How I Eat to Perform as a Founder, Father, and Athlete
Share
Founders Only squad, Michael Chernow here, hope you are all well.
I wanted to kick off my first blog with tactical content on nutrition, something I believe always brings value. I have been deeply committed to a healthy and disciplined relationship with food for the last 20 years, and I love to share what it looks like for me.
But first, a quote I love from Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time, if not the most! I have found this bit of advice to be one of the most valuable when it comes to business for sure, though it can be applied to any and all areas of life.
“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you, that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.”
This quote really hits home for me. I have gotten way better at responding, not reacting to the things some people say, I still struggle at times not responding with emotion, after all, we are all human and inherently emotional beings. Whenever I take time to reflect back on a conversation where I know I could have performed better, meaning I reacted without metabolizing the information or responded defensively, it is never a shock that the situation could have had a better outcome.. My awareness is much better these days, I simply pause, take a breath, and let pass whatever I find to be uncomfortable to hear. I am not I allow people to run all over me, I am saying that there are times when our emotions get the best of us, and when that happens, we can apply self-awareness to slow down the response, as emotional reacting always manifests into unproductive outcomes.
Okay - here is essentially the Meal Plan I stick to most of the year, unless there is something very specific I am training for that requires a surplus or a deficit. I am 5'8 162lbs, and this plan falls within my maintenance calories of around 2200 in the example below. I may increase calories on a specific training day (leg days mainly) if I know I will need more gas in the tank to crush the workout and still want energy to perform as Dad, Husband, and in business. Typically, in the spring I will dip into a cut, roughly 1800 cals to get those deeper summer time shreds ;-) If you are looking to put on muscle, increase your caloric intake by about 20%. A typical winter bulk for me is around 2800-3000 cals and will go from November to March.
Meal Plan - Maintenance - roughly 2200 cals - 180 grams protein, 220 grams carbs, 70 grams fat
For reference - I am 5’8, 162-165lbs, 44 years old, and around 8-10% body fat
I've added some hyperlinks in there for you to use with my discount code. For Kreatures Of Habit stuff, use code FOUNDERS15 for 15% off.
MEAL 1 - 475 cals - 7:30-8am
- Peanut Butter banana MEAL ONE from Kreatures Of Habit
- ½ CUP FROZEN BERRIES
- 1 TBSP CACAO NIBS
- 5oz ALMOND MILK (Califia Farms)
SNACK 1 - 100 cals -10am-10:30am
MEAL 2 - 635 cals - 12pm-12:30pm
- Roasted Chicken Breast - 6oz
- Jasmine Rice -1 cup cooked
- Roasted broccoli - 4oz
- Avocado - 2oz
- Kale - 1 cup
- Bragg, Apple cider fat free vinaigrette - 2 TBSP
- Truff Hot Sauce 2 tsp
SNACK 2 - 330 cals - 3pm-3:30pm
- Momentous Protein Powder - 1.5 scoops
- Almond milk - 1 cup
- Almond Butter 1tbsp
MEAL 3 - 545 cals - 6pm
- Ground Bison Burger patty - 6oz
- Roasted Asparagus - 5oz
- Baked Sweet Potato - 5oz
- Baked Cauliflower - 5oz
- Bragg Coconut liquid aminos - 3 tsp
SNACK 3 - 35 cals - 8:30pm
This is how I roll, if you are looking to shred down remove the rice is Meal 2 and replace with a little fruit like blueberries and cut the sweet potatoes in half. If you want to bulk up, add 2-3 ounces more of protein in all meals and 1/2 more rice and double sweet potatoes.