The Uplifted Insider

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” -Unknown

From Knowledge to Action

Let’s take a moment to do a quick recap. In previous newsletters, you've calculated your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), determined your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), set your calorie targets, and learned how to split your macros for optimal results. You understand the science behind pre and post-workout nutrition and how to strategically indulge without derailing your progress. Your motivation is building, your knowledge base is growing, and you are now ready to cross the bridge connecting your potential with your reality.

Now comes the moment of truth, or better yet, the MOMENT OF EXECUTION. The key to unlocking this moment is figuring out the answer to the following question. How do you actually turn all this knowledge into consistent, daily action?

After 15 years in the fitness industry, I can tell you that this is where a lot of people get stuck. They have all the information they need, but struggle to take what they know and apply it consistently.

So what is the missing piece? The answer is: a systematic approach to meal planning.

Today, I'm going to reveal to you exactly what you need. I will discuss a simple systematic approach to meal planning that is proven to work for people in the real world. Not the kind of rigid, miserable eating plans that work for two weeks before you abandon them, but flexible, sustainable plans that fit your actual life while delivering the results you want.

By the end of this newsletter, you'll have everything you need to create your own "Optimal Meal Plan." This is a plan that meets your nutritional needs, includes foods you actually enjoy, and sets you up for long-term success.

Be Aware of Decision Fatigue

When people discover flexible dieting and macro tracking, they often get excited about the freedom. "I can eat whatever I want as long as it fits my macros!" They think they can just wing it with an app like MyFitnessPal. However, too much FREEDOM can lead to negative results.

The problem is, that without a plan you will be making too many food decisions per day. You don’t even realize when you are making most of them, you just do. But research shows that this contributes to something psychologists call "DECISION FATIGUE." Every choice you make will drain your willpower, and by evening, you're mentally exhausted and are much more likely to make poor choices. This is why many successful public figures will wear the same type of outfit everyday. For example, Steve Jobs famously wore his trademark black turtleneck, blue jeans and New Balance sneakers daily. He created his own personal “uniform” because he didn’t want to waste mental energy on trivial matters that would weaken his focus on the bigger challenges that he faced as the CEO of Apple.

This is a concept that I became very aware of early in my coaching career. I’ve had many clients who understood the fundamentals of nutrition, but were constantly stressed about what to eat next, how many calories they had left for the day, and whether or not they were on track to meet their personal goals. They were spending a lot of mental energy making food decisions, taking a significant amount away from their total daily allotment. Which is problematic because that mental energy also needs to be used for work, family, or other personal goals.

Meal planning isn't just about nutrition. It's about reclaiming your mental and emotional energy for the things that truly matter.

Personally, I eat pretty much the same thing over and over for all my meals up until dinner. You can call it boring, but I call it liberating. I don't waste time or energy wondering what I'm going to eat or calculating macros on the fly. It’s set, it’s habit, it’s aligned with my goals and I enjoy it. At this point, I don’t want to deviate for the sake of variety. When I do change it up, I’ll stick with the new thing for quite a while. Since my first two meals are decided in advance, my mind has more space for all the other things that I need it for.

Get Your Numbers Right

Before we dive into the practical steps, you need accurate nutritional information. For packaged foods, use the label. But most of your meals should come from whole, unprocessed foods that you prepare yourself.

Here are three of the most reliable resources for nutritional data:

Cronometer (App): This platform aggregates high-accuracy data from sources like the USDA and NCCDB, focusing on providing verified nutritional information rather than unvetted crowdsourced entries.

CalorieKing (App): Known for its reliability within the diabetes community, this resource provides verified carbohydrate counts and extensive data on American fast-food chains.

Nutritionix (Track App): This database focuses on real-world eating habits, offering a large collection of verified data for restaurant menus and branded grocery items reviewed by registered dietitians.

The “Golden Rule” is to make sure that you weigh everything. This is non-negotiable. You may think that a "heaping tablespoon" of peanut butter is no big deal, but it can add fifty to one hundred calories to your meal. Small inaccuracies compound quickly when you're trying to hit specific targets. Especially, if the food contains fat. Remember, each gram of fat contains nine calories, which is more than a gram of protein or carbs, which each contain four calories per gram.

Weigh foods before cooking. However, in the instance that you are preparing food in bulk, weigh it again after cooking to determine proper portion sizes. For example, if you cook a pound of chicken for four meals, you'll weigh the raw chicken first, then divide the cooked weight into four equal portions (which won't be exactly 4 ounces each due to moisture loss.)

Include absolutely everything in your calculations. Include your vegetables, fruits, condiments, cooking oils, even the piece of bubble gum you chewed on earlier. If it goes in your mouth, it goes in your plan. Be accurate, collect the data.

