What I Eat

If you are anything like me, you are endlessly fascinated by food. I've been this way from birth. Some of my earliest memories involve sitting in my backyard and stirring wild berries into a bucket of mud. Instead of making mud pies, I was making some type of mud stew. For some reason, I called this concoction "egg slot." No, this is not a typo. It was never known as egg slop.

Once I hit elementary school, I began composing short stories. These were not literary works, as they were more of a vehicle for my desire to discuss and draw different kinds of food. The stories mainly focused on the main character's meals and snacks, and featured crayoned pictures of apples, bananas, hot dogs, and cupcakes.

These days, I'm still writing about food. Although I no longer draw pictures of my meals, I do often photograph them. And then I subject you, my readers, to those not-so-great photos from my phone.

I try to eat "healthy" meals. (The reason "healthy" is in quotation marks is because this is MY idea of healthy. I try to make my food choices logically, based on research I trust, as well as on what I believe is best for the planet.) My goal for my diet is 1) to enjoy my food! This is primary; 2) to get a well-balanced diet which contains all the essential nutrients my body needs; and 3) to lose a few more pounds. I think this is the correct order for me. Weight loss would be nice, but I am close enough to my goal weight that I just don't need to make this a priority. Thus I feel free to enjoy some treats, as long as I don't go hog wild.

Some of my basic rules: I try to do intermittent fasting, with an 8 to 9 hour eating window. (I eat my first meal of the day around 11 or 12, depending on the day, and try to finish eating by 8pm each evening.) There are many health benefits to fasting, which I have covered (relentlessly?) in past blogposts. I avoid sugar, refined flour, excess carbs, grains (but not totally) and processed foods. I try to eat mostly organic, whole foods. I try to make all my treats from scratch so I can be sure of what goes into them. I am not 100% Paleo, but I lean in that direction. I also rely on The Zone diet for portion sizes, especially when it comes to protein.

Breakfast: coffee with cream. That's it. And a quart of water, at least. I almost never eat breakfast anymore. I began skipping this meal last Thanksgiving, and have never turned back. Occasionally I eat something small before lunch, but this is rare. I am able to teach 2 classes back-to-back or do intense morning workouts without eating beforehand. This works for me.

Lunch: usually a sandwich or sometimes soup or leftovers. I like lunch to be quick and easy. Although I love salads, I usually save this for dinner. My sandwiches are almost always composed of 3-4 slices of turkey, 1 slice of cheese, a thick pile of baby spinach leaves, and some condiment such as guacamole, pesto, tahini sauce, etc. I always use flourless sprouted wheat bread from Trader Joe's. I love this bread, but everyone else in my house thinks it resembles cardboard. I often drink a glass of kombucha, which I ferment in my pantry, with my lunch. My sandwiches are hearty affairs, and keep me full until at least 4pm, when I eat a ridiculously early dinner.

Dinner: salad or soup or smoothie. If I'm teaching in the evening, I'll have a smoothie made from fruit, yogurt, protein powder, and water for dinner. This meal is quickly digested and doesn't bother me while I'm jumping around teaching Fit Jam. Anything heavier is a mistake! In the winter, I might have a small serving of soup instead of the smoothie. When I'm not teaching, I'll often have a big salad for dinner topped with about 4 ounces of protein (chicken, salmon, tuna, sardines, venison, etc.) and assorted delicious things like nuts, bacon, berries, feta or goat cheese, and a homemade dressing. I always use dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, swiss chard, and collards for my salads. This give me way more bang for my nutritional buck.

Snack: I usually have one last mini "meal" or snack between 7-8pm. This is almost always more of a treat than a meal. It might be a Paleo mug cake which I whip up and bake in the microwave. (Search this blog for recipes!) It might be homemade cookies or fruit crisp. (I've posted numerous recipes for my fruit crisps, too.) Although this treat probably incorporates some sweetness, my homemade goodies are way less sweet than the stuff you'd find at a bakery or grocery store. If I'm still hungry after 8pm, I'll make a cup of decaf green or herbal tea. Lately, I've given up drinking alcohol, but this could possibly change in the future...

There you have it! If I log my meals in My Fitness Pal, I usually find I'm eating around 1500 calories per day. This allows me to lose weight at a very slow rate, which is perfect. By cutting out breakfast, I've reduced my calories by about 300 per day. Since last Thanksgiving, I've lost about 8 pounds, which isn't much by most people's standards, but it's great for me. My energy is usually high, I almost never get sick, and I haven't lost muscle, just fat.

If you're in the market for a weight loss coach or a holistic personal trainer, please get in touch! I love to work with clients on finding their happy weight.