do is clean up our act. Good luck and God Speed.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Short List
Low Glycemic Index Vegetables
- Asparagus
- beet greens
- broccoli
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- celery
- cucumber
- endive lettuce
- mustard greens
- radishes
- spinach
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fuel Your Body
Notice what is on the bottom of the pyramid? Nutrition is the foundation that holds/supports all the activities above. If you are trying to lose weight, get a six pack for the first time, or just looking for better performance... diet is where you need to start. I will be posting recipes on this page from time to time. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them
Meat and low glycemic veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO sugar is our basic guideline.
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