Rise & Train

Your numbers

Height ft in Weight (lb) Age Sex Activity outside these workouts Goal & pace

Estimated with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation. It’s a starting point: after two weeks, adjust using your real weigh-ins (see “Weekly check-in” below).

The five rules that do 90% of the work

Hit your calorie target most days. You lose fat when you eat less than you burn. Belly fat can’t be targeted with crunches. It’s one of the first places men lose from once they’re in a steady deficit, and deep (visceral) belly fat responds especially well to exercise and a deficit together.
Eat your protein: 160 g every day. High protein keeps your muscle while you lose fat, keeps you full, and your body burns more energy digesting it. Aim for 35–50 g at each of 3 meals, plus a protein snack.
Build every meal the same way: a palm-to-two-palms of protein, half the plate vegetables, a cupped handful of smart carbs, and a thumb of fat.
Drink water, not calories. Soda, juice, sweet coffee drinks and alcohol are the easiest calories to cut. Aim for about 3 L of water a day, more on run days.
Sleep 7–8 hours. Short sleep increases hunger hormones and cravings and hurts recovery. If you train at 6 am, get to bed by about 10:30.

Your plate

Protein, 1–2 palms: chicken, turkey, fish, eggs + whites, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lean beef, tofu, tempeh
Vegetables, half the plate: anything green, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, mushrooms. Eat as much as you like.
Smart carbs, 1 cupped hand: rice, potatoes, oats, whole-grain bread, beans, lentils, fruit. Use 2 hands on run days.
Fat, 1 thumb: olive oil, avocado, nuts, peanut butter, cheese. These add up fast, so measure them.

Morning timing (you train at dawn)

Before training: water, plus coffee if you like it. Training fasted for 30 minutes is fine. If you feel weak or dizzy, have half a banana or a rice cake 15 minutes before.
Within 1–2 hours after: a high-protein breakfast (40 g+). This is your most important meal.
Run days: add 200–300 kcal of carbs on days with runs over 45 minutes, e.g. a banana plus toast before and a bigger rice or potato portion after. Don’t diet hard around long runs.
Evening: keep dinner protein-heavy. If you get hungry at night, have a planned protein snack (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, a shake) rather than grazing.

Build your day: pick 1 of each, plus 2 snacks

Each full day works out to about 2,000–2,250 kcal and 165–200 g protein, which fits most men around 180 lb. If your target above is higher, add a snack or bigger carb portions. If it’s lower, drop a snack.

Breakfast (~450–520 kcal)

Big egg scramble

2 whole eggs + 1 cup liquid egg whites, spinach, peppers, onion · 1 slice whole-grain toast · 1 cup berries

~460 kcal · 45P · 42C · 12F

Greek yogurt power bowl

1½ cups (340 g) nonfat Greek yogurt · ½ cup oats · 1 cup berries · 1 tbsp chia seeds, cinnamon

~480 kcal · 43P · 61C · 8F

Protein oats

½ cup oats cooked in water, stir in 1 scoop whey after cooking · 1 tbsp peanut butter · 1 small banana · side of ½ cup egg whites

~510 kcal · 47P · 58C · 13F

Lunch (~560–620 kcal)

Chicken rice bowl

6 oz grilled chicken breast · 1 cup cooked rice (white, brown or basmati) · 2 cups veg · salsa or hot sauce · ¼ avocado

~595 kcal · 60P · 58C · 12F

Chicken hummus wrap

1 large high-fiber whole-wheat tortilla · 5 oz chicken · 2 tbsp hummus · lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion · 1 apple

~565 kcal · 51P · 55C · 14F

Tuna chickpea salad

2 cans tuna in water · ½ cup chickpeas · greens, cucumber, tomato · 1 tbsp olive oil + lemon · 1 slice whole-grain bread

~620 kcal · 64P · 46C · 19FLimit tuna to about 3 cans/week (mercury). Swap in canned salmon or chicken.

