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.