The Step-by-Step Meal Planning Method

Here's the systematic approach to create effective meal plans:

Step 1: Start by listing your preferred sources of:

• Protein (chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, etc.)

• Carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.)

• Fats (oils, nuts, avocado, etc.)

• Recipes you may enjoy making

• Treats that you don’t want to give up

Step 2: Build in Priority Order

Set up pre and post-workout meals first- These are straightforward and account for a significant portion of your daily protein and carbs.

Add your primary protein sources- Aim to meet 80% of your protein needs through primary protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs, high protein dairy products, or powders. You don’t need 100% of your protein needs in this step because other foods that are classified as carbs or fats might have some protein in them too.

Include fruits and vegetables- At least two servings of fruit and three servings of fibrous vegetables to combine for five servings daily.

Add the rest of the carbohydrates (Non-fruits and non-vegetables)- The grains, (rice, bread, oats, pasta) legumes, (beans and peas) tubers, (potatoes and other root vegetables) and caloric beverages (fruit juice, milk, sports drinks and alcohol.)

Adjust your protein as needed- Finish off your daily protein targets if you haven’t already.

Include healthy fats- Oils, nuts, avocado to meet your fat targets while being cognizant of your caloric target.

Add treats if possible- Use any remaining calories for foods you enjoy

Step 3: Hit Your Targets

Aim to be within fifty calories of your target when cutting, and within one hundred calories when bulking or maintaining.

Navigating Real-World Challenges

The less you eat out, the better your results will be. But I get it, eating out is part of life as a social being and is fun, so when you do:

• Research menu items beforehand

• Add 20% to listed calories (restaurants often underestimate)

• Remember that restaurant portions are typically much larger than home portions

• A palm-sized piece of meat at a restaurant contains 120-150 more calories than you'd expect due to cooking oils

Another real-world challenge that many people have to navigate is alcohol. Although alcohol struggles to directly turn into fat, it creates a metabolic state that makes storing body fat significantly easier and has a heavy influence on how your body handles other calories.

Most alcohol is broken down in the liver into a toxic byproduct called acetate. Since acetate is toxic, the body prioritizes burning it off immediately. While the body is processing alcohol, it temporarily stops burning (oxidizing) fat and carbohydrates for energy. While the body is busy burning alcohol, any fat or carbohydrates consumed in the same meal (like pizza or wings) are much more likely to be stored as body fat rather than used for fuel. Furthermore, alcohol can hinder body composition goals by reducing muscle protein synthesis by up to 40%. It will also interfere with recovery (sleep) and hormone levels like testosterone and growth hormone, which are essential for maintaining muscle mass. 

So, if you choose to drink:

• Limit to once per week maximum

• Reduce carbs and fats that day

• Eat more protein than usual

• Avoid eating while drinking

• Stick to dry wines and clear spirits (tequila, vodka) avoid beer and sugary cocktails

Your Plan Of Action

If you are a beginner:

Start simple. Eat the same foods every day for a significant period of time. This may sound boring, but you'll be surprised how quickly you adapt when eating foods you actually like. Most people already rotate through the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner options anyway. This is just doing that with nutritional guidelines. Most of the people I know who are extremely successful with their nutrition, eat very similar meals every single day. Remember the concept of “Decision Fatigue!”

If you do want variety:

Once you've mastered the basics, create alternative options for each meal that fit the same calorie and macro constraints. For example, if your standard lunch has 40g protein, 70g carbs, and 20g fat, design alternative lunches with the same numbers. Maybe design seven different lunches if you want something different each day.

Making It Sustainable

Remember, the goal isn't perfection, the goal is long-term consistency. A good meal plan should:

• Include foods you really enjoy

• Fit your unique schedule and lifestyle

• Meet your nutritional needs

• Be simple enough to follow long-term

Some weeks you'll follow it perfectly. Some weeks you won't. That's normal and expected. The key is having a plan to come back to if you get off track. This way you won’t be starting from scratch every time.

Ready to Put It All Together?

If you're ready to stop feeling overwhelmed by daily food decisions and want a systematic approach that delivers consistent results, I'd love to help guide you.

My online coaching program takes everything we've covered in this newsletter series and turns it into a practical eating strategy that works with your real life. I'll create a plan that you’ll actually want to follow, teach you how to navigate challenges, and build sustainable habits that last.

Ready to discover what becomes possible when you have a clear, actionable plan?

Click here to apply for customized online personal training today!

The best meal plan is the one you'll actually follow consistently. Stop trying to be perfect and start building systems that work for your real life.

Your transformation is waiting on the other side of preparation.

***Due to time constraints, The Uplifted Insider is now going to become a bi-weekly newsletter instead of a weekly one.