Macros/Nutrition: What are your habits?

[JayneLane]

 

Hey y'all! One of my big interests is health and fitness (real talk: it's like one of my only interests lately, which is one reason I'm here... to develop myself outside of my fitness life comfort zone), but I figured it's a good place for me to start on starting a discussion!

 

For me, I use a macros (tracking macronutrients of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) based system, and right now I'm eating about 2000-2300 calories with 40% being Protein, 35% Carbs, and 25% fats. I'm a bit of a micromanager and track everything in My Fitness Pal (less_rubenesque_gladiator if you're looking for friends there). I workout at a fitness boot camp (500-700 calorie burn for an hour session) 6x a week, so that's one reason for a bigger intake than most ladies I know. I've been thinking about changing my routine and was hoping to here about what y'all do for routine nutrition, especially if fitness is a big part of your life Even if you aren't working out a lot or anything, don't be afraid to weigh in too!

[Little Nemo McFly]

Here's me 'weighing in': I don't work out or watch my diet - which is horrible. I eat 1 solid meal a day - and basically eat till I'm full...that's about it - LOL! I do see myself getting in the routine of watching what I eat and routinely pushing my muscles in the near future...I'm approaching 40. I don't want to dystrophy just yet.

[Donatella]

A little backstory...last year I got pretty sick. My body stopped properly processing food and I lost close to 40lbs without trying (in fact I tried hard to stop it when I realized it was uncontrolled, but noting worked). It was pretty terrifying. There were SO many doctors visits, blood tests, invasive medical procedures, and a three-day hospital stay after I passed out twice from dehydration. I only recently got a diagnosis and have started to feel better. I had to journal everything I ate to identify patterns of food that made my stomach issues worse, so it's forced me to eat much healthier. No fried foods, no dairy, etc.

 

Before getting sick I had been seeing a personal trainer and although I wasn't losing much weight, I was getting very strong! But while I was sick, I couldn't exercise at all. I would get winded just getting dressed in the morning or walking across a room. I was very weak and depressed that all my hard work was just fading away.

 

Now that I'm getting better, I've been committed to my health! My issues are exacerbated by stress, so I've been focusing on stress management by doing yoga, meditation and the "relaxation response" deep breathing technique. I try to work out most days. I do exercise videos, light cardio and I'm on day 19 of a squat challenge that's had pretty nice results so far! Nick (NZA) and I also go to the gym on weekends (his work schedule won't allow it during the week, sadly). I do the stationary bike or treadmill for 15 minutes and then another 15-30 minutes of weights. Nick recently started spotting me doing weighted squats and I did 85lbs on my first go! (not much, I know, but coming from a place where I would get lightheaded just getting up off the couch, I'm pretty proud of myself!)

 

Food's been the toughest thing to get under control, which is why we want to start the meal prep thing this weekend! I'll be sure to document our progress with that so we can ask for tips/swap ideas!

 

Thanks for making this thread!

Edited April 7, 2016 by Donatella

[Donatella]

Here's me 'weighing in': I don't work out or watch my diet - which is horrible. I eat 1 solid meal a day - and basically eat till I'm full...that's about it - LOL! I do see myself getting in the routine of watching what I eat and routinely pushing my muscles in the near future...I'm approaching 40. I don't want to dystrophy just yet.

 

1 solid meal a day?! I would be such a nightmare! I'm just THE WORST when my blood sugar is low. Haha. NZA says I have to eat every 3 hours or I die.

 

Tell me you at least snack or graze during the day?

Edited April 7, 2016 by Donatella

[Dag]

Here's me 'weighing in': I don't work out or watch my diet - which is horrible. I eat 1 solid meal a day - and basically eat till I'm full...that's about it - LOL! I do see myself getting in the routine of watching what I eat and routinely pushing my muscles in the near future...I'm approaching 40. I don't want to dystrophy just yet.

 

I don't think eating one meal per day is a big deal. In fact if done properly, it could have health benefits.

 

For several years I have experimented with intermittent fasting.Years ago I weighed 170 pounds. When I was in college, I weighed between 140-150 until the last year or so. At that point I decided that I wanted to bulk up. I lifted weights and gained muscle and a fair amount of fat. I kept lifting weights for years, but I still had a little bit of fat and I looked better at 140-150.

