What are your biggest struggles when it comes to nutrition?
Knowing what to eat?
Avoiding out of control eating?
Knowing how to eat to achieve your goals?
Not wanting to be restrictive?
I’ve had weight fluctuations throughout my own fitness journey. There were times when I was overweight, and also times very strict with my diet. Both extremes accompanied times of either low and high physical activity. I can say that right now I am at a point in my life that how I eat aligns with both my goals and lifestyle. It has come through practice, trial and error. And a willingness to keep trying.
It has become simple.
Simple, but not without effort.
Here is a quick rundown of what I had to eat on a fairly typical day yesterday.
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 slices of back bacon, ~2 cups of mixed veggies (I like the Thai blend) with sliced beets and a handful of edamame beans, 180g 0% Greek yogurt with 1 cup blueberries, ⅓ cup bran buds, 1 tsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips and black coffee.
Why this works for me: I like eggs, I find the back bacon gives me a better ratio of protein to fat compared to regular bacon and the veggies are filling. I get a large bag of frozen Thai veggies so they are already chopped and ready to be tossed into the skillet with the frozen beets and edamame beans. I enjoy the texture of the yogurt with the bran buds and the chocolate chips are for fun. I will get close to 600 calories from this meal which is important because I will often not get to lunch until mid-afternoon. I will sometimes swap the yogurt for cottage cheese.
Workout shake: water mixed with a scoop of protein powder (not locked into a specific brand) along with a scoop of creatine. I have this for my workout and for after. Not because of a magical 30 minute window around working out, it is just convenient and light so I don’t feel sluggish during training. Sometimes, if I’m feeling the need I will have an applesauce tube before my workout. I workout most days of the week but at least 3 if life gets hectic. Robin and I are good at helping make it work for the other.
This dessert square: after my workout, someone had brought some homemade treats for her birthday. I don’t know what it’s called or what’s all in it but it was really tasty!
Lunch: Here is some grilled chicken with some BBQ sauce, some fettuccine noodles we got from a fundraiser with homemade sauce and a mixed salad. The noodles aren’t typical but I will likely have some starch, perhaps the chicken in a sandwich or some leftovers from the night before. The salad is often from a salad kit except that we get extra greens to boost up the volume. I like balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dressing but will also use the dressing from the kit, but maybe not the entire packet. I sometimes add some nuts and cranberries. I also had a banana for dessert. Does this plate have a familiar look about it?
Why this works for me: I have made a game of trying to get the Plate Method for most meals. To do this I prioritize the veggies and protein. I find that the starchy carbs easily take care of themselves but I need to be intentional with the protein and veggies. I find this is easily accomplished with leftovers. Keeping the foods mostly whole and separated lets me get the relative portions I’m looking for (compared to stew with everything mixed together, don’t get me started on lasagna!).
Supper: Usually my supper looks a lot like my lunch but I might also add some steamed veggies. But Robin and I decided to go out for supper at Sawney Beans. I opted for a burger with a side garden salad. The balsamic dressing is on the side and often only a little bit gets used since I do the fork dip thing. Just water to drink. We saved dessert for home where we each had a chocolate chip cookie that Sarah made. I ate an apple before the cookie.
Why this works for me: The burger bun is the starch for my Plate Method game and the salad takes its appropriate place. The apple gives some extra coverage there too because I count fruit toward my daily veggie and fruit count. The cookie is a bonus. There is a strategy here. Eating the apple first means I will also be more full before eating the cookie, which I will eat (can anybody guess?)…..yes, slowly 😉
This evening didn’t, but could also include a glass of alcohol-free wine (not zero calories but also none of the alcohol effects) or a Fresca in a wine glass.
Night Snack: I make a little parfait for myself to end the day. I have come to look forward to it such that I would skip other stuff to have it because if I opt for something more dessert-like I would consider the parfait budget “spent.” There is an economy to my intake.
This parfait is a smaller version of my breakfast yogurt. A small Greek yogurt cup with a sprinkling of bran buds, some chocolate chips and some frozen blueberries. Sometimes a little bit more peanut butter.
Ok, about that economy statement, I should explain.
I look at food as performance fuel and in the same way that we need to pay attention to how much and how often we fuel our vehicles, it is the same way with our bodies. I have done the math with counting the calories and my portions are very close to the same consistently. This means that I am freed up and I don’t actually track. But that is only because I have structured my meals to be repeatable and measurable and I have done the homework. I eat intentionally to recognize how full I am and because most of my meals are similar I can be pretty accurate. And that means that for the occasional times I “splurge” at a special event it is such a one-off that I just don’t worry about it. Especially because I will be back on the path for the very next meal or snack.
Now back to my not tracking, I should point out that the body always tracks. We can try to turn a blind eye to binging or let a single treat blow off the whole weekend and think that we just write it off, but the body doesn’t rationalize or make emotional attachments.
The body always tracks.
So I work with that.
Are most of my days like the above description? Yeah, most are. You can ask those close to me because they see it. But they also get to see me eat off-track for joy sometimes too. I feel I actually have more flexibility and freedom because I keep this structure in my life. I shop so that I have the ability to achieve these model days more often than not. I find it simple.
Do you want eating to be simple?
The trade-off for simple is repetitive.
How you eat doesn’t have to be perfect. Instead, can you make it so that “more often than not” is an accurate description? Even on weekends?
If you want some guidance setting up your eating habits and structure, our coaches are great at making habits and making them stick! You can set up a time to talk with a coach HERE .