You’ve probably heard it before, but crushing your workouts will only get you so far. It’s your eating habits that will help get you the long-term results you’re after.

Unfortunately, nutrition is also the most difficult part of fitness for most people to understand and put into action! That’s why we created the V Shred Custom Coaching program: to help eliminate the guess work and have the experts do the heavy lifting of figuring out what and how much to eat — so you don’t have to!

If you’ve received your a V Shred Custom Diet Plan or are just considering buying one, here’s what to expect — and a step-by-step guide of how to turn that plan into actual meals!

What to Expect When You Get Your Plan

When you open up your meal plan, the first thing you will see is your meals for the entire week.

Most days will look like this:

• Breakfast
• Snack
• Lunch
• Snack
• Dinner

There might be another snack before bed, depending your goals. In addition to everything you need to eat at each meal, you will find the calorie/macro breakdown for each meal and your total daily calories/macros for the entire day at the bottom of the page.

Before we dig deep into the plan, let’s address the one question we almost always get right out of the gate. Why is my plan just one week? 

Here’s why: Unless you see something that you don’t like, or we determine the plan isn’t working for you and your goals, our plans are written to repeat the same meals for several weeks, — normally, right about a month.

That may sound weird, but there is a reason. You get better at your diet the same way you do with your workouts — by repeating them more than once. Sticking to the same meals for a few weeks helps you learn crucial meal preparation and portion control skills!

Once you are confident and seeing results, we’ll start mixing things up. But if you need more variety, reach out to Be it day one or day 90; your coach is always happy to make adjustments!

Now let’s dig into how to put your plan into action, in 5 steps.

Step 1: Look Over All Seven Days Of Your Plan 

Start with page one and go through each meal. Don’t just skim! Do a deep dive. Look for anything you may see as a problem; a food you hate, something you are allergic to, or a meal that just doesn’t feel right.

If something looks off, speak up! Let your coach know, and they will keep changing it until you are happy! Your plan is never set in stone.

That’s a big difference between our meal plans and ones from other online services. Our plans are meant to be truly customized. We keep making adjustments until you’re confident you can follow it without feeling overly restricted or overwhelmed.

Step 2: Make a Shopping List & Head to the Grocery Store 

After the meal schedule, you will find recipes and instructions. Skip past this section for now and go to the back of the meal plan and look at the shopping list! It is about three pages long and includes everything you need to follow our recipe suggestions and make your meals.

Because your meals come from recipes, this section may look a little weird. Like, who buys .38 cups of salsa, right? Or just one tablespoon of peanut butter?

But remember, you will be repeating this meal plan for four weeks, so you will be buying almost everything you need for an entire month of meals.

That’s another perk of meal planning: It is very budget-friendly! It may seem expensive during that first shopping trip, but once you get good at shopping, you can easily save enough money each month to pay for your meal plan.

We suggest printing this section and taking it to the store with you so you can buy everything you need to set yourself up for most of the month in a single trip. In some cases, you’ll only have to buy some of these things once every few months.

You will also see specific brand names called out on these shopping lists. You don’t need to buy the exact brands listed. Buy the brand you want or that you can afford.

Step 3: Practice Measuring Your Food

Our meal plans contain a range of pretty normal food: measurements: tablespoons, ounces, cups, etc. If you go to the last page of the meal plan, there’s a simple portion guide that helps you put those into some terms. For example, a cup of salad greens is about the size of a baseball.

However, we recommend investing in a food scale and tools like measuring cups and spoons for optimal accuracy. You can pick one up at most department/grocery chains or find them really cheap online. 

That may seem like overkill, but here’s why it’s so important. Compare these two servings of nuts. They’re both a size that would be easy to scoop out of a bag with your hand, but one contains an extra 235 calories.

That number of extra calories one time won’t make or break your results. But repeated on a regular basis for weeks or months, the calories will definitely add up!

The moral of the story: It’s hard to “eyeball” portions, especially when you’re not used to it. Use a food scale as often as you can, at least for a couple of months. Over time you can get pretty good at eyeballing, but it takes plenty of practice.

Step 4: Learn Your Swaps

Our V Shred coaches share a short guide with every meal plan that lists easy protein, carb, fat, and vegetable substitutions. These are interchangeable foods based on your wants, needs, and cravings, and will help keep you from getting bored with your plan.

For example, let’s say you see chicken on your plan a few times. If you already know that you are going to get sick of chicken after a couple of days, when you are out grocery shopping, pick up some items on the substitute list! You could have an equal portion of lean turkey, white fish, 3/4 of a cup of cottage cheese, or plenty of other options.

