Sneak Peak Into the Food Diary of a Fitness Professional

*The following journal was recorded previously and shared at a later date*

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been hanging out in a group setting and someone has apologized to me for what they‘re eating. Time and time again I’ve heard, “Oh, I know you don’t eat [insert decadent dessert or rich and creamy entrée of choice]”, when in fact, it’s just not true. My goal is to lead a balanced lifestyle where I’m making healthier choices the majority of the time and not depriving myself of anything that I truly want.

Today, I’m sharing a peak inside my food journal.  Disclaimer: I do not actively journal right now, but there are moments when I feel like I need to be more mindful.  Journaling re-grounds me and helps me get back to my happy. I don’t feel like this is necessary for where I am right now, but it’s a great resource for finding rhythm. If you haven’t tried it, go out and get yourself a pretty little book and give it a go!

It’s a Saturday. That means that my recordings may be a little different from my everyday patterns. I usually have a longer run first thing which throws my eating pattern off a little and, if we’re going to eat out, this is the day we’d do it and I’m more likely to have a “cheat meal”. We’ll talk more about those down the road. But, generally speaking, I’m a little more lenient on Saturdays that any other day of the week.

4:00 a.m. Coffee with vanilla Califia Farms creamer.

4:30 a.m. Pre-run meal: almond butter and chocolate chip Lara bar.

I don’t always eat a pre-run or workout meal. Generally, if I’m going for what I considered a “long run” (i.e over 10 miles), or if intend to be moving for more than and hour and a half,  I’ll eat a little something beforehand.

8:00 a.m. Breakfast: Ground beef, egg, and veggie breakfast burrito in an almond flour wrap and an apple. Water and apple juice.

8:30 a.m. Coffee with Pumpkin Spice Califia Farms creamer.

12:30 p.m. Lunch: Boar’s Head roast beef sandwich on a grain-free roll with Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo and yellow mustard, a mixed greens salad with carrots, strawberries, raisins, and Tessamae’s Lemon Garlic vinaigrette. A bowl of leek and potato soup topped with chives. A glass of water.

3:30 p.m. Snack: Handful of Siete tortilla chips, baby carrots, and roasted red pepper hummus.

6:15 p.m. Dinner: Five BBQ chicken wingettes, fries, small garden salad, and sweet tea.

Reflecting on today, you can see that I ate regular food. Nothing obscure, undesirable, and/or “extra” healthy, and I even had fries. I wouldn’t normally eat beef twice in one day, but today, I did.  Moving forward with my meal planning, I’ll keep that in mind and stay away from red meat for a bit. I had a vegetable with each meal and snack. I always make this a priority even if I’m pigging out on some craziness.

Although I had chips with my hummus, I kept the serving relatively small and made my snack more satisfying with the carrots.  Sometimes you may want chips or fries (or chips and fries!) and that’s okay. It’s the discipline to not have them everyday that matters most. Look at what you’ve been eating for the past several days, and make your decision with balance in mind. I aim to have water at most meals. Sometimes I jazz it up with a La Croix or Spindrift, but on Saturday nights, I live little and go for the sweet tea, red wine, or even a margarita.

What do you think? How did I do? What does your daily food log look like?

Choose Health!

J.