Every day I talk with people about food. How to balance healthy eating vs. living in the real world. And it’s hard.
Girls’ night eats. “It’s basically Paleo with wine!”
For me, food is about health + culture + enjoyment. I am always striving for this balance.
Believe me, I know – I also live in a world obsessed with both junk food and weight. I don’t always want to cook dinner when I get home at 7:00pm after a long day at work. I, too, have many excuses for not exercising.
Sometimes I think it’s hard for people to imagine balancing life with the healthy lifestyle choices they know they should be pursuing. So, today I’m sharing with you a glimpse into my own life to give you an example of how one person tries to balance all of these things.
For one week, I tracked everything that went into my mouth and all of my exercise. It was really hard. Nonetheless, here you are: a taste of my attempt to both live healthfully and enjoy life.
My tools:
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My Fitness Pal – a free app that has an extensive food database and syncs with my FitBit and several of my favorite work-out apps. Based on my height/weight/age/sex/activity level, it sets a daily calorie goal for me of 1800, which I generally feel is pretty accurate.
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FitBit – I have the Charge watch that I received as a Christmas present last year. It tracks steps, flights of stairs, and since I entered my height/weight/age/sex, it also tracks calories. It also tracks sleep time/quality by tracking movement at night (not completely accurate, but it gives me an idea)
Screen shot of my Monday night “workout” using SworkIt
Monday
Overview
Wake @ 6:20a. Work until 5:30p. Blog-related stuff until band rehearsal @ 7:15p. Home @9:45p. Sleep @11:15p.
Food
Breakfast: salami & brie & wheat thins & banana & black coffee. I’m always looking for salty/savory things in the morning. Plus, salami + brie is a pretty popular German breakfast, and that’s my heritage. I’m just trying to fit in, ya’ll. Calorie total: 416
Lunch: Leftover Lentil Frito Pie. SO GOOD. And way better with chips. Also, a piece of dark chocolate for dessert. Calorie total: 707
Dinner: at my desk – salad while I blogged. Noosa yogurt for dessert (because it’s practically ice cream – full fat and full sugar). Calorie total: 680
Snacks: string cheese in the morning, Spicy Buffalo Wheat Thins in the afternoon (I am OBSESSED with these and trying to tone it down… they are not calorie-free). Calorie total: 150
Net Calories: 1935 – see full day
Exercise
Back was hurting (I think I’ve been sleeping wrong? Definitely not exercising as consistently as I should. Oh, and I’ve been crazy stressed. Yeah, backache makes sense) – so I did a 5 minute back-strengthening exercise and 1 round of yoga using my Sworkit app. It’s awesome and free and perfect for doing a teeny tiny amount of exercise when I don’t feel like it.
5,388 steps today, per my FitBit. Only half-way to the 10,000-step goal set by the American Heart Association.
P.S. My back felt better after the exercise.
Notes
I am SO HUNGRY today!! Wasn’t hungry when I got home in the evening, but after winding down I was hungry. 🙁 But I was already in bed and too tired to get up. So no snack, which means I’ll wake up SUPER HUNGRY in the morning.
I was also seriously dragging all day – energy was really low. Might be related to my sleep last night – 7 hrs 16 min. Restless night. 23 minutes awake/restless, per my Fitbit. Need coffee. It must be Monday…..
Lunch at work, on top of my notes. My desk is as messy as I feel. 😉
Tuesday
Overview
Wake @ 6:20a. Work until 4:30p. Run 5k with Paige. Taco Tuesday with friends!! Home @9:30p. Sleep @ 11p (because I get distracted by everything).
Food
Breakfast: salami & string cheese & protein smoothie made of: pineapple, 1/2 banana, and protein/nut milk. Oh, and black coffee. Duh. Calorie total: 502
Lunch: meeting ran long, so I quickly ate my cottage cheese and a piece of chocolate, then snacked all afternoon. Calorie total: 253
Dinner: Taco Tuesday with friends! 2 homemade tacos, 1/2 plate of spinach salad with goat cheese, olive oil/vinegar dressing, Mexican rice, chips & salsa, and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Oh, and a Modelo Especial, because it’s not Mexican without the cerveza! Calorie total: 964
Snacks: Buffalo Wheat Thins, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, celery, grapefruit, 2 pieces string cheese (this is what happens when you don’t eat a proper lunch…). Calorie total: 419
Taco Tuesday with a beautiful spinach salad!
Net calories: 1878 – see full day
Exercise
Ran with Paige for the first time in several weeks – and my body knew it! We managed to get in a slow 3-mile run. But hey, way better than nothing, right? My legs are tired, but I earned an extra 260 calories!
Fitbit says I got 9,581 steps. So close to the goal!
