I decided to add a new weekly post! Instead of posting a new recipe, I’d rather share with you what my day looks like in terms of eating. Enter Day in the Life: Mel’s Meals posts. I’ll show you what I’m eating, when I’m eating, sometimes why I’m eating. I create recipes quite a bit, but it doesn’t really show you how I incorporate those recipes into my daily food intake. Plus a lot of times the recipes are fancier than my real, everyday diet.
I get asked quite a bit what I eat for breakfast or what I eat for lunch, etc. To be honest, I’m pretty boring when it comes to food. I try to stick to meat, veggies, and complex carbs. I like my vegetables sprinkled with salt & pepper and roasted. Nothing too fancy, plus they taste fantastic that way!
Boring? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely.
I have also enjoyed tracking my macros lately, which at times can lead to some interesting dinners! So here goes… this is a day in the life of ME in terms of eating.
4:30am Pre-Workout
I wake up at 4:20am, go to the bathroom, get my workout clothes on, and head to the kitchen. I will immediately drink half a liter of water. I typically fill up a liter-sized bottle the night before, because I like room temperature water (I can drink more that way). I’ll drink half that liter, then take the other half and use it to mix my pre-workout powder.
I definitely feel like a pre-workout supplement helps me before a workout. When I first started using it I didn’t really notice a difference. Then one day I didn’t take it and I noticed a big difference in both my strength and stamina! I use it all the time now. Coffee would work too, but I don’t wake up early enough to make it.
I prefer MusclePharm supplements to others because I like the taste and they seem to do the job! My favorite flavor of Assault (the preworkout) is Fruit Punch so that is the only kind I buy anymore. I will also take one capsule of branched-chain amino acids. These help preserve muscle if you workout or eat at a calorie deficit. You want your body to use other sources of energy (aka fat) and not break down your muscle (aka protein) to get energy for your workout. I also take one capsule post-workout.
I don’t like to eat very much before a morning workout, but I definitely feel better if I have a little something. I was testing out a recipe for homemade protein bars the other day so this is a serving of that. I made another version (for a future blog post) that is chocolate and peanut butter flavored!
6:30am Meal #1:
I typically already know what I will be eating for the three meals in the middle of the day (Meals 2, 3, & 4 from my meal prep) so breakfast and dinner are used to meet whatever macros I have remaining. Breakfast changes for me daily, but I consume a lot of the same foods. Oatmeal is a big one for me, but I have that in Meal #2 this week so I’ve avoided it for breakfast. Next week I’ll make a different carb for Meal #2 so I might start the day with oats. Today I had 1 scoop of MusclePharm Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate mixed with water. I also had 1 large egg cooked over-easy, 1 slice of Ezekiel bread, 2oz mashed avocado, and 1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil.
The coconut oil thing has been a new one for me. Jodi had me increase my fat intake and decrease my carbs to help lower my body fat. I am typically short on fats (even with a whole egg and avocado) so I enjoy coconut oil (this brand is Sprouts Virgin Coconut Oil, unrefined) to get more healthy fats with no other carbs or protein. It might seem gross to you, but I think it is delicious! It is super smooth and slightly sweet. I’m guessing once it warms up outside and I’m enjoying cold smoothies again, I’ll throw it in there! I also sprinkled the egg with salt & pepper and the toast with salt and red pepper flakes.
9:30am Meal #2:
I will usually get hungry for my second meal of the day between 9:30-10:00am so I eat this meal at my desk. Over the weekend I made peanut butter baked oatmeal (future recipe post as well). In order to fit the lower number of carb intake per day, I split the recipe into 9 servings instead of the usual 6. So I had one serving of baked oatmeal, 4 scrambled egg whites, and half a tablespoon of peanut butter. On the side I had 1/2 scoop whey protein isolate. I like to mix it with a very small amount of water so it is really thick, then pour it on the oatmeal to moisten it again. Tastes similar to icing! This baked oatmeal recipe was the bomb. I honestly look forward to Meal #2 every day!
1:15pm Meal #3:
I usually eat lunch (Meal #3) between 12:00-12:30pm. Today I was a little later than that, which was fine because I wasn’t starving. I had 5oz chicken breast, 1/3 cup cooked quinoa, 3 oz roasted Brussels sprouts, and for a little added color I packed 2-3 roasted tomatoes and 1-2 halves of a mini bell pepper (also roasted). I will make a big batch of roasted tomatoes and peppers and then divvy them up between my meal containers. Makes them look pretty and has added nutrients!
3:45pm Meal #4:
My mid-afternoon snack is actually my 4th meal of the day and generally very similar to lunch. Today I had 5 oz pork tenderloin, 75 grams pinto beans (dried, soaked, and cooked in a slow cooker), 2.5 oz haricot verts (similar to a green bean), and 50 grams diced zucchini (roasted). Again, I have a few slices of pepper and tomatoes.
6:30pm Meal #5:
I want to say this is a random dinner, but in my world this is pretty typical. I was hosting book club and had some stuff to get done so Donny & I did not make dinner together. I needed something quick and my go-to in this type of situation is a) eggs or b) yogurt. I wasn’t feeling eggs so I chose yogurt.
This is plain, nonfat Greek yogurt with 1/4 Tbsp pure maple syrup mixed it. It is topped with 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup puffed millet, and 1 Tbsp Wild Friends Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter. Delicious! I will have this for breakfast occasionally and I love it! Since I hosted book club I made some chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate dipped oranges, and chocolate dipped pears. I enjoyed a chocoloate dipped strawberry!
One thing I’d like to note is my water intake. No pictures, but I drink a liter right when I wake up and then try to consume 4 liters while I am at work (two before lunch, two after). I rarely drink any at night or I will pee all. night. long.
So according to MyFitnessPal, I consumed a total of 1,696 calories. I ate 176 grams of protein, 134 grams of carbs, and 56 grams of fat. I like to be +/- 5 grams for each category. This was pretty spot on, I was 1 gram over protein, 3 grams over carbs, and 2 grams shy of my fat intake. Not too shabby.
What I was really pleased about was that even with the maple syrup and chocolate for dinner my total sugar intake was 35 grams… sometimes it is WAY higher than that.
Well that is everything I ate today. In the past, I would sneak a dried date here or a handful of granola there, but with a goal of losing body fat I’ve really been trying to avoid those calories … they all add up!
Do you track your calorie intake? I am pretty tight with my diet, especially right now, but how is your diet similar? How is it different?
