Stupidly Simple Eating For Josh Smith
Protein first. Everything else is a budget.
You are a numbers guy, so here are the numbers, the systems that hit them on autopilot, and two example days showing the whole thing in action. Your days start at 7am on East Coast time and Wednesdays live in Philly, so this is built to run on repeat with almost no decisions. Log it, hit the protein, land inside the budget.
Non-Negotiables
Two numbers. Protein is a target, calories are a budget. Know the difference and this gets easy.
The budget is not a dare. If you hit your protein, eat good food and finish the day at 1,900 feeling full, that is a successful day. Do not force-feed your way up to 2,200. Regularly landing miles under with low energy is the only version we fix.
Protein Per Meal The 40 / 40 / Rest Split
Think like the numbers guy you are: 40 at lunch, 40 at dinner, and the rest lands across breakfast and a snack. Plan it that way and 120g builds itself.
You already eat eggs in the morning, so the breakfast anchor is basically done. Keep it. Three balanced meals also keeps your blood sugar steadier through the day, protein in a meal lowers the spike, which you have seen yourself on the glucose monitor.
The Plate Rule
Build every plate the same way, in this order. This is what keeps you on target without thinking about it.
- Protein first. Chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs. It goes down first and takes the most room.
- Then the carb. Rice, potato, wrap, toast. One fist-ish portion (about 150g cooked).
- Then the veg and fruit. Pile it on. Free volume when you are hungry.
- Fats measured, on the side. Oil, cheese, dressing, and yes, nuts. This is where calories quietly walk in.
Fill the plate like this and the calories mostly take care of themselves. That is the whole trick behind the 2,200 landing zone.
Daily Structure
Three meals, same shape every day. You already eat in this pattern, we are just loading it properly.
Breakfast
Eggs are already your thing. Make them the anchor, every day:
- 3 whole eggs plus a couple of egg whites, scrambled or boiled, with toast and fruit
- Short on time: 2 boiled eggs and a Greek yogurt pot does the same job
Lunch
The 40g meal. Desk-friendly, between calls, zero prep drama:
- Chicken bowl: 170–200g chicken, rice, whatever veg is around, salsa
- Or a big wrap or sandwich built around 150g+ of lean meat
Dinner
The other 40g. The flexible one, built with the Plate Rule:
- Lean steak, chicken or fish plus a fist of carbs and plenty of veg
- Pizza night stays. Once a week, deliberate, logged. Add a protein starter so the target still gets hit
You know this one already. One handful becomes many, and a thousand calories disappear without a single gram of useful protein. Nuts are fine, portioned into a small bowl, never eaten from the bag, and always logged.
Beers at lunch and wine with dinner were a decent slice of your calories last week. Not banned, but they come out of the same 2,200 budget as everything else. Protein and food get paid first, alcohol gets what is left. A couple of deliberate drinks beats a default drink with every meal.
The photo scan is brilliant but it cannot see depth, and it does not know you sent half the mash back. Logging the high watermark is the right instinct, just edit the entry down when you did not finish the plate. Clean data in, clean decisions out. You are the numbers guy, you get it.
Travel Days Philly, Airports, Eating Out
Wednesdays and any day on the road. No food scale, no problem, use your hand and the same plate order.
Airport / On The Move
- Grilled chicken sandwich or a protein bowl, skip the meal-deal extras
- Jerky and a piece of fruit is the best grab-and-go snack in any terminal
- Walk to your gate and back while you wait, steps and all
Restaurant Template
- Grilled or roasted protein, the bigger portion (aim 200g+)
- Plain rice or potato, hold the loaded stuff
- Double the veg or a side salad, dressing on the side
- Drinking? Food and protein first, and keep it to a couple, logged
The Recovery Rule
One off meal is not an off week.
A client dinner runs long, the wings turn into beers, whatever. The very next meal goes straight back to structure. No "I'll restart Monday." Next plate, back on plan. That single habit is what separates a blip from a write-off week.
Sample Days
The framework in action. Protein past 120g, calories inside the 2,200 window.
Day 1 · Home Office Day
~2,000 kcal · ~136g protein- 3 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites, scrambled
- 2 slices wholegrain toast, piece of fruit
- 170g chicken breast over 1 cup cooked rice (~180g)
- Peppers, onions, salsa, piled on
- 200g 0% Greek yogurt with a handful of berries
- 6oz (170g) lean sirloin
- 200g roasted potatoes
- Big salad, dressing measured on the side
Day 2 · Philly / Travel Day
~1,950 kcal · ~127g protein- 2 boiled eggs plus a Greek yogurt pot
- Banana for the walk to the gate
- Burrito bowl: double chicken (~200g), rice, fajita veg, salsa
- Skip the cheese and sour cream
- Beef jerky and an apple
- Grilled chicken or lean steak, the bigger portion
- Plain baked potato, steamed veg or side salad
- One beer or a glass of red if you are having one, logged
120 grams of protein every day, split 40 at lunch, 40 at dinner, the rest around it. Plates built protein first. Nuts and drinks deliberate, never default. The 2,200 is a budget, not a dare.
Built for Josh Smith · SupraHuman Coaching