Notes
So hungry again!!! I go through phase of being more/less hungry throughout the month. I try not to stress about it too much and listen to my body – eat when I’m hungry, not when I’m full and focus on quality. Energy was way better than yesterday.
Wednesday
Overview
Wake @ 6:20a. Work until 5:00p. Blog @ Starbucks w/decaf black coffee until GIRLS’ NIGHT!!! Home @10:00p. Sleep @ 11p [need to go to bed earlier… this is catching up with me].
Life without coffee would be sad and dreary for me. Look at that amazing pourover! *heart eyes*
Food
Breakfast: leftovers from my weekend breakfast – scrambled eggs with sauteed kale and cheese. And a piece of chocolate. Because morning is the best time to eat calories. Calorie total: 429
Lunch: Work lunch provided! Chik-Fil-A nuggets, small order of waffle fries, side salad with ranch dressing. Holy schamolies – fast food = lots of calories. Calorie total: 829
Dinner: Girls’ night!! So I ate a bunch of random food and it was hard to track: blue cheese, serrano ham, blueberries, Granny Smith apple, Kale & Potato veggie fries, cheddar cheese, cucumber, salami, gluten-free brownies. Top it off with hard cider and Sauvingon Blanc. Calorie total: 560
Snacks: nothing during the day, except a small cup of decaf black coffee at Starbucks while I blogged before Girls’ Night
Net Calories: 1993 – see full day
EXERCISE
Nada. Just my regular daily activity. Fitbit says I got 4,376 steps. Better exercise tomorrow…
Notes
Finally not as hungry today. Maybe the better breakfast helped. Yay eggs and kale! (and check-out the recipe from my very first blog post!). I was tired by the end of the day, but I think that’s to be expected. I survived hump day!
Thursday
Overview
Wake @ 6:45a. Work until appt. with counselor @3:30p (shout-out to taking care of your mental health, ya’ll!). Sushi with a friend for dinner. Home @7:30p. Clean the MESSY house, do a quick exercise, and relax. Sleep @ 11:30p (how did that happen?!)
FOOD
FitBit proof that I don’t get enough sleep during the week…
Breakfast: 2 slices homemade, whole-grain sourdough bread with Smart Balance and Jelly. Smoothie that I sipped on throughout the morning (pineapple, 1/2 banana, and protein/nut milk) but didn’t quite finish. Calorie total: 536
Lunch: Leftover Lentil Frito Pie with cheddar cheese, sugar snap peas, and a piece of dark chocolate. I forgot my chips. 🙁 Calorie total: 570
Dinner: Sushi!! 3/4 each of a spicy tuna roll and California roll. Calorie total: 450
Snacks: no snacks today. Finally I’m not so terribly hungry!
Net Calories: 1403 – see full day
EXERCISE
Fitbit says I got 5,139 steps. I also did a 20-minute Insanity (Cardio Abs) workout video and a 5-minute yoga video using my SworkIt app to stretch.
NOTES
It’s been a long week. I’m tired. Is the weekend here yet?
Friday
Overview
Wake @ 6:45a. Work until 4:30p. Run quick errands, then meet friend for happy hour/dinner @5:30p. Home @9:30p. Sleep @ 11p [I am ex.haus.ted].
FOOD
Breakfast: 3/4 of a cheese quesadilla – one of my favorite foods. And always black coffee. Calorie total: 615
Lunch: Spinach salad with blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing, baby carrots, and the rest of my breakfast quesadilla. Calorie total: 462
Dinner: Happy hour/dinner with a friend – green olives, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto and French bread, then 1/2 of a flatbread pizza. Plus a flight of red wine to taste. Calorie total: 788
Snacks: an afternoon tangerine. Calorie total: 50
Net Calories: 1915 – see full day
EXERCISE
Fitbit says I got 3,486 steps. Living proof I need to exercise to meet my goals.
Notes
Busy day. So ready for the week to be over. T.G.I.F.
I love to be busy, but sometimes my body needs rest. I even wrote a post in the honor of Rest.
Saturday
Overview
Wake @ 8:30a. Coffee, book (The Hobbit. Yes, please.), and couch time all morning. Summoned motivation to do a bit of cleaning/organizing in the afternoon. Dinner w/friends @6p. Home at 9:30. Sleep @11p.
FOOD
Breakfast: the other half of my flatbread pizza from last night and a piece of white chocolate to go with my black coffee. Calorie total: 385
Lunch: Quick/easy lunch of Spinach salad with blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing, with a tangerine for dessert. Calorie total: 311
Dinner: Homemade chicken enchiladas and roasted cabbage. Margarita made with sugar-free mix (squeeze a lime into it to make it taste fresh!) Calorie total: 612
Snacks: blueberries at bedtime. Calorie total: 41
Net Calories: 1359 – see full day
EXERCISE
Fitbit says I got 4,301 steps, but also 17 flights of stairs with all that cleaning!
