Nutrition is an important topic for every athlete which is why it is not surprising that the most common questions I am asked are about this very topic. In addition to our training, a diet that is tailored to our needs is essential for us to recover from hard workouts and support muscle building. A balanced diet is also important to keep us healthy and fit. Because of that, I will cover the question that I am probably asked most in this blog post: What do I eat on a regular day?
Busy? Then I’ve summarized the most important information of this blogpost for you.
Regular day?
To start off it is important to clarify that I distinguish between training and non-training days in my diet. My training days usually consist of a cardio session (40 minutes – 2 hours) immediately after getting up and strength training in the evening. On a day like this, I burn an average of 1,000 kcal more than usual, which is why I will eat more on these days.
As already explained in my blogpost Losing weight: Nutrition, it is by no means necessary to achieve a specific calorie goal every day. If you consume more on some days and less on other days and you reach your calorie goal on average, that is completely fine as well. For me, however, it’s just easier if I eat more on training days. It’s best to try different approaches and find out what works best for you.
Breakfast – 08:30
I try to consume some carbohydrates and a lot of protein for breakfast in order to start my day supplied with lots of energy. Breakfast is usually very similar for me and currently looks like this:
- 100g of oats
- 2 scoops of protein powder
- Cinnamon
- An apple or a different fruit
In total, this breakfast comes with the following nutritional values:
Apart from the fact that this tastes great and can easily be switched up with different fruits or flavors (protein powder), the amount is also very satisfying. As with all my meals, it is important to me to stay satiated for as long as possible – and that is definitely the case with this meal!
Lunch – 12:30
During my work week, I usually cook my lunch on the weekend and therefore often eat the same thing. In general, I try to eat lower calorie foods at lunch but I eat a large amount of them. Due to the sheer amount of food, I stay satiated for an extremely long time. My lunch could look like this:
- Half of a cucumber
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 carrots
- Some salad
- Half of a can of corn
- Half of a can of kidney beans
- 150g tofu
- Some balsamico vinegar
In total, this meal comes with the following nutritional values:
This makes a very large amount of salad and I am sure you will need quite some time until you are finished with this meal! This will keep you satiated for a long time for sure!
Snack 1 – 14:00-15:00
I can’t do without a snack! If it is possible, I usually eat my snack 1 to 2 hours before my workout in the evening. A classic snack for me looks like this:
- 50g of oats
- 200g Skyr
- Frozen berries
This sums up to:
During the week it’s a snack that I can easily prepare at work. On weekends I often bake though and substitute this snack with a protein cheesecake or something similar.
Dinner – 20:00
In the evening I like to be flexible with my meals. If I meet friends or go out to eat, I don’t want to have to restrict myself too much. For this reason I try to have covered a significant part of my protein by this point, while I still have “room” for carbohydrates and fats to provide myself with as many options as possible.
Otherwise, I use my remaining calories as a guide for my dinner. On a training day, it is now important to eat more (or to consume a more extensive snack for lunch). Therefore, I will present 2 exemplary meals I am likely to consume quite often:
- On a training day – Pizza:
- Non-training day – Dal Makhani with couscous:
Yeah, I know that it’s quite late when I finally eat dinner. The reason for the late dinner? I always get hungry at night. The earlier I eat, the sooner I get hungry again, which is why I try to have dinner as late as possible. Since I have no problems eating/digesting late at night and falling asleep afterwards, this is definitely the most pleasant option for me.
Snack 2 – 21:30 – 22:00
As mentioned before, I almost always get hungry at night and there is hardly anything I like less than going to bed feeling hungry. Therefore, I (almost) never miss my late light snack. I am REALLY flexible here as most of my macronutrients are already covered at this point. From an apple to a slice of bread to a small remainder of my dinner, I just see what I can get my hands on. I often like to grab a bowl of popcorn as well!
Conclusion
On a training day, I consume around 3400 kcal, while on a non-training day I stick to around 2400 kcal. Most of the time, I get around 60-80g fat, 320-350g carbohydrates and 180-200g protein. What’s really important to me is the amount of protein I eat though; I am not too stuck on reaching specific amounts for the other macronutrients.
What is your diet like? How much protein do you consume every day? Let me know in the comments!