The anatomy of a meal

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.

17 thoughts on “The anatomy of a meal

  1. cammy@TippyToeDiet

    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. 🙂
    .-= cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Where Feeling "Blue" is a Good Thing =-.

  2. Jody - Fit at 52

    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? =-.

  3. Ishmael

    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 =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      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.

  4. Susan

    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 =-.

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