You don’t have a lot of time, but you understand the importance of nailing down six solid protein “feedings” in order to meet your body’s requirements for training, recovery and growth. Here is a quick daily checklist of meals which can give you a good variety of complete protein sources. Consider this list of meals to be a starting point. From here, you can rearrange meals to better meet your time and available food limitations, as well as your individual taste preferences.

Stop #1 – Major breakfast

Everybody loves a ‘real’ breakfast. Many bodybuilders limit themselves to a boring protein shake in the morning, or perhaps chicken and rice if they are dieting. But you don’t have to take this route. Allowing yourself an extra 15 minutes or so in the morning means you can cook yourself a real breakfast, consisting of 6 to 10 scrambled eggs, some breakfast meat, toast, juice, and perhaps a piece of fruit. Enjoy breakfast – it doesn’t have to be such a chore!

Stop #2 – Chicken & Rice (Pre-workout)

Before your workout, you want to eat light to ensure you’re not dragging in the gym, or worse, vomiting up a big meal. The best way to do this is to enjoy a very low-fast protein source (which will digest quickly) along with a carbohydrate source that will keep your energy levels high for the next 2 hours or so. Eat this meal 45 to 75 minutes before you plan on touching your first weight. Any caffeine supplements to be taken before your workout can be taken at the tail end of this meal to prevent nausea.

Stop #3 – Whey Protein (post-workout)

Within ten minutes of touching your last weight in the gym, you should be mixing a whey protein shake, whether it is in the locker room or on the car ride home. Your muscles are in a very deprived state following a workout, and they are very receptive to amino acids at this point.

Stop #4 – Beef & Pasta

This meal has a higher fat content thanks to the beef, but this is acceptable following your workout when your body is craving some heavy-duty macronutrients to help keep you moving for the remainder of the day.

Stop #5 – Fish & Rice

This meal is ideal for giving your body a low-fat, faster digesting protein source, along with a slower-burning carb source that will keep you from feeling hungry during the night.

Stop #6 – Casein Protein

This slow-burning protein mixed with 1.5 cups of water will ensure you can make it through 8 hours of sleep without entering a catabolic state. And, if you wake up in the middle of the night hungry, slam a whey protein shake for faster absorption and digestion!

If your cooking time is limited, you can prepare more food and eat the same food several times. This is only an ideal list of what you could be eating to meet all your daily requirements while enjoying some much-needed variety in your diet.

If you like this article, click here to share: