Boxing Diet & Nutrition Tips

Greetings everyone!

Here is my situation... My name is Dalibor, I'm 23, and I've been boxing for just under a year. I started out just for fun, but it looks like I might have some natural talent because my coach moved me up to the advanced squad, so now I'm training every single day. We run sessions at 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, depending on when people can make it. We train daily except for Sundays. Usually, I hit the morning session and then the Saturday afternoon one. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are boxing days, while Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday focus on strength training or whatever works best.
Now that I’m stepping things up, I really need to tighten up my diet. As many of you probably guessed, I'm just a typical guy who needs a little guidance when it comes to nutrition, haha.
I’ll list my meal plan from the last month below. If you have any suggestions on what I should add, cut out, or change regarding timing, please let me know. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Morning
9:30 Cocoa powder, Nesquik, or oatmeal with milk
Training until 11:30 or noon, depending on the day
12:00 Two or three hard-boiled eggs
2:00 PM Rice and chicken, or spinach with pork, or turkey with pasta, plus cabbage or green salad and a slice of bread
4:00 PM 250g of cottage cheese
5:00 PM–8:00 PM Fruit—mostly apples and bananas—and maybe a small yogurt, fruit or plain
9:00 PM Two cans of tuna, chicken, or pasta, depending on what I didn't have for lunch
10:00 PM Two glasses of milk before bed

Many thanks

Better head over to this subforum and ask around there. Honestly, I suspect you might be eating too often... your stomach probably never gets a break. You could also check out those Gracie diet plans by Carlos Gracie online, among plenty of others.

- For your first meal, you really can't go wrong with oatmeal over things like Nesquik or sugary cereals; you actually need sustained energy if you're planning to hit the gym later.
- It’s probably smarter to consolidate your meals around 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM. If that doesn't work for your schedule, just make sure you grab some whey, glutamine, and glucose right after your workout.
- Around 4:00 PM, a little bit of fruit paired with some yogurt works well.
- By 6:00 PM, you could go with three eggs and a slice of toast, or if you prefer, just stick to the classic chicken and pasta combo.
- At 8:00 PM, try having about 100g of low-fat cottage cheese and a glass of milk.
- Then, maybe an hour or two before you head to bed, have another 150g of low-fat cottage cheese along with a handful of walnuts—or almonds or hazelnuts, whichever you have on hand—and maybe some bell peppers.

Harold Booth68, thanks for the advice. To be honest, protein supplements aren't really in my budget right now, though maybe I can work them in later. Do you happen to know anything about egg white powder? Where could I pick some up and what kind of price am I looking at? Thanks.

I’m guessing the price point would be pretty much on par with standard whey protein, and you could probably just pick it up at any local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe if we're talking about the same kind of supplement...

Let's just set that aside for now... thanks for the help.

Henry Thomas23 said:Look, Harold Booth68, I appreciate the advice. But honestly, protein supplements aren't in my budget right now. Maybe later. Do you know anything about egg white powder? Where can I find it and what's the price range? Thanks.

Listen, here is the reality. You need to cut out bananas and those refined carbs immediately because they spike your insulin levels. Tuna and low-fat cottage cheese are fine, but I don't see any healthy fats listed here at all.
I box recreationally, play amateur water polo in the local leagues, and go sailing. Based on that, I will tell you exactly what you need.

Harold Booth68 said:- you definitely need oatmeal for breakfast instead of sugary cereals like Cocoa Puffs or Nesquik; you actually need fuel for your workout)
- try shifting your meals to 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. If that isn't doable, just take whey, glutamine, and glucose after training
- at 4:00 PM, have some fruit and yogurt
- at 6:00 PM, go with three eggs and a slice of bread, or just stick to chicken and pasta again
- at 8:00 PM, grab 100g of low-fat cottage cheese and a glass of milk
- one to two hours before bed, have another 150g of low-fat cottage cheese plus a handful of walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds, maybe some bell peppers

I am genuinely curious where you pulled that 150g of cottage cheese figure from. What kind of caloric math leads you to that specific number?

Henry Thomas23 said:Respectful greetings.

