My Diet Plan
I mentioned in my last entry that I would post my diet plan here. Maybe someone out there will find this helpful. Reta makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and stay on target but the real trick is getting enough food in to lose minimal muscle mass and mitigate any of the negative side effects that come with not eating enough. Especially carbs.
Breakfast - Goal: to front-load some protein, get some fiber, and carbs for energy throughout the workday
6oz Egg Whites
8oz Kefir
15g Chia Seeds
5g Psyllium Husk Powder
5g Creatine
1 Banana
1 handful of berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries)
20g raw honey
1 scoop protein powder
Then blend it up
Total Calories: ~615 kcal
Total Protein: ~55g
Total Carbs: ~78g
Total Fats: ~9g
Total Fiber: ~15g
Lunch - Goal: Maintain energy levels and avoid the 2pm crash. Get some more carbs and protein in. It's a little less nutrient dense than breakfast, but will help get me to my goal macros and keep me satiated.
8 oz chicken breast (uncooked weight) - I weigh out 8 oz portions of raw chicken breast, and freeze.
150g of white rice (cooked weight)
Optional: Add some green salsa or whatever to spice it up
Total Calories: ~450 kcal
Total Protein: ~55g
Total Carbs: ~42g
Total Fats:3g
Total Fiber: <1g
2pm Snack - I call this the brain food snack. The brain needs nutrients to function well. The aggressive calorie deficit that comes with Reta can cause me to crash hard at that 2pm mark. Eggs have tons of nutrients for the brain: choline, lutein, B vitamins, and banana or kiwi for some glucose, and some healthy fats for healthy hormone function.
3 hard boiled eggs
1 piece of fruit
Total Calories: ~310 kcal
Total Protein: ~18g
Total Carbs: ~26g
Total Fats:15g
Total Fiber: 4g
Dinner - This is a big protein load and a filling enough meal that I don't want to eat until bedtime.
8 oz of lean ground beef (93/7; raw weight. Same drill as the chicken breast, weighed out ahead of time)
150g of sweet potato
100g of cottage cheese
Total Calories: ~555 kcal
Total Protein: ~62g
Total Carbs: ~36g
Total Fats:19g
Total Fiber: 4g
TOTAL FOR THE DAY
Total Calories: ~1930 kcal
Total Protein: ~190g
Total Carbs: ~182g
Total Fats:46g
Total Fiber: 25g
I'm 6"2' and at 223lbs right now. I lift weights 4x a week with 30min of cardio 5x a week, which puts me in a fairly steep calorie deficit.
I know this is relatively low-fat, so that's something to look out for, but I feel full all day, and I can maintain this plan. This is what works for me. I would recommend a multivitamin and getting at least 3-4L of water a day.
For me, the carbs play a huge role. I felt terrible when all I cared about was hitting my protein. I have not lost any strength in the gym on any movements (aside from a little on barbell back squat)
I wanted to share what I'm doing and the level of detail and thought I'm putting into my nutrition while on Reta. Remember that it's a tool, not the standalone solution!
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