People have been asking me about my own meal plans, so below is a summary to get your started.
The key point about all of the below choices is to NOT have carbs and fat simultaneously as this is autumn’s squirrel formula and will set of gorge instincts within you. The squirrel is strong in this one, so I am careful about that but let go now and then and embrace the squirrel, however I would say I eat the following way about 90% of the time. I don’t expect everyone to jump straight in but if you can make small adjustments, these will result in huge results over time.
Sample Breakfasts (Springtime: very low carb, healthy fat focus) 8am:
- Pint of Water (mandatory, have lemon with it for vitamin C hit)
- 2xEggs and 2xBacon (I grill the rashers and I eat the fat, note irish rashers are a slice of a chop, less fatty than US), if too much, too little for your body size, adjust by removing an egg or bacon. Add rocket, spinach and seeds for extra nutrition. Cook the eggs any way you want, if boiling, cook a few extra for adding to salads or as a snack later on, season eggs with cracked black pepper, often you don’t need to add salt the bacon has enough.
- Eggs and Salmon (I gently fry the smoked salmon with the eggs), rocket it exceptional with this
- Omelettes, add spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onion even a bit of mozzarella
- Fed up of eggs, no problem, try mixing up days with avocado (I put a bit of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on the avocados), walnuts, almonds, olives, high fat/protein cheese (not the sugary berry ones), cold meats, just go for healthy protein and fat sources like these.
- Chops are also good option, some can’t stomach this early in the morning, but a mixed grill is nice, add a bit of liver for vitamin B hit.
- If in a hurry for work, I sometimes have a smoothie with nut butter, organic cacao (whole beans even better) and vanilla whey (it contains sweetener but is lower carb as a result so peanut butter is OK with it. I wouldn’t add oats to this unless going for a very long hike maybe.
- Espresso/Americano (use a drop of milk if you must)
Morning Training (switch it up)?
- If training in the morning time, overnight oats is a nice low fat carb brek: oats, 0% fat greek yoghurt, low fat milk or water (better), cinnamon, vanilla, 1/2 scoop of protein, honey for sweetness, mix it all up and put berries on top
- If in a hurry for morning training and I haven’t prepared overnight oats, the above ingredients are nice in a shake too, add a banana instead of oats for extra potassium
Mid morning snacks:
- I don’t find the need to snack here, if training and I’ve had my oats, I would have maybe 2 eggs and 2 rashers after training for example in local cafe as I’ve used up all of the carb fuel, be careful not to over fuel with carbs if doing this and no toast with the fat based breakfast. I tend to not have sausages, puddings or beans at this time too as they have lots of unknown ingredients and often loaded with carbs/sugar.
- I have a coffee during the morning also
- Plenty of water is also good
Sample Lunches (Summer time: low carb load, lower the fat, have a fibre focus) 12.30pm:
- Salads: I would often have a salad here and throw the kitchen sink into it, spinach, rocket, lettuce, kale, shaved carrots (you can get carrot toppers online), onions, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, raw broccoli chopped fine, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, slices of apple, pineapple, sprinkles of seeds, nuts, sprinkle of cheeses, and meat, fish, poultry of choice.. For seasoning, sea salt, cracked pepper, vinegar and olive oil, or a bit of mayonnaise (chop and mix it all up in a big bowl). I opt for low carb seasoning in this meal as I’m still in work. The fruit added is low carb and moderate amounts. Plenty of nutrition here, the more colour the better and lots of fibre.
- Hot meals: Meat, fish, poultry, I tend to go for quality leaner cuts where possible and load up the plate with low-gi veg. I don’t mind having carrots in as they are high gi, but have a low gl / carb load, so eat these instead of a big plate of spuds for example, much better and you won’t slump. Cauliflower, asparagus, cabbage etc. If out in a carvery there is always plenty of veg choice, so nice cut of meat, fish or chicken, and load the plate up with all the veg, stay away from the garlic spuds, potatoes, chips and yorkshire puddings at this time… you won’t feel denied and you’ll feel much better afterwards.
- Dessert: I don’t require dessert, but you could bring greek yogurt with some berries to work, blueberries/raspberries are especially nice as they’re a little sweet and tart, but not a very high carb load.
Pre-training snack (protein, carbs, zero fat): 4.30pm
- Hydrate
- I carb up a little for training, maybe a banana or overnight oats as per breakfast recipe (obviously I won’t have had these in the morning if training in evening)
Optional Post-training snack (protein): 7pm
- Whey protein shake straight afterwards if you need extra protein, typically not much carb here, I just need the protein now for recovery and muscle protein synthesis support. If you’ve trained heavy then carb+protein can be beneficial for recovery.
Sample DEFoW Dinners (Modified autumn: moderate carbs, very low fat): 7.30pm
- Hydrate
- Protein: Leaner cuts of meat, fish or poultry: sirloin, venison, cod, tuna, turkey, chicken breast etc., lean mince in a chilli and tomato based sauce
- Veg: Plenty low GI veg (like brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, mangetout etc.) and 1 high gi veg (like carrots or parsnips or turnip, baby corn etc). All of these make lovely soups, leek and carrot and butternut squash soup is the business. Check out www.glycemicindex.com to see what veg is high gi and low gi.
- Carb: sweet potato, regular potato in skin, roasted butternut squash, rice (still keep to moderate portions, you want to be precise with carbs as you’ll be getting some from the high gi veg too
- Sauces: I don’t really need them but go for lower fat sauces here too (avoid cheese on top now, parmesan is strong so a small sprinkle wouldn’t be too bad, just don’t cake it in cheddar), personally I love lemon added to fish, and garlic&soy sauce over turkey, add a bit of chili or other spices for a kick., lower fat curry sauces with onions and chicken are also nice, I would avoid satay, cream, and high fat sauces like these however with carbs.
Hope this helps people out there… I’m not Jamie Oliver and don’t have a million gourmet recipes up my sleeve, I’m a busy family man and keep things simple for the most part and these foods are all magnificent in natural form, we’ve just been duped into buying up packaged meals that trigger the gorge. Take out the noise of sugar/starch+fat and your body will know when it’s satiated and what it needs based on what you’re in the mood to eat e.g. if you eat salmon one day, the next day you might not be interested because you have enough of whatever nutrients are in it already. Listen to your body, you can hear it whisper to you, but not if you overload it with carb+fat combos, which emit a deafening autumnal siren.
Train hard or have a physical job?
If you have a desk job your body will run well off the fat in your system, and your requirement for carbs is minimal. If you are more active, this requirement may increase and you can adjust your eating to compensate. If you work very hard and exercise regularly during the day, or have a physically demanding job it might be better to flip the whole thing on its head and use the oats to start the day, and have a slightly more carbs during the day and then taper in healthy fats in later as work tapers off.
Finally, even though we are not simple machines, you can still overeat, however through cutting out the autumnal gorge formula you will be more satiated and there is plenty of research out there highlighting the benefits of moderate to low-carb diets, including weight loss, more stable blood sugars and much more.
Best of luck!
If you found this helpful, you’ll get lots more information on the Don’t Eat for Winter concept in my book. Where the concept came from, my journey from couch potato to a world kettlebell champion and physique/bodybuilder competitor. You’ll also get a nutrition 101, applying it to exercise and, of course, The DEFoW method for help you navigate through the treacherous terrain of the infinite autumn we must endure.
You can get a copy of the book here to learn more about the concept, understand the why of all of the above selections, more ideas, and you will also be supporting my mission in helping people to spring into their summer bodies.
Don’t Eat for Winter!
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