EATING - EATING - EATING

I am half way through week two and I must say that the biggest challenge has been the constant eating, eating and more eating.  Several have asked what I am eating, how I am eating and when I am eating.  I am following Jamie Eason's Live Fit food recommendations. 

So here goes….a day in the life of ME:

4:30 am – Wake Up

4:45 am – Prepare 8 ounces of Spark Energy Drink (nutritionally balanced formula) / Take 3 Catalyst (an amino acid dietary supplement that protects lean muscle mass)

5:15 am – Begin daily workout at the gym – drinking Rehydrate throughout my workout

6:30 am – Breakfast - Prepare 5 Egg Whites – I prefer mine scrambled and make them in the microwave for less mess and to save time.  Generally I season them with just a little salt and pepper, add in either 1/3 cup shredded cheese or a wedge of Laughing Cow, eat with a slice of Ezekial 4:9 toast or wrap in a Mission New Balance Tortilla.  For variety, I may add a tablespoon of salsa, taco sauce or throw in some turkey sausage.  I also start taking my vitamins from my MNSMax3 strips (Provides more than 50 vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, antioxidants, and other nutrients for comprehensive health and wellness - because food alone won't give you that)

9:30 am – Snack - Drink Muscle Gain Protein Shake – I know many just use a shaker bottle to mix their shakes, however I really enjoy mine like a “milkshake”.   The Oyster My Blend Blender works great for this with its sports bottle style cup that goes from blender to sports bottle with a switch of the lid.  No need for multiple cups!  My Muscle Gain Recipe – Fill the My Blend Cup approx. ¾ full with ice, add 2 scoops of Muscle Gain Vanilla Protein, 2 Teaspoons of Chocolate PB2, 8 ounces of water – BLEND.  175 Calories – 9 grams of carbs – 29 grams of protein.  On occasion, I may add ½ a banana too.  

12:30 pm – Lunch – 5 ounces of protein w/1 starch off of Jamie Eason’s Live Fit recommendations.  I struggle to be a veggie eater, so I try to find things that I can make with veggies in them as I will eat them that way vs. by themselves.  Example:  cooked chicken breast chopped & 1/3 cup shredded cheese mixed with diced peppers, tomatoes, etc.

3:30 pm – Snack – ½ cup cottage cheese, a cup of Fage GreekYogurt, or a few Quakers Rice Cakes dipped in Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip (a cup of plain greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 a Ranch Dip seasoning packet)

6:30 pm – Dinner – a repeat of lunch – I am not cooking an entirely separate meal from my family – I will make one meal and modify what goes on my plate to ensure that I am meeting my carb/protein ratio.  Example:  If I make hamburgers & tator tots at my kids request, I will eat my burger without the bun so I can enjoy the tator tots too.  J  If I make spaghetti, I will add some chicken to mine to add in protein.

9:00 pm – Snack – Jamie Eason’s plan suggests a snack of 5 egg whites (18 grams of protein)  – however after eating all the meals I have previously, I find that I am not able to eat that much food.  Instead, I use Pro20 as my night time snack because in 3 ounces of liquid I receive 20 grams of protein and it doesn’t leave me with that “full” feeling so close to bedtime.

10:30 pm – Good Night because 4:30 am comes quickly

So, at the end of the day, I consume on average 1500 calories – 115 grams of carbs – 130 grams of protein. 

How much protein your body needs is based upon several factors, including age, gender, height, weight, and your activity level and fitness goals.  Kashi has a great calculator on their website that you can use to determine this number and will even give you a printable page of not only their products but foods in general to use as a quick reference guide when planning meals.

Gotta Go – time for my morning snack!