 

Then I was diagnosed with a heart condition and I had open heart surgery for a congenital defect. I now have a prosthetic aortic heart valve that you can hear ticking in a quiet room. I'm not allowed to lift heavy weights anymore since it puts a lot of pressure on heart valves.

 

I decided to lose the weight after the surgery. I did it primarily through intermittent fasting. Once a week I did a water fast for about 22 hours. I would typically end the fast with a shot of vodka or a beer and then I would eat dinner. I lost 20 pounds, but I was skinny fat.

 

I then got turned on to progressive calisthenics through the book Convict Conditioning. I have been practicing calisthenics for the past 2 1/2 years and I still enjoy it. I focus on different types of pull-ups, chin-ups, pushups, hanging knee raises (or leg), squats, and bridges. I do most of my working out at home or in the park. I'm in pretty decent shape now and I weigh between 145-150 with maybe 10-12% body fat.

 

I have read a tremendous amount on diet and exercise. Besides books, I particularly enjoy reading the NY Times health section and various medical and scientific journals. I don't focus on macros. I focus on eating enough fiber and unprocessed foods.

 

My diet is pretty simple, although I experiment with it all the time. I basically try to eat nutritious foods.

 

My breakfast:

 

2 cups of coffee with a cup of whole milk and a little cream (no sugar or sweeteners)

a few strawberries (like a handful)

 

Midmorning snack:

 

an apple

2 cups of high quality black tea (no sweeteners)

 

Lunch:

 

Lentil or some kind of bean soup or a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat

a small amount of plain whole milk yogurt

a banana

 

Afternoon Snack:

2 cups of coffee with a cup of whole milk (no sweeteners)

 

Dinner:

This meal varies a lot and I don't really watch it too carefully as long as I don't eat too much. I try to make sure that it has a fair amount of vegetables and other fibrous foods. I might eat meat at dinner once a week on average.

 

After Dinner Snack:

one shot and one beer (I find that drinking has no effect on my percentage of body fat)

 

I have done a few longer term experiments on my diet. Including 16/8 intermittent fasting and mimicking the diet of ancient Roman gladiators. If you want I can share the details in a future post.

[JayneLane]

I don't focus on macros. I focus on eating enough fiber and unprocessed foods.

 

That's the clearest division in my fitness boot camp group in regards to nutrition. One camp pays attention to the ingredient lists, eating whole real foods within reason. The other one says anything goes and your body doesn't know the difference between sour patch kids and a salad in regard to their carb content. So basically it's like politics lol. Thanks for sharing your journey so far, mine has defined my identity for the past year and a half, so I'm saving the story for another day.

 

Since he hasn't piped up, I will share Keith/Axels (whatever y'all call him lol) is about a 2x a day eater, which is a big contrast to my 5-7 meals self!

 

Here's me 'weighing in': I don't work out or watch my diet - which is horrible. I eat 1 solid meal a day - and basically eat till I'm full...that's about it - LOL! I do see myself getting in the routine of watching what I eat and routinely pushing my muscles in the near future...I'm approaching 40. I don't want to dystrophy just yet.

 

I forgot to mention I was diagnosed pre-diabetic when I was 11, and it's on both sides of my family so it's almost inevitable. That being said, I, too, would be quite unpleasant to be around with one meal a day. Kind of cool to me how lifestyles differ though and thanks for letting me see through your lens a bit

[The NZA]

holy balls, 500-700 calories in a session is some orange theory level shit, haha - nice! yeah, i'm something of a gym rat myself, though as donny said, ive had to transition to more cardio (interval, anaerobic & aerobic as well) in recent months, as my field is much more aggressive in these areas. i box, run, do weighted stairs & am looking forward to mixing it up with swimming soon! i also do lame beachbody workout videos like T25 on nights like tonight when i don't feel like putting more into it, haha.

 

...which is to say, i'm much better about strength/etc than i am about diet. my metabolism is fairly good, but i'm still putting on a bit and am closer to my max (180lbs or so) than i like to be, especially for said cardio. i've recently been put onto meal plans, and am hoping some publix/costco runs this weekend somehow will prepare us for a dry run! my current work/shift leaves me basically eating my morning oatmeal then rushing to work, where i do a sandwhich and a mix of healthy (banana, yogurt, strawberries, granola bars etc) and non (cheez-its, chocolate, whatever's about) for the next 8 hours. i get home and throw together a veggie pasta, rice & meatballs, whatever i left out (today was ground beef, so that + veggies & rice) or recently ive started slow cooking stuff! but it's still a mess, and not ideal...so i really like the idea of prepping meals on sunday or so and having stuff to eat during the week! i'll report back if i actually pull it off, haha.

