The PT Challenge-3 ; Nutrition Plan

Moving ahead with a nutrition and training plan..

Firstly, here's the results of my goal setting process.. the first time I have shared them..

I have 2 performance goals this year.

1. Improve my general Crossfit performance - this can be measured by multiple techniques (I will go into them in more detail after a couple of months of training.

2. I have booked Yorkshire marathon in October and I want to run it aiming for a marathon PB. I realise this may be counter-intuitive to Goal 1, but it will be my last attempt at a marathon PB.

Diet and Nutrition Goals

1. Get consistency with my diet and properly understand it.
2. Reduce body fat - I know I am currently carrying too much and want to reduce down
3. Be able to work with a diet plan while training hard - I need to understand how to eat properly while training. Previously, despite training to take part in some great long distance challenges, I know my general nutrition wasn't great and I also know my race/event nutrition wasn't calculated correctly.

Finally sorting out my nutrition

Sooo.. how am I doing this..??

I spent a month reading and testing out the Zone Diet, which is essentially eating equal "blocks" of protein, carbs and fats. I found it an interesting concept (and also discovered the yum breakfast above), but couldn't see a practical way to get it to work.
I then talked with my daughter, who has been working with a nutritionist (and crossfit coach) and after swapping a couple of messages with him, I then also signed up.

So, how does it work for me..?

1. Checkpoint - food log, weights, pictures, current status.. and also goals, training plans, and forward thinking. A good solid start and similar process to how I would take on a new training client.

2. Week 1 - complete food and training logs and starting advice on what I should be shopping for, what I should be thinking about, and also making sure I am being realistic in expectations.

3. Weekly - I am given daily targets for the week for carbs, protein, fat and log EVERYTHING I eat (and drink). I am given specific advice on my overall nutrition but nothing prescriptive..
I'm very lucky that my daughter helps by doing my meal prep and has helped me understand how to  put the theory into practice..

Here's my progress over the first few weeks:

• I now understand food labels.. and how the individual ingredients impact the overall balance of your diet in a day
• I have a far better understanding of the poor choices I made previously and how they affect the balance of food in a day
• I'm eating far more protein, and far more in relation to carbs.. and losing weight..
• I can go a whole week without chocolate.. my sweet tooth changes quite quickly...
• Chicken, chicken and more chicken :-)

Next time I'll share my progress, pictures and also share my performance goals and current PB's that I'll be tracking over the coming months..