How To Be Healthy Without An Education, Part II: My Personal Nutrition & Tips

Hey all! I was hoping to have this post up earlier than today, but a head cold kept me out of commission the last couple of days. I’m feeling about 75% better and looking forward to a quiet, relaxing weekend to get me back to where I need to be! As far as Part I of my nutrition post, I covered a few different points, as there is so much that can be said about the topic. For Part II, I’m going to talk about my personal nutrition, why I eat what I do and when, as well as some tips that I believe can help others maintain good nutrition for themselves as well.

Brief background: I have been tracking my nutrition/macronutrient intake (carbs/fats/proteins) for about two years now. Tracking became more intense and specified in June 2015, when I decided to start prepping for my bikini debut in a bodybuilding show. I hired a coach, and he gave me my starting carbs, fats, and proteins to hit every day, with the numbers slowly decreasing every week until the show. Luckily, I was familiar with macro tracking before I started show prep, making hitting the numbers less stressful.

Fast forward to today, and I am currently not working with a coach at the moment- I started tracking on my own at the end of December 2015 since it’s my offseason, and I just wanted a little wiggle room for flexibility for when I decide I don’t want to track on a random evening, etc., without feeling like someone else is watching my numbers. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could dial in my own nutrition and challenge myself to coach myself. Further, I am slowly increasing my carb and fat intake each week on my own, putting myself in a slight calorie surplus to put on some muscle and size. I don’t want to go “too” high, but just high enough that I will slowly gain some muscle mass. Being in a caloric surplus can be slightly difficult mentally, as that means the scale will start to go up, and my clothes will fit a little more snug than usual. Because, inevitably, along with gaining muscle, I will be adding a little fat, but I know it’s what needs to be done if I want to look “better” than I did on stage last year.

During the week, I train at 4:30 p.m., and I eat a majority (about 70%) of my carbs around my workout time to both fuel my lifts, as well as replenish glycogen and build muscle afterwards. I track my nutrition on an app called My Fitness Pal, which gives the macro and calorie intake for almost every food imaginable, including fast food and chain restaurant dishes. Also, I have a food scale at home to measure what I’m eating, making sure that I’m consistent daily. (You don’t have to get this exact if you are just looking to clean up your diet, but as a competitor, your numbers need to be almost exact when prepping for a show.) I’m a creature of habit, so I pretty much eat the same foods every day, making meal planning and prepping much easier. On the weekends, I tend to switch it up and have more complex and “interesting” meals because I have extra time at home. Below is a sample week day for me:

9 a.m. Breakfast: grilled chicken, peanut butter, grape tomatoes, coffee

12 p.m. Lunch: turkey, whole wheat tortilla, sweet potatoes, peanut butter

2:30p.m. Pre-workout snack: Greek yogurt, Clif bar, piece of dark chocolate

6:30 p.m. Supper/post workout: grilled chicken, green beans, sweet potatoes

8:30 p.m. Snack: this varies every night- yogurt, ice cream, protein bar, egg whites, etc.

As you can see, I really don’t eat much for carbs until around 12 p.m., which is COMPLETELY personal preference. I find that this works best for myself, my body, and my energy levels in the gym. PS I know the thought of it is strange, but grilled chicken and/or sweet potatoes with melty peanut butter all over is amazing, and probably my all-time favorite combination! My nightly snack varies depending on what I’m craving that day. I just wanted to share a broad overview of my personal diet with you to show you that there’s no need to have boring, bland foods day in and day out because you can incorporate your favorite foods into your diet while still reaching your nutrition goals! Sometimes I even have two or three Oreos during my workout for extra energy.

Also, once per week, I have a *free* meal, meaning I don’t track it or worry about what the macros for the meal are. I usually like to have this on Saturdays with my boyfriend, as a date night. Free meals are not only good for your mentality and taking a break from numbers for one meal, but they also positively shock your body and your hormones. When you're dieting, your body recognizes that it's in a calorie deficit and starts preserving energy and grasping onto anything you eat, storing it as fat because it doesn’t know when it’s going to receive nutrients next, and basically thinks you are starving. You burn fat for a period of time, and then your body's like "Are you trying to starve me with these low carbs!?” and it stops producing fat burning hormones. Essentially, a free meal will help re-introduce those fat burning hormones in order for you to get back to your lower daily/maintenance macros and continue to burn fat. So, don’t be too surprised if you follow me on Instagram and see pictures of burgers, frozen yogurt, or pizza from time to time!

Also, I’m not perfect, and it’s my offseason, so do I follow my macros EXACTLY Monday through Sunday? No! I hit them as best as I can daily, but sometimes unplanned date nights happen. Friends happen. Wanting to not track one day happens. It’s LIFE! If tracking stresses you out, maybe a take a day off, or a week off, or however long you need! Your body is resilient and smarter than you think, so don’t believe that one meal of greasy food is going to make you gain excess weight. Just DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY :)

Nutrition tips:

--Aim to drink 80-120oz of water daily; the more you drink, the less water you retain

--Incorporate protein into every meal to keep you satiated (tuna, chicken, egg whites, nuts, yogurt)

--Eat the number of meals that works best for YOU- either 3-4 meals, or 5-6, depending on your schedule

--Eat an adequate amount of carbs 1.5-2 hours before the gym for energy

--Keep an eye on fiber intake, and try to aim for 25-30 grams daily for regularity

--Incorporate green, leafy vegetables daily (spinach, broccoli, green beans, peas)

If you have any questions, comments, or nutrition tips you think I should add to this list, let me know!

Thanks for reading!