Here is the situation. My name is Dalibor, I am 23 years old, and I have been boxing for just under a year. I started out recreationally, but it seems I have some talent, so my coach moved me up to the advanced squad. Now I train every single day. Sessions run at 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM depending on when people show up. We train daily except for Sundays. I generally attend the morning sessions and the Saturday afternoon session. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are boxing days; Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are strength training or whatever suits the schedule.
Now that I am moving up the ranks, I need to tighten up my diet. As you can probably guess, I am just an average guy who needs some nutritional guidance.
I will provide my meal plan from the last month. If you have any suggestions regarding what to add, remove, or change regarding timing, please speak up. Any advice is welcome.

Morning
9:30 Cocoa Puffs, Nesquik, or oatmeal with milk.
Training until 11:30 or noon, depending on the day.
12:00 Two or three hard-boiled eggs.
14:00 Rice and chicken, or spinach and lean pork, or turkey and pasta, with cabbage or green salad and a slice of bread.
16:00 250g of cottage cheese.
17:00-20:00 Fruit, mostly apples and bananas, plus maybe a small container of fruit or plain yogurt.
21:00 Two cans of tuna, chicken, or pasta, depending on what I missed for lunch.
22:00 Two glasses of milk before bed.

Thank you.

I want to help you. I am an athlete through and through—water polo, boxing, sailing. To determine how many meals you need and the specific quantities, you first have to calculate your protein requirements. Here is how you do it: take a measuring tape. Measure your waist circumference at the navel three times. Divide that total by three to get the average. Then, apply the exact same process to your dominant wrist, right where the hand bends. Subtract the average wrist measurement from the average waist measurement. Once you have that, send me your weight in pounds and those measurements in inches. I will then calculate your body fat percentage, fat mass, and your daily protein requirements based on your activity factor. If you want, that is. Ignore the advice from others here; protein needs are not universal. What works for them won't necessarily work for you. I noticed someone suggested 150g of low-fat cottage cheese, but that is amateur hour. Those are useless tips. Don't listen to them. Regards.

redwalker8 said:Look, here's the thing... stay away from bananas and those refined carbs because they spike your insulin levels. Tuna and low-fat cottage cheese are fine, but I don't see any fats listed anywhere?!!
I box for fun, play amateur water polo in a local league, and I go sailing—so I can tell you what works ideally.

Who told you to skip bananas? They lied to you.😁 🤣🤣
As for the question in the title... it really depends on whether you're trying to bulk up, cut down, or just maintain where you are. If you're training hard—like more than three times a week—you should definitely grab some vitamins (the athlete kind) and some amino acids. I know money can be tight, but if you can find a way to make it work, do it—same goes for protein. Otherwise, stick to chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cottage cheese, pasta, rice, veggies, and fruit. Tuna is decent because of the fat-to-protein ratio, though I personally cut back on it once I found out how much mercury is in there. Pay attention to your post-workout meal; pasta with some kind of protein is usually best. Avoid milk right after training—it takes forever to digest—but it's fine in the morning or before bed. If you're short on cash for protein, go with hard-boiled eggs, or just the whites. Have one cheat day a week. Obviously, this isn't the Bible, but it's a good rule of thumb. I don't know your daily routine—work, training, whatever—so just tailor it to yourself.
Protein intake is vital for recovery and building muscle mass, while carbs are there to replenish the energy you burned.
p.s. Pizza is always a better choice than McDonald's..

Ideally: Breakfast: A shake with two bananas, a spoonful of honey, 20-35g of whey protein, and milk—the Filipović champion breakfast.
Lunch: 200g of rice, 200g of chicken or turkey... I'll eat pork too, honestly, and basically anything else from the animal kingdom.
Pre-workout: A lighter protein shake, maybe 15g of whey.
Immediately post-workout: A 25-35g protein shake, but skip the milk—just use water. A spoonful of honey or a banana is also fine.
Pasta, chicken, turkey.
Dinner: Cottage cheese or tuna, whole grain bread, rice, or pasta.
Before bed: A protein shake, milk, or egg whites.
Between meals: Walnuts, egg whites... just throw in some fruit and veggies.
Oh, and this is all just off the top of my head—no counting grams, ounces, or any of that nonsense, haha.Aim for at least 2.5g of protein per kg of body weight. Read up, do your research, and see how your own body reacts to different foods; then you'll figure out what actually works for you. I don't know what's "best" or "ideal" for everyone, but this works for me.