A Good Day of Eating
Most people I coach are looking to lose weight and usually want the fastest methods to do so. This mindset is what’s holding you back from getting the body of your dreams, or at least, the body of someone else you admire and want to look like.
Your goal is to lose weight and the number one principle of losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. There’s many methods you can choose from to lose weight but the simple principle is this, consume less calories than you burn in a day, every day, for some time. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect with eating and drinking, but you can’t have a salad once in a while and be mad at your lack of results.
The foods you eat contain macronutrients and micronutrients. Simply put, macronutrients give us energy because they contain calories, and micronutrients make us feel good and help our body and cells function properly.
You and I have two different bodies in the way they respond to people’s criticism differently, move in a given day, and prefer food. I don’t let what others say about my body affect me because fortunately, I’ve gone through my own journey with losing 60+ lbs and found acceptance and understanding that my body is forever changing because my life is forever changing. If you don’t love who you are now, nothing will change when you get abs besides you having abs.
Before this pandemic hit the world, I was moving all day as a personal trainer.
From coaching on the floor, to putting weights back, to cleaning up, to working out, to traveling back and forth from home, I was burning a lot of calories just moving. My life now is completely different to where I sit most of the day like I used to with my old desk job. What’s important to note with the difference in moving is how little calories I burn because I’m confined to home (most days). If you move less, you have to eat less because you’re not using all that energy like before.
The last part is what you’re here for, food preferences. A good day of eating is subjective, so is healthy versus unhealthy so let’s define what I mean. A good day of eating means the foods you choose to eat and what you drink aligns with your goal of losing weight and looking good. Whether you think Domino's Pizza is healthy or unhealthy, if I have that everyday, it's going to be hard for me to lose weight, therefore, Domino's isn't a smart thing to have every single day. Can I have Domino's once in a while? Yes. Whether you think rice, chicken, and broccoli is healthy or unhealthy, if I have that everyday, it might be easier for me to lose weight, if I don’t have huge portions, but if I get bored of eating that everyday, am I going to binge and reverse the progress I made? Most likely.
I stick to a list of lean protein sources, carbohydrates, and fats convenient to have/make, have/make consistently, and above all, I enjoy.
Lean protein sources: egg whites, eggs*, chicken breast, lean ground turkey*, lean ground beef*, fat-free greek yogurt, salmon*, and protein powder. (* means they have some tag-along fat so it’s not as lean as the rest on this list).
Carbohydrates: blueberries, bananas, oats, rice, bread, potatoes, and sour patch kids.
Fats: olive oil, swiss/mozzarella/vegan cheese, and beef bacon.
That’s pretty much it most of the time. When I cheat on my diet, and stray away from these foods, I’m doing so knowing that it’s not healthy in comparison. However, if I have Shake Shack once or twice a week, and that helps me stay the course, then it can be considered a good day of eating because it’s what I needed psychologically, not biologically.
Strict eating becomes boring.
Meal plans become boring.
Any style of eating that doesn’t allow creativity or fun or flexibility won’t last.
You’re not a robot, you’re a human being with taste preferences based on your culture, your upbringing, and what’s available to you.
Now, with that list I have above, I separate them into two different categories: Rest Day & Training Day.
This concept of rest & training days comes from the method of “Tracking Macros”. In short, on training days, you’ll eat more carbs and less fats while having protein relatively high to fuel performance and recovery. On rest days, you’ll eat less carbs, more fats while having protein relatively higher to add variety in food selection.
(Note: The lower you go in calories, the higher your protein intake should be in order to reduce or prevent loss of muscle mass. Basically, you don’t want to sacrifice muscle when losing weight because it’s not the weight you’re necessarily chasing, it’s looking good at a lower weight)
On training days, I usually have Protein Oats which is oatmeal with almond or cashew milk and a scoop of whey protein before I workout. After my workout, I’m having a protein shake and within an hour of that will be a solid-meal. Rice, chicken breast, and some type of vegetable (i like to stick to 3 veggies: spinach, broccoli & asparagus) which I’ll either cook at home or get from chipotle. My snack is usually a protein bar or greek yogurt with blueberries.
On rest days, I usually have an egg/egg white sandwich with cheese and bacon or an egg/egg white omelette with potatoes. My snacks are a protein shake and protein bar (or two protein shakes). My other meal is potatoes, and lean ground turkey or ground beef with veggies.
That’s pretty much it for the meals I have when I’m consistent. I don't consider myself a foodie, because that's just an excuse to eat like an asshole (without care or awareness). I eat for convenience that gets me to my goal in a sustainable way to where I can enjoy life and not become obsessed in a way that will make me spiral down a negative and lonely path.
If you don’t know where to start or want help starting your own journey, please send me an email to abel@aymhigher.com and I’ll be more than happy to assist you.