If you aren’t sure if you are substituting with the right foods or don’t see any substitutions you like, you can always reach out to your coach to ask. Our Facebook Group for Women or Facebook Group for Men are also packed with thousands of people who have had success in custom coaching, and they have tons of great ideas to keep you satisfied.

Step 5: Pick Your Meals

Now that you’ve looked at your plan and understand the shopping and substitutes list, it’s time to make your shopping list, and start prepping a few meals! If you need some ideas on making meal-prepping easier, Vince filmed a great video on meal-prep tips that can help you get started.

Hopefully you are feeling confident and ready to start eating and feeling better!

But if you are still confused after looking everything over, it’s normal. Please don’t hesitate to talk to your coach! You are never bothering them, and there is no such thing as a “dumb” question.

Each week, look for a “check-in” emails from your V Shred coach. If you have any questions or feel like you’re struggling, this is the best way to get help from experts who know how to give it.

Now, time to go start taking control of your nutrition. We know you can do it!

The post Getting Started With Your V Shred Custom Meal Plan appeared first on V Shred.

How to prepare protein is a question we hear all the time. In terms of nutrition questions, it’s right up there with “What should  I order when eating at a restaurant” and “Should I have a protein shake post-workout.”

And just like those questions the answer depends on your goals.Here’s how to cook your proteins in a way that will keep you from getting bored and help you reach your goals!

Best Ways To Prepare Meat For Weight Loss

If you’re using one of our programs like Fat Loss Extreme for Men or Women or Move, it’s likely that you’re looking to lose or control your weight. If that’ the case, then battering or deep-frying your meat on a daily basis probably won’t help you much!

When weight-loss is the goal, stick with low-calorie ways of cooking your meat such as:

• Baking
• Grilling
• Boiling
• Pan-frying
• Air frying

All of these methods are great for cooking enough meat for a single meal, or even better, for “meal prepping” multiple meals– which we highly recommend. 

One other thing to watch out for if you are trying to lose weight is cooking oils. They can add a lot of calories from fats, and it doesn’t take very much for them to add up quickly, especially if you are cooking with them for several meals each day.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. It just means you should use oils in moderation and, more importantly, track them if you are measuring your food and tracking calories/macros — which you can easily calculate in our V Shred App for IOS or Android.

Here are a few other cooking options besides frying, battering, and smothering with oils.

Cooking Sprays: Most cooking methods mentioned above don’t require additional oil. But if needed and you’re looking for places to cut calories, consider switching to a few spritzes of cooking spray.

Herbs & Spices: These will be your best friend if you want to flavor your meat without any additional calories! Change them around, and you’ll find you can prepare chicken or other meats multiple ways, all without adding any calories.

Rotate A Variety Of Lean Meats: Don’t feel like you need to limit your protein choices to fish and chicken! Lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, lean ground bison, and even pork tenderloin are delicious low-fat protein sources.

They are also  super easy to prep without additional oils. Just toss them in some spices, cook using one of the suggested methods above, and then serve them up alongside some vegetables and a healthy carb — and dinner is done.

If you get bored with meat, you can also use Sculpt Nation PROTEIN to make a delicious smoothie, or even something fun like protein pancakes! 

Best Ways To Cook Meat For Bulking/Weight Gain

If you are in a caloric surplus or looking for ways to add more calories to your meals without feeling overly stuffed (which is a common issue that we talk about in the article Should I Keep Eating if I’m Full?  — cooking oils and higher fat meats are a great way to sneak in calories.

That doesn’t necessarily mean “all butter, all the time,” though! After all, a bulking program like CLEAN BULK should be just that… clean!

And if it’s not clear where that line is, we can help you find it! That’s why we have a team of nutritionists at V Shred who make custom goal-oriented meal plans for people worldwide every day.

You can get your customized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll create a plan that you can stick with that includes the best ways to prepare your meals!

If you aren’t already, you should also get active in our Facebook Groups for Men or Women. Thousands of people — even our on-staff trainers and nutrition experts — are there every day offering cooking tips, recipes, and more!

The post What Are The Best Ways To Cook Meat? appeared first on V Shred.

Giving your body the right amount of calories to match your goals and stay nourished is important no matter what workout program and meal plan you are following.

Many people don’t know this, but eating too little, even if your goal is weight loss, can potentially hinder your results. Your workouts suffer, your motivation goes downhill, and you end up burning out before you can make real progress!

