We set out recently to take a three day, two night trip with the family. A day prior to that, my husband and I had an overnight in a B&B and a dinner out at a nice restaurant celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. Additionally, this was all 5 weeks past my June 7th Indianapolis Figure show and 7 weeks prior to my first National-Level Figure show in Pittsburgh, so my diet is smack dab in the middle of a “you gotta tighten this up and get on stage” mode! As I prepared to tackle all these fun summer events, I knew I wanted to share my strategy with others. So many people want to know, “What do you eat? How do you keep the balance? Do you drink alcohol? Do you eat much?”
The answers are: A little of everything; I practice daily; Not much, like 5 drinks a year {tops!}; YES…a ton!
I practice a method called IIFYM, which means If It Fits Your Macros. Macros are carbs, fats, proteins and fiber. I’m given a daily allotment, like a food budget, within each of those areas and it’s my job to create a diet to hit those numbers. I’m NOT perfect on it and as of lately, I tend to go over in my numbers on some days. And on vacation a few weeks back, I was going way over! But now as I’m nearing the Figure stage again, I really have to keep myself accountable. I was on plan about 90% while we were gone. As I get closer to the stage, I’m closer to 100%. It just has to be that way to really do well in the sport.
So how did I prep for a few nights away? Anyone on their journey can do the same as I did. Whether you’re just getting started, trying to lose 20 pounds, or are a fellow competitor, it’s possible to live your life and enjoy time out with your friends and family. In my first prep in 2013 I was much more rigid in that I took my own food in tupperware everywhere I went. Some days I still do that for single meals {and it does save money!}, but I’m actually doing that less and less. And I’m getting better and better at working a menu and/or ramping up my self control!
I am to keep the balance and to me prepping meals for the whole week, eating on Wednesday what you packed on Sunday night is NOT in balance, for my lifestyle. How do I know what I want to eat three days later? It works for a time, but it’s truly not long term. I needed more flexibility. Additionally, eating off a set repetitive meal plan is NOT in balance for me. I cannot do that three, six, 15 months from now, so I don’t get started on it.
So what I do practice is variety. I’ve spent the last nearly five years being a student of me! Over time, I would pay attention to foods and how they impacted my body. I know what makes my system flourish, slow and stall. I’m also still learning that I change, too. So some foods that I used to not be able to tolerate, like dairy and red meat, I now eat more often. It’s totally personal. I only have to live in my body.
So as I prepped for the night out with my husband, I knew basically what I wanted to eat. I actually tracked that special evening’s food the night before and then built the rest of my day around the big meal since it had a lot of my day’s macros. To be honest, I started with the chocolate cake!
Not kidding.
I put that in first and added in other foods from there! I put fun foods like that in from time to time because I have to stay sane. 90% of the time I eat whole foods and the other 10% of the time, I enjoy fun treats. You might like an 80/20 split, that call is up to each person. As you can see, I eat red meat and vegetables, but I did not go for any alcohol this night. I’m just too close to competing for that. I also later added a piece of pretzel bread (oh.my.weakness!) and some coffee creamer as well. The sky’s the limit when you practice balance and moderation. The key for me is that I hit my daily fiber values (currently 35 grams a day) in couple with my daily water (about 200 ounces a day including all my coffee, tea and water) and that helps me keep my system happy,even if a fun treat or two gets in there!!
For the Breakfast part of the B&B, I really went in blind. I had some of my “top secret” muffins in my bags, so I had one of those before I went down to eat breakfast. No matter what item is your favorite or works for you, just keep it on hand. I eat a lot of Quest Bars, too, so keep some stock of your stash of choice so you can have something to fuel you until you return home to where you can stay in control of the food or to keep you from going way off plan in an unplanned moment or even from getting too hungry and just blowing it. For me, these oat-wheat-bran muffins below are a good balance of fats, carbs and protein and I made them so I could have foods that help me hit my daily fiber numbers when I’m away from home. These are pretty dry, but you can add your favorite mix-ins to them to spice them up. Trust me, you’ll want to do that if you make them!
So for breakfast at the B&B, in addition to the muffin, I had some Greek yogurt and homemade spinach quiche. I started putting dairy in my diet after my June 7th show because I found research that said that dairy was great for muscle building….and I did not want to miss out on that! My system will carry a pound or two extra of water retention from the intolerance I have, but as I get closer to the stage I will cut dairy out, but enjoy it up until then. So bring on the Greek yogurt!
I had the quiche because I’m a BIG fan of eggs. Prior to eating when no one else was at the table, I entered my food into my My Fitness Pal tracker and found a quiche value in there I felt was comparable. Don’t get hung up on perfection in cases like this. Make sure to enjoy! Your results come from what you do daily and not from what you do every once in awhile. Find your balance in making sure the item entered in your tracker is of correct size and relatively correct macros. Don’t sweat the small details. I have before {and sometimes still do} and it’s not worth it!
