The three different types of performance plates, when you should have a certain one, and examples of activities that go with each plate

Published: October 10, 2022

We wake up and immediately go to our morning workout or practice. Some of us may go straight to work after this or to class. Our job may be extremely active or sitting at a desk all day. Our classes may be standing with some walking or at a desk for hours. Some of us may have conditioning after class, and some of us may take a long walk with our dog or a bike ride with our kids. All of these activities play a huge role and factor into what we need to consume each day and what our plates should look like. In this blog post I go over the three different types of performance plates, when you should have a certain one and examples of activities that go with each plate.

Easy performance/weight loss plate

• Think color!
  • ½ plate fruits and vegetables
  • ¼ plate protein
  • ¼ plate carbohydrates
  • Drink: water, zero-calorie teas
• Days that call for an easy plate:
  • Rest day
  • Low-intensity training
  • Yoga
  • Walks
  • Sedentary job plus a walk

This plate also can be for individuals who are trying to lose weight/body fat.

Moderate performance/weight maintenance plate

• Think balance!
  • 1/3 plate protein
  • 1/3 plate carbohydrates
  • 1/3 plate fruits and vegetables
  • Drink: sports drink (like Powerade) or skim milk
• Days that call for a moderate plate:
  • 60-minute lift session
  • Most practices
  • Moderate run/conditioning
  • Your “usual day” plate
  • Extremely active job (such as construction worker or farmer)

This plate also can be for individuals who are trying to maintain their current physique.

Hard performance/weight gain plate

• Think grains.
  • ½ plate carbohydrates
  • ¼ plate protein
  • ¼ plate fruits and vegetables
  • Drink: whole milk, chocolate milk or protein shake
• Days that call for a hard performance plate:
  • Football preseason camp
  • Game day
  • Two-a-days
  • Lifting plus practice
  • Heavy conditioning
  • Extremely active job plus hard workout

This plate also can be for individuals who are trying to gain body weight and lean muscle mass.

Modifying your plate

You can take any plate and turn it into an easy, moderate or hard plate. Remember, it’s about the portioning of what is on your plate. For example, if your spouse was making steak fajitas for dinner:

• Easy/weight loss
  • Load up on the fajita veggies.
  • Have 4 to 5 ounces of steak.
  • Have 1/2 cup rice.
  • Add lettuce for more volume of food.
• Moderate/weight maintenance
  • Have 4 to 5 ounces of steak.
  • Have a moderate amount of vegetables.
  • Have 1/2 cup rice plus two tortillas for tacos.
  • Add shredded cheese.
• Hard/weight gain
  • Have 4 to 8 ounces of steak.
  • Have a scoop of vegetables.
  • Have 1/2 cup rice plus two to three tortillas.
  • Add sour cream for more calories.

Marisa Faibish, M.S., R.D., CSSD, LDN, is lead performance dietitian at Norton Sports Health Performance & Wellness Center.