By
in
This post is about how I’m approaching nutrition during the Covid 19 Lockdown period. Daily structure has probably changed for most of us currently, this picture shows what a typical day looks like for me at this time with the goal of maintaining a fit, healthy & relatively lean physique. I also give some guidance on how to amend this to suit your needs.
Left – Right
Breakfast: Oats made with almond milk with lemon cheesecake whey protein, 5g creatine & topped with berries.
Lunch: Bolognese style Steak Mince with green veggies & rice.
Snack: Apple & Nut Butter
Dinner: Chicken (Mexican style here) with a variety of veggies & rice.
Now whether we’re discussing nutrition during the Covid 19 Lockdown or normal life, calories still and will always matter. Just because you’re eating a balanced diet made up of quality, single ingredient foods doesn’t mean you’re immune to weight gain if calories in are more than calories out. Your results will always come down to calorie balance. Popular apps such as MyFitnessPal will calculate calorie requirements based on your statistics and goals. If you prefer to do it yourself try using the Harrison Benedict Formula to first work out your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the amount of calories you burn per day at rest.
Men: 66.5 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) – (6.755 x age in years)
Women; 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) – (4.676 x age in years)
Multiply this number by your level of activity:
Little to no exercise x BMR by 1.2
Light exercise 2-3 times per week x by 1.375
Moderate exercise 3-5 times per week x by 1.55
Heavy exercise 6-7 times per week x by 1.725
This will give you a good starting point to work from. However, everyone’s body is different so there may still be a period of trial and error before you lock in the right numbers for you.
My body runs better fuelled with carbs hence the choices. If carbs make you feel sluggish or give you digestive issues your body would probably respond better by cutting back on them & including more fats such as olives, avocado, almonds etc instead & possibly switching a protein source for oily fish, such as Salmon or Mackerel too.
If my goal was to build muscle I’d eat smaller meals (including around 30g protein) every 3 hours to keep muscle protein synthesis optimally stimulated.
If I wanted to lose weight & improve body composition I’d cut back on carbs to create a slight deficit (not too much at the moment as that would be detrimental to immunity.)
If I was over weight with a high level of body fat, my body wouldn’t be as efficient so I’d eat smaller meals more frequently making them much easier to process.
Whatever your goal, creating a structure with set meal times is key. This way you avoid eating instinctively / from boredom & justifying foods you possibly shouldn’t be having!
If you want a bespoke nutrition plan and training programme, either during the covid 19 lockdown or on the other side, then take a look at our online coaching packages we offer through Primitive Performance.