But we get it. Whether you are following a Clean Bulk program and eating a lot to put on muscle, or following a program like Fat Loss Extreme for Men or Women and are in a caloric deficit to lose body fat, there might be times when you just don’t feel like eating.

We’ve all been there. Here’s what you should do the next time you don’t feel like eating all that you’re supposed to!

Is it OK to eat less than my meal plan says? 

If you are following a meal plan and it says to eat three meals and two snacks in a day, but you get two meals and one snack in, and you’re pretty sure that there’s no way you’re going to be able to choke down another bite without feeling miserable, it’s perfectly OK to stop eating!!

We never want you to eat to the point of being uncomfortable. This can really mess with your natural hunger cues and can also wreak havoc on your digestive system.

Now, we already know what you are thinking … “But what about hitting my calories or my macros?”

Here’s the thing: Neither macros nor calories are 100 percent accurate, no matter how good your diet plan is and how good you are at weighing your food.

Plus, do you know what’s even more important than macros? Following a diet that you can actually stick with. Stuffing yourself when you don’t want to… isn’t really sustainable.

The Big Exception: Eating for Muscle Growth

Now, of course, there are some exceptions.

Suppose you’re a skinny guy with an ectomorph body type who is desperately trying to pack on muscle. In that case, you’re going to have to get some calories in your body, probably even when you don’t really feel like it.

But you can be strategic in how you do it so that you’re not miserable! Try eating calorie-dense foods such as….

• Nut butters
• Nuts
• A double scoop of protein powder in a protein shake
• Oils like olive oil and coconut oil
• Occasional “treat foods,” extra condiments, and sauces

These types of foods and condiments can help add extra calories to your meals without filling you up.

Now, we aren’t saying you should eat a candy bar and piece of cake every day. But if you have the extra calories to use and are full, they can be used in moderation.

Still Struggling? Your Meal Plan May Need Expert Eyes!

If you’re having a hard time eating what the calculator in our V Shred App for IOS or Android says you should be eating for your goals, it could also be a sign that your meal plan needs to be looked over by someone else.

That’s why we have a huge team of V Shred trainers and nutritionists who create custom diet plans and workout plans for thousands of people every day.

If you’re interested, get your customized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we can help make a plate you’ll look forward to finishing.

The post Should I Keep Eating If I’m Full? appeared first on V Shred.

It has happened to everybody: You’re busy, you look at the clock, and you realize you missed a meal, or you’re going to be forced to skip one.

First thing: Don’t stress out or beat yourself up about it. Just like workouts, the most important thing is that you are consistent most of the time with hitting the daily calories or macros you have calculated in the V Shred app for IOS or Android.

A missed workout or meal here and there won’t cancel out the dozens of workouts or meals that went right. Your progress happens in the big picture, not the small one.

How to Make a Meal Replacement

There’s no true replacement for a meal, but you totally missed one, you can always add a bit more to the portions at your next meal or two. If that won’t work, that is where protein shakes come in handy!

It’s always a good idea to keep some Sculpt Nation Protein around so that you can at least meet your protein target. After all, this is the macro that matters most!

Every part of your body uses protein to grow and function, and if you don’t get enough protein, your body can suffer and even start shedding muscle instead of fat!

Whether you are doing our Clean Bulk program to pack on muscle or our fat loss plans like Move and Fat Loss Extreme for Men or Women — hitting your daily protein goals is most important, and a protein shake or two is way better than nothing.

You can just shake up a scoop with water, or if you have a blender on hand, here are a few great recipes that will create a more balanced meal. You can also find lots of easy recipe protein shake recipes within our V Shred app for IOS or Android and our Facebook Group for Men and Women.

Missing meals can also make it challenging to ensure you get all the necessary nutrients your body needs. It might also be a good idea to supplement with our Sculpt Nation GREENS, which have several servings of fruits and vegetables per scoop.

You can drink them alone, but may of our clients love the taste of mixing them with protein.  Give this duo a try the next time you have to miss a meal!

What If Skipping Meals Happening Frequently? 

If you are skipping meals just because you aren’t hungry, check out our article Should I Keep Eating if I’m Full? for helpful suggestions.

But if you are skipping meals for any other reason and find this happening over and over again, maybe your meal plan — or lack thereof — is the problem.

That’s why we have a team of nutritionists at V Shred making custom diet plans that can work around people’s busy schedules.

They do this every day, and no matter your situation, they’ve seen it before. Get your personalized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll get you on track.

The post I Can’t Fit All My Meals In. What Should I Do? appeared first on V Shred.