New to the blog? Did you know I’m having a Year of Me? Last time, I shared about my Fitness Goals Update. Today, I’m talking all about my Nutrition Goals.
Nutrition
I had such a disordered relationship with food during pregnancy. During pregnancy, it was more about eating whatever it took to keep myself from throwing up than it was about satisfying cravings. Eating around the clock and staying on top of my anti-nausea medication were the only two things that made me feel minor relief.
One of my main goals with nutrition was to do weekly menu planning with Philip. We’ve met this goal every week since beginning the Year of Me. We’ve worked together to find healthy menu items that work for the whole family. We continue to work on portion control and balancing all of the food groups. I have the same breakfast and lunch almost every day. For me, having the same meals for breakfast and lunch everyday take away the mental exhaustion of more decisions. We’ve figured out how to make things ahead of time to keep breakfast and lunch super convenient. This was key for me during survival mode with a newborn and 3 little ones home during the dog days of summer!
For breakfast, Philip prepares me the breakfast of champions! We have this awesome little egg skillet that he prepares 2 eggs in. He takes great pleasure in the daily egg flip. He serves them on a toasted whole grain English muffin with one slice of ham, a banana, and a cup of coffee with 2T of creamer. I eat while pumping before my workout and sip my coffee throughout the morning.
For lunch, I’ve found some fantastic salad packs from SAM’s Club. I put some of these mixes in a bowl, throw some grilled chicken breasts on top, and pour some dressing on. Unfortunately, I’m not getting any money for sharing them with you. Ha! Philip grills the chicken breasts for me at the beginning of the week. We chop them up and keep them in a tupperware in the fridge. Sometimes I’ll switch it up and add leftover proteins from dinner.
My favorite salad mixes:
We have a big variety in our dinner menu, but the options are very healthy. Having variety in the dinner menu helps me to stick with my breakfast and lunch staples. We’re pretty adventurous when it comes to food, so it’s rare for us to repeat the same recipes for dinner.
For snacks, I’m loving KIND Bars and Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or granola on top. Yogurt parfaits are a fun treat, too.
I was keeping a food diary using the My Fitness Pal app. I loved it, but I stopped using it after awhile since I felt that I had a good handle on nutrition. Using it for nearly a month taught me a lot about how to put my calories to work. I put an end to mindless eating and worked hard to find menu items that would not only keep my tummy from growling but also keep me from feeling deprived.
Since implementing my nutrition goals, I’ve seen my weight drastically change. I know my physical activity is contributing, but I think it has much more to do with my nutrition. I’ve also noticed that my digestive system is much happier with me than it was when I was more sedentary. It has been super easy to keep the routine going now that we’ve streamlined the menu planning and meal prep.
My favorite part is that I’m continuing to lose at a healthy rate, but I’m still getting to have occasional treats like a glass of wine, 100 calorie packs of microwave kettle corn, or Dove dark chocolates. I’m a moderator instead of an abstainer, so having treats doesn’t derail me the way it might for some people. In fact, having a little treat every now and then is helping me to stay on track instead of abstaining from sweets altogether. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read about moderators vs. abstainers. Gretchen Rubin introduced me to the idea.) I’m still nursing Dorothy, so I will make adjustments whenever she weans for my calorie intake.
Going forward, I’m going to work on:
- Re-organizing my favorite recipes
- Meal prep during afternoon naptime
Questions for You
What’s working for you in the area of nutrition? Do you eat the same things for certain meals everyday, or would that not work for you? How do you do your meal planning? Do you have any favorite snacks or relatively healthy treats that keep you satisfied? Share, share, share!
Hey Catherine!
Amazing with all the kiddos that you’re getting into this; I’ve heard from some moms at PowerCycle that it took having kids to realize the importance of their own health…puts things in perspective I suppose. I used myfitness pal for about 9 months and lost 25lbs with the help of it, but realized how obsessive I was becoming with keeping calories low and finally decided to part ways with it because it was too strict. I think it’s a good way to start but not sustainable. In August I did my first Whole30 which is 30 days of eating REAL foods (lots of meat and veggies, no dairy, grains, legumes, and definitely no sugar). You probably won’t find me in the middle aisles of the grocery store anymore, perimeter is where the real stuff is at! It was a HUGE help for me! Whole30 taught me to eat more veggies, watch for ingredients (the fewer the better), and how to properly fuel my body! I now eat at least one vegetable with every meal, including breakfast (this week, breakfast has been broccoli slaw and fried eggs). While whole30 isn’t for everyone because of it’s strict setup, I think there are some great things to think about from it (you can get some good info on the Whole30 website). I get a lot of my recipes from instagram accounts (I suggest whole30recipes, paleomg, and stupideasypaleo). My go to snacks are Larabars and RXbars. I love Adielle’s Chicken and Apple sausage with spinach or a tuna salad for an easy lunch. I drink La Croix water like crazy (I used to love Diet Coke but know it was so bad for me, decided to give up pop for good and La Croix does a great job at satisfying me, I must just like bubbly drinks…champagne? lol). Keep up the great work!
