Show Time Diet Plan

Here's the diet to get you ripped in 4 short weeks and ready for – you guessed it – Show Time.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 28, 2023

Like the intense training portion of the Show Time Program, the accompanying diet has to be just as intense to maximize fat-burning in the next month. Each and every week of the diet, you'll slash carbs (dropping about half a gram per pound of bodyweight each week) and calories (dropping about 2 calories per pound of body weight per week), which will keep your fat-burning engine running on high.

The calories during week 1 will amount to 16 per pound of bodyweight, with carbs coming in at 1.5 grams per pound. Protein is also at 1.5 grams per pound and will stay steady at that amount through each week of the plan; reason being, you never want to sacrifice protein to drop calories, otherwise you risk sacrificing muscle. Instead, you'll cut back on carbs and also some fat. Speaking of fat, in week 1 your total fat intake comes in at just under 0.5 grams per pound of bodyweight.

In week 2, calories drop down to 14 per pound due to the fact that carbs are cut by 0.5 grams to come in at around 1 gram per pound. Protein and fat stay fairly steady.

In week 3, calories drop down to 12 per pound as carbs are cut to 0.5 gram per pound. Protein and fat are still pretty much the same as in the first two weeks.

In the final week, you'll drop calories down to just under 10 per pound of bodyweight. This occurs by cutting carbs in half to about 0.25 grams per pound. It's impossible to drop all carbs from your diet, so you'll also have to drop some fat a bit this week, down to about 0.25 grams per pound of bodyweight.

The sample diets I provide for each week are based on the average 180-pound person, though they'll work well for pretty much anyone in the 160-200-pound range.

If you weigh more or less than this, and whether you're male or female, simply adjust your calories and macros according to the relative numbers I provided. Since you'll be working out six days per week, these sample menus provide a pre- and post-workout meal. On your one day off from the gym each week, simply drop the pre- and postworkout meals.

The sample diets are just suggested examples of what to eat. You can replace these foods with similar ones that provide similar macros. However, there are certain foods that you should consider sticking with, as they will help with fat loss and muscle gain. For example, eggs have been shown to not only enhance fat loss in clinical studies, but also muscle growth and strength gains. In addition, a blend of whey and casein protein powder (ie, Pro JYM) taken around workouts is critical for enhancing muscle growth due. A blended protein powder also makes a great between meal snack, as research shows that whey protein significantly reduces hunger due to the fact that it boosts levels of hunger-blunting hormones while reducing hunger-promoting hormones.

I also suggest Pro JYM before bedtime. The casein contained in it is a very slow-digesting protein, which will help curtail the muscle breakdown that occurs during the night when you're going for upwards of eight hours

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