[JayneLane]

i also do lame beachbody workout videos like T25 on nights like tonight when i don't feel like putting more into it, haha.

 

I'm technically a beachbody coach for the discount on Shakeology that both Keifer and I drink, and I have the On Demand thing where you can look up any workout basically. I mostly do the recovery ones like Yoga and Stretching though because I'm not good about stretching before and after my workouts and get really tight/sore by the end of the week. K is going to help me post my meal prep process tonight after I meal prep for the week today, so if you like what you see (lol snicker snicker) I'll direct y'all to my IG, FB and Pinterest accounts where I have over a year's worth of meal prep stuff. Cooking/meal prepping is a creative outlet for me, so I like to share out what I do!

[Donatella]

[/font][/color]

K is going to help me post my meal prep process tonight after I meal prep for the week today, so if you like what you see (lol snicker snicker) I'll direct y'all to my IG, FB and Pinterest accounts where I have over a year's worth of meal prep stuff. Cooking/meal prepping is a creative outlet for me, so I like to share out what I do!

 

Yay! NZA and I have been shopping for our first meal prep today and I'm hoping it's not a complete disaster!

[The NZA]

[/font][/color]I'm technically a beachbody coach for the discount on Shakeology that both Keifer and I drink

 

whoah, did i say lame? i meant AWESOME

 

that's actually really cool! ive finished Insanity & P90X, and do T25 in portions but im only up to beta now. Sean T is my dude but Tonia can still suck a butt! for real, most days aren't terrible but some of them wreck my calves, haha.

[Donatella]

NZA and my first attempt at meal planning!!

 

 

So what we were hoping to accomplish with planning our meals was to eat more vegetables (NZA), less red meat (me), and just generally eat better foods. Neither one of us is really looking to lose weight. Looking around online, I noticed most people make the same thing for all five days but I tire of the same foods very quickly so I needed at least two options. We went with tilapia and chicken. I marinated the tilapia in a "zesty seafood" sauce and we used a stir fry for the chicken.

 

This was a challenge! I tried making everything at the same time, which meant I was darting around the kitchen steaming veggies, stir-frying chicken, checking on the baked fish, etc. It was a workout!

 

The only near-mishap was us thinking we could make four cups of rice in his rice cooker and it boiling over for a bit! Other than that, I think we did OK for our first pass! I tried little bites here and there and everything seemed to taste good! Lunchtime today will be the real test!

[The NZA]

yeah, having just had the talapia (had the chicken earlier), i gotta say she really tore it up here - i was totally a bum & watching Raid 2, so she did this dolo! the sauces really add flavor here, and i'm impressed that nuking said meats & rice/etc aren't drying them out or making it less desirable.

 

ive never cooked such large potions, so props to donny for getting them down! next week, i think we'll try something different with chicken & maybe beef or something, wondering if i can work my slow cooker into the mix here. it's really awesome not only being free from having to constantly rush to prep lunch before work & dinner when i'm starving afterwards, but have good food to look forward to instead of scrounging for fast food/vending machines/etc. this is fantastic so far!

[Donatella]

 

Week 2 of meal-planning went much more smoothly! NZA and I shopped together for ingredients and then I took the lead with cooking. This time I didn't try to make everything at once. It took longer, of course, but it was much less stressful! I made spaghetti with regular pasta for NZA and whole wheat for me, herb and wine chicken with cheesy pasta and broccoli, and honey teriyaki tilapia with rice and veggies! I wasn't planning on doing three options but we had so much leftover fish and chicken that it worked out! I love having things to choose from so I don't tire of the same food over and over.

 

I think as we get more and more used to this process, I'll try to incorporate some breakfast and snack meals too. It's just tough right now cooking 15 meals in one day!

 

Hoping to keep this thread alive! Axels, where's yo girl?

[Keth]

I keep telling her to post! Ill get her back in here to post her meal plan soon. If she got time to Facebook, she got time for Hondos :p

[JayneLane]

Sorry for the silence guys! I got overwhelmed with the school year in "Awful April" (fellow teachers know what I'm talking about!) and K was closing all last week. Frankly I'm still a little intimidated to post without him near in fear of screwing something up!

