What I Eat Now.

So, my last post was about food and what I started with at the beginning of my fitness journey. And this post will be about what I eat now for my fitness goals.

First I would like to reiterate something. This is a firm belief of mine, which is why I choose to state it again: All calories are not created equal.

There is only ONE instance in which you don't necessarily need to concern yourself with the kinds of calories you eat: when you're just starting out.

See, at the beginning of a diet change, it's usually overwhelming enough to just see how many calories you're really taking in and try to restrict it down to a normal amount so that you're not gaining weight, and then trying to figure out the balance of calories burned and eaten so that you're losing weight.

Once you've got actual calorie counting down, then it's time to slowly change what you eat. Having calorie counting skills already in the bag when you start to change your diet really helps because you begin to understand the difference between the calories in a burger from McDonald's and the one you can make at home. And this knowledge can really help make your transition much easier.

The way I did it was by slowly swapping out my unhealthy choices for healthier ones. I switched regular peanut butter (which has lots of added sugar and salt and preservatives in it) for natural peanut butter. Yes, it's oily and you have to stir it up, and yes you have to keep it in the fridge, but would you rather put preservatives in your body? I wouldn't. I switched soda for water. I switched white bread for whole wheat bread (actually I did this a really really long time ago, for my IBS, and I really can't stand even the thought of white bread now. I only eat it when I'm out and when there's no other option). And actually, I don't really eat a lot of bread now. I switched white pasta for whole wheat pasta...this one takes dedication. They taste very different. If you can make this switch, you're doing awesome. And you can do it, because I've put Daric on whole wheat pasta, and if you know him, you know he loves pasta, so it is possible. And right now, when we have pasta, I have corn pasta. Sounds weird but it's pretty good.

There are so many switches you can make. You can swap:
Mayo for mustard.
Regular bacon for turkey bacon.
Milk chocolate for dark chocolate.
Ice cream for frozen yogurt.
Cereal in a box for oatmeal.

Really, the options are endless. The one thing I would make sure of is that you're getting a balanced diet. Fruits, veggies, protein, fats. Those are the building blocks of a healthy diet.

Now, let me put something in here before I actually tell you what I eat, because I know you're dying inside to know.

I don't count calories. I try to eat healthy. Sometimes I fail miserably, as I am married to a man who loves to eat out, and can eat anything and still be a beanpole. Sometimes I want to kick him for that. But he's 24 and got testosterone, so what am I gonna do about it.

Anyways...to me, it's more important to get adequate nutrition than to make sure you're under a certain calorie limit. It is also important to me to eat if I'm hungry. There have been many days when I have plowed through my calorie limit because I have been starving. And it didn't matter to me. God puts a rumble in your belly to know it's time to eat. Your stomach doesn't care about numbers. If your body is hungry, feed it. That's where the importance of adequate nutrition comes in. If every meal you eat contains carbs from fruits and veggies, a protein source, and a small amount of fat....you won't really get that hungry before your next meal. With the right meal, I could go 6 hours without feeling hungry again. Depends on what I did that day. That said, right now I'm getting hungry even though I had a smoothie with over 40 grams of protein in it less than 3 hours ago. Why? Because I worked legs in the gym today and then walked half an hour on the treadmill and came home and did some abs and stretching. My body is hungry for calories because it's getting stronger and repairing the damage I did. If your body is hungry, and you're putting good food in it, it is my opinion that you don't need to worry about calories. Your body will use that nutrition to be healthy.

However...if you're going to eat crap, you do need to watch your calories. Because that crap will get stored as fat, and you'll only have yourself to blame.

You'll notice I didn't list 'carbs' in my mealtime idea...that's because you get carbs from fruits and veggies. You can eat wheat based products if you want. I choose to limit mine, because I feel better without them, and I eat enough fruits and veg to get adequate carbs.

One last thing...there are some things out there where the  healthier option actually has more calories. For instance, take peanut butter. Classic pb has less calories than natural peanut butter. Natural pb has 100 calories per tbsp., and I think classic has 80-90. HOWEVER, if we're going with the quality of calories over quantity, then natural pb wins. Why? Well, it's natural first off. It doesn't have added sugar, salt, or chemicals. It's just peanuts, plain and simple. Secondly, the extra calories come from the oil they leave in the jar, which you see sitting on top of the pb when you buy it and you then have to mix in. This is where the fats come from. Fats from seeds and nuts are good for you. They help your brain work, they lubricate your joints, and your body needs them. Natural peanut butter is so good for you for those reasons. I eat at least a tablespoon every day. Plus, it's way more delicious than regular pb. So get some.

Ok. Enough ranting. Here's what I generally eat day to day:

Breakfast: Either a fruit smoothie (1/2 banana, a few strawberries, 1/2 c. cranberry juice, 1-2 tbsp. greek yogurt, ice cubes) or some fruit and some protein - today was a couple servings of cherries and 4 slices of turkey bacon

Then I work out.

Post-workout: Smoothie! 1-2 scoops protein powder (I use Promasil and it's fantastic), 1/2 c. chocolate almond milk, 1 tbsp. natural pb, 1 tbsp. greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, dash of cinnamon, ice cubes, some water. It's a lot, sounds weird, and it's probably close to 500 cals last time I checked and depending on how much Promasil I used, but I workout for two hours on days I have this, and my body needs FUEL baby!!

Lunch: Daric comes home for lunch, and it's around 1am usually. I try to make dinners we can both have, so this is my most liberal meal of the day, and it varies widely. I usually try:
Protein (chicken, steak, fish, beef) and vegetables (usually carrots, because they're easy, but I also have frozen mixed veggies to use sometimes).
Last night we had tacos (corn shells, lean ground beef, tomatoes, and shredded cheese) with some carrots.
Other nights we'll have steak and I'll have veggies on the side. If he has pasta, I have corn pasta and chicken and veggies.

Snack: Usually around 5am...usually some protein like eggs (yolk and all...yummy fats!) and some more fruit or veggies and maybe a spoon of natural pb. Last night my snack was two hard-boiled eggs, some sugar snap peas, and a spoon of pb.

Dinner: Not tons, because I don't like to go to bed on a full stomach and I'm honestly not that hungry at this time (about 7-8am)...I might have some oatmeal sometimes, bacon, a fruit smoothie if I didn't have it for breakfast...it varies, especially since Daric will need to eat too.

So there you have it. As you can see, I don't generally eat a lot of wheat products. I like to limit it, but sometimes we go out to eat or hit up Subway or Chik-Fil-A and then I'll eat it. It's fine for me in moderation.

You'll also notice a lack of dairy. Except for small amounts of yogurt (always in smoothies) and cheese (usually in tacos or on homemade pizza), I don't eat dairy. Sometimes I'll have ice cream, but not often. And usually in a small tea cup. My stomach doesn't really like dairy, and avoiding it and gluten have helped my digestion a lot.

I've mentioned we eat out. Sometimes we'll get pizza, and I don't feel guilty about eating it. Sometimes we go out for waffles, and I love it. I honestly have gotten over my guilt about eating bad foods because a) I eat well most of the time, and b) since I don't count calories, I'm no longer obsessive about what I eat. My opinion is that if you're good most of the time, you can indulge when you want to. Plus, I don't deprive myself, and I love pizza and waffles, and it's my choice and I like it :)

Well, that's that. Changing diet is pretty difficult, but you just need to get in a groove, and find a way to be happy with it. http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ is a great place to start for ideas. If you're like me, you can eat the same thing day in and day out without really caring too much about it, but if you're not you just need to be creative and thoughtful about your food choices. You can eat better! You can!

As always, I'm willing to answer any questions!
<3 Amanda