Help with Meal Plan

[TriathleteWes]

I'm getting ready to attempt my 1st Whole 30 starting on Sunday.  I'm ready to take the next step.  Over the past 5 years I've cleaned up my diet considerably.  Removing dairy and sugary foods was the best decision I've ever made for my health. Significant changes I noticed were my skin complexion and gut health.  

 

Foods/supplements that I rely heavy on are oatmeal, quinoa, Sun Warrorior protein powder, beans, peanut butter (addicting food item to me that I have to give up), and Cliff Bars to name a few.  Gonna drop these and more for 30 days and see how I feel.  

 

I feel like the hardest challenge is going to be peer pressure.  Eating out with colleagues and remaining Whole30 compliant seems almost impossible.  Are there any recommendations of meals people have found in restaurants that don't violate Whole30?

 

I do want to best prepare my self for success.  My plan is to cook most of my meats on Sunday, which should last me thru Thursday.  

 

I will be eating a lot of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocados, meats, veggies, and fruits.  I'm going to limit my carb dense foods for fuel around my workouts and focus on protein, fats, and veggies when more sedentary.  I'm an experienced triathlete and burn a lot of calories, so I believe I'll have to make a few slight adjustments on heavy training days.  Here is my meal plan for this Sunday.

 

6am wakeup breakfeast: 2 scrambled eggs in coconut oil+spinach,onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes

                        Half a sweet potato, small apple, herbal mint tea

7am bike ride: 4 hour bike ride (about 75 miles) -  i'll be using banana, larabars, and maybe dates or dried apricots if                                                                                              necessary for fuel.

11:30am post workout shake:  1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of strawberries, 1tbsp of chia seeds, 2 tbsp                                                    of ground flax, 1tbsp of almond butter.

1pm lunch:   Grilled chicken mixed green salad with olive oil and vinegar, broccoli, carrots

3pm snack: small can of tuna

5:30pm dinner:  Spinach/Kale salad with avocado and grilled flank steak

8:00pm:  handful of macadmia nuts

9:30pm:  sleep 

 

Any recommendations for improvement?  

[loobylifts]

I'm not a mod so could be wrong but I think your m1 is way too small..when eggs are the main protein source you should eat the number of eggs that you can hold in one hand - 4 for me! Theres also no added fat there which is going to make that 4 hour ride very hard..fat is your main energy source so definitely add some more before your bike ride. I'd also ditch the apple preWO.

PostWO is supposed to be protein and carbs, minimal fat..so maybe rethink the shake and have chicken breast and some sweet potato or squash instead. 

 

Your plan otherwise looks okay (I think, again, could be wrong), but since you are so active you might find it helpful to add another serving of starchy carbs with your last meal but see how you feel, everyone is different! Good luck and enjoy your w30

[missmary]

Have you reviewed the meal template? Your regular meals look pretty good, if a little small, but the snacks and smoothie are heading in the wrong direction. Try to make your meals large enough that you are satiated until it is time for the next meal. If you are hungry between meals, yes, have a snack, but take that as constructive criticism that your meals need to be larger with more protein, more fat and more vegetables moving forwards. A workout does mean more food outside of meals, but that should be food (not a smoothie). Have protein and fat prior to your workout, protein and carbs afterwards (no fat). An egg before and some chicken breast with sweet potato is the typical recommendation, but you can change that up as long as you stick with whole foods that meet the description.

 

Here is the meal template: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

 

Here is the word on smoothies: Smoothies: We’d rather you didn’t

This is a very popular question, with a very unpopular answer. Smoothies (generally made using lots of fruit) are technically compliant on your Whole30, but we strongly recommend against it. Food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we’d rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie.

- See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.pGsBMQ0j.dpuf

[LucieB]

Specifically, what are you doing Whole30 for? Will help answer questions.

So many veggies at M1 might be hard to digest on a bike ride. The foods you mentioned to eat in the ride can cause bloating. Your post wo smoothie has already been discussed. Don't do it.

I'd rethink having salads the rest of the day and go for real meals.

As for eating out, it's only 30 days. You have the willpower to do a four hour bike ride, you don't need to cave to peer pressure. Who are you doing this for, you or them?

From a fellow triathlete,

Lucie

[TriathleteWes]

Specifically, what are you doing Whole30 for? Will help answer questions.

So many veggies at M1 might be hard to digest on a bike ride. The foods you mentioned to eat in the ride can cause bloating. Your post wo smoothie has already been discussed. Don't do it.

I'd rethink having salads the rest of the day and go for real meals.

As for eating out, it's only 30 days. You have the willpower to do a four hour bike ride, you don't need to cave to peer pressure. Who are you doing this for, you or them?

From a fellow triathlete,

Lucie

What foods would you recommend for fuel during a bike ride?  I'm doing a Whole30 for life improvement.  I'm hoping for positive physiological and physical changes for my body. I get bloating from time to time as I have a very sensitive gut.  Is it the oatmeal, protein bars, peanut butter, and/or beans?  I would like to find out.  Maybe this is a long term change for me.  I want to give Whole30 a trial run.  

[LucieB]

I can't recommend fuels for the ride, my gut limits me too much so my foods are not all whole30. But oranges, cooked white potato work for me. I don't do whole30 when prepping for an event as it becomes a choice between my health and good training.

Oatmeal, protein bars, peanut butter, beans all bloat me. We're all unique in sensitivities, you'll have to experiment. But I know how it feels to be in aero bloated! Yuck!

Whole30 was a great change for me. I finally learned to fuel for fat burning and I recover so much better even after 6hr training days.