Exercise is only half the battle. Use this eating plan alongside your workouts to double your fat loss without missing any muscle-building nutrients. You’ll excavate those abs quicker than ever
1. Greens
Loaded with vitamins, greens will balance out your hormones and transfer protein to right where it’s needed.
Morning: 3 asparagus spears
Lunch: 2 handfuls spinach
Afternoon: 2 handfuls broccoli
Evening: 1 handful kale
Before Bed: 500ml green drink
2. Protein
To compensate for the kilojoule deficit you’re creating, you need a lot of protein. Split it across the day and aim for 1g per 0.5kg of your bodyweight. Here’s a breakdown for an 80kg man.
Morning: 3 boiled eggs
Lunch: 2 chicken breasts
Evening: 1 rump steak, 1 handful kidney beans
Any Time: 1 protein shake
Total Protein: 160g
3. Fats
Fat doesn’t actually make you fat. Refined carbs are to blame for the podge around your middle. Healthy fats fuel your training, encourage muscle growth and, crucially, teach your body to burn fat for energy.
Morning: 1 handful cashews, 1 tsp coconut oil
Lunch: 1 avocado
Evening: ½ handful Mozzarella
Before Bed: 1 Tbsp almond butter
Total Fats: 83g
4. Carbs
Yes, you need to cut back on these to build six-pack abs, but most of the carbs you do put away you’ll eat before bed. That’s right: this improves sleep quality and recovery, reducing cortisol and body fat. Here’s what you should tuck into each day.
Morning: 1 handful blueberries
Lunch: 1 banana
Evening: Large spoonful sweet potato mash, 1 apple
Total Carbs: 123g
If you find yourself looking for something to nibble on in between meals, try any of these nuts.
01 Peanuts – Barstool Flu Shot Not shopping at farmer’s markets? Dry-roasted peanuts actually contain 22% more bug-beating antioxidants than raw ones.
02 Macadamia Nuts – Heal Your Heart These underrated cardio champions are a rare source of omega-7, which cuts “bad” LDL cholesterol levels by 9%.
03 Pumpkin Seeds Pre-Gym Cocktail With testosterone-boosting zinc and magnesium for strong muscle contraction, these are like ZMA capsules – but tastier.
04 Pistachios – Little Green Pill The best closing-time bar snack going: a few handfuls a day improves genital blood flow, say Turkish scientists.
05 Almonds – Ditch Your Gut US research saw almond-munchers shed 64% more fat than nut-dodging dieters with an identical kilojoule intake.
06 Brazil Nuts – Have a Happy Monday Just one provides your RDA of selenium, low levels of which are linked to depression. No, you’re not nuts.
07 Chia Seeds – Swerve the Ice Bath These are a rich in DOMS-fighting omega-3, with bone-building minerals, too. Chuck them in a pre-match smoothie.
08 Sesame Seeds – Live to Be 101 A 40g heap of sesame a day lowers artery-clogging LDL cholesterol by 9.5%. And no, there aren’t enough on a burger roll.
09 Walnuts – Productivity x 100 Brain-shaped for a reason: in a new study, half a cup every two days improved subjects’ critical-thinking ability.