Confessions of a Dietitian

I have a confession to make. I have been uncharacteristically lazy with my food this past week. Don't get me wrong, I've still been making my nice healthy meals. But I have had NO motivation to pack BALANCED meals. They have been severely lacking in protein (and since I started a new training program, this is vital!), and I have just been in an overall slump with my creativity. There is no excuse, except for the fact that work has been stressing me out physically, mentally, and emotionally lately. It's my fifth month of my first real, full time job, and the exhaustion is finally kicking in. Just a few weeks until my couple days off yay! Anyways, because of my lack of planning and balance, I have been finding myself to be starving within an hour of finishing my meals. And since I have been needing something fast and, well, lazy, I've been eating 2-3 servings of nuts per day! Since they've been replacing my protein foods, the nuts have not effected my weight at all. But, there have been some tummy aches and discomfort, and I'll leave it at that! :) With that said, I definitely want to start this week off right so I thought what better place to make a plan than my lovely little blog here. Writing always helps me clear my thoughts and organize my mind. So here is how I am planning my meals this week!

I decided to organize my meal choices by protein, carbohydrate, and fat in order to make sure I get a serving of each at every meal.

Protein choices - eggs (hard boiled, scrambled, omelets) - protein pancakes and waffles - Greek yogurt - rotisserie chicken - tuna - taco meat - quest bars - leftovers from my Mama :)

Carbohydrate choices: - oats - sweet potatoes...I just got some HUGE white flesh Japanese sweet taters from sprouts, so excited to bake them up! - high fiber wraps (my favorites are la tortilla factory and flat out breads) - brown rice - quinoa - VEGETABLES AND FRUIT! (My favorites!)

Healthy fat choices: - avocado - olive oil - nuts and seeds - nut butters - hummus

These choices give enough variety to have a different choice every day without feeling repetitive or boring. And I love each food on this list! It's so important to not force feed yourself foods that you don't like just because they are "healthy." Find what works for you and do it!

Meal Prep schedule:

Sunday: -rotisserie chicken -bake sweet potatoes -boil eggs

Monday 5/19: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread + hard boiled egg Breakfast: veggie scramble w/avocado, fruit Lunch: rotisserie chicken, sweet potatoes, veggies Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

Tuesday 5/20: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread Breakfast: oats + hard boiled egg Lunch: tuna wrap, Greek yogurt, veggies Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

Wednesday 5/21: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread (I just love my baked goods!) Breakfast: veggie scramble w/sweet potatoes Lunch: Rotisserie chicken, salad, fruit Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

*the reason why I don't plan dinner is because I live with my parents (and love it!) so every night we usually all eat together, either cooking at home or going out. Either way, healthy decisions will be made!

I've only planned till Wednesday for now, but will continue to plan based on what I have left over and what I can make into balanced meals. I'm feeling pretttttty good about this plan! I'm hoping this will help tame my hunger and rev up my energy levels throughout the day!

Update on my new training plan:

My new training plan began the first week of May. I've begun working with a personal trainer to give me more guidance and motivation on strength training! It's been going really well! I usually strength train 3x a week with an interval run (yay!) for about 20 minutes after the session, and do about 45 mins-1 hour cardio on my off days. I think this new regimen, along with my complete lack of balanced meals last week, led to my constant feeling of hunger and fatigue! I'm really hoping to have more energy this week and eat for my goals!! I'm excited for my new workout plan and my meal plan for the week! I'll let you all know how it goes, gotta keep myself accountable! :)

Anyways, I am off to get ready for the gym, then church! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! :)