Thought I would take a little time to show you the inner workings of my mind (scaaarrrryyyyy) and how I put my meals together. There is a rhyme and reason to how I do it. For those that don’t know, I pretty much exclusively exercise in the mornings. It just is easier for me to do it before I start work (at 10 a.m.) as I don’t always know what time I will be done. Plus it’s nice to get it done. 😀
Brekkie:
Since I usually work out pretty hard, breakfast is the biggest meal of my day. It is also the meal that normally contains the most carbs, because I need to replace all that used glycogen! So, this is the time when I have oats in some form, whether that is through protein pancakes, oat bran, oatmeal, or even cream of wheat (not oats, but same deal). I also try to get in some fat and protein to balance out the meal and make it stick longer. If I just have oats without fat and protein, I am hungry pretty quickly.
So, that is where these babies come in:
Normal calories for my breakfast are 450 – 500 calories.
Lunches:
Lunches are usually a little lighter. I also will include some type of bready thing, like a wrap or sandwich thin or crackers. The meal center is the protein, though. I also try to make sure I get in at least a fruit and sometimes a veggie (although this week, veggies are a must for lunch).
Lunches are usually 300-350 calories
Dinners: Dinners are also built around the protein source. Whether that is eggs, meat, or non-animal protein source – I always start with that and add around it. My plates are almost always divided into thirds.
Sometimes I mix the veggie and protein as a stir fry, which I do fairly often. I rarely have bread or starches at dinner time, because it is the furthest meal from my workouts. Although, the occasional pizza dinner is eaten, cause hey – life is good, right?
I know the protein source, and then I add the veggie to that. Most times it’s broccoli or brussel sprouts. Okay, who am I kidding – it’s always either of those 2. There is always a fruit, unless I have potatoes with dinner, then sometimes fruit will be a snack later. Dinner calories are 350 – 400.
I also have 2 to 3 snacks of 150 to 250 calories each during the day as well, and try to keep them balanced, but sometimes plain old chocolate wins out. When I stick to these rules, I do the best weight wise. When I start dinking around with them, I eat too much. If I can stick to this way of eating 85-90% of the time, I will keep this weight off.
This seems like a very reasonable food plan to me for weight maintenance. Your food pictures always look so good! I don’t comment often but I do love your blog.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Managing Depression =-.
That lunch looks like it has some Genisoy crisps on the side. Yes?
Yes – those are pretty good!
i love how you explained all your meals 🙂
it looks like a good solid plan to follow….
As usual, looks yummy!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Attention to all those who leave comments! =-.
Ah, so that’s how it works! 🙂 I eat similarly (except *never* brussel sprouts!), only my main meal is lunch and my snacks tend toward 100-200 calories. No matter what choices I make food-wise, the calorie counts at certain times of day are about the same. If I stick to the plan, that is. A random brownie sneaks in now and then to mess with the numbers. 🙂
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Is that toasted coconut I see on your oatmeal? Great idea, yum.
.-= karen@fitnessjourney´s last blog ..Condiments Have Calories Too =-.
Yes – that is toasted coconut 😀
I was very curious about your calories so thank you very much for this. You have been such a success and I love to learn from you.
.-= JEM´s last blog ..Weight Fluctuations =-.
I love how colorful all your plates are!
.-= Simply Life´s last blog ..Tomato, Broccoli, Mushroom and Chicken Sausage Stew! =-.
Always interesting to see how others plan their meals! I am a super early morn workout person so I go on an empty stomach.. although it is so early that I may still have stuff in me from yesterday:-) I feel UGH with food in my tummy even as hard as I work out so for me, this is better. Most people like a little somethin in their tummy…
Like you, breakfast is a bit bigger for me after a workout & then I go to my mini meals…
Thx for sharing!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Being THIN – How Important Is It? =-.
Hey Lori, very helpful stuff. Thanks! Just curious — is this what you ate when you were trying to lose weight, or were you at a lower calorie amount then? In other words, did you have to go lower to lose?
.-= Ishmael´s last blog ..It Is Scary to Get Old =-.
I’ll talk a little more about this in a post today 😀
We eat pretty similarly. What’s the deal with the vegetables? You don’t like others, or you just love brussel sprouts and broc. so much? Funny that those are two of the ones that a lot of people won’t eat. I love them, but I really love a lot of vegetables.
.-= debby´s last blog ..Trusting Myself–Thoughts on Intuitive Eating =-.
I do not like very many veggies, and I do find it quite amusing that the ones I do like are those that most people hate. I will try veggies and see if I like them (which is how I got hooked on brussels), but most times I eat them once and not again.
so no fresh zucchini, no wonderful green beans, no beets, no snow peas? How bout corn? Or do you not consider that a legitimate veggie? I am fascinated by your lack of vegetable love!
.-= debby´s last blog ..Trusting Myself–Thoughts on Intuitive Eating =-.
You almost exactly described how I eat!! This is a great idea for a post… I may steal it 😉 (giving credit where it’s due of course!) Although, I don’t center my carbs around my workouts as much, my calories are pretty much the same as yours, and I hardly ever eat something carby for dinner. I’ve been doing mostly protein in the evenings lately and I’ve noticed I don’t look quite as “soft” now too 🙂
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Workout Skeds =-.