 

Here is my prep process from a couple weeks ago. This was an awesome line up that I loved all week. I prep with a nutrition plan called 21 day fix that is basically portion control (1 green is 1 cup of veggies is about 50 calories of vegetable carbs). That's pretty detailed stuff I won't go into unless someone asks, but from the pics you'll get the idea of what I do!

 

 

Here is my meal plan and grocery list. I am one of those boring folks that eats the same thing every day, BUT I do change it from week to week pretty drastically. Once I pick out my recipes I want to try I make a list of the ingredients we'll need to buy for our grocery list, then graciously allow K to add to it (you can tell with the hand writing who's is who's). Because sharing is caring I also post the stuff I already own since I have a few followers who watch my recipes closely.

 

This is a collage of the calories and macro info I log in my fitness pal. One down fall of my nutrition plan is since it is based on measurements (1 cup, 3/4 cup, etc) for those to lose weight, it's actually easy to under eat if you aren't careful. That's why I started tracking my macros but still use the portioning system.

 

 

This is where I get a little old school with hand writing notes. Since I do a lot of new recipes, I don't like to depend on my phone to read them from, so I write them out by hand. This also let's me preview the work to make sure I don't need a weird food dehydrator or if something is going to take 16 hours to chop and cook by hand. It also helps those who may be following along too!

 

 

This is my after workout snack I've been digging lately. I call them energy bits or protein truffles!

 

 

This was a savory muffin thing I tried that I really liked.

 

 

Tuna salad!

 

 

Chicken enchilada casserole, because sprouted corn tortillas will. not. fucking. roll. like normal ones, but they don't have mystery ingredients that only science majors understand when they read them. Sometimes I care about that stuff... sometimes I don't. It's a goal of mine to know somewhat of what is in my food.

 

 

This turned out to taste kind of like a chalupa with plantain chips, lean ground turkey with diced tomatoes, and lettuce/bell peppers topped with greek yogurt.

 

 

Sardine burgers y''all. Weird, I know, but tasty! I'm always up for exploring weird proteins though!!

 

Last meal of the day is usually a protein shake of the chocolate variety since dessert is my favorite thing!

 

Here's it all together in what I would eat in a day, for 5-6 days straight:

 

Thanks for being patient while I got the courage and training from K to get it all up!

[Maldron]

I just started using my fitness pal to track calories. i aint on macros yet, but I'm looking into them. Bought a food scale, everything is terrible and new.

 

Sticking below 2400 calories for now, which is still weight loss territory, which is crazy. I'm trying to eat better and to eat breakfast, which is where I'm really having trouble. I have to have snacks to get to lunchtime, but i never need snacks to survive to dinner.

 

Definitely trying to eat less junk, and soda is gone too except the occasional diet soda, to the tune of maybe two a week. Drinking at least 4-5 cups of water a day, too. Its a lot of changes, but I'm eight days in and I'm not out yet.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Maldron

[Donatella]

Thanks for being patient while I got the courage and training from K to get it all up!

 

Ok, you are a BEAST at this!! This is crazy impressive! Those little energy bites are something I think I need to try. NZA does a liquid protein thing after we work out but I don't like drinking anything besides water then. Those look pretty good! Everything you made looks great. I cannot imagine the work that went into this and the fact that you do this every week!!

 

I would love to incorporate breakfast into my planning but I'd have to work my way up to doing all meals and snacks! Do you do this for you and Keith or just you? Also, I'd love to follow you on IG or anywhere else you post about this stuff!

[Donatella]

I just started using my fitness pal to track calories. i aint on macros yet, but I'm looking into them. Bought a food scale, everything is terrible and new.

 

Sticking below 2400 calories for now, which is still weight loss territory, which is crazy. I'm trying to eat better and to eat breakfast, which is where I'm really having trouble. I have to have snacks to get to lunchtime, but i never need snacks to survive to dinner.

 

Definitely trying to eat less junk, and soda is gone too except the occasional diet soda, to the tune of maybe two a week. Drinking at least 4-5 cups of water a day, too. Its a lot of changes, but I'm eight days in and I'm not out yet.

 

Breakfast is hard for me too, but only because I never know what to make. I don't have time in the morning to cook so I usually end up buying something and it's probably never good for me! (i.e. I eat a lot of bagels). I really should look into prepping breakfasts!