Best–
Tori Nietzel
P.S. I love the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, also love the idea of moderator vs abstainer, we all need wine every once in awhile!
YES! Motherhood is what it took for me to realize that I need to start taking better care of myself. I completely hear what you’re saying about My Fitness Pal. It’s great…until it becomes an obsession. I was getting to a place where I felt like I learned what I needed to from it, and I needed to start applying that to my food choices without the app “keeping score.” It was a helpful tool, but I definitely reached a place where I needed to graduate from it. Oh my gosh…whole 30 stresses me out! I cannot imagine life without some of those foods! I think I’d probably read the book just to learn more, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be in a place where I’m ready to go without dairy or caffeine or chocolate. It is amazing, though, what a difference it makes to be eating REAL food. Thanks for sharing those Instagram accounts. I’ll definitely check them out! I’ve heard of both of those bars but haven’t tried them. Do you have favorite flavors? I am a La Croix addict! What are your favorites? YAY, another Gretchen Rubin fangirl! Do you listen to her podcast? Thanks for all of your great feedback. Congratulations on your fitness/nutrition progress!
I would have not done whole30 if I weren’t allowed to drink coffee on it! Don’t worry, I’m not crazy, I need my coffee! Thankfully I drink my coffee black so that wasn’t a transition. But I complete understand how the idea of whole30 can be stressful. As a single college student living on my own with no one to care for, it was pretty simple. Doing it with a family relying on you would add a whole lot of struggles that I can’t even imagine.
Anyways… Favorite RXbars are chocolate sea salt, maple sea salt, pumpkin spice, blueberry, and coconut chocolate. Hyvee has most flavors for $3 a bar, trader joes has blueberry and coconut chocolate for $2 a bar, or I buy an assorted box from Amazon for about $2.50 a bar. And my favorite larabars are apple pie and blueberry muffin. I love grapefruit, passion fruit, and orange la croix (I’m drinking a grapefruit as I type this)!
I don’t listen to podcasts as often as I should, I just listen when I drive to and from Omaha. Lots of This American Life for me, but I should definitely look into Gretchen’s podcast! I didn’t know she had one. Thanks!
Those bar flavors sound yummy. I’ve been buying KIND bars off of Amazon since they’re so much cheaper, so I’ll have to look up your favorites on there. La Croix is simply the best! Grapefruit is one of my favorites. I heard one of my favorite podcasters just say that she loves coconut over ice with a splash of lime juice. I don’t know if you’re a coconut girl or not, but that’s definitely a drink I could get behind. Leave it to me to find a yummy tropical drink as the leaves are turning outside! YES, you MUST listen to Gretchen’s podcast and then report back!
Hey Catherine!
Amazing with all the kiddos that you’re getting into this; I’ve heard from some moms at PowerCycle that it took having kids to realize the importance of their own health…puts things in perspective I suppose. I used myfitness pal for about 9 months and lost 25lbs with the help of it, but realized how obsessive I was becoming with keeping calories low and finally decided to part ways with it because it was too strict. I think it’s a good way to start but not sustainable. In August I did my first Whole30 which is 30 days of eating REAL foods (lots of meat and veggies, no dairy, grains, legumes, and definitely no sugar). You probably won’t find me in the middle aisles of the grocery store anymore, perimeter is where the real stuff is at! It was a HUGE help for me! Whole30 taught me to eat more veggies, watch for ingredients (the fewer the better), and how to properly fuel my body! I now eat at least one vegetable with every meal, including breakfast (this week, breakfast has been broccoli slaw and fried eggs). While whole30 isn’t for everyone because of it’s strict setup, I think there are some great things to think about from it (you can get some good info on the Whole30 website). I get a lot of my recipes from instagram accounts (I suggest whole30recipes, paleomg, and stupideasypaleo). My go to snacks are Larabars and RXbars. I love Adielle’s Chicken and Apple sausage with spinach or a tuna salad for an easy lunch. I drink La Croix water like crazy (I used to love Diet Coke but know it was so bad for me, decided to give up pop for good and La Croix does a great job at satisfying me, I must just like bubbly drinks…champagne? lol). Keep up the great work!
Best–
Tori Nietzel
P.S. I love the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, also love the idea of moderator vs abstainer, we all need wine every once in awhile!
