A recommended food diary for a busy professional
Take it from someone who has been in the same boat, when you're working all hours under the sun and are never at home to prep food, finding a way to stay fit and healthy can seem difficult. Or so it seems....
I've adapted a typical working day with timings and a food diary (taken from a book called The Abs Diet - a great read for men and women alike!) and summarised at the beginning. Just proof that it needn't be hard to stay on track!
Food diary overview:
6.30 AM - Glass of skimmed milk, leaving 2 teaspoons & having it with a cup of coffee.
7 AM - ¼ of a smoothie (rest to take to work) Blend some ice, some yogurt, a spoonful each of whey’d protein and ground flaxseed, plus some leftover fruit and maybe some lime juice or orange juice.
8 AM - Stop off on the way to work & grab a little packet of almonds and an apple. Snack on throughout the morning
Noon – a workout
1PM - Post workout whey’d sachet & water followed by a trip to the salad shop - take-out spinach salad that's loaded with beans, sweetcorn, broccoli, red peppers and tandoori chicken and topped with a half-ladle of balsamic vinegar
3PM - Sip on the remaining protein smoothie.
7.30 PM - Client dinner at a restaurant. Start with a salad, then move onto a rump steak with a side dish of broccoli or green beans. 2 glasses of red wine and share a dessert.
11 PM - Bedtime snack – snack on some cold cuts (e.g. turkey) & a glass of skimmed milk.
Naturally portion sizes come into factor here (and can be scaled depending on your nutritional needs - weight-loss or bulking up), but typical serving sizes for this bring the entire day come to 2,500 calories with 215g of protein. EASY!
A more detailed food diary
6.30 AM - Joe wakes up, staggers out to the kitchen, and starts the coffee pot. While the coffee's brewing, he pulls a mug out of a cabinet and fills it with skimmed milk. He drinks the milk down until there's about 2 tablespoons left, then pours in the coffee.
7 AM - Joe turns on the morning talk shows andtakes some ice, some yogurt, a spoonful each of whey protein (Joe loves Chocolate whey’d!) and ground flaxseed, plus some leftover fruit and maybe some lime juice or orange juice or whatever else happens to be lying around the kitchen, and throws the whole menagerie into a blender. He buzzes that into oblivion for 30 seconds, pours some into a glass (and drinks), and pours the rest into a small flask, which he’ll carry to his office.
8 AM - Having showered, shaved and dressed, Joe leaves his house & walks to work, which takes about 35 minutes. On the way, he stops off at a shop & grabs a little packet of almonds and an apple, which he sticks in his desk. He puts his flask containing his smoothie into the fridge in the office kitchen.
10 AM - Throughout the morning he snacks on the almonds & fruit. That tides him over til lunchtime.
Noon - If Joe can, he skips out to the gym.
1 PM - He'll usually grab a protein bar or protein shake at the gym. Then he'll stroll over to the soup-and-sandwich joint, where he'll order a take-out spinach salad that's loaded with beans, sweetcorn, broccoli, red peppers and tandoori chicken and topped with a half-ladle of balsamic vinegar.
3 PM - Joe's hungry (again). Fortunately, he's got a smoothie hidden away in the office fridge. While others are hitting their 3 PM slump, he's hitting the smoothie for a quick burst of energy.
7.30 PM - For the past 5 hours, Joe's been grinding away at work, so naturally he's ready for . . . more work. Joe has a business dinner almost every night. Dinner is his least disciplined part of the day, his typical dinner starts with a salad, then moves onto a rump steak with a side dish of broccoli or green beans. On top of that, he'll have a couple of glasses of red wine and maybe dessert – although he usually shares it.
11 PM - At home, Joe will often start grubbing around his fridge for something to nosh on. He usually keeps a couple of different types of cold cuts in there – turkey, Gruyere, and a glass of skimmed milk will often complete his night.
Hopefully this'll be what you need to kick-start your motivation that it is possible to work 9 to 9 and still keep fit and healthy!