PHASE 3 – The Forever Phase
At Big 5 we are big believers in having a fitness life that works together with your everyday life. We don’t believe in cutting things out for the long term, unless it’s something that makes you sick.
It’s time to work this in to your daily/weekly/monthly routine.
The range in Phase 4 is to accommodate your bodies individual needs including your physical size. The bigger you are the higher your nutritional needs, i.e. a 6 foot tall person requires more than a 5 foot person. Activity level, i.e. more active = more nutritional requirements.
Age and life stage also play a role, the younger you are the higher your nutritional requirements, pregnant and nursing women also require additional nutrition, as we age into our 60’s our requirements reduce. Last but not least your body composition. Bottom line is a one-size fits all plan just does not exist! Your forever plan needs to be tailored to your unique nutritional requirements.
Eat high energy carbs when you need them, as the name suggests eat them when you need energy for exercise so your body can use the energy and not store it! Eat your high energy carbs with the snack or meal before or after exercise. If you are not vigorously exercising during the day you don’t have to eat these, this is up to you. You can choose the number of meals/snacks a day you eat;
Lifestyle plan
If we told you that you could never eat your forever food again, you’d probably nod, turn around and never come back to see us!
We now adjust the plan to fit with our weekly needs. If you know you are going to have a big weekend with food and alcohol, you adjust during the week and eat less to accomodate for it. Some people may say this isn’t a healthy approach but I can assure you it’s a hell of a lot healthier than eating your normal amount of food during the week PLUS overeating and drinking on the weekend. That will make you gain weight for sure and many of us have been through it. The weight slowly creeps on you without you noticing but all of a sudden you are 15 kg’s heavier.
The weekly intake is more important than the daily. One meal never made anyone fat but if you have one bad year, you may end up not feeling the greatest.
Enjoy life, eat according to this plan 80-90 percent of the time most of the time. By that I mean that some weeks are going to be worse than others but don’t stress about it. If you aren’t where you want to be after 6, maybe 12 months, then we need to address something.
The easiest way to portion meals is to use a hand measurement guide. This controls calorie intake without having to count anything!
Adult women on Phase 4 should eat:
- 4 – 6 palms of protein
- 6 – 8 fists of vegetables
- 4 – 8 cupped hands of carbs (high energy or low sugar fruit*)
- 4 – 6 thumbs of fat
Adult men on Phase 4 should aim to eat:
- 8-12 palms of protein
- 6-8 fists of vegetables
- 4-8 cupped hands of carbs
- 4-8 thumbs of fat
Source: Precision Nutrition
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide-infographic