As a Muay Thai athlete and professional strength and conditioning coach, I keep a busy high-performance schedule that requires a diligent nutrition regiment. In the past I habitually under consumed and found it difficult to maintain muscle mass and training volume. My wife is a dietitian, and with her knowledge and guidance as well as my own application of behavior change strategies, I’ve made great strides in optimizing my nutrition.
Joseph Geletko, MA, CSCS
Owner TKO Athletic Performance
What I Eat In A Day
Total Calories | 3200-3600
Protein | 200 g (160 minimum)
Carbs | 350 g (varies with training)
Fat | 150 g
- 7-8 am | Breakfast | Protein Breakfast Bowl
I try to maintain a 12-14 hour fast between yesterday’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast. For my protein breakfast bowl I like a combo of greek yogurt, oats, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, bone broth protein powder, raw milk, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.
- 10-11 am | Pre-Training | Pre-workout drink, Rx Bar + Jerky
To fuel my workouts, I make a pre-workout drink with Vitargo and collagen, have an Rx bar, and either jerky or Archer Farms turkey meat.
- 12- 1 pm | Post-Training | Protein smoothie
Post-workout I’ll make a smoothie with oat milk, bone broth protein, creatine, almond butter or avocado, frozen banana, frozen mixed berries, mixed greens, and Medjool dates if necessary.
- 3- 4 pm | Lunch | Grass Fed Bison Meatballs + Rice & Veg
Metabolic Meals makes for a great lunch! My two favorites at the moment are the Organic Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet–I’ll add a few carbs if necessary– and the GrassFed Bison Meatballs with Basmati Rice and Broccoli.
- 3- 4 pm | Alt Lunch | Organic Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet
- 7 pm | Dinner | Date Night Dinners
Whatever incredible concoction my wife puts together. Example: Bison burger on sourdough with sweet potato fries and roasted asparagus; Ahi tuna steak with white rice and air-fried brussels sprouts; or Banza pasta with chicken chunks, kale, bell peppers, and onions.
Want to design your own day? Check out the menu for ready-made meals, signature sides, premium proteins and desserts.
How I Got Here
My wife Lauren is a dietitian, and she has been a critical catalyst in optimizing my nutrition. She has helped not only with the quality of food that I eat, but the amount, the timing, and the supplementation of key vitamins and adaptogens too. I habitually under consumed and found it difficult to maintain muscle mass and training volume. I suffered from low energy, average testosterone, and borderline hypothyroidism. With her knowledge and guidance as well as my own application of behavior change strategies, I’ve made great strides in optimizing my nutrition.
I increased my caloric intake to match my activity level, learned how to cycle carbohydrates to fuel intense training sessions, committed to eating on a schedule that meshed well with work and training, and now only choose foods of the highest quality (organic, gluten-free, grass-fed and finished, wild caught, etc). A second order consequence of these changes has been an improvement in body composition and some wiggle room within the week to eat what I like and have cravings for.
My Training and Nutrition Philosophy
The most important aspect of nutrition for me is performance enhancement and hormone optimization. I train as a Muay Thai athlete and typically have four sport training sessions per week, three lifts per week, and two supplemental conditioning sessions per week. Additionally, as a professional strength and conditioning coach, I facilitate up to seven sessions per day which requires a high level of physical activity on the weight room floor. This high level of activity means my food needs to be selected and organized in a way to fuel my body for high performance.
My daily nutrition goals are:
- to consume enough high-quality protein (200g)
- consume 6-8 cups of colorful fruits & vegetables
- keep my total intake above 3200 kcal
- and drink at least 120 oz of fluids regardless of how busy I get
If I can stack these daily habits with unwavering discipline, I will be able to consistently recover from strenuous training sessions, maintain lean muscle mass, keep my weight in check for an eventual competition, and maintain a healthy, balanced hormonal profile.
Get in touch with Joseph:
- Instagram: @TKOathleticperformance
- LinkedIN: Jgeletko
- Website: https://www.tkoathleticperformance.com/
