The Strength Academy Diet

Whether you’re training for weight loss, health, muscle mass or fitness, you will be limited unless you spend the time on your nutrition. If you are doing your exercise week after week and not seeing results you're after, then the problem is likely to do with what you're eating!

Even if you are 100% committed to your favourite spin class or bootcamp and train like a beast every time you step into the gym, you may be still finding it hard to shed those kilo’s, recover from workouts or achieve your fitness goals. This is more than likely due to one of two reasons:

Obviously, eating TOO MUCH; Often people may over estimate how many calories they burn in a day and in their workouts. Best to be modest, even if weight gain is the goal.
Eating TOO LITTLE is the problem some people don't know about; if your body isn’t getting enough nutrients, it thinks its starving and starts storing fat.

Ofcourse one meal plan won’t work for everyone so how do we know how much to eat!?

Your caloric requirements are estimated based on gender, age, lifestyle and body mass. With this information you can create a meal plan that matches your caloric requirements. Consistency is key here; if the amount of calories you’re eating every day is known, then it’s easier to work out how much we need to take away and from where. Start your diet by eating to maintain your current weight – then use this a baseline from which you can increase/decrease your calories in the future, depending on what the body does.

Our recommendation is just start anywhere, make a plan and be as consistent as you can on a daily basis.

Choose how many calories you think you need (there many formulas out there to help to estimate the required caloric intake)
Work out how much good food you need to hit that number (using something like MyFitnessPal is always helpful)
Go shopping
Be Good!

Useful Tips

Hydrate yourself

Not with artificially sweetened soft drinks or juices. Your body needs good old fashion water. You can drink tea and coffee, but leave out the sweeteners (Sweet N Low, Equal) unless its stevia.

Small, frequent meals

Our metabolisms work most effectively when we eat 5 – 6 small meals per day. Small meals are key. You want to keep your meals between 300-600 calories.

Clean & lean

Stick clean cuts of meat. You’ll want to stick to lean eating if you want to see the kilo’s melt away.

Don’t be carbaphobic

Carbs have been getting a bad rap, but you need them if you want to be able to function, let alone work out. Just steer clear of the highly refined ones. Enjoy your carbs in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Royalty rule

You’ve probably heard it before: Eat like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner. While we want you eating more frequently than 3 times a day, we do want you to adopt the basic principle of the Royalty Rule: Eat your higher calorie, higher carb meals earlier in the day, and eat light at night. After all, you don’t need as much energy in the evening.

Favour fat

Healthy fats, of course. Avocado, un-roasted nuts and fish oils are all foods that are higher in fat, but they’re also good for you. Avoid cream, butter and deep fried foods.

Sip alcohol sparingly

Healthy living doesn’t have to make you a buzz kill! There is nothing wrong with enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two occasionally, and in moderation.

Sleep well

Poor sleep leads to poor food choices. Make sure you get a good night sleep every night. Aim for 8 hours, and remember, every hour of sleep you get before midnight is worth 2 after, so iQ your favourite late night shows and get some shut eye.

Fat Loss, Diet & Portion Sizes …

Now you may be wondering, what kinds of food should I eat? I generally eat the same foods unless I’m really in the mood for something different or eat out on a special occasion. I make an early decision about what food i want to include into my diet plan and then i workout how im going to fit them in my caloric requirements.

Below is a list of the food commonly found in my trolley...

FRUIT

Strawberries, Bananas, Oranges, Blueberries, Raspberries, Grapefruit and Apples

STARCHY CARBS

Brown Rice, Quinoa, Oatmeal, Rice Cakes, Cous Cous and Sweet Potato

FIBROUS CARBS

Green Beans, Celery, Cucumber, Spinach, Kale, Lettuce, Asparagus, Onions, Tomato, Mushrooms, Broccoli and Cauliflower

NUTS/OILS

Walnuts, Almond Nuts, Almond Butter, Cashew, Cashew Butter, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds and Rice Bran

PROTEIN

Chicken Breast, Turkey, Salmon, Eggs, Tofu, Tuna, Steak and Lentils

My Tips:

Be prepared and cook in advance

Never wonder where your next meal is coming from. People generally fall of the wagon when they’re caught off guard and let their hunger get the best of them.

I eat nearly all my meals out of Tupperware. When dieting I follow a rule – if it’s not in my container, then I can’t eat it.

Use cheat meals - I have a cheat meal normally on a Saturday, and my cheat meal generally consists of copious amounts of sushi. Further, it’s important not to allow your diet to dictate your social life. It’s important to live to and realize that one bad day won’t harm a month of being 80% compliant. Issues arise when that bad day stems in frequent dietary mishaps throughout the week.