YES! Motherhood is what it took for me to realize that I need to start taking better care of myself. I completely hear what you’re saying about My Fitness Pal. It’s great…until it becomes an obsession. I was getting to a place where I felt like I learned what I needed to from it, and I needed to start applying that to my food choices without the app “keeping score.” It was a helpful tool, but I definitely reached a place where I needed to graduate from it. Oh my gosh…whole 30 stresses me out! I cannot imagine life without some of those foods! I think I’d probably read the book just to learn more, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be in a place where I’m ready to go without dairy or caffeine or chocolate. It is amazing, though, what a difference it makes to be eating REAL food. Thanks for sharing those Instagram accounts. I’ll definitely check them out! I’ve heard of both of those bars but haven’t tried them. Do you have favorite flavors? I am a La Croix addict! What are your favorites? YAY, another Gretchen Rubin fangirl! Do you listen to her podcast? Thanks for all of your great feedback. Congratulations on your fitness/nutrition progress!
I would have not done whole30 if I weren’t allowed to drink coffee on it! Don’t worry, I’m not crazy, I need my coffee! Thankfully I drink my coffee black so that wasn’t a transition. But I complete understand how the idea of whole30 can be stressful. As a single college student living on my own with no one to care for, it was pretty simple. Doing it with a family relying on you would add a whole lot of struggles that I can’t even imagine.
Anyways… Favorite RXbars are chocolate sea salt, maple sea salt, pumpkin spice, blueberry, and coconut chocolate. Hyvee has most flavors for $3 a bar, trader joes has blueberry and coconut chocolate for $2 a bar, or I buy an assorted box from Amazon for about $2.50 a bar. And my favorite larabars are apple pie and blueberry muffin. I love grapefruit, passion fruit, and orange la croix (I’m drinking a grapefruit as I type this)!
I don’t listen to podcasts as often as I should, I just listen when I drive to and from Omaha. Lots of This American Life for me, but I should definitely look into Gretchen’s podcast! I didn’t know she had one. Thanks!
Those bar flavors sound yummy. I’ve been buying KIND bars off of Amazon since they’re so much cheaper, so I’ll have to look up your favorites on there. La Croix is simply the best! Grapefruit is one of my favorites. I heard one of my favorite podcasters just say that she loves coconut over ice with a splash of lime juice. I don’t know if you’re a coconut girl or not, but that’s definitely a drink I could get behind. Leave it to me to find a yummy tropical drink as the leaves are turning outside! YES, you MUST listen to Gretchen’s podcast and then report back!
Oh gosh. Food. This is a hard area for me. I know some of it is because I’m on steroids all the time, which, you know, equals HUNGRY MONSTER.
I’ve slowly been making changes. I generally have the same thing for breakfast all the time–a KIND bar, or a Luna protein bar, OR a protein shake with coconut milk, flax seeds, frozen strawberries, and protein powder. That’s not as portable as the bars, but it’s really good.
Lunch is probably my hardest meal. I usually cook dinner, so the idea of cooking lunch AND dinner is a bit much for me, and I haven’t (yet) stumbled on an easy lunch that I can consistently keep around. Salads don’t fill me up, even with the added protein of chicken or something else. So I’ve tried a few things but nothing’s really jived with me yet. The easiest thing is deli meat (without nitrates, if possible), a cheese slice, and some fruit.
Dinner is pretty simple for me. I’ve cut out all pasta, which, being Italian, seemed impossible at the beginning, and really, I don’t even *like* pasta much anymore. At least, my body doesn’t. Shocking! So dinner is usually meat or seafood. Where I struggle is in side dishes. Since I’m only one person, it doesn’t make sense to me to make a whole meal, like my mom used to for all of us, because I’m not going to eat it all, but I do need a place to get more vegetables, etc. into my diet. I do try to pick main dishes that have a large veggie component, but that’s harder than it sounds.
I’ve made fruit my main “snack”, with some dark chocolate in the stash for emergencies. 🙂 I drink mostly water, coffee, and tea these days, which is another big victory for me. But portion sizes is something I struggle with, along with the vegetable thing I noted.
Emily, that must be a frustrating struggle to battle health issues combined with the side effects of the medications from those health issues. I’ve been working on finding shake recipes that I love. Now, tell me, are you one of these magical people who can just toss stuff into the blender without measuring? Do you have a favorite recipe to share? I hear ya with the salad not filling you up. I felt the same way until I found these dense vegetable based lettuce packs. I’m looking into getting a spiralizer to start making veggie pastas for lunches, too. The side dishes are my food prep nemesis, too, because they’re always an afterthought. I’ve finally been building them in. There are some fantastic freezer bag veggie packs that I’ve been getting for the nights when we’re needing a quick side. Have you ever tried La Croix carbonated waters? I love having something bubbly to mix things up when I’m getting sick of water. I also like True Lime packets. Raspberry Lemonade are my favorite!
