Simple Eating Plan To Follow

Posted on by costafitness

Important Disclaimer

I would like to start this article off by saying that I am not a registered dietitian, so I can not give you a plan and say “do this”, “eat that”, “take this”. That goes outside of my profession. I will say that I do know my fair share on nutrition, supplements and health topics so I am no rookie when it comes to it. This eating plan is used as an example and for content purposes only. Speak with your physician before starting any diet or taking any supplements to ensure you are all good to go. If you use this, I am not at fault, for using anything on this website is YOUR DECISION.

Now that we have that all cleared up, lets get started!!

One common thing I am asked about is “what should I be eating?”, “whats a good option for my meal?” So here in todays article, I figured I would make a super simple example eating plan that you can use to follow along with or use as a template. This plan is not really a “bulking” plan and not necessarily a “cutting” plan either. It is just a basic healthy meal plan with good options. I am not claiming that this is the best meal plan out there, you would need to find one that suits your needs, goals and health history. As mentioned before this is just a plan of healthy options so if you have a hard time eating healthy and you need a first step or just want some more options then this could be for you.

Each meal is listed out below. For some options I put an amount for example “2-3 eggs”. That is something I would use but may not be the same for another persons caloric needs. Keep that in mind, I good option in my opinion for foods like meats are about 4-10 ounces. Veggies for me would be 1-2 cups.

Breakfast: 2-3 eggs, half cup of plain oatmeal with almond milk or water, add cinnamon and berries for flavor. One of the most important meals of the day!

Snack: Cheese stick and an apple. Simple yet delicious!

Lunch: Grilled chicken salad (salad made of baby spinach or kale or both)
Add a very small pinch of cheese, and mixed veggies such as carrots, mushrooms, peppers. If you add dressing, try using a vinaigrette as these tend to be a healthier option.

Snack #2 (if you get a hungry): 1 serving size of almonds or cashews, let me repeat the “1 serving size”. Nuts can be high in calories due to the fat count so make sure you weigh these or measure them out so you can control your portions.

Dinner: Ground turkey (93% lean, 7% fat is a good option in my opinion), veggies ( I like to use broccoli or mixed veggies) and an avocado or baked potato (alternate on different nights. Both are going to add quiet a bit of calories in one serving)

*Please keep an eye out for allergies, this layout has foods that are a common allergy for many such as nuts and cheese/dairy.

So there you have it, this is something super simple and very easy to put together for the week. Just write a list for the grocery store, get everything needed and bring it back and make some food to pack in containers for the week. You can store them in the fridge if you’d like and that way they are ready to take on the go or ready to pop in the microwave for a healthy meal.

Nutrition is one of the most important things you have to have in check if you are looking to make some serious progress. I hope this helps you even if it’s just seeing an example eating plan laid out for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me through email or social media!

Have a great Monday!
-Alex Costa-

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My Own Gym!!

Posted on by costafitness

🔵🔵HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT🔵🔵

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I will be owning my own private gym!! You guys have no idea how excited I am to share this with you! This has been a goal of mine since I started lifting weights back in high school. It’s not a gym where you can buy a membership but down the road I plan on expanding the gym by buying a bigger place and then having memberships available but for now this will work perfectly fine!

I will have the indoor section where the strength equipment will be set up at. I have a garage door that opens to the back outside, this will be a spot where I will have a basketball hoop set up, tires, an outdoor rig with a pull up and dip bar as well as a squat rack to do squats outside on nice days. There will be room for sprints, sled work, speed / agility work and so on. There is quiet a bit of outside space actually. I also have access to a spot right next to my location to hold bigger groups for speed & agility sessions. I can also time 40s, 60s and perform other combine drills there.

I first started working on the room back in December and thought this would take a year to do. Only four and a half months later, it’s on the home stretch!

Next is to hang drywall, paint, finish hanging new lights, get the mirrors in and then put together all the equipment!!

This was originally something I was going to keep a secret until it was completely done but I want to show you guys day to day progress. I want to share my passion and excitement with all of you as well!

Big thanks to my Dad for helping me get in here. I also want to thank Taylor, Nick, Mike, Aj, Wes and Dominick for helping me out when I have needed it. I will be posting a lot more picture of the progress and start showing you guys before and after pictures as I keep getting more done! I also want to take a moment and thank Cory for all of the help and guidance you have offered to me! I appreciate you more than you know G.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I appreciate you all especially everyone who has reached out to me to show support. Much love to everyone! Have a great day and enjoy the week!

 

-Alex Costa-

Clark’s 40 Pound Transformation

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Around the end of the year in 2017, I remember getting a tweet from Clark saying how a shoulder burnout I had posted was no joke haha. He reached out to me again later that month and he had told me how he was using my information from the website. I have stayed in touch with him ever since and man has he been killlllllin it!! He’s down 40 pounds and counting!!! He has changed his lifestyle for the better between the way he eats and the amount of exercise he does. I was so happy to see his progress picture he had posted, and I can’t wait to see what his transformation will look like in a couple more months of hard work.