[Maldron]

So far, I've successfully prepped hardboiled eggs. Theres a pot of steelcut oats i can reheat, which takes around 10 minutes max. I'm also looking into preparing a potato onion and bell pepper hash, which may help me with morning varbs.

[Keth]

 

 

Do you do this for you and Keith or just you? Also, I'd love to follow you on IG or anywhere else you post about this stuff!

 

Oh she desperately wants to do this for both of us. Its a bit harder for me since Im such a picky eater. We kinda do our own things in that regard, but I owe her thanks since I have gotten alot better with eating more frequently (which to my surprise actually is a key component to my losing weight)

 

Her IG is less_rubenesque_gladiator she totally wont care that I tell yall.

 

 

[JayneLane]

I just started using my fitness pal to track calories. i aint on macros yet, but I'm looking into them. Bought a food scale, everything is terrible and new.

 

Sticking below 2400 calories for now, which is still weight loss territory, which is crazy. I'm trying to eat better and to eat breakfast, which is where I'm really having trouble. I have to have snacks to get to lunchtime, but i never need snacks to survive to dinner.

 

Definitely trying to eat less junk, and soda is gone too except the occasional diet soda, to the tune of maybe two a week. Drinking at least 4-5 cups of water a day, too. Its a lot of changes, but I'm eight days in and I'm not out yet.

 

Little changes that you can stick with consistently will add up in the long run! I think I have had maybe 2 sodas so far this calendar year, and I'm finally to the point I don't crave or "can't live without them" after like 3 years of trying to give them up. Keep up the great work, I would love to hear more about how you are doing with your positive changes

[JayneLane]

Ok, you are a BEAST at this!! This is crazy impressive! Those little energy bites are something I think I need to try. NZA does a liquid protein thing after we work out but I don't like drinking anything besides water then. Those look pretty good! Everything you made looks great. I cannot imagine the work that went into this and the fact that you do this every week!!

 

I would love to incorporate breakfast into my planning but I'd have to work my way up to doing all meals and snacks! Do you do this for you and Keith or just you? Also, I'd love to follow you on IG or anywhere else you post about this stuff!

 

Facebook has my albums from all my preps this year, so feel free to add me (that goes for anyone reading!) Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/kaththegladiator) has all my recipes I start with for about a year and a half now, but I do change them a lot for my nutrition plan. Since K already shared out my IG (totally fine with, I've just been busy each evening which is weird lately) I should probably go ahead and mention I have been on a weight loss journey since Summer of 2013, and since then I have lost 100 lbs. I have actually maintained the loss for 6 months now, so I think it's here to stay lol. I go back and forth between wanting to lose more or not (I'm about 160 lbs at 5'6 with about 20% body fat), so I might just focus on lower the % and continuing to ignore my scale lol. It's been a journey and I documented a lot of it, so don't be surprised if it dominates my feed a lot.

 

I wish Keifer would let me prep for him the way I do for myself, but the picky eating factor is high in that one, and I don't want to take about the secret joy of cooking he truly has :P Occasionally I will make up some pizza dough though!

[Iambaytor]

Here's some tips I've picked up:

 

-Celery has negative calories so top everything with celery and you can eat infinity food.

 

-When you eat a pizza, fold it in half to trick your body into thinking you've only eaten half a pizza.

 

-Play "Gonna Fly Now" as you fill your face with ranch-dipped hot wings.

 

-Store chewed food in your cheeks like a chipmunk to snack on throughout the day, this curbs cravings and allows your body to digest more slowly. If your cheeks are small simply substitute a feed bag like the ones used on horses.

[JayneLane]

Happy new year y'all! I'm back with some more meal prepping stuff, and I would LIKE to post weekly for 2017 for at least an excuse to get back on, look around a bit, and make connecting with other people more of a habit

 

Here is my food this week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you like the pretty picture collages with all the macros and stuff check out my instagram account for this year (@katscolorfulkitchen)!

[Donatella]

 

Nick (NZA) and I have been meal planning (on an off, mostly when I'm not too tired or sick on weekends). I don't track all of the nutritional information at all, though. We mostly plan so that we make sure we're eating less junk, more veggies, etc. I'm glad you're posting again though because I get tired of making the same foods and would love the inspiration to try new things!