What's that in your mouth?

Let's Go Shopping!

Grocery shopping, that is.

Disclaimer:  I'm not a registered dietitian.  The information I am about to share is not necessarily a good program for everyone.  I'm just sharing this in the style of friendly conversation.  Shewwww...glad to get that out of my system.

I've been getting loads of questions about what I've been eating to get contest ready.  I'm happy to share  some guidelines with you, however, know that with any meal plan, contest prep included, there isn't a one size fits all program.  Everyone is starting from a different place and each body reacts a little differently.  I suggest you seek customized advice for best results.  Nevertheless, I'm happy to share a few things with you that seemed to work well for me.

Frequency:

I ate about 6 meals per day to keep my blood sugar levels stable and to maintain steady energy.  The meals ranged from 150-300 calories and I usually ate a total of 1700 calories per day (this fluctuated a little each day).

Macronutrients:

Around 8 weeks out, my nutrient composition was about 40% protein/40% carbs/20% fat.  As I got closer to the show, I reduced the fat by about 5-10% depending on the day and increased the protein.  I was able to keep my carbs about the same until the last 10 days or so.  I didn't have a lot of fat to burn, so I opted to up my cardio for additional fat burn and keep those few extra carbs (for sanity :).

Grocery List:

Protein
Eggs
Chicken breast
Turkey cutlets
Tuna
Tilapia

Carbs
Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Oats
Broccoli
Spinach
Green Beans
Asparagus
Grapefruit
Organic apples
Organic blueberries
Brown rice cakes

Fat

Avocado
Almond Butter (eliminated at 3 weeks out)
Coconut Oil
Flax Seed Oil

Extras (used to add flavor or a desired benefit)
Mushrooms
Onions
Lemons
Cinnamon

Supplements

Will discuss these in another section


That's what my shopping list looked like for the most part.  My breakfast was consistently eggs and oats.  I was having fruit with the eggs and oats up until the last few weeks.  I love to slice up an apple and squeeze the juice of a lemon on it and coat it in cinnamon.  This is an all time favorite that my mom got me hooked on.  After breakfast, basically, every 3 hours I would eat 4-6 oz of lean protein with veggies.  I would mix it up daily, but a big bowl of spinach was my favorite.  I'd add 1/5 of an avocado or a tsp of flax seed oil to it once a day.

If I was feeling sluggish or hungry, I'd allow myself a rice cake with a teaspoon of coconut oil.  It's was a great treat (the closest thing to dessert).  I cut that out the last few weeks as well.  The rice cakes I get are from Trader Joe's.  They have 35 calories each and 7 carbohydrates.

There are pros and cons to to this meal plan.  It's similar to how I am used to eating, but definitely has an increased amount of protein and a little less fat than I'm used to.  To make sure my body was getting everything it needed, I balanced it out with some supplements.  I will share those in the next post, but know that this is just me sharing my experience.  I always encourage checking with your health care provider before making nutritional changes.

Major Pros

 

Knowing what you are going to eat everyday makes food prep a breeze.  On Sunday, I'd take a few hours to prep my veggies, boil eggs, bake meat and sweet potatoes, etc.

I was boiling so many eggs, I could hardly keep up.  At one point, I was tempted to invest in a bigger pot:

I decided against it, but it's still on my wish list ;)

Another major pro: this food tastes good!  It's fresh and nutrient dense.  When I would take my meals out with people people would always want to know what I was eating.  They would tell me how fresh and delicious it looked.  Compared to the brown processed foods that many of them were eating, I can see why they inquired.  Feast your eyes on some of my meals:

Those are meals I prepped myself at home, but it isn't impossible to eat out on this plan.  Here is an example of a meal I got a sushi restaurant:

Tuna sashimi with cucumber and avocado!! One of my favorites!!

Staying hydrated

I drank plenty of water and could have as much unsweetened green tea as I wanted.  I also drink plenty of white tea and rooibos (red tea that is naturally caffeine free).

Not sure how I survived before Starbucks offered the trenta :)

I'm hoping that this bit of information gives you a little bit of guidance as you work on your nutrition plan.  I will discuss supplementation and the cons of this meal plan in my next post.  Until then, feel free to share your questions.  I'm sure many will have the same.  Also, remember that all of your health and fitness goals are achievable if you just stay consistent.  My best piece of advice...DON'T QUIT!