Good for you! You know you’re in a desk job (let’s say you’re an accountant), but you’re not going to use that as an excuse to let that stop you from losing fat. In fact, you’re already exercising (and what the heck, let’s say it’s Crossfit ;)), but you know that your nutrition could be better.
So you already have one thing going for you. You’re probably the coolest accountant in the world, just because you’re doing Crossfit (I guess in that population, it’s not tough to be the “coolest.” Ha! Just kidding, my dear subscribers who are accountants. I love you all).
Original source: here.
So what is the ideal nutrition plan for someone who works out in the morning but has a desk job and wants to decrease body fat without a decrease in strength?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking. “He’s going to say ‘it depends.’”
Ah, you know me so well. I’m glad you’re a regular reader of this newsletter and know what I’m going to say (I assume that you anxiously sit at your desk every Monday evening, with your email inbox open, frantically clicking the “refresh” button until you see this newsletter. Then, when you see it, you have an intense feeling of pleasure, and a sign of relief. Is that a fair assumption?)
So what does your optimal nutrition plan depend on? When we work with clients, there are a few things we consider:
- Your goals. If you’re trying to lose fat, it will be different than if you’re trying to gain muscle.
- Your current nutrition plan.
- Your hormonal profile.
- Your job.
- Your digestive function
- What supplements are you taking
- And more
So as you can tell, there are a lot of considerations, but here are a few general guidelines that are appropriate for almost everyone:
Place a bowl full of veggies within arms’ reach. You know the saying “out of sight, out of mind?” The opposite is true as well. If you have veggies within arms’ reach at all times, they’ll get eaten. Side effects include more energy, better health, and fat loss. No willpower required.
Original source: here.
Take a multi-vitamin. In many of the talks I do, people ask whether they need to take supplements. One of my favourite authors, Dr. Mark Hyman says (and I’ll bet I’m misquoting) “you don’t need supplements if you live around the equator, eat all organic, never come in contact with pollution, don’t have any stress or any health conditions.” Translation: you need supplements. But which ones should be determined on an individual basis. The only one I can recommend without a doubt is a high-quality multivitamin (and when I say “high-quality”, that excludes Centrum and One-A-Day. Oops. Did I offend anyone?).
Have a serving of protein with each of the 3 major meals. The ideal sources of protein are meat, fish and seafood. No, eggs, dairy/cheese, nuts/seeds, and beans are not considered protein. Although they have protein in them, it’s not the primary nutrient. Eggs and dairy do have protein, but they have more fat than protein. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way it is. Beans also have protein, but they also have more than twice as many carbohydrates as protein. Again, that doesn’t make them bad (in fact, they’re almost a superfood), it just doesn’t make it a source of protein.
There you have it! A few sure-fire strategies to help you lose fat in a desk job.
Now yes, it does get a bit more complicated. If you’ve been to my speaking engagements, you’ll know that I always say “as your body changes, so should your training, nutrition and supplementation.” Which means that just because something is ideal for you today doesn’t mean that it will be ideal for you in a few months.
That’s why we measure our clients every 2 weeks to figure out how we should change their training, nutrition and supplementation. Also, we make our clients fill out a 321-symptom questionnaire that looks at things like hormonal health, digestion, and more. If you feel like you need a more personalized approach than what’s described in this newsletter, you can apply for our services.
Short Summary
- The “ideal” nutrition plan is different for everyone
- A few strategies that work most of the time:
- Keep a bowl full of veggies within arms’ reach at all times.
- Have a serving of protein with each meal
- Take a multi-vitamin