Portion key. Barley: 1 cup cooked = 160 g cooked = 50 g dry. Potato: 200 g raw = 1 medium yellow potato (about a fist). Kale: 2 cups (130 g) raw or thawed-and-squeezed; cooked weight ~180 g. Apple: 1 medium = 180 g. Mandarin: 1 small = 75 g.
Lunch is the post-workout meal on training days. The macros are built for it: ~58 g protein, 78 g carbs, only 12 g fat. Low fat = faster gastric emptying = faster amino delivery to muscle. No need to rush within 30 min, but eat within ~60–90 min of finishing.
Pre-workout option. If you want a touch more fuel before lifting, take the optional whey scoop + 5 g creatine ~15 min before the session. Doesn't break the daily total.
Asymmetric deficit logic. ~250 cal cut on training days, ~700 cal cut on rest days. Concentrates the deficit when the body has the most metabolic flexibility and protects training output when it matters.
Reassess at 4 weeks. If lifts are holding, sleep is good, energy is steady — continue. If any of those degrade, pull rest-day calories up by 150. Don't push past 6 weeks at this deficit without a maintenance break.
Cook potatoes ahead and refrigerate. Reheating from cold builds resistant starch — gentler glucose response, feeds gut bacteria.
Sunday prep, ~30 min. Cook 4 cups dry barley (~12 cups cooked). Roast 2 kg yellow potatoes, cool, refrigerate. Brown 1 kg ground beef with garlic and onion, portion. Hard-boil a dozen eggs as backup protein.
Track waist, not just scale. 3× weekly weigh-in (same time/conditions) plus weekly waist at navel. Waist is the better signal that fat — not water or lean — is moving.