Eat to Perform: Frequently Asked Questions

Last week, I had posted the basics that I have learned since starting Eat to Perform and had a lot of follow-up questions, so thought I would address a few of them here!

Note that I am not a nutritionist, nor a doctor, and that the information below is from what I have learned from the Eat to Perform book, online forums, website, and webinars. Use the FAQ below at your own discretion.

Where can I find more information?

Check out Eat to Perform’s website for the inside scoop and links to all things related to the program.

Have your food costs have adjusted significantly up or down from it?

Not really any change. I tend to eat pretty simply and eat a lot of the same foods. I buy my all of my meat from a local market (grass-fed beef, free-range/organic chicken), so it is priciery than conventional meat, but that has nothing to do with the program. I buy all of my non-perishables in bulk (like oatmeal, rice, and quinoa).

Is pizza allowed?

Yep. While I wouldn’t recommend binging every night, Eat to Perform encourages loading your carbs post-workout, so eat your pizza after you workout if you choose. Keep in mind that you should try to avoid foods high in fats and carbs at the same time.

Can vegans follow that plan?

Hmmm… yes. I wonder how vegans and Crossfit can go together with adequate protein needs, but as long as you are eating enough calories to sustain your workouts, plus meet the protein and carb requirements, I see no reason you cannot follow this eating vegan (though it seems like it may be a lot more food to consume!).

What if you hate food tracking? How structured is it? Do you need to weigh ingredients for every meal?

I like to track my food because I can be a bit OCD about things, but primarily I do it to make sure that I am eating enough. I would highly recommend that you track just for one week to get a rough idea of where you are in terms of macros today, then the rest becomes somewhat intuitive.

For me, I have a good idea of what 6oz of meat looks like or a cup of rice or 100g of sweet potato, so it’s not necessary to measure every single day. The program isn’t designed to be complicated; it is designed to teach you to fuel properly, eat enough to maximize performance and maintain or increase your muscle mass.

Use this chart as a guideline, a good baseline to start. If you do not want to measure your food and go on intuition alone, use this as a guide, then try it for a month. If you are not seeing favorable results, chances are you are not eating enough or eating too much of something, so may wish to reevaluate.

How will it work for those who are looking to gain strength but lose pounds/inches ?

Eat to Perform is primarily focused on eating to maximize performance. However, with an increase in muscle mass comes an increase in calories burned while at rest, therefore fat loss is possible. This is not a lose-10-pounds-overnight way of eating. It is designed to be a long-term sustainable program used to support your workout goals.

From their site:

“Please note that training isn’t about burning calories – you want to work out, build more muscle, which will burn more calories while you rest.”

I would suggest trying the program for 4-6 weeks as written, then reduce overall calories by 10% if you are not seeing any physical results.

Tips for being flexible when eating out/limited choices?

As long as you stick within the basic guidelines, there really are no rules or mandates when eating out. I like to go for some post-workout pancakes sometimes (and no, not some whole-grain, all natural, organic, pancakes; I’m taking Cinnamon Roll Swirl gooey deliciousness), and we have even done post-WOD donuts before (after my protein shake– priority is protein post-workout).

As far as dinner or other meals, just be sensible. Eat protein, veggies, and fats if you are going out to eat before a workout; eat protein and some fast-digesting carbs, such as white rice if you are eating post-workout.

Is it easy to implement and follow?

I say yes! It has become pretty intuitive to me at this point. I do a ton of meal planning which makes it very easy during the week. I still struggle on the weekends because don’t follow a structured meal plan like I do while at work, but still try to do the best I can!

Eating before an 6:00 am workout always puzzles me. What can you eat quick and that will get you enough energy to do a great workout?

If you workout so early in the morning, chances are that you will still be digesting carbs from the night before, so eating a whole-food meal at this time really isn’t necessary. Load your carbs the night before at dinner or post-dinner. If you drink coffee or use caffeine, this would be an ideal time to do so. Another idea is to take BCAAs (I use this one for my Saturday morning workouts).

Good pre- and post-lifting meals and how many grams of carbs and protein they should include? What about fat? 

Pre-workout meal should be about an hour before you workout and for a woman, aim for 25g protein, 50g slow-digesting carbs (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, granola, whole wheat bread, pasta, plantains, corn, fruit [not preferred]). Men, probably want to aim for a bit higher (35g/75g).

Immediately post-workout, aim for similar macros: 25g protein, 50g fast-digesting carbs (super ripe bananas, dates, rice cereal, rice krispie treats, coconut water).

Around your workouts, stick to protein and carbs and limit fats.

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So… there you have it!

Again, this is just to be used as a guide and I have found it to work great for me, as well as many others in the Eat to Perform community. If you are stalled in your performance, feeling gassed in your workouts, or looking to try something new, highly recommend!