I was going to call this "What I Ate Wednesday", but today's my birthday (oot oot!), so you KNOW there will be some indulging happening. [wink wink]
Sooo I thought it'd be better to share a more "normal" day of eating with you all. That is, meals that are made with prepped foods and eaten at my usual times.
I typically eat 4-5 times a day, depending on if I'm working or not. I wake up at 4:30am on work days, and eat breakfast by 5:30. So I usually have to have something to tide my over till my lunch break - or things are gonna get UGLY.
Now, let me preface this by saying a few things:
- I do not always track my food intake. I definitely do when I'm trying to actively build lean muscle ("bulking"), because I want to make sure that I'm keeping my macros high enough to promote those muscle (read BOOTY) gains. Currently, I am at more of a "maintenance" intake level, but I'm slowly increasing it to get back to muscle-building mode. I've also found tracking beneficial during stressful times, when I feel those binge tendencies or negative feelings towards food creeping back up. Keeping a food log keeps me from grabbing food to deal with emotional issues, and it also ensures that I'm eating enough, which has been an issue for me, too.
- This is what works for me. I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, or registered dietician. I'm not telling you that you have to track your macros, or that you have to eat exactly what I eat. Do what works for YOUR body, babes! My goal with this post is to show you how I plan out my day and make my meals fit the current macros I have set for myself.
- I still listen to my body. You'll notice I exceeded my "goal" for this particular day, and this happens maybe a few times a week. Some days when I train a lot harder (read: leg + booty days), I am STARVING. So I usually eat a few more carbs and/or have a little more nut butter or avocado. I don't beat myself up over this, because I'm not mindlessly eating junk food - I'm giving my body the fuel it needs to be able to train properly and keep me strong and healthy.
[Side note: You'll notice that I almost always measure my food in grams. This is what I've found to be the most accurate method. For instance, a serving of Publix rolled oats is 39g. If I measure out "half a cup" and actually measure them, it might actually be more like 50g. This may not seem like a lot, but those little differences can add up over the day, which add up over the week, which...oh, you get the point. Haha. If you're serious about tracking your food intake, buy yourself a cheap - but reliable - food scale that measures in grams.]
Ok, now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, let's get to the fun part...the FOOD!
- BREAKFAST: My usual bowl of "proats" with berries and PB + a "matcha-collagen latte"
- MID-MORNING SNACK: Plain rice cakes (I'm always in a hurry to scarf something down) + an iced almond milk latte (no sweetener) from the Starbucks downstairs at the hospital) + my Natural Calm magnesium powder (which I always put in my Healthy Human Life water bottle)
- LUNCH: A hodge podge of goods - baked sweet potato fries, low-sodium/all natural deli turkey, veggies, hummus, + some GF pretzels (because I always need a good CRUNCH factor)
- AFTERNOON SNACK: Rice cakes + PB Fit (I'm obsessed with this stuff!). I didn't workout this day, but if I did, I would've added a simple protein shake (water + Pretty Fit protein) and adjusted my protein from some of the other meals (such as cut out the protein added to my morning oats or reduce the amount of shrimp I have at dinner).
- DINNER: sautéed shrimp + bell peppers, quinoa + rice (mixed), lots of lettuce (for my greens!), salsa, avocado (for healthy fats), + a glass of kombucha (I love drinking this at night to give me calm vibes AND keep my gut health on point)
That's it, you guys! That doesn't look so complicated, right?
It's all about PLANNING AHEAD. (Cause, yes, in case you didn't read my last post, I'm a planner.) I like to roughly plan out what I'm having the night before and then adjust it during the day if I need to (like I mentioned with the afternoon snack). If I need a few more carbs, add 25-50g of brown rice. Need more protein? Add in some extra chicken or another 1/2 scoop of protein into my oats. Low on fats? Well, you know what I'm gonna say about that...WHIP OUT THAT NUT BUTTER, BABY! Just remember to measure things out so that you don't go overboard - which I am TOTALLY likely to do. (Oops...haha!)
Have questions? Feel free to email me or leave a comment below. I love hearing from you guys! Also, if you'd like more help learning about macros (or having yours calculated to help meet your own fitness goals), I offer that as a service, too (under "Train With Me")!
Blessings,
