Philosophy
I DONโT even have a routine, I just eat what I fancy. I donโt prepare my food in advance or plan ahead but I keep healthy and keep track
of my weight. I donโt know the science behind it but I try and vary my diet and I know Iโm eating the right stuff. I also like a little cheesecake now and again, a treat once or twice a week.
Doctorโs orders:
Although many athletes do not follow a structured plan, it can be useful to not only see what works but also what doesnโt. By tracking the type, timing and quantity of your food and fluid intake along with magnitudes of weight loss and how you felt during and after each training session, you can continue to make subtle improvements which, over the years, could make a meaningful difference.
Breakfast
I have porridge every morning religiously, just plain or with a bit of honey maybe. I eat breakfast about an hour before I go to the gym, so I might eat it at 9am then train at 10am. I donโt stuff myself. Even sometimes before a night session I might have a little porridge for energy, it makes me feel full and energised.
Doctorโs orders: ย
Porridge is a perfect breakfast but it could be consumed an hour earlier to allow more time for digestion. Depending on the amount of milk you use, you could be lacking protein at breakfast. Adding some whey protein to your porridge โ or having three eggs at breakfast โ could increase your protein intake.
Lunch
I have a good meal, so chicken and veg, fish and veg. I really enjoy fish โ salmon is my favourite โ and a nice steak, with a few new potatoes. I used to be really into broccoli but now itโs asparagus and spinach; I prefer green veg.
Doctorโs orders: ย
Lunch choices seem great in terms of protein and vegetables. Depending on the weight that needs to be lost, it is fine to add some
more variety of carbohydrates to help recovery e.g. basmati rice, quinoa, sweet potato etc.
Dinner
My main meal I have after my last training session, so it could be 6-7pm or sometimes as late as 9pm; Iโm a spur-of-the-moment person, I donโt train at set times except when Iโm with [head coach] Joe Gallagher in Manchester. Iโve got my own gym locally [in Lincolnshire]. I eat fish and rice or chicken and rice with veg or, if my mum is doing something nice, Iโll steam into that. Recently she made Italian chicken with pasta. I eat out quite a lot. You can eat healthy at a restaurant, thereโs an Italian I use quite a lot where Iโll have steak with salad, and a chicken place like Nandoโs where I order the chicken and rice.
Doctorโs orders: ย
Having a structured time for dinner would be beneficial as eating too late at night (especially large portions of carbohydrate such as pasta) could make it harder to lose body fat in the long term. If dinner is at 6-7pm, then it is still useful to consume protein prior to sleep.
Snacks
I snack on fruit throughout the day. I eat straight after my first gym session, a big snack, maybe a jacket potato with some salad or chicken breast with salad. Iโll eat that within half an hour or an hour. I always feel hungry after a good session, but then I wont eat until my next session or โ
if itโs been four-five hours โ I will have a banana 10-20 minutes before I go to the gym. I like to feel something in my stomach before I train.
Doctorโs orders: ย
Fruit is a good snack but adding some Greek yoghurt to it would make it a more complete snack as it would also provide protein. As a general guide, itโs good to get into the habit of eating/snacking every three hours, this will help provide a continual supply of protein to the muscles and will also keep hunger under control so that you donโt potentially over-eat at the next main meal.
Supplements
I donโt use many supplements. All they are is food supplements so surely Iโm better off having proper food. Always after the weigh-in Iโll have dioralytes and energy drinks for recovery.
Doctorโs orders: ย
It is true that a sound diet should achieve all nutritional goals. Nevertheless, whey protein can be beneficial for convenience purposes to help recovery and other supplements such as beta-alanine could be beneficial for competition. Vitamin D supplementation is also useful as many UK athletes are deficient in this vitamin.