Note
I’m exhausted! The week definitely caught up with me. Had plans to blog/clean/organize but had zero motivation. I need to be better about balance during my week so I have energy on the weekend! Upped my Social Media game today (follow me on Instagram @peasandhoppiness)
Sunday
OVERVIEW
Views along the winter hike
Wake @ 8a. Coffee, hearty breakfast, a little blogging/relaxing. Winter “hike” (it was an easy trail) @1p. Home @4p and starving, so early dinner. Laundry/cleaning/relaxing and evening to myself until sleep @ 10:15p.
FOOD
Breakfast: Hungry and needing some calories to fuel a winter hike, so I made Brown Rice Bowls with Roasted Carrots and Kale. Also had 1/2 a grapefruit and another piece of white chocolate peppermint with my coffee. Calorie total: 649
Lunch: 2 pieces of string cheese and Spicy Buffalo Wheat thins on the drive home from the hike. So hungry! Calorie total: 405
Dinner: Homemade crab mac n’ cheese, spinach salad with oil & vinegar, 2 pieces of dark chocolate, and a glass of milk. I was ravenous. Calorie total: 886
Snacks: 1/2 a grapefruit before bed. Calorie total: 41
Net Calories: 1839 – see full day
EXERCISE
4-mile winter “hike” along Boulder Canyon Creek Trail (actually more of a running path – I brought the wrong shoes!). Total of 12,273 steps and 45 flights of stairs, per my FitBit. A solid day.
Notes
Very tempted to sit at home and do nothing, but knew I would feel better if I got outside. And I did. Except my legs were so tired that I didn’t want to finish the cleaning I needed to. SO HUNGRY after the hike, overate a little at dinner – wish I would have spaced out my calories better.
Breakfast Eats
So there you have it. I did my best to not change my eating or exercise habits so you could see really what I do day-to-day. Of course, no two weeks are the same for me, as I’m sure the same is true for you.
Lessons learned from this week:
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Keeping a food diary sucks, but it’s very insightful
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Some days I go over my calorie limit, some days I’m under my limit. So if I eat quality food and eat when I’m hungry, but not when I’m full, my body does a pretty good job of balancing my calorie needs.
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Exercise, man. It covers a multitude of calorie sins.
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I’m generally happy with the quality of my diet, especially considering the number of “special occasions” I had this week.
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This felt like not a normal week to show you, but my weeks are never “normal.” This is my life.
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Being accountable to The Internet for a whole week was a good way for me to get back on track with planning, healthy eating, and exercise – although I didn’t really change any of my normal eating/exercise habits (at least not on purpose…)
As always, I love to hear your thoughts and opinions, and I welcome questions. Godspeed in your own journey of health.
With love from Peas and Hoppiness.
3 thoughts on “Dietitian Eats”
I love this! It’s given me some breakfast goals, for sure. I have a question about your experience with MyFitnessPal – do you usually go with their "macros" for things like carbs and protein? Or do you find that there’s a better ratio to use when taking a look at the types of foods you’re eating?
Thank you for your comment, Sara! The macronutrient distribution that MyFitnessPal or any of the other tracking apps give you doesn’t really mean much, to be honest. There has been a lot of nutrition research to try to determine what the best distribution is (i.e. how much fat vs. carb vs. protein someone needs) and there isn’t a firm answer. Basically, healthy nutrition seems to be more about 1) total calorie consumption and 2) diet quality.
Personally, I don’t obsess about protein (technically our bodies need about 0.8 grams per kilogram body weight – even elite athletes only need about 1.2-1.4 grams per kilo; when you calculate it, on the low end it comes to 5-8 ounces protein per day or 12-16 ounces for really high needs). I also generally eat a moderate-low carb diet (maybe as a result of being a diabetes educator and talking about carbs all day?). Thus, my diet usually seems particularly high in fat compared to "normal" distribution.
Really what I do is focus on QUALITY of the individual foods I eat and try to eat in the balance of the "healthy plate" model (1/2 plate veggies/fruit, 1/4 plate protein/fat, 1/4 plate carb) rather than stress if I’m getting enough protein/carb/fat. When I do this and respond to my body’s hunger cues, it helps me balance food without overthinking.
My higher-than-normal fat diet helps me keep full throughout the day. Fat & fiber are my best friends for hunger control. Contrary to popular belief, protein doesn’t necessarily change how quickly food is digested and absorbed; so when someone says to eat protein with a meal to stay full, it’s actually the FAT that is often found naturally with the protein that helps stave off hunger.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions! 🙂
This was really helpful! Thank you 🙂