#27 — Food is Your Friend
They say that great bodies are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. I now believe it. I realize now that I need to eat nutritious food to fuel my body for a good workout. This cannot be done on a calorie-restricted diet. It just can’t. Prior to doing CrossFit, I could get away with a latte for breakfast before playing tennis or going for a run. Once I started CrossFit, I needed more.
Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit, says “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.” NO SUGAR? Who can live like that? Who even wants to live like that? Ok, I’ll try…
I saw how my husband, Clay, transformed his nutrition and his body using an online personal nutritionist through Stronger U. I signed up, too. I informed him of my goals, my current weight, my current waist measurement (yikes), and some other basic questions about health, and sent him three photos (double yikes) of my front, back and side. I cannot express how much I did NOT want to take those photos! (Glad I have them now though.)
He provided me a spreadsheet template so I could provide daily weight, weekly waist measurement, daily macros consumed, daily hours of sleep, daily exercise, and generally how I felt. He provided daily goals for fat, carbohydrate, and protein grams. I was instructed to be as close as possible to each gram goal by the end of each day. It’s a game!
I kept track everything I ate on the My Fitness Pal app and then recorded the totals on the spreadsheet. I very strongly recommend everyone should track their food on My Fitness Pal. Without it, you would be completely and utterly shocked at how fast those calories, especially fat calories, add up. Every week, I sent him the spreadsheet AND three more of the same photos.
First, providing a personal nutrition coach this information on a weekly basis kept me hyper vigilant about recording everything I ate on My Fitness Pal. Sending him the spreadsheet every week kept me accountable. He reviewed the spreadsheet and the photos and adjusted my macros if he felt I needed it. This was a 20 week program. After that, I made significant progress and did it on my own.
I’m 5’5″ and weight 115-117 lbs. Here is a typical day of eating for me (1,340 calories):
Breakfast (which I eat in bed, while I pet my dog, watching Good Morning America. I highly recommend this daily habit):
- Dave’s Killer Organic Wheat Bread, Thin Sliced, smeared with one Tablespoon organic almond butter, with one sliced banana on top
- Terry’s latte: Organic, unsweetened almond milk, 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla, 2 Tablespoons of collagen protein
After Workout: 2 scoops of protein powder mixed with water – I put powder in shaker cup and bring with me to workout, adding water right when I want to drink it immediately after the workout.
Lunch:
- Chicken Wrap: 3 oz of heated shredded white meat chicken, 1 Tablespoon salsa, 2 slices of fresh avocado, slices of fresh tomato – all in a low calorie, organic tortilla
- One package of Skinny Pop popcorn
- 2 Hershey Kisses – because I need chocolate
- 1 Bottle of Sparkling Ice drinks. These are all are so good it’s hard to imagine they have no calories!
Dinner:
We eat out a lot (being empty nesters and all) so this is the meal when I use up the remaining macros. Usually a salad with protein, like chicken.
Again, record your food intake into My Fitness Pal. The app will allow you to input your weight loss goals and calculate daily macros for you. No need to pay for a nutritionist. I just needed the accountability. Up to you and your budget.
FUN FACT: Actually not fun. I have suffered two kidney stone attacks in my life. It is true – it is more painful than childbirth, I can tell you that.