What did I skip at the breakfast table that looked good but was not the most optimal for me? Fruit juice, croissants, white bagels, cream cheese, muffins, cereal. I’m not calling those foods “bad”, but I knew they were not what I was looking for to start my day. Again, I’m pretty fiber-focused early in the day and that strategy helps me hit my fiber macros. High carb, low fiber options are not ideal for me and my goals….but they do taste good!
Additionally, I mentioned that I tracked when no one was at the table. I do my best NOT to be a food snob. I know, I’ve rubbed a few people the wrong way before with my water bottle carrying, food toting, and phone-app tracking. It’s a part of my lifestyle, but I can still be aware of those around me. I really try to be sensitive to dining table and public etiquette on this and sometimes I will even quietly take a picture of my meal and track it alone later. This strategy helps me stay present with the people around me and also keeps me off my phone at the table and in public. That is important to me, yet something I’m always working on.
As I prepared for the next phase of our journey, the family three-day road trip, I packed some of my favorite foods that are easy to take along with me. I was not interested in packing and hauling all my meals along for the ride. That is just not my style anymore and I will not promote that. It might work for some, but it is not real world. I want to teach and practice real life. So I took almond butter, almonds, Quest Bars (purchased from the Health Spot in Indianapolis), Sweet Leaf Stevia and Ezekiel Bread, both purchased from the Natural Section at Kroger, Greek yogurt, cartoned egg whites, and a dozen of my muffins pictured above. This stash really helped fill in some holes in my day, but most importantly helped me get my fiber count to stay on plan. I like to eat!
While I did not take all of these breads pictured, I thought I would share with you some of my other favorite grains. I mentioned the Ezekiel Bread and also pictured are their cinnamon raisin muffins. Additionally, I use Rudi’s Organic Harvest Bread (purchased at Kroger) as my post workout carb some days. These are my top breads of choice and my family eats these, too! Food Babe approves, if you follow her, and she’s got info on breads on the link I provided.
So once we were on the road and underway, I watched my tracker for my current status of my carbs, fats, proteins and fiber. I also watched my sugars as well. I don’t do much fruit, so if my sugars get super high, it’s likely because I’ve had some fun foods to bump that up. For me and my goals, I have to keep sugars low (from all sources) to really lean out and get the lines I want and need for my sport. I say this because many people want that leaner look and I’ve found that by watching the sugar level in what I eat, including sugars from natural foods, I can get a leaner look by eating lower sugar over time. It’s just something to consider, as there are lower-sugar vegetables to choose from on the market also.
Our first meal out was for dinner. I don’t promo this much, but I’ve spent the last 12 months working to wean our family OFF of fast food. I consider fast food sources to be venues like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Hardees, etc. If they have flashy pricing in the window, we aim to avoid it! It has been a process, but it has been a blessing for our family financially and nutritionally. It took time and practice, though! So for our first meal on the road, we ate at a local Mexican restaurant in northern Kentucky. In my experience, Mexican is pretty easy to “clean up”, as some would say, so I knew what I was going in for. Shrimp!
This beautiful dish came in a pineapple! I go for foods *without* creams, cheeses or sauces and really aim for as much whole foods as possible. Grilled is my option of choice over fried and this dish was perfect. It came with a side salad and I ordered guacamole to get my healthy fats in. I did, however, not realize it had cheese on the salad, but I chose to eat that. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t eat the cheese, just depending on where my macros fall that day. Choosing to cut cheese out of a dish or sandwich is a very easy way to save some “space” in your diet. Cheese is tasty, but takes a ton of food space due to its fat value. In this dish I made sure to track oil as part of the line up. Most restaurants cook in oil and that adds to your food, so make sure to always add an oil factor, if you want to be completely honest with yourself and your nutrition {don’t shoot the messenger!} I also chose to eat a few tortilla chips, and had I not been as close to the Figure stage, I would have done more. But, those are pretty calorie dense, so keep a close eye and stay mindful when you eat chips and salsa for Mexican night! {I do love them!}
Breakfast the next morning was a Continental Breakfast at the hotel. It looked fabulous! There were boxed cereals, fruit, sweetened yogurt, fruit juices, a waffle station, white bagels, bread, omelettes, sausage, potatoes, danish, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, croissants, and all the sweet and butter fixins.
And I ate my own food!
I went for my muffins, egg whites, and Greek yogurt that I packed. The next day our cooler stash got hot in the car while we were in the cave, so we had to toss it. So for breakfast Day #2, I then went for the hard boiled eggs and could have done a plain oatmeal had I not had my muffins. Now, had I not been in prep, I tell you, I WANTED those waffles! I tasted my son’s and they were amazing, sweet as can be and so tasty. But when I looked it up in my tracker, I knew it was not an optimal choice for me. I will say that a good part of our issue in the standard American diet is our enriched carbohydrates, especially at breakfast. Yes, they look, taste, and smell fabulous, but generally speaking, it is a treat and not in line with my goals, which is to start my day with a healthy fat, complex carbohydrate, protein, and solid fiber source. Just do your homework and know what your daily choices are actually doing for you. In this situation, a few days eating those fun breakfast foods would NOT have been detrimental, but because I was prepared and stocked with foods I brought on my own, I chose to eat that. Next time, I might go more Continental and chalk it up to “I’m on vacation”! Waffles, you’re all mine!
