What Do I Eat on a Regular Basis?

Many, many times I've been asked how I eat.  One of the things I've implemented as a tracking method and a way of sharing this information is MyFitnessPal's free app (username is amandataylor7).  I've downloaded this to my Android and it's a great way to keeps track of your macros, too.

Keep in mind this is my regular diet and not one that I'm using to try to lean up or slim down.  This is just how I eat on a normal day-to-day basis.  I'm assuming this might need some adjusting once I start this next Challenge with Natasha. 

Morning

3:45 am: Wakeup, get ready for the gym

4:30 am: Started workout; worked upper (bis, tris, lats, shoulders), drank a Pro during (yummy prolonged energy drink), and another bottle of water

6:30 am: Made Turtle Cheesecake post-workout shake while getting ready



Turtle Cheesecake Shake
2 scoops Vi
1/2-1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp fat free cream cheese
handful of whole, unsalted, unsweetened almonds
1 Tbsp sugar free Torani caramel syrup
1 tsp sugar free, fat free cheesecake pudding mix, dry
1 cup fat free MooTopia
(can use almond milk instead, MooTopia just has more protein and less sugars)

ice

blend



 8:30 am: Started third bottle of water

11:00 am: First half of chocolate chip Nutra cookie



Chocolate Chip Nutra Cookie

Morning totals = 528 calories, 49g carbs, 18g fat, 14g protein, 12g fiber, 29g sugar

Lunch

12:30 am: Spanish Chicken Romesco from Cafe Express; sub the mashed potatoes for sweet potato fries and sub the spinach for green beans, and drank fourth bottle of water 

Cafe Express Spanish Chicken Romesco



The counts below are as if I ate everything.  In truth, I ate all my green beans, then the chicken breast and almonds (but took most of the orange sauce off), and ate only half of the order of sweet potato fries.

Lunch totals = 407 calories, 24g carbs, 17g fat, 49g protein, 6g fiber, 11g sugar

Afternoon Snack

3:00 pm: second half of chocolate chip Nutra cookie, another bottle of water

Afternoon Snack totals = 75 calories, 10g carbs, 3g fat, 5g protein, 3g fiber, 5g sugar

Dinner

5:30 pm: Southwest Chicken soup, another bottle of water

Dinner totals = I am really not sure. It's made with a ton of veggies, red broth and a whole chicken, shredded.

Totals for the Day

So my totals for the day are given in the below screen shot from MyFitnessPal.com.  This of course excludes the information for dinner.  I would estimate another 400 calories or so for dinner, probably a good 20g of protein, not sure on the rest.



MyFitnessPal log for the day

If I get hungry again before going to bed, I sometimes go for some chips.  (Yeah, that's my weakness and I have to cut that out.)  Tonight, if I get hungry before bed, I'm going to split a shake with Eric.  Also, if I do an afternoon workout, I'll do a post workout shake then as well as doing the breakfast shake. 

What I Do

I normally try to make sure that I get in a good amount of lean protein every day.  There are many people who will tell you different rules you should follow for different end results; I just try to make a conscious effort to drink my shakes and eat a good amount of white meat in my meals.  I also try to hold back on the fats and sugars, although I'm going to have to start cutting back a bit more on the sugars I think.

Shopping the Perimeter

There's a line of thought that recommends shopping in the perimeter of your grocery store (avoiding the processed and packaged foods that you find in the center aisles).  Of course brown rice, beans and some health food items are in the center aisles.  But the concept is that if you avoid things like cereals, chips (I know, I'm cringing too), pastas, candy, granola bars, etc., you will have a leaner, healthier diet.  Think about it; everything I've just mentioned is high in sugars and simple carbs. 

If you're primarily shopping the perimeter of the store for your food, then your purchases tend to be healthier ones.

Be Realistic

If all that sounds great and wonderful, but difficult to you, then start small.  Make your goals realistic for you and your lifestyle.  And little by little, you will reach those goals and set new ones.  You might start out with simply supplementing your sugary breakfast full of simple carbs and very little protein with a shake.  Or if you're already doing that, begin using an all-natural sweetener such as Truvia/Stevia instead of sugar.  Or as I've mentioned before, replace your cokes with water.  Or instead of eating fast food, bring your lunch from home to work.

The bottom line is you never want to make something harder than it is, because it will seem like an insurmountable mountain and you might give up before even trying.  Don't do that.  You can get healthier.  Think baby steps.  You will get there!

=) Amanda