Day 29- My Top 5 Tips for Staying Fit & Low Carb Day 1

4.13.16

Helllooo low,low carb day, surprisingly it was not bad at all. I was dreading it but I managed to keep myself satisfied all day besides the fact that I barely had any carbs! It definitely also helped that I didn’t step foot in the gym this day, no cardio, no abs, nothing. I realized I hadn’t taken a day off from the gym in 10 days and decided it was time. I wanted to go but knew my body needed some rest instead. I’m not addicted (okay maybe I am) but I just love the way the gym makes me feel- it’s just part of my daily routine, something I always do and it provides nothing but positive things for me in my life.

I will go through what I ate today on this low carb day and also share with you some of my tips for staying fit!

Tip #1. I don’t diet- Some people may say counting my macros is dieting but honestly I don’t agree. I just love counting my macros to stay on track, not overeat (because I will definitely do that), and I just think it’s fun to plan out all my meals for the day, or make them up as I go, since macro counting is completely flexible. However while I do count my macros I never go on a temporary diet where I only eat certain foods, or I eliminate food groups, or I don’t allow myself to eat ice cream, sugary cereals, or chocolate. You guys have seen me eat all of the above many a time on this blog. If i’m craving something I plan it into my day and I eat it, in a more healthy moderate way (frozen yogurt and low calorie ice cream, making healthy brownies and protein cakes, etc.). I do not believe in cutting out a bunch of foods, depriving yourself, and going on a temporary “diet”.  Instead find a healthy way of eating that you could sustain for your entire life.

• Low carb day breakfast: Protein pancakes covered with walden farms maple syrup and fat free whipped cream. I also had an egg and egg whites on the side not pictured. Total carbs: 7g. (my gummy MVs have 3g carb/serving)

Tip #2. I only drink water and unsweetened tea. Although I will have crystal light in my water from time to time and maybe 1 monster energy drink a week (the zero calorie one), for the most part on a daily basis all I drink is water and tea. No I do not put anything in my tea. I do not like to drink any of my calories simply because I rather be eating them :P. A lot of people don’t realize how many unnecessary calories they are drinking a day that don’t add anything to their health, they just add on the pounds. And simply by cutting out drinking anything with calories you save hundreds of calories a day, but your not losing anything nutritionally.

• For my next meal I had a power crunch peanut butter protein bar. Total carbs: 10g

Tip #3. I eat all day long. I notice when I go way too long without eating the last thing I want is a healthy meal of lean protein and veggies. Hand me the pop-tarts and a pint of ice cream to quickly get rid of this hunger! So instead of depriving myself without food all day and then going crazy at night eating anything and everything in sight, I make sure I’m eating at least every 3 hours to keep myself full and making good choices.

• Next meal was supposed to be ground turkey, almonds, broccoli, and sweet potato. But I actually ended up taking out the broccoli and sweet potato and inserting a frozen yogurt ice cream bar. Whoops. See that is what you shouldn’t do! Haha but it’s okay, I really wanted to try these and everyone kept asking how they tasted! So I replaced the carbs I would have gotten from the sweet potato and broccoli and inserted the bar- which was delicious– and I don’t really regret it (haha). Total carbs: 18g

Like the package says- life’s too short to skip dessert.

Tip #4. I try to keep temptations away simply by not having them around. Sure I’ll buy ice cream and cinnamon toast crunch. But since I track I don’t go crazy like I normally would having 3 bowls of cereal in a row and a whole pint of ice cream. However I try and keep most temptations out of my house this way I can never get into them. For example, it would be a bad idea for me to have cinnamon toast crunch, ice cream, a bag of chips, and a box of oreos all in the house at once. That’s just not fair because there’s no way I could fit those all into my day in a healthy way nor should I! Instead I plan out what I’m craving and I wait until the current “treats” in my house are gone then i’ll go pick up something new and plan to eat it in moderation over time. If not, i’ll open up a family size bag of dill pickle chips and eat the whole thing in one sitting… true story.

• Next meal was baked chicken, broccoli, and a side salad with bell peppers, cucumbers, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Total carbs: 10g

Tip #5. I stay active. Being active allows me to eat more since an active person needs more food than a sedentary person, and it actually puts that food to use in the body instead of just storing it as fat. I used to have people say to me, “Why do you workout and also eat cookies/cake/ice cream”, while they ate all that and more and never stepped foot in a gym. I am able to eat what I want because I workout. Just because you workout and take care of yourself does not mean you are only allowed to eat salads all day, treat yourself in a smart way.

• And the last meal of the day was 100g strawberries with some more fat free whipped cream, and more protein pancakes on the side. Total carbs: 12g

And that is how you have a low carb day and stay full and satisfied all day long! 🙂

❤