How I structure a Meal Plan as a Busy Professional
There’s a difference between meal planning and meal prepping.
You don’t need to have batch-cooked all of your weekly meals to have a great meal plan that works for you. Just like most good plans, a meal plan helps you stay on track, stay focused, know the direction you are heading with your nutrition, and allows you to pivot if/where things are not working to get you results.
Structuring a meal plan can help you achieve your health and nutrition goals by ensuring that you are eating a balanced diet and getting the nutrients your body needs. Given everything I balance in my day (running a business, working as an accredited nutritionist and leaning on my psychology background, and running a family and household), I am very limited with patience and anything that can help me achieve my goals on a faster, smarter way is my preference.
That said, here’s how I structure my own meal plans so get the results that I want from my training so that:
I feel energised when I need to be.
I can focus on the tasks that are essential.
I can be patient and not derail when times get difficult.
I get results from my training sessions (instead of aimlessly wasting time in the gym).
7 Key Steps:
Occasionally, I am interested in what my overall daily caloric needs are. Determine your calorie needs. Calculate your daily calorie needs based on your age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. This will give you an idea of how many calories you should be consuming each day. From there I decide if I want to make changes to my body composition by either being in a caloric surplus (I.e., increasing muscle), deficit (i.e. (shredding/cutting), or maintenance.
I choose nutrient-dense foods: Focus on choosing nutrient-dense foods that provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. This includes fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources (for me 100% plant based as I am vegetarian), whole grains, and healthy fats. I am not a huge avocado fan, so other options include hummus, tahini, nut butter/nuts.
I plan meals around my macronutrient needs: As I enjoy a combination of weight-training and cardio (generally low impact), my macro goals sit around 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein, 20% fat. I aim to include a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats in each meal, suing the Power Plate. This can help keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day.
I consider meal frequency and timing: Decide on the number of meals you want to eat each day and the timing of those meals. Some people prefer to eat smaller, more frequent meals while others prefer larger meals spread out throughout the day. Depending on what I have on that day for both the business and/or the kids, and my level of training, this can vary between 4-6 meals per day.
Protein is key: Protein helps me to grow and maintain lean muscle, meaning I have more energy and my metabolic rate also increases as I age. My protein goals are around 100-110g per day, so the focus is on 20-30g protein per larger meal and around 15g protein per snack. Then I add carbs and fat where appropriate.
I rarely batch cook because my family eats a lot! However, I do know what I am typically going to eat for dinner 70% of the week. From there I can plan my days so that the other meals align with that. Where I can I try to prep on the days that I work from home and do not have meetings. So, that means prepping in between projects and calls.
Prepping and cooking meals in advance can saves me time and ensure that you have healthy options readily available. You may want to consider batch cooking or prepping ingredients in advance to make meal preparation easier.
Track progress and adjust as needed: Keep track of your progress and adjust your meal plan as needed based on your goals, preferences, and situation. be mindful that a meal plan is NOT static. It is in fact, very fluid and you need to allow for adjustments where necessary to keep you on track – both physically and in a calmer, happier, mindset.
Remember, a well-structured meal plan is not only about what you eat but also about how much you eat. Be mindful of portion sizes, particularly if you are busy professional and high achiever who undergoes a fair amount of stress in the day as this can lead to starvation with bingeing in the evening or stress eating throughout the day, or not eating properly because of limited choices and energy fluctuations. I wrote more about this in the article: What Busy professionals Worry about and what to do about it.
What's one thing from the above you can implement today?
If you know you would benefit from a structured meal plan with advice that is tailored to your specific situation – then let’s have a chat. Book a free call here and start a plan that is structured, consistent and works for you and your lifestyle.
New online course set to launch in 2024!
2024 is set to be a huge year with the launch of my new online course! Fitter, stronger, leaner. How to structure a Nutrition Plan for Busy Professionals and High Performers focuses specifically on meal planning and all the areas involved with structuring a nutrition plan that will help you get to your fitness goals faster, regardless of your demanding lifestyle. More to come!
Further reading:
https://www.execfuel.com.au/blog/what-busy-professionals-worry-about-and-what-to-do-about-it
https://www.execfuel.com.au/blog/the-benefits-of-snacking
https://www.execfuel.com.au/blog/corporate-athlete-next-level
https://www.execfuel.com.au/blog/structure-amp-consistency-with-nutrition
https://www.execfuel.com.au/blog/understanding-your-macros-to-achieve-your-health-amp-fitness-goals
