estimations for common foods:
Protein Sources (protein in grams)
Chicken breast (4 oz)—30 grams One chicken thigh—10 grams One large egg—6 grams
Ground beef (4 oz)—26 grams Steak (4 oz)—28 grams
Goat meat (4 oz)—29 grams Lamb (4 oz)—30 grams
Most fillet fish (4 oz)—24 grams Tuna (4 oz)—26 grams
Pork loin (4 oz)—29 grams Ham (3 oz)—19 grams
Whole milk (1 cup)—8 grams Cottage cheese (½ cup)—15 grams
Plain whole milk yogurt (1 cup)—8 grams Tofu, firm (½ cup)—10 grams
Fat Sources (grams per serving)
1 tbs. olive oil—14 grams 1 tbs. coconut oil—14 grams 1 cup avocado—35 grams 2 tbs. peanut butter- 16 grams 2 tbs. almond butter—18 grams 1 ounce raw cashews—12 grams
1 tbs. butter—11 grams 1 large egg yolk—5 grams
1 ounce cheddar cheese- 9 grams 1 cup low fat cottage cheese- 2 grams ½ cup cottage cheese—5 grams
1 cup whole milk—8 grams
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt- 8 grams
Carbohydrate Sources (carbs in grams)
1 medium fresh apple- 21 grams 1 medium fresh banana- 26.7 grams 3 medium fresh apricots—11.8 grams ½ cup fresh blueberries- 10.2 grams ½ cup cantaloupe—22.3 grams ½ cup fresh cherries—12 grams 1 small fig—8 grams
½ medium grapefruit—17 grams 1 cup fresh grapes—15.8 grams 1 medium fresh mango—35.2 grams 1 medium orange—15.4 grams 1 medium fresh pear—25.1 grams ½ cup fresh watermelon—5.7 grams
½ cup beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, etc.) 17-19 grams ½ cup cooked lentils—20 grams
2 medium beets—16.3 grams 1 ounce Jicama—2.5 grams
1 small baked potato- 29.3 grams 1 medium yam—31.6 grams ½ cup pumpkin—10.1 grams 1 cup acorn squash- 14.6 grams 1 cup butternut squash—16.4 grams 1 cup cooked barley—41.6 grams 1 cup cooked pasta- 42.6 grams
1 cup cooked brown rice- 44.8 grams 1 cup cooked white rice—35.1 grams 1 cup cooked wild rice—35 grams ½ cup cooked rolled oats—27 grams 1 slice whole grain bread- 16 grams ½ cup cottage cheese—3 grams
1 cup whole milk—11 grams
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt- 12 grams
When setting up your diet, you must first determine how many times per day you will eat. Despite popular theory, eating five to six small meals a day should not be your standard rule. You don’t need to constantly fuel the fire to make it burn. If you’re more comfortable eating your regular three meals each day with a small snack, then do so. If you want to pack all of your calories into two sittings, that’s fine too. Just make sure whatever you choose fits your comfort level and lifestyle. You can always figure this out by your appetite. If you have a hearty appetite, stick to three or four meals per day. If you eat like a bird, five or six meals might indeed work better for you. The important part is getting in those calories no matter when they fall into your schedule. My friend, Alan Aragon, has done a wonderful job dispelling this “stoke the fire myth” by citing multiple studies that show how more frequent daily meals do not result in increased metabolic rate.
You also want to time your meals around your workouts so that you have sufficient energy. This isn’t to say that you absolutely must eat immediately before and after training. But it’s good to have a meal in your system within two to three hours prior and one hour after you work out. If you train in the early morning in a fasted state (without eating), get in a good protein and carbohydrate source
afterward to help with recovery.
Let’s use our client example, who needs one hundred thirty grams of protein in her diet every day. If she wants to eat four meals per day, she might divide this up among her meals accordingly:
Meal 1: 3 whole eggs = 18 grams of protein
Meal 2: 6 oz. chicken breast, 1 cup whole milk = 53 grams of protein
Meal 3: ½ cup cottage cheese = 15 grams of protein
Meal 4: 6 oz. fish fillet, 1 cup plain yogurt = 44 grams of protein
Note that her meal plan is three grams over her daily goal. This is perfectly fine since her next day might be under. Calorie-counting is never an exact science. Just stay within close range, and it will work out. If you are going over or under your protein grams consistently, however, you should take a look at your food choices and see where you can make adjustments.
Next, let’s formulate the fat component to her daily diet (goal—65 grams, actually 66 grams):
Meal 1: 3 egg yolks, 1 tsp. olive oil for cooking (3 tsp. in 1 tbs.) = 29 grams of fat
Meal 2: 1 cup whole milk = 8 grams of fat
Meal 3: 2 tbs. peanut butter, ½ cup cottage cheese = 21 grams of fat
Meal 4: 1 cup plain yogurt = 8 grams of fat
Her carbohydrate foods would look like this (goal - 164 grams, actually 171.2 grams):
Meal 2: 1 medium yam, 1 cup whole milk = 47.4 grams of carbs
Meal 3: 1 medium banana, ½ cup cottage cheese = 29.7 grams of carbs
Meal 4: ½ cup cooked wild rice, ½ cup cooked lentils, 1 cup plain yogurt = 49.5 grams of carbs To complete each meal, all you need is to add two to three cups of fibrous vegetables into the daily mix. A final meal plan would look like this:
Meal 1: 3 whole eggs, 1 tsp. olive oil for cooking, ½ cup mushrooms, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup fresh
cantaloupe
Meal 2: 6 oz. chicken breast, 1 cup whole milk, 1 medium yam, 1 cup mixed greens with bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes
Meal 3: ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 medium banana sliced with 2 tbs. peanut butter
Meal 4: 6 oz. fish fillet, 1 cup yogurt, ½ cup cooked wild rice, ½ cup lentils
Each meal can be uniquely catered to your taste buds. This just gives you an example of what a daily menu should look like on the Strong Curves Program. When you want to fit in free meals and treats, try to stick with these whole foods for the first four weeks while on the Strong Curves plan. If your goal is weight loss, after the initial four weeks, fit in one free meal a week until you reach your target weight. From there, you can fit in two to three free meals a week. Free meals should consist of the same amount of calories as your regular meal, but can be whatever foods you want. Also,
remember I said free meal, not free day.
If you are eating at maintenance when you start this plan, still avoid treats and free meals for the first four weeks until your body adjusts and you find the right balance of carbohydrates and fats. Once you have a pretty good handle on exactly what your body needs to run efficiently while reaching your goals, start introducing those free meals at your discretion. If you find yourself getting out of control at any time in your diet, go back to the original plan of treat-free eating.