There was a time in my life where I would not have been confident enough to post everything I put in my mouth throughout the day. There is absolutely no way I wanted to put my food out there for all people to see, and the reality of it, for many people to judge. Oh how times have changed!
After my post, “I Indulge Too”, I received several messages thanking me for being honest, realistic and human. There is no need to thank me, I am just here to share my journey, inspire a few along the way, and let you all know that you do not have to be perfect. I also have had several people say to me, “But you do eat healthy most of the time. So what do you eat.” Or my favorite one is, “Can you just tell me what to eat?”
I appreciate the fact that so many look to me for advice and like I have the answers. What I have learned in years of trying to eat well and feel great is what works for me, may not work for you. Food is similar to an exercise regimen: you need to find what works for you. For some it is gluten free, or no meat, or minimal fruit. For me, it is everything balanced.
So after all these requests, I have decided to occasionally share with you “What I Ate Today”. It may not always be my best day of eating (like today), but maybe you can learn a few tips and tricks. And if not, you can learn that healthy doesn’t have to be hard AND healthy is not always perfect.
Here was my attempt at my 80-20 lifestyle today.
Today I had two breakfasts: one I like to call my Pre-Workout fuel. Since I had an early morning workout this morning (6:15am) I fueled up with a slice of Cinammon Raisin Ezekial Toast and half of a banana. Not pictured is the coffee I drank on my way to my park workout.
I saved my other half of my banana for my second breakfast or my post workout meal: a smoothie with half of a banana, a handful of blueberries, vanilla protein powder, peanut butter, cinnamon, water and ice. As you can see it was so good that I drank almost all of it before remembering to take a picture.
After finishing it off, I was off to teach another class- good thing that was filling!
After my second workout of the day I refueled with two hard boiled eggs and about a cup of strawberries. I play around with what I eat post workout often. I have learned from working with a nutrition coach that carbs and protein are vital post workout. This has been my go-to post workout fuel as of late because it keeps me full until lunch.
I love having leftovers for lunch and that is what I did today! Leftover hamburger and corn on the cob from Monday night alongside cucumbers and half of a red pepper with spicy avocado hummus. Such a good lunch!
I am a sucker for desserts and today was no difference. After lunch I was really wanting something sweet so I went for a fruit salad I made on Tuesday night: strawberries, peaches, pecans and dark chocolate chips. Apparently the dark chocolate chips weren’t enough because I went back to the refrigerator to grab some more before throwing the rest of the bag in the trash. YES, that is CORRECT, I have a hard time resisting sweets, so I just throw them away- I had to!
Up until this meal, I felt like I was doing well today. Then the evening got hectic, I was rushing out the door for a Girls on the Run meeting and I hadn’t prepared myself dinner so this is what I ate. Not the worst, not the best. I had made C some popcorn cooked in coconut oil and sprinkled with some salt earlier in the day so I had not one, but two bowls myself while getting dinner ready for the munchkins. Then, I cut up an apple sprinkled with cinnamon and a spoonful of almond butter for the road.
All though not the best options for dinner, it did keep me full and luckily I didn’t come home from my meeting starving. I stayed full and ordered an unsweet tea from Starbucks do drink while I had my meeting.
Not my worst day, not my best. Too many starch carbs today (I try to stick to 3-4 and a half a banana is one) and not enough vegetables. When I have a day like today, I reset tomorrow and plan to include more vegetables.
Your health and fitness journey is not about perfection, it is about learning what works for you and making better choices each and every day.
What a great idea for a post! You may have inspired me to do the same. The thing is… I really eat a lot of food! I totally would be starving if I only ate what you ate. It’s crazy how different everyone can be. Thanks for sharing!
Really? I think I eat a lot of food. I would say that this was probably a lighter day for me since my dinner was smaller. I probably should have started this a long time ago because when M was nursing 5-6 times a day I was eating like crazy. Now that he has slowed down I am not as hungry. I would love to see what you eat too! I plan on doing this often so it will be interesting to see how some days I eat so much more!