Dinner (~550–630 kcal)

Salmon, potatoes & broccoli

5 oz salmon · 200 g potatoes (roasted or boiled) · 2 cups broccoli · 1 tsp olive oil

~550 kcal · 41P · 48C · 22F

Beef & veg stir-fry

5 oz (cooked) 93% lean ground beef or sirloin strips · 3 cups stir-fry veg · 1 cup cooked rice · soy sauce, garlic, ginger · 1 tsp oil

~630 kcal · 45P · 65C · 19F

Sheet-pan chicken

6 oz chicken breast · 200 g sweet potato · peppers, zucchini, onion · 2 tsp olive oil, paprika, garlic

~580 kcal · 57P · 50C · 15F

Vegetarian: tofu stir-fry

225 g extra-firm tofu · 3 cups veg · ¾ cup cooked rice · soy-ginger sauce

~590 kcal · 44P · 62C · 19F

Snacks (~170–250 kcal, choose 2)

Greek yogurt + berries

~170 kcal · 24P

Whey shake + apple

~215 kcal · 24P

Cottage cheese + pineapple

~220 kcal · 28P

2 boiled eggs + fruit

~235 kcal · 13P

Edamame, 1 cup shelled

~190 kcal · 18P

Jerky 1 oz + baby carrots

~130 kcal · 11P

Weekly check-in: how to adjust

Weigh yourself every morning after the bathroom and before eating, then log it in the Progress tab. Daily numbers jump around by 1–3 lb with water and salt. Only compare weekly averages. Also measure your waist at the belly button once a week.

Weekly average change	What to do
Losing 0.5–1.5 lb/week	Perfect. Change nothing.
Losing < 0.5 lb for 2 weeks in a row	Cut 150–200 kcal (usually from fats or carbs) or add 2,000 steps/day.
Losing > 2 lb/week after week 2	Add 150–200 kcal. Losing too fast costs muscle and energy.
Scale flat but waist shrinking	You’re gaining muscle and losing fat. Keep going.

Smart habits

Track for the first 2–3 weeks with an app like MacroFactor, Cronometer or MyFitnessPal and a cheap food scale. You’ll learn what portions really look like, then you can eyeball it.
Meal prep twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday): cook 2 lb of chicken, a big pot of rice, and roast 2 trays of veg. Busy days then stop being an excuse.
Aim for 30–40 g of fiber from veg, berries, oats, beans and chia. It keeps you full and helps your gut.
Aim for 8,000–10,000 steps a day. Walking burns more fat over a week than you’d expect and doesn’t interfere with recovery.
Alcohol: ideally none for 8 weeks. It stalls fat loss and wrecks sleep. If you do drink, cap it at 2 drinks, once a week, and log it.
Eating out: order a grilled protein with veg and a single carb, get the sauce on the side, and skip the free bread or chips.
Use the 80/20 rule: hit the plan about 80% of the time. One off-plan meal a week is fine. A whole off-plan weekend undoes the week.
Salt and water: as a runner you sweat out sodium, so don’t fear salt on whole foods. Do limit processed and packaged salty food.

Grocery list

Protein

Chicken breast, 93% lean ground beef or turkey, salmon, canned tuna/salmon, eggs, liquid egg whites, nonfat Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, whey protein, extra-firm tofu, edamame

Carbs

Rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolled oats, whole-grain bread, high-fiber tortillas, chickpeas, black beans, lentils, bananas, apples, berries (frozen is great)

Vegetables

Spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, mixed greens, frozen stir-fry mix, cauliflower

Fats & flavor

Olive oil, avocado, natural peanut butter, almonds, chia seeds, salsa, hot sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lemons, spices

Supplements: only what’s proven

Creatine monohydrate, 3–5 g daily. This is the best-researched supplement for strength and muscle. Take it any time, every day, and there’s no need to “load” it. Expect 1–3 lb of water weight in muscle at first. That isn’t fat.
Whey or plant protein: only if food alone doesn’t get you to your protein target.
Vitamin D: worth getting your level checked, especially in winter. Supplement if you’re low.
Caffeine: coffee before training helps performance. Stop by about 1 pm so it doesn’t hurt your sleep.
Skip: fat burners, detox teas, BCAAs (pointless if you eat enough protein) and “testosterone boosters”.

What to expect in your first 8 weeks

If you follow the training at least 5 days a week and the nutrition about 80% of the time:

Weeks 1–2: the scale may drop 3–5 lb, mostly water and gut content. Your energy and sleep usually improve.
Weeks 3–8: expect a steady 0.75–1.25 lb of real fat loss per week. Push-ups, dumbbell weights and plank times go up noticeably.
By week 8: roughly 8–12 lb down, 2–3 inches off your waist, and clearly stronger, with a visibly flatter belly. Full six-pack definition often takes longer depending on your starting point, and that’s normal. The app then rolls straight into the next block, and you keep going with heavier weights.

This is general fitness and nutrition guidance, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, or have chest pain, dizziness or joint pain when training, check with a doctor first.

Nutrition plan