I mentioned my egg whites and I get a lot of questions on those. I add these to my coffee, both hot and cold, add stevia and I’ve got a fabulous protein drink! These are the product that come as 100% egg whites, not with the extra ingredients. It is a nice filler and helps me hit those sometimes hard-to-hit protein numbers that some of us are after. It also keeps me satiated on long days when I’m trying to stretch a lower calorie value. If I can drink my egg whites in a coffee, it helps keep me nourished while fighting off hunger. I also use egg whites in my AM oat bran/wheat bran/flax meal combo and in my post-workout coffee/stevia/egg white mixture. If it’s your style, Whites are also great in a smoothie or to beef up a pancake or waffle mix (or any recipe) in a easy and subtle way to get more protein in. These little cartons are also great for travel and fit down nicely in a cooler. Just don’t forget to add more ice when you go in the cave. Hot cars eat egg whites!
My next meal was lunch on Sunday. Again, I knew my macros going into the meal and had to do my best to ballpark the food that came. I actually went with another quiche option for the protein and typically they’re not too carb laden. I did make a mistake when I ordered. The “Greek Salad” came and it was shiny. I knew it had oil on it when I first saw it {darn it!} and usually I speak up and ask how the food is prepared when I am ordering. This time I did not, I just assumed. So when it came, I ended up tracking the oil dressing and ate it anyways. Sometimes that happens and sometimes you can afford it, so just track it and go. But, if you can try to get in the habit of asking
about food prep and ingredients, it always helps you make an informed decision about your food BEFORE it arrives on a plate in front of you! I will also say, that my son’s pizza looked fabulous. And then I started in on it and kept going. You know, that happens. We’re all human. So, I ate it, enjoyed it, and again, entered it into my tracker.
Along with the grilled cheese. That was good too!
That darn “It’s Vacation” mindset can really get you! I don’t eat like that every day, so I enjoyed and went on! Tomorrow was a new day!
What do I drink at my meals? Unsweet tea sweetened with my Stevia (pictured) or water or coffee. Tea is my favorite!
We all have our treats. As I mentioned, I started putting some dairy back in my diet. I love my coffees, so I marry those two concepts and love a good cappuccino when I can find it. If I have room in my macros, it’s my treat! I get them plain and add stevia. Lately I’ve been doing 2% and even whole milk where my day will allow. Yes, whole! We’ve been taught that fat is bad, when in all reality, fat is SO good for the body in the right type and balance in the diet. Don’t be afraid to eat healthy fats! In the dairy form, it really sweetens the drink and my muscles are staying so full with all this yummy food! This coffee artist I found really wow’ed me with her skills. I loved the heart and the ambiance in the old-building coffee shops we found. I’m on a mission to try as many unique spots as I can and I’m actually keeping a list. Life is too short not to enjoy a good coffee!
Our final meal was on the trip back. I eat red meat pretty much daily. After my 2013 contest prep season, that was the food I added into my diet and it really, truly helped my physique. We’re all wired differently, but I encourage you to go for foods that are dense, whole and nourishing to your system. Red meat is one of those for me! So at this meal I chose a burger without the cheese. It came with pickle, onion and tomato and I ate half of the bun since it was a white flour. I add mustard and never add mayo. Mayo just takes up way too much space in my macros and I’ve never found the value in that choice. My side dish was an array of typical burger side options (fries, slaw, beans, veggies) and I went for a steamed broccoli. I asked about its food prep and she said it came steamed with garlic. Well that actually meant garlic butter. So when it arrived, I saw what she meant, but I did not have macro space for the butter and I ended up damping it off on my napkin the best I could. I love broccoli and I was eating it!!
Big picture: it’s all about balance, planning, goals and staying mindful in your choices. You can choose to have an “all out vacation” or you can keep it as tight and narrow as you want. Whatever you do, just work a plan. It has to be your plan and you just have to stay on it. The best strategy for me is to have meals where I do eat a lot, but to stay accountable to myself, I track it all. Some days I go way over my macros and then I evaluate why. It’s likely because my choices had been too rigid and I needed more freedom in my day. Then I readjust in balance and move forward.
It’s all about practice. You won’t get this right or perfect. That does not exist. Just keep at it daily. Let go of the past, enjoy fun foods, eat A LOT, stay active and enjoy the moment. Find a plan in balance for the long haul.
Life is good! Eat up!
-Mindy