Nutrition Protocol

A complete system for fueling training, losing fat, and staying healthy — designed to require minimal daily thinking. Batch cook on Sunday, grab and go during the week.

Goal: Slow cut — lose fat while preserving muscle and maintaining strength Approach: High protein, moderate carbs, moderate fat. Meal prep + eating out. No perfection needed — get close to the targets most days.

Targets & Tracking

Setting Your Macro Targets

All targets are derived from your bodyweight and activity level. Measure your starting stats (weight, body fat % if available) and estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) using any online TDEE calculator — input your training schedule honestly.

Example for a 170 lb lifter (TDEE ~2,900 kcal):

If weight doesn't move after 2-3 weeks, drop by 100-200 kcal (reduce carbs slightly). If strength is declining, you're cutting too aggressively — add 100-200 kcal back.

Tracking Weight

Weigh yourself every morning after waking, before eating — same conditions each time. Review the weekly average, not daily fluctuations (water, sodium, and carbs cause day-to-day swings of 1-3 lbs that mean nothing).

If the weekly average is flat for 2-3 weeks → reduce calories by 100-200 (cut carbs). If losing faster than 1 lb/week → add 100-200 back (strength will suffer otherwise).

Daily Meal Structure

Protein is spread across 4-5 meals at 20-50g each — optimal for muscle protein synthesis. The body can only use so much per sitting, so spacing it out matters more than total intake at one meal.

Adapting to Your Week

Some days you'll have access to meals you didn't cook — workplace meals, social dinners, travel. The framework stays the same:

• Meal-prep days: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner come from what you cooked on Sunday.
• Provided-meal days: If your workplace offers lunch (or you're eating at a canteen, cafeteria, etc.), skip the meal-prep version and choose the highest-protein option available.
• Eating-out days: Pick a high-protein restaurant option. The go-to fallback is a high-protein bowl from any fast-casual restaurant — double protein, rice, beans, veggies. Approximately 700-800 cal with 50-80g protein.

The 4 overnight oats jars and 8 meal-prep containers from Sunday prep cover most of the week. When plans fall through or you're out of meal prep, a high-protein restaurant bowl is always the fallback — hits macros, no thinking required.

Dinner is flexible — meal prep on nights you're home, eating out with friends when you're social. The key is hitting your daily protein target. If you've had a high-protein lunch, dinner can be lighter. If lunch was carb-heavy, prioritize protein at dinner.

Recipes

Overnight Oats

The default breakfast. Make 4 jars on Sunday evening — covers most of the week. Takes 10 minutes.

Macros per jar: ~530 cal | 42g protein | 58g carbs | 16g fat

Ingredients per jar:

Steps:

1. Line up 4 jars or containers on the counter.
2. Dry ingredients first — in each jar: 1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 scoop creatine, 1 tbsp chia seeds, pinch of cinnamon.
3. Wet ingredients — in each jar: 3/4 cup oat milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter.
4. Stir well. Protein powder clumps if you don't mix it — use a fork or small whisk. Make sure the peanut butter is incorporated, not sitting in a lump.
5. Top with fruit — 1/4 cup frozen berries + half a banana, sliced. Don't stir after adding fruit — let it sit on top.
6. Seal and fridge. By morning the oats are soft, berries have thawed and released juice, chia seeds have thickened everything. Ready to eat cold, straight from the jar.

Shopping list for 4 jars: 2 cups oats, 4 scoops protein, 4 scoops creatine, 4 tbsp chia seeds, 4 tbsp peanut butter, 3 cups oat milk, 1 cup frozen berries, 2 bananas.

Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

High-protein meal prep for lunch or dinner. Makes 4 meals using an air fryer. Total time: ~30 min.

Macros per meal: ~420 cal | 48g protein | 35g carbs | 10g fat

Ingredients:

Steps:

1. Cut chicken into 2-inch chunks. If thick, slice in half lengthwise first. Toss with teriyaki sauce, marinate 10 min.
2. Cube sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Toss with avocado oil spray, salt, pepper, paprika.
3. Round 1 (8 min): Broccoli tossed with avocado oil spray, salt, pepper, paprika. Air fry at 400°F for 8 min. Set aside.
4. Round 2 (18 min): Chicken with all the marinade (don't drain) at 375°F for 12 min, flip halfway. Sweet potatoes at 400°F for 18 min, shake halfway. If you have a dual-zone air fryer, cook both simultaneously.
5. Divide into 4 containers: ~7 oz chicken, sweet potato, broccoli, handful of raw spinach. Sprinkle sesame seeds.
6. Fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat microwave 2-3 min.

Note: If using a single-zone air fryer or oven, cook in separate batches: broccoli first (400°F, 8 min), then sweet potatoes (400°F, 18 min), then chicken (375°F, 12 min).

High-Protein Pasta Bolognese

Comfort food that hits macros. Makes 4 meals on the stovetop. Total time: ~25 min.

Macros per meal: ~520 cal | 45g protein | 50g carbs | 14g fat

Ingredients:

Steps:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat avocado oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, break it up, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian herbs. Cook until browned, 8-10 min.
3. Pour marinara into the pan with the beef. Stir, simmer 5 min.
4. Toss pasta into the sauce and mix well.
5. Divide into 4 containers. Fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat microwave 2-3 min.

High-Protein Restaurant Bowl (Eating Out Fallback)

Your go-to when eating out. Double protein makes it a high-protein meal that fits the plan.

Order at any fast-casual restaurant: Bowl with double protein (chicken, steak, etc.), rice, beans, veggies, salsa, lettuce.

Approximate macros: ~750 cal | 70-80g protein | 70g carbs | 20g fat

This works as lunch or dinner. The protein is high enough that you have flexibility with other meals that day.

Sunday Meal Prep

Everything you need to cook on Sunday to cover the week. Takes about 60-75 minutes total.

What to make:

That gives you 4 breakfasts + 8 lunch/dinner meals. Eating out and provided meals cover the rest.

Prep order (most efficient):

1. Start pasta water boiling.
2. While waiting: make overnight oats (10 min) — dry ingredients, wet, fruit, fridge.
3. Cook pasta when water boils. While pasta cooks, brown ground beef in a pan.
4. Start chicken marinade while beef cooks.
5. Finish Bolognese — sauce into beef, toss pasta, divide into 4 containers.
6. Air fryer round 1 — broccoli (8 min).
7. Air fryer round 2 — chicken + sweet potatoes (18 min).
8. Assemble chicken bowls — divide into 4 containers.
9. Done. Everything in the fridge.

Supplements

Daily Schedule

What Each Supplement Does

Buying Supplements

When choosing brands, look for:

• Third-party testing — NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, or USP verified
• Bioavailable forms — glycinate for minerals (not oxide), D3 paired with K2, fish oil with high EPA/DHA
• Minimal fillers — shorter ingredient lists are generally better

Buy in bulk where possible (creatine, protein powder) and subscribe for items you take daily (greens powder, omega-3). Most supplement stacks can be maintained for under $200/month if you shop strategically.

Weekly Shopping List

Order groceries for Saturday or Sunday delivery so you can cook Sunday.

For meal prep (order weekly):

Staples (buy once, last weeks/months):