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It's time for another Macros Update! If you're new around here and aren't totally caught up, here's what macros are and why I started tracking them.
For me, the most difficult part about tracking macros is:
- The food prep.
- What to do when I travel.
Food Prep
I had a few requests to talk about food prep so here goes. Food prep is the worst. I do not enjoy it one bit. There is nothing about cooking that appeals to me, but I've realized that if I don't do it, I will either just skip eating altogether or reach for something fast and convenient but not exactly that healthy like cereal or a protein bar. Not that anything is wrong with cereal or a protein bar, but they won't fuel me as well as a balanced meal of real, whole foods. One of the ways I get around avoiding food prep (because I am such a procrastinator when it comes to that!) is sharing on social media. I feel like I'm not in it alone when I share with my #snapfam (@yogaby_candace), and I inevitably wind up doing something really stupid and weird like singing the instructions to the recipe or talking to my food, which always makes for a good time for all, haha.
I meal prep two times a week - Sunday and Wednesday. I'll make two meats, two different veggies and a grain or two like quinoa and rice. That will usually last me for a few lunches/dinners. I usually get my grains from iHerb - you can use code JJF278 for $5 off your first order. I love them because they'll give you 10% of your purchase order to use toward your next order, plus they have free shipping.
Breakfast
One of my goals is to get better about eating a more complete breakfast. My breakfasts are so bland - eggs, egg whites and toast. Total snoozefest and they could be healthier. I've got a friend who makes a spinach scramble every morning. It doesn't take that much longer than scrambling up my plain Jane eggs, so I'm going to start incorporating spinach more frequently. I'd also like to vary my carbs. Instead of an English muffin or toast, I'd like to maybe try sweet potato. So that's a short term goal I've got.
What to do when I travel
I recently went to Italy where I ate all the food and it was a bit difficult to track the macros when I'd look up the foods in the My Fitness Pal app (the macros for homemade Italian tagliatelle is probably different from the generic stuff we'd buy at the store, you know?). Ultimately I didn't worry about it too much because I'm just a regular person trying to stay healthy, not an Olympic athlete who needs to stay dialed in or else, you know? I'd be lying if I said that I was a bit bummed to be over my goals for the day and then have tiramisu placed in front of me...but at the end of the day, I ate the tiramisu and loved every bite because when you're in Italy, you gotta just enjoy, you know?! I try to live by the same mantra I use in yoga class - do my best, and let that be enough.
How I'm feeling
Now that I'm back home, though, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with my meal prep and being a little bit more dialed in. I feel really great in my body, and I have a ton of energy, am still recovering well after my workouts, and overall just feeling pretty good. I'd really like to get a bit stronger. I feel like my training was interrupted a bit from my shoulder injury a few months ago, and then recent travel, so I know it's just one of those things that will take time and come with consistency. Workin' on it!
The one other thing I could work on is better sleep. My sleep was a bit thrown of when I got to and returned from Italy just because of the time change. I need to start getting ready for bed earlier, and turning off the lights at a decent hour so I can get some solid sleep. But yeah, overall I am feeling pretty good.
As usual, I have my friend, trainer and nutrition coach James to thank for all of that - he is living proof that his nutrition and programming are working, as he recently qualified to compete in the male pro division at the 2016 Crush CompFit Games. If you're interested in working with him to track your macros, he asks that you fill out the form below and he'll be in touch. It is $100 for two months, or $60 for one month (typically you'd want to change your numbers every month or so to keep the body guessing).
If you have any questions please leave them below and I'll be in touch!