Creating a Meal Plan

I recently finished creating a meal plan for a body builder client of mine simply looking to make sure they're eating enough from day-to-day. This client normally doesn't eat as much as they're supposed to, so a structured meal plan was in order, along with a list of substitutes, just in case they're not in the mood for whatever's listed on the plan that day.

In any case, I myself don't follow a meal plan. I simply eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full. So for some people, meal plans are too restrictive. For others, however, they're necessary, especially for those who don't know how to eat well, are eating too much, or are not eating enough.

I'm going to give you some tips on how to structure your own meal plan if you're the type who needs one. Keep in mind that it is outside of my scope of practice to create a meal plan for treatment purposes, such as someone needing a plan for diabetes. My meal planning services are simply for lifestyle purposes.

1. Keep a food journal. Before you even start your meal plan, make a food journal where you record everything you eat, right down to the serving of dressing you used on your salad. Do this for an entire week, then look over it with an objective eye to see if you're eating healthy enough or if you're eating too much. Also include your workout schedule, the times you exercise, and what workouts you're doing that day, be it resistance training or cardio. Writing down what you eat before and after will let you know if you're eating just enough and the right foods. If you're doing resistance training one day, consume protein before and after. If you're simply doing cardio, worry more about carbs. While I did not have my client give me an entire week, I did have them give me three days in order to see what their eating habits were like. This helped them by making them realize they weren't eating enough.
   
2. Write down your favorite foods. Before writing down your favorite foods, consider what your favorite HEALTHFUL foods are. This will hold you accountable when you do start creating your meal plan. It's okay to throw in a snack every so often, but make sure you're eating well 80% of the time.
   
3. Plan how often you want to eat. Your food journal can give you a look into how often you eat. I have my client eating five times a day. Their food journal showed they ate that often for two days, but on the third day, they only ate twice. Knowing how often you want to eat ensures that you'll eat this way every day. Now you may not be able to eat five times a day, depending on your schedule. If you're only able to eat three or four, plan for bigger meals.
   
4. Plan your times. My client has to eat at set times, or they won't get in enough nutrients and calories. Consider when you workout, consider when you wake up, and consider when you go to bed. You may have to eat at different times from day-to-day, depending on your schedule.
   
5. Consider your macronutrients. For my bodybuilder client, I have to make sure they're eating a high-protein diet while minimizing simple carbs. So far each meal, I planned out their fat intake, carb intake, and protein intake. I made sure they got in a decent amount of carbs before and after a workout. However, I know they will have to eventually really start cutting down on carbs to drastically burn fat. If you simply need a lifestyle plan, don't worry too much about being super precise with your macronutrient intake. Just make sure you're getting a decent serving of carbs, fats, and protein each meal.
   
6. Consider your servings. When you begin writing your meal plan, you need to know exactly how much you plan to eat. For example, my client eats 8 oz. of shrimp, half a cup of whole grain rice, and 4 oz. of sweet potatoes. Their serving of shrimp has about 24 grams of protein, while the rest of the servings fall in the nutritionally recommended guidelines; thus, research your foods  to see what recommended serving sizes are. You might be surprised to find out you're eating more than you should.
   
7. List alternative foods. When I was done with my client's meal plan, I made sure to list alternatives for protein, fats, and carbs, just in case they weren't in the mood that day for a particular meal I had written down. I also made sure to write down possible fruits and veggies they could include with their meals. Writing down healthful alternatives can keep you from snacking on junk.