For the last week I have been keeping a journal of everything I eat/consume. Although my main meals change from week to week, my goals stay the same, and my dedication to clean eating and balance remains a constant in my life. Here is a list of my goals when it comes to clean and balanced eating:
- Eat every 3-4 hours
- Eat protein in almost every meal or snack to keep my blood sugars leveled, and my muscles fed
- Eat clean foods 80% of the time – and not worry the other 20% of the time
- It took me a long time to learn this, but eating not only often, but enough food was essential to my success in keeping the weight off.
- Drink 2-3 liters of water each and every day (the only liquids you will see on my food journal are ones that were not water or herbal teas – otherwise, I was drinking these two things everyday, all day long)
Below I have highlighted my protein sources, and how many times I have eaten throughout the day. Everything I have learned over the years has seriously transformed my body, and the principles I’m showing you when it comes to food has made me healthier inside and out – not to mention I am the leanest I have ever been! I do not eat perfectly, but I do make sure that 80% of the time, I am fueling my body like it is a fine tuned machine. Keep in mind that although I may have a small frame, I do have a low thyroid and need to watch my weight closely, and be conscious of my energy levels. Eating often and eating clean has been instrumental in my success with hypothyroidism, and allowing myself to indulge without guilt was something I learned over time. Letting go of perfection, and the willingness to make mistakes was what allowed me to maintain this lifestyle and not view this as a diet….because as you know, I do not believe in dieting.
Friday January 25th
- 8:00am – Nature’s Path cereal with almond milk. Coffee with Bailey’s
- 11:00am – Handful of mixed nuts, two dates, and ½ Daryl’s protein bar
- 1:00pm – Homemade Minestrone Soup – lean beef, brown rice noodles, white kidney beans, potatoes, loads of veggies and organic chicken broth.
- 4:00pm – ½ Grapefruit + hard boiled egg
- 7:00pm – Chicken Almandine – sautéed carrots, celery, chicken, and slivered almonds on top of brown rice with some Coleslaw dressing and seasoning for flavour + ½ Grapefruit for ‘dessert’.
Saturday January 26th
- 9:00am – Ezekiel English muffin with butter, and two fried eggs. Salt and pepper to flavour. Coffee with Bailey’s
- 11:30am – Big glass of Almond milk mixed with ½ Bolthouse Mocha protein drink(pre-workout carb snack)
Workout: 30 Minute UgiFit Workout - 1:15pm – Healthy Faux Pizza – Ezekiel wrap, pasta meat sauce, turkey pepperoni, goat cheese. Broiled for 2-3 minutes.
- 4:00pm – ½ Grapefruit with a couple almonds
- 5:00pm – 11:00pm – appetizers, rice Krispy squares dipped in a chocolate fountain, + 6 beers (At a wedding, so I made this night my cheat meal)
Sunday January 27th
- 10:00am – 2 Nature’s Path waffles – one with butter and 100% maple syrup, and the other with natural peanut butter ( to get the protein) + 1 black tea
- 1:00pm – ½ Daryl’s protein bar
Workout: 1.5 hour walk - 3:00pm – Dried mango + a couple almonds (to slow down the blood sugar spike from the mango)
- 4:00pm – Potato & Leek Soup with chicken and 1 perogi
- 7:00pm – Healthy faux pizza – Gluten free corn tortilla, meat sauce and goat cheese + watermelon
Monday January 28th
- 8:30am – Nature’s Path Oatmeal with slivered almonds, ½ banana, and flaxseed. 1 black tea
Workout: 30 minutes of shoveling - 10:30am – Big glass of vanilla almond milk for pre-workout meal
Workout: 30 minute GroupFit workout - 1:00pm – Homemade chili – beans and lean ground beef are protein sources
- 2:00pm – Couple pieces of mango with almonds
- 3:30pm – ½ Daryl’s protein bar
- 6:00pm – Chicken Stir-fry – chicken, onion, yellow pepper, broccoli, bean sprouts, mango and grated ginger
- 9:30pm – raw veggies
Tuesday January 29th
- 7:30am – 2 pieces Ezekiel toast with natural peanut butter and honey
- 10:45am – raw veggie with garlic hummus
- 12:00pm – Homemade chili
- 3:30pm – Mixed nuts with 3 dates
- 6:45pm – Mixed nuts
- 7:45pm – Brown rice pasta with ground beef and pasta sauce + ½ Daryl’s protein bar
Wednesday January 30th
- 8:30am – Plain Greek yogurtwith psyllium fiber cereal, honey, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
Workout – 30 minute GroupFit/UgiFit workout - 11:00am – Protein Shake – almond milk, Vega Protein Powder, banana, frozen blueberries
- 1:00pm – Arugula salad with walnuts, pears, oil vinaigrette + 3 meatballs
- 3:30pm – Handful of raw nuts
- 5:30pm – Beef, celery, tomatoes, onions, spinach, brown rice, beef broth, and a dollop of sour cream for sauce in this concoction that tasted like the inside of a cabbage roll.
- 10:00pm – Small bowl of Greek yogurt with honey
Thursday January 31st
- 8:00am – Nature’s path oatmeal with walnuts and raisins + black coffee with maple syrup
- 10:45am – ½ Daryl’s protein bar
- 1:00pm – ½ Daryl’s protein bar + Greek yogurt
- 3:45pm – ½ Daryl’s protein bar
- 5:25pm – ½ Daryl’s protein bar
- 8:30pm – calamari with two dipping sauces + spring salad w/ beets, carrots, goat cheese, oil/vinegar dressing. 2 beers, and sip of Bellini.
NOTE: Today I was driving around from appointment to appointment from morning time, until dinner out with the girls. I did not prep enough food to take with me for the day, and got caught eating Daryl’s protein bars all day because they were accessible. Normally I would try to balance this better, and as a result I found myself very hungry when I got to the restaurant. Therefore, this is not a good example of eating in my opinion.
After going over my own food journal this week, I realized the copious amounts of beef I consumed. Wow – you’d think I was on my period or something!!! If I was to critique myself, I would suggest aiming for more of a protein balance between red meat, chicken, and fish the following week.
Showing you the difference of liking and loving your body,
ashley dale roy