He has goals set out and everything, which I believe is huge if you want to make a transformation like his. He also post a lot about what he eats and some of his workout information which keeps him accountable to his followers. He is a great dude with an awesome work ethic and I am so glad I was able to help. Here is a testimonial that he had written about the website content:

“The way I think Alex has helped me the most throughout my transformation, is the fact that he recognizes beginners. Most every other page/website I went to to find some info on strength training really just told me what to do, but not how to do it. Alex has TONS of videos posted giving broken down instruction on tons of exercises and stretches that really allow you to understand what you’re doing, and gives you something to go off of when you watch yourself in the mirror during your actual workouts. His recipes are also awesome, and pretty delicious. I haven’t tried too many of them, but really helpful for someone who may just be getting started and doesn’t quite know their way around their food yet. All in all, its great stuff. His website is definitely worth checking out. A lot of my transformation is thanks to his videos and content.”

-Clark-

 

Follow Clark and his weight loss journey on his social media platforms:

Instagram: clark_xr7

Twitter: @Clark_Umpire

 

Thank you for reading this post, I hope this gives you motivation to get started on working towards your goals or to kick it up a notch. If you need anything at all, I am always on the website or my social media platforms so stop by and leave a message or ask a question. I love trying to help people with anything I can especially fitness related! I also offer training if you need a little more accountability and instructions on everything. I do in-person sessions as well as online training so feel free to send me an email at Costafitness1@gmail.com and we can get you taken care of. I hope you are all having a great day and working hard at your goals! Hit me up and let me know what your goals are and how you are tackling them each, I’d love to hear them!

-Alex Costa-

 

Aj’s Progress Part 2

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As some of you know and may have seen, I wrote an article on Aj’s progress a couple months ago. In just ONE month, he had reached some great results. He has continued to follow my training and has been killing it! I thought this would be a great time to put him in the spot light once again for the hard work and dedication he has put in!

He has shared a testimonial that I will place below:

“The picture you see on the left was me right before I started lifting constantly. I made excuses on why I didn’t want to lift. I was drinking a lot, eating a lot of fast food, and just being down right lazy. I didn’t like the way I looked, but I didn’t want to put in the work. One day, I just said screw it and went to the gym. It all just went uphill from there. I began looking up workouts online and getting back into it. When Alex became a personal trainer, I knew I had to take my chances with him. Even when I knew he didn’t have experience in this field, I believe that he could change me for the better. After working with Alex for a few months now, I lost fat and put on muscle. The picture on the left, I was at 195, a bad 195. The picture on the right, I weigh 197. It took me a while, but I started eating healthier and stopped drinking a lot of pop, and it’s all because of Alex and him pushing me.”
-Aj Oiler-

 

In Aj’s training, we started off with building a solid foundation. He has had lifting experience prior to this which had helped. This last training phase, I really increased the volume of his training. We will most likely work on a cutting phase next which I believe will go great for him!

I have talked a lot about how his looks have changed in the before and after picture but he has also made some crazy strength gains as well. These PRs include:
-Bench before=205            Bench after=265

-Deadlift before (conventional)=365         Deadlift after (conventional)=405
-Deadlift before (sumo)=375                       Deadlift after (sumo)=415

 

Good work Aj, keep it up brother! Im happy to be the one helping you with your fitness journey! Give Aj a follow on social media – @ajoiler_

If you are interested in how you can improve your health and fitness level, then you are at the right spot! Contact me through email (costafitness1@gmail.com) if you are interested in making a change today!

 

Motivational Monday!

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So it is that day again, the one everyone dreads. The “worst” day of the week to some. This is what some say a “start to a long week”.

How do you know this is a start to a long week? You haven’t even left the house.You haven’t walked out that front door of yours. You haven’t even given this day a chance yet. That’s the thing so many people fail to realize, is that you have a house. You have food and water. We have a lot of things that we are lucky to have. Someone out there is sleeping on the streets bundled up in a blanket they found in the garbage in 20 degree weather and we’re the ones sitting here saying “it’s Monday, todays gonna suck”. What? How can you start the day off so negative??

This may be one of the best days of your life but you already have your mind convinced that its going to be a shitty day. You have to throw that negative shit out the window. Its gotta go, because in this world we are given 86,400 seconds in a day. That translates to 1,440 minutes which is 24 hours. Now let me tell you something that I hope opens your eyes a little..

Most of us get 6-9 hours of sleep. That leaves 18-15 hours in the day to do something productive or go and make it worth living. There has been reports saying people spend up to 3 hours on social media. Lets say you get 7 hours of sleep and you are one that is using 3 hours of your day on social media. You now only have 14 hours of the day. Most people go to school or a job, lets say thats another 6 hours. You are now down to 8 hours to do what you want. Shit most of us take an hour nap too so we may even have less than 8 hours to do something in a day. Im not downgrading ANYONE who does these type of things but I do want you to realize how much time is truly in a day compared to what you actually have after you are done with everything else.

It’s Monday, a chance to start your week off like a boss. Don’t start it off any other way!

-Alex Costa-