Meal Plan: Week One

Right now, we have Michael focusing on just two major concepts. One is balancing out the right types and amounts of proteins and carbohydrates at each meal to ensure he is getting the nutrients he needs for proper exercise recovery. This is also to help him avoid consuming too many calories from one particular source. The other is eating 5 - 6 portion controlled meals/day to help stabilize his blood sugar and insulin levels. This will help his body start to recognize food as fuel and energy instead of releasing hormones that would trigger storing the calories as fat. His metabolism will be increasing, allowing him to burn more calories and fat not only during his workouts, but even more during the time his body is recovering from them. Through our nutrition training so far, we've also worked on selecting the right choices for proteins and carbohydrates, and sticking to only eating what's on the plate for meals to avoid "seconds" and overeating.

To help keep frequency in line, and keep it simple, Michael is currently using some meal replacement products between his main meals. He is using a Shaklee "Cinch Meal Bar" one time per day, and one Cinch Shake for the other. These are convenient for him, pre-portioned so they provide the right balance of carbs and protein he needs, and they have been helping him to avoid making poor choices, skipping meals, or hitting up a fast food place. For the main meals we created a list of all of the good food choices that Michael and his wife enjoy and would realistically prepare, cook, and eat. They are working on using this to plan and create their balanced meals. He is food logging so we can check it a few times per week, and so far is doing a very good job. We wanted to avoid giving Michael a designated menu plan that could have foods on it he doesn't enjoy or that would be impractical to purchase and prepare. We also wanted to avoid specific calorie restriction, as this can often be impractical and time consuming to do for every meal, every day. Plus, we are trying to help Michael learn the right concepts and create the right habits that he can realistically continue for the future. This can't just be a quick fix. Coming up in the near future, we will be working on cooking healthier, planning and preparation, reading food labels well, and really getting in touch with hunger and what our body needs. So far, Michael is doing great, is very dedicated to making the changes he needs to, and is working hard at all of it. Also, special thanks to his wife, Audrey for her involvement and support. Well, that's it for this week. Thank you all for supporting Michael, and we'll continue to keep everyone updated on Michael's progress and what we're working on nutritionally.