Professional Bodybuilder Dany Garcia Eats 6 Meals Every Day

Photo credit: Per Bernal
Photo credit: Per Bernal

From Women's Health

Dany Garcia has a pretty impressive resume: Not only is she manager for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (fun fact: the two were married for 10 years) and many other A-listers, but she's also a professional bodybuilder.

Between tending to her famously fit clients and her own rock-solid physique, it's safe to say that Dany knows a think or two about building (and maintaining) muscle from head to toe.

Though Dany spends hours in the gym (clearly!), what she eats also plays a major role in sculpting her appearance. She's pretty much her own nutritionist, and monitors everything she eats and how it affects her bod.

"My diet is very much based upon macros, so, certain grams of protein, certain grams of carbohydrates, and certain grams of fat," she says.

Dany splits her allotted grams of protein, carbs, and fats into six to seven meals throughout the day. (And, yes she counts down to her next meal, too.)

She's not just fueling her muscles and workouts, though. "I don't stop my career to go into competition, so my diet has to support my physique and my brain. I have to be able to train and then chair a number of very important meetings."

Curious about the fuel that keeps Dany fired up? Here's what the competitive bodybuilder eats in a day (with a little help from her chef and Trifecta Meal Delivery)—and how she schedules it out to maintain those muscles.

Meal 1

As soon as Dany wakes up (usually around 7:30 a.m.), she has a cup of black coffee with a bit of Stevia. Then, it's cardio time.

After getting her heart pumping, Dany fuels up with her first meal around 9:30 a.m. Typically, that meal consists of six egg whites with either turkey bacon or two ounces of filet mignon, plus oatmeal, cream of buckwheat, gluten-free toast, or Ezekiel muffins for carbs.

Meal 2

Between 11:30 a.m. and noon, Dany eats her second meal of the day, which also focuses on protein and carbs.

"I vary my protein so I don't have the same protein twice in a day," she says. Her second meal often includes grilled chicken breast, sweet potato mash, and a very well-steamed vegetable (which is easier for her to digest).

As Dany gets closer to competition time, she says she "pulls back on some of the veggies and the salads, because they can be a little taxing on the digestive system." (Read: not super flat-stomach-friendly.)

Another reason to keep tummy troubles at bay: Dany usually hits the gym to train for a few hours after her second meal.

Meal 3

This post-workout meal, which usually comes in around 2:30 or 3:00 p.m., is sippable and speedy. Immediately after her intense workout, Dany mixes whey protein, collagen protein, and a carb supplement (she loves the brand Evogen), and sips the shake (which contains 45 grams of protein and 35 grams of carbs) down.

"You usually want to get a meal in very quickly after you train, because you're in a depleted state—especially around competition," she explains.

Meal 4

Just an hour later, Dany is ready for her fourth meal. Often, she opts for pork or venison to fill her protein needs and a cup of wild rice and "very steamed broccolini" or a salad for carbs.

Dany minimizes her fat intake around competition time, so she doesn't use much oil in her food. For flavor, it's all about the seasonings. "I love curry and turmeric," she says. Good old salt and pepper are go-to's, too.

"I trained my palate so that I could eat salad without any dressing," she says. "It's so refreshing."

Meal 5

Around 7:00 p.m., it's time for Dany's fifth meal, which is often "four ounces of salmon and a very easy carb (like brown rice)." As always, she's focused on protein and easy-to-digest carbs.

Meal 6

Dany's final meal of the day is another liquid one that comes in right before bed. Around 9:00 p.m., she preps and sips a casein protein shake.

"Casein is a slower-dissolving protein, so you break it down and use that energy throughout the night," Dany tells Women's Health. "In prep, you're trying so hard to just not deplete any of the muscle that you have."

Sometimes, Dany has some berries with this meal. If she didn't eat oatmeal with her first meal, she'll munch on some now. Or, she'll grab a blueberry waffle. "I love Vans Waffles," she says.

Bonus: Dessert

During the middle and later weeks of contest prep, there's no room for dessert or cheat meals in Dany's eating plan. However, during the first six-to-eight weeks of prep (or when Dany isn't prepping), she enjoys one "cheat meal" a week, which often involves two things: ice cream and tequila.

"My favorite cheat food in the world is ice cream," says Dany, who was a loyal Haagen Dazs fan until she discovered Salt & Straw. "I love it so much that I bought a piece of the company." (The Chocolate Gooey Brownie flavor is her fave.)

Dany also loves a spicy marg made with Teremana tequila—another brand she has invested in. (A woman after my own heart!)

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