I am not one of those magic people. 🙂 I measure. I’m getting better and visualizing it, but I still measure. Because, that’s what I do. 🙂 My favorite right now is this one: 1 c. coconut milk, 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds (Target has whole flaxseeds and I just grind them up in my coffee grinder).
I need to try La Croix. One of my friends is super into them, so it’s on my shopping list for next time. I do like bubbly water! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Sounds yummy! Yes, most definitely give La Croix a try. I like them more than the carbonated waters from the grocery store because they don’t have all of the artificial sweeteners.
Oh gosh. Food. This is a hard area for me. I know some of it is because I’m on steroids all the time, which, you know, equals HUNGRY MONSTER.
I’ve slowly been making changes. I generally have the same thing for breakfast all the time–a KIND bar, or a Luna protein bar, OR a protein shake with coconut milk, flax seeds, frozen strawberries, and protein powder. That’s not as portable as the bars, but it’s really good.
Lunch is probably my hardest meal. I usually cook dinner, so the idea of cooking lunch AND dinner is a bit much for me, and I haven’t (yet) stumbled on an easy lunch that I can consistently keep around. Salads don’t fill me up, even with the added protein of chicken or something else. So I’ve tried a few things but nothing’s really jived with me yet. The easiest thing is deli meat (without nitrates, if possible), a cheese slice, and some fruit.
Dinner is pretty simple for me. I’ve cut out all pasta, which, being Italian, seemed impossible at the beginning, and really, I don’t even *like* pasta much anymore. At least, my body doesn’t. Shocking! So dinner is usually meat or seafood. Where I struggle is in side dishes. Since I’m only one person, it doesn’t make sense to me to make a whole meal, like my mom used to for all of us, because I’m not going to eat it all, but I do need a place to get more vegetables, etc. into my diet. I do try to pick main dishes that have a large veggie component, but that’s harder than it sounds.
I’ve made fruit my main “snack”, with some dark chocolate in the stash for emergencies. 🙂 I drink mostly water, coffee, and tea these days, which is another big victory for me. But portion sizes is something I struggle with, along with the vegetable thing I noted.
Emily, that must be a frustrating struggle to battle health issues combined with the side effects of the medications from those health issues. I’ve been working on finding shake recipes that I love. Now, tell me, are you one of these magical people who can just toss stuff into the blender without measuring? Do you have a favorite recipe to share? I hear ya with the salad not filling you up. I felt the same way until I found these dense vegetable based lettuce packs. I’m looking into getting a spiralizer to start making veggie pastas for lunches, too. The side dishes are my food prep nemesis, too, because they’re always an afterthought. I’ve finally been building them in. There are some fantastic freezer bag veggie packs that I’ve been getting for the nights when we’re needing a quick side. Have you ever tried La Croix carbonated waters? I love having something bubbly to mix things up when I’m getting sick of water. I also like True Lime packets. Raspberry Lemonade are my favorite!
I am not one of those magic people. 🙂 I measure. I’m getting better and visualizing it, but I still measure. Because, that’s what I do. 🙂 My favorite right now is this one: 1 c. coconut milk, 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds (Target has whole flaxseeds and I just grind them up in my coffee grinder).
I need to try La Croix. One of my friends is super into them, so it’s on my shopping list for next time. I do like bubbly water! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Sounds yummy! Yes, most definitely give La Croix a try. I like them more than the carbonated waters from the grocery store because they don’t have all of the artificial sweeteners.
Oh, another thing I like to do: Grab a packet of mint leaves (the fresh ones) at the grocery store. Boil up 6 cups of water, and then add the leaves. Turn off the heat and steep for 30 minutes. Mint water!
Oh, duh, obviously strain the leaves out before you drink it. Hahaha.
Bahahahaha! Love that you felt the need to tell me to strain the leaves. You know me well! 😉
Hey, I would forget……in fact I think I HAVE forgotten…….
Oh, another thing I like to do: Grab a packet of mint leaves (the fresh ones) at the grocery store. Boil up 6 cups of water, and then add the leaves. Turn off the heat and steep for 30 minutes. Mint water!
Oh, duh, obviously strain the leaves out before you drink it. Hahaha.
Bahahahaha! Love that you felt the need to tell me to strain the leaves. You know me well! 😉
Hey, I would forget……in fact I think I HAVE forgotten…….