About 1 1/2 years ago, I had plateau with my progress in my weight and training. It was really frustrating to put out such an effort with clean eating and cardio/weight training, and not seeing results.
One change that I made (upon advice from a nutritionist) was to invest in a food scale. The goal was not to become neurotic about every calorie entering my body, but to give me a more accurate understanding of what ‘a portion’ is. 4 ounces of fish is a nice portion of food on a plate. Four ounces of steak or chicken breast seems really small (though a well-balanced food plan should include other protein sources periodically, for diversity). Using the scale helped me gauge the proper portion for my age, gender and weight. This number is typically 3 ounces for women, and 5 ounces for men (who are physically active).
My problem is …I really like to eat! I’d rather eat 2 cups of spinach with 4 ounces of salmon or scallops on top than a tiny steak piece for greater calorie counts. (4 oz of lean filet mignon steak is 367 calories, 4 oz of salmon is 240, and 4 oz. of scallops cooked is 100 calories).
Vegetables should fill half of your plate. Healthy, whole grain carbohydrates should be a quarter of the remaining plate, with the remaining quarter of the plate being filled with lean protein.
I feel more energetic and see results from my workout effort faster, with clean eating tools being utilized.
Workout Diary 01/01/11: Tuesday
pliometrics DVD- 45 minutes
Food Diary 01/01/11: Tuesday
Breakfast-
1 cup egg whites, 1 cup spinach (130 cal.)
Ezekial toast, 1.5 tbls organic almond butter (200 cal)
1 apple (67 cal)
A.M. Snack-
Lunch-
4 oz Mahi mahi (85 cal)
Salad- 1 cup spinach, 1/2 sweet pepper,1/2 cup broccoli slaw, 1/8 cup beets (65 cal.)
1 apple ( 57 cal)
P.M. Snack-
1 cup protein cereal, 1/4 cup non-fat milk(210 cal)
1/2 cup strawberries( 30 cal)
Dinner-
4 oz strip steak (180 cal)
1 cup steamed cauliflower( 50 cal)
1/2 cup whole wheat rotini, garlic, olive oil (149 cal)
1 cup organic brown/wild rice, mushrooms (200 cal)
1 cup vegetable soup, homemade (low-salt vegetable stock, green beans, garlic, onions, carrots, 3 oz brown rice, pea pods, brocolli slaw- 3/4 cup (130 cal)
Dessert-
1 whole wheat waffle, 1 tbls organic almond butter( 220 cal)
TOTAL CALORIES-1693