The Ultimate Nutrition Guide to Sustainable Results
Mike Gorski RD. CPPS
The following is what I have found to be the simplest way to structure nutrition for guaranteed
success. Nutrition is the component that really dictates results – whether your goal is fat loss or
muscle gain – proper nutrition is essential.
The following 10 rules are ones that are simple, yet may not seem easy. However, if you stick to
these even 80% of the time – you will find yourself in the 1% of people who actually gives a
“you know what” about his/her health.
These are in order of highest importance, however, if you see one that you know you are not
doing at all, this may be your linchpin habit to focus on first.
The following rules are based on hand portions, not macro numbers. While I do like tracking
macro numbers, this is all about convenience and speed. If you follow these guidelines you will
see results without having to log food.
1) Eat Consistently Everyday – 7 Days per week
People used to think that you had to eat 5-6 times per day, and now it’s cool to only eat once
per day (this is called Intermittent Fasting) – the real answer is – Find what works best for YOU
and your job, lifestyle, and preferences and do that 7 days per week. The biggest factor being
weekends. Our schedules are different on weekends, but that doesn’t mean we need to eat
different. Yes, enjoy a drink here and there, and some good food – but don’t go hog-wild and
turn it into a 48 hour binge fest.
2) Eat Complete, Lean Protein at Each Eating Opportunity
Protein is essential for life – but extra beneficial for an optimized life. Lean proteins include:
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Lean meats – ground beef (90/10 or better), turkey, bison, venison
Fish
Egg whites with an egg or 2
Low fat dairy – cottage cheese and Greek yogurt
Vegetarian options – soy, tofu, tempeh
Protein supplements – Whey Isolate, Plant Protein Powders
How much? Shoot for a serving the size of your hand at each meal, and the size of your palm at
each snack.
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020
3) Eat Vegetables as much as possible
This is a no brainer and I won’t bore you here. Just eat your damn veggies. I like to eat mine at a
meal first – then enjoy the other things that I look more forward to.
4) Low Carb or Low Fat for Fat Loss
Protein intake matters most. From there, it becomes what works better for you! Studies have
shown that whether you do lower carb or lower fat, results are dictated by which one you are
more likely to stick to.
Now, if you are quite a bit heavier, or new to exercise – I would recommend lower carb. Carbs
are great fuel for intense exercise. So if you are new to this, you may not be at a level that you
can train with intensity - and that’s okay! Also, if you carry more weight around your belly you
are likely more sensitive to carbs – or possibly even have metabolic syndrome or type 2
diabetes. In this case, your body doesn’t break down carbs as efficiently and leads to
mismanagement via insulin.
If you choose to do lower carbs, or you fit the example above, focus on fruits and veggies all day
for your carbs and keep your “other carbs” for the 1-3 hours after your workouts.
Your other carbs would be grains, starches, potatoes, rice, etc.
If maximum muscle building is the goal – carbs are your friend, eat them at every meal, and
reference the example guide for muscle building portions.
5) Eat Healthy Fats
Minimize your junk fats – trans fats (desserts and processed junk) – as much as possible and
keep saturated fats (butter, animal fats) lower.
Healthy fats include olive oils, avocado, almonds, walnuts and fish oils (salmon). They do add up
fast, and calories still matter (especially if you’re trying to lose weight) – so reference the
portion guides for exact goals.
6) Don’t Drink Your Calories
Water and calorie free drinks should be your go to. Obviously, you may want to have an adult
beverage here or there – so keep the calories low and stick to liquor + club soda. Any flavored
zero calorie drink is fine as well – but water should always be the ultimate goal.
Protein shakes are an exception here.
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020
7) Eat Whole Foods Over Supplements As Much As Possible
Yes, I know I JUST mentioned protein shakes. One shake a day (20-30 grams) is totally cool. I
just don’t want you getting most of your protein from shakes, bars and other supplements
that’s all. There are tons of other beneficial nutrients in whole food sources, and they fill you up
more!
8) Plan Ahead and Prepare What You Can
Fail to plan – plan to fail. Even prepping a bunch of ground beef, chicken or a big batch of slow
cooker chili can go a long way to help keep you on track. If you have meals that you struggle
with consistency on, set aside 1-2 hours on a weekend to plan and prep in advance what you
can.
