What should a CEO eat at client dinners and airports?
Protein first, every time. At a client dinner order the protein, eat it first, add vegetables and treat bread and dessert as optional. At an airport, find one real protein source rather than snacks. Aim for 1.8 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight a day, across three meals. No counting at the table.
The plate order
Protein first on the plate, physically first. Vegetables second. Carbohydrate third, if at all. That one rule works in any restaurant, any city, any menu, without anyone at the table noticing.
A protocol that cannot survive a client dinner is not a protocol. It is a countdown. You should never become the person counting calories at the table.
Client dinners
- Order the fish or the steak, then build around it.
- Decide on alcohol before you sit down, not during. And finish the last drink at least three hours before bed, because alcohol takes the back half of the night apart.
- Stop eating about three hours before you sleep when the evening allows.
- Enjoy it. When the fundamentals are a default, one dinner is just a dinner. It only becomes a problem when it is the first domino of the week.
Airports and travel days
- One real protein target a day, hit however you can, the airport lounge included. This alone prevents most of the damage.
- If the label runs past five ingredients, skip it.
- Water before coffee. Walk the terminal instead of sitting at the gate.
- If the day is a write-off, the next meal is not. No restart, just the next meal.
Short answers
How much protein does an executive need?
The working target is 1.8 to 2.2 grams per kilo of bodyweight a day, split across three meals. If you have a kidney condition or another medical reason to watch protein, check with your doctor first.
Do I have to stop drinking?
No. Decide before the evening, not during, and keep the last drink at least three hours before bed. The effect on sleep is usually the bigger cost than the drink itself.
Should I count calories when I travel?
No. Hit the protein and the food quality and the rest follows. Counting at the table is the kind of rule that collapses by the third trip.
Who answers these
I am Cassio Oliveira, founder of One Life. I work as a fractional Chief Health Officer: one person accountable for a founder's movement, food, sleep and stress, the way a fractional CFO is accountable for the numbers. Four pillars, always in that order. Tested, not guessed.
Fifteen minutes. A straight read.
Three sharp questions, a straight read on the pillar costing you the most, and an honest answer on fit, both directions. If it is a wrong fit I say so and point you somewhere better.
Book the 15-minute diagnostic →Fifteen minutes. Three sharp questions. A straight read and a clear next step, either way.
Educational, not medical advice. If you have a diagnosed condition, symptoms that worry you, or are under a doctor's care, speak to your doctor before changing how you train, eat or sleep.