The Diet Plan of All Diet Plans

Following on from a blog on Trainerroad about useful literature I purchased a few books... and been doing some planning...

Some books about training and some about diets... one of which has been most interesting.

Nutrient Timing by John Ivy and Robert Portman.

Overview - What to eat and when to eat to optimise muscle repair and development. The underlying message/theory is to not allow your blood sugar levels to drop too low or you reduce the rate at which your muscles can re-build due the chemical reactions that take place.

There are 3 main time periods to focus on:
Energy Phase - 10 mins before a workout
Anabolic Phase - !mmediately after a workout
Recovery Phase - 2 & 4 hours after a workout

Each phase should see the intake a protein and carbohydrate supplements. Each phase has a different amount of each. Supplements are preferred to eating the food as they absorb quicker that food does... So I have put in an order for some supplements... should last a while! ;)

This is something I have not done in previous diets. Recently I have been eating nothing for breakfast... the first bit of food I consume is either 10am (chicken breast) or lunch time (other than a coffee or two). What I have basically been doing is putting my body in a fasted state, completed a high intensity session, depleted all sugar levels and then not consumed anything for a long period of time after. This may have promoted weight loss but certainly didn't promote muscle repair... if anything, it did the opposite!

I have therefore split my training week into 2 key days:

Low Intensity Training days (LIT) 
High Intensity Training days (LIT)


Monday - Recovery (LIT)
Tuesday - HIT
Wednesday - LIT
Thursday - HIT
Friday - LIT
Saturday - HIT
Sunday - LIT

Each day is going have a different diet plan to optimise both muscle development and weight management.

HIT days will follow the Nutrient Timing System (NTS) and LIT days will follow the 'fasted' weight management theory.

Tuesdays & Fridays will induce 1600cal deficit
Monday & Sunday will induce a 600cal deficit
Tuesdays & Thursdays & Saturdays will be +100cal

Total weekly deficit will be approx 3000-4500cal to promote a 1-1.5lb a week weight loss.

LIT Diet Plan
Breakfast - None
8am - NTS Recovery Supplement
10am - NTS Recovery Supplement & Chicken Breast
Lunch - Tuna Salad
Dinner - Chicken & Veg
Pudding - Yogurt & Fruit
TOTAL Consumed Calories - 1896
TOTAL Burned Calories - 3500
Deficit - 1604

HIT Diet Plan
Breakfast - Oats & Fruit
Pre-workout - NTS Energy Supplement
Post-workout - NTS Anabolic Supplement
8am - NTS Recovery Supplement
10am - NTS Recovery Supplement & Chicken Breast
Lunch - Tuna Salad
Dinner - Chicken & Veg
Pudding - Yogurt & Fruit
 + additional treat (probably cake)
TOTAL Consumed Calories - 3600
TOTAL Burned Calories - 3500

Before the long Sunday ride I will eat a large breakfast (when I say large breakfast, I actually mean pancakes)... Basically a LIT day with some pancakes.