9) Eat A Wide Variety of Foods…Once You Have Found Consistency
One of the easiest ways to build consistency with everything above is to keep things basic and
simple. It’s also one of the best ways to get bored and burnout on foods.
Focus on building the habits first, for about 4 weeks minimum – but then don’t be afraid to mix
things up a bit so you don’t get bored. Stick to the habits above and you will be just fine trying
new things.
10) Plan to Break 1-9
Nobody is perfect. Shooting for perfection is a form of procrastination. It’s okay to mess up, to
break these rules. The key is – you get right back on track ASAP. Don’t sit around beating
yourself up. Get over it and move forward. If you plan to break the rules 10% of the time, you
are still doing an AMAZING job.
The 10% of the time should be for special occasions – holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc. Live it
up, enjoy them, and just get right back to it afterwards. No problem!
Stick to these rules and you will be seeing results in no time!
The following meal templates are a great starting point for your goals. They are made assuming
that you are working out after work, so your heavy carb meal comes at dinner, after your
workout. IF you train in the morning, just move around the heavier carb meal to whichever
meal comes AFTER your workout.
The Carb Cycling option is GREAT for people who are serious about making the most dramatic
changes. It takes a little more work, but it works amazingly!
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020
Lower Carb
Fat Loss Template
Lower Fat
Fat Loss Template
Maintain/Recomp
Template
Muscle Build
Template
Meal 1:
Meal 1:
Meal 1:
Meal 1:
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 thumb healthy fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
1 thumb healthy fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
2 palm starchy carbs
1 thumb healthy fat
Snack 1:
Snack 1:
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Snack 1:
Snack 1:
Meal 2:
Meal 2:
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
1 palm lean protein
1 palm starchy carbs
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 thumb healthy fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
Snack 2:
Snack 2:
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Meal 2:
Meal 2:
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
1 thumb healthy fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
1 thumb healthy fat
Snack 2:
Snack 2:
Meal 3 (post workout)
2 fists starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
Meal 3 (post workout)
2 fists starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Meal 3 (post workout)
2 fists starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020
1 palm lean protein
1 palm starchy carbs
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Meal 3 (post workout)
2 fists starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
Carb Cycling for Fatloss
Lower Carb (non- training days)
Fat Loss Template
Lower Fat (training days)
Fat Loss Template
Meal 1:
Meal 1:
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
2 thumb healthy fat
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
Snack 1:
Snack 1:
1 palm lean protein
1 thumb fat
Meal 2:
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
2 thumb healthy fat
Snack 2:
1 palm lean protein
1 thumb fat
Meal 3
1 fist starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Meal 2:
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 fist fruit
1 palm starchy carbs
Snack 2:
1 palm lean protein
1 palm fruit
1 thumb fat
Meal 3 (post workout)
2 fists starchy carbs
1 hand lean protein
1 fist veggies
1 thumb healthy fat
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020
Macro Categories
Fat:
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Egg yolks
Avocado
Nut butters
Nuts
Oils
Olives
Fat/Protein:
• Eggs
• Bacon
• Steak
• Tofu
• Whole fat milk
• Whole fat yogurt
• Full fat cheese
• Chia seeds
Protein:
• Egg whites
• Chicken breast (or sliced from the deli)
• Turkey (breast, patties, or bacon)
• White fish
• Lean ground beef
• Non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Non-fat cottage cheese
• Non or low fat cheese
• Whey protein
Carbs/Protein:
• Beans
• Whole grains
• Quinoa
• Nonfat sweetened Greek yogurt
• Frozen yogurt
• Fair Life skim milk
• Peas
• Protein bars (most have around 7g fat)
Carbohydrates:
• Bread
• English muffins
• Tortillas
• Rice
• Pasta
• Cereal
• Bran
• Oats
• Potatoes
• Popcorn
• Pancakes/waffles
• Bananas
• Frozen berries
• Seasonal veggies
• Jello or pudding
• All non starchy veggies don’t really
count for carbs (green and other
colored veggies)
What about the Carb/Fat Category?
These are mostly things that you should eat as little of as possible.
• Donuts or other breakfast desserts
• Fancy coffee drinks
• Pizza
• Anything deep fried
• Desserts
• Most things that come in vending machines
Created by Mike Gorski – Registered Dietitian – mike@mgfitlife.com - 2020