One of the more popular things I do on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is What I Eat Wednesday. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I post the meals that I eat during the day to give everyone ideas of what they can do to get creative. I purposely don’t plan out the day ahead of time and try to make do with things I have on hand instead of shopping especially for the occasion.
I typically stay within the 1600 – 1700 calorie range which is where most of us diet to lose weight. If your calories are lower or higher, you can adjust slightly to fit into your range. In the beginning it does take some planning and getting used to, but it becomes pretty easy after a little bit. Here’s a sample of what I posted last week.
My pre-workout breakfast is pretty light since I can’t lift well on a full stomach. I made oatmeal using old fashioned oats and used coffee instead of water to cook them. After they sat for a bit to soften, I mixed in a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Ha, I took the picture before mixing because I thought it looked cool. A chocolate powder mountain!
You’ll read a lot of conflicting advice about post workout meals. If you are eating at maintenance or above or if you are dieting with a small deficit, you don’t need to rush out of the gym to eat. You can eat when you feel hungry after a workout and you don’t have to worry about collapsing into a pile of muscle burning mush.
I had a couple slices of whole wheat bread – one with butter and one with peach all fruit preserves. I’m a purist and don’t mix my butter and jam! One slice for each, keep ’em separate. LOL. I also had a non-fat cappuccino.
I’m a huge coffee lover and used to get those fancy drinks at the coffee shop. When I first started eating better, I was pretty lost and felt like I had to give up my coffee trips and suffer through black coffee all the time. Once I got creative, I figured out that wasn’t true. Most times I have a cappuccino because it’s similar to a latte but it’s tons of foam. You get the latte and coffee flavors but with fewer calories. Plus you don’t have to give up the fun and the social aspect of hanging out at the coffee shop.
For lunch I had a 100 calorie high fiber flat wrap with grilled chicken breast, a babybel cheese wedge, lettuce, and tomatoes. I had leftover veggies so I had more in a salad on the side. I like the wraps because you can use them for mini pizzas, wraps, sliced and broiled into chips, quesadillas, and more. I always have chicken in the fridge for salads, sandwiches, and more.
I’m SO not creative with my snacks. Every now and then I think about changing from my usual Greek yogurt, rice cakes and peanut butter. I miss it too much and it’s my favorite. I always say if you like it eat it, so I do. For variety this time, I had ONE rice cake with TWICE the peanut butter. Hee hee.
Dinner was grilled salmon with lemon pepper, steamed cauliflower and brown rice. I also grilled grape tomatoes for a punch of color and flavor. 
The tomatoes are very easy! Spray the tomatoes with non-stick spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I grill them next to the salmon until they brown and start to pop. You can use any seasoning you like but I love plain old salt and pepper.
My favorite part of the day is always dessert. Even when I’m dieting I like to include something sweet like a mugcake, protein waffles, or proyo. My last meal before bed was a chocolate lava mugcake with vanilla protein frosting. I love the gooey-ness.
The macro totals for the entire day were 147P/189C/39F – 1695 calories. Still plenty of food along with some fun like butter, bread, cheese, chocolate.
You don’t have to be starving when you diet and you don’t have to settle for grilled chicken and broccoli. You can enjoy great tasting food without having to put a ton of effort or time into it. Experiment, have a little fun, and a few mugcakes along the way. I’d love for you to stop by on Wednesdays to join in WIAW. Chime in with your ideas, post pics if you like, and get a few new ideas.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to eat for your goals of losing weight, eating better, building muscle, or even competing along with getting creative with your meals, let me know. Assessments are always free and I’d love to see what we can accomplish together. You can also see what some of my clients are saying about their experience.
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