So I’m almost finished with my first month of 12 Weeks to a Fit Physique! Time is flying! I’m pleased to say that I’m starting to get used to this whole counting macros thing. I have a few staples that I’ve been swapping in and out and have been sure to work new things in so that I don’t get bored.
Now that I’ve gotten into the swing of things, I thought it’d be fun and educational to share a few of my daily meal plans with you all so you can see how I’m going about hitting all my numbers and still get in some of my favorite treats (like smoothies and Quest Bars). As a reminder, these are the numbers I strive to hit each day:
Calories: 1580
Fat: 36.8g
Carbs: 165.3g
Fiber: 30g
Protein: 147g
Are you ready? I pulled one day from each week so far. I repeated each day Monday-Friday, switched it up on weekends, and come up with a whole new plan for the next week. Here we go!
Example Day 1
Pre workout:
Vega Sugar-Free Energizer
30 Energybits
Post workout:
½ scoop Vega Recovery Accelerator in Tropical
Breakfast:
Banana Egg White Smoothie (½ cup lactose-free skim milk, 1 cup water, ¼ cup liquid egg whites, ½ frozen banana, 1 scoop Skoop A-Game, 1 scoop Vega Sport Performance Protein Vanilla)
Lunch:
Poached Chicken Salad (2 cups kale, 6 grape tomatoes, ½ Tbsp Hemp Seeds, ½ avocado, 1 cup poached and shredded chicken breast, 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar)
Snacks (eaten throughout the day):
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bar
4 Fruit Punch Beauty Bursts
Dinner:
Creamy (Sans Cream) Shrimp Risotto
Total Daily Macros:
Calories: 1586, Fat: 40g, Carbs: 170g, Fiber: 34g, Protein 148g
Example Day 2
Pre workout:
Vega Sugar-Free Energizer
30 Energybits
Post workout:
½ scoop Vega Recovery Accelerator in Tropical
Breakfast:
Mint Cookie Protein Oats (½ cup gluten free oats, 1 cup water, 1 drop peppermint oil, 1 scoop Plant Fusion Cookies & Cream protein powder)
Lunch:
Quinoa & Tuna Salad (2 cups kale, 4oz Tuna [canned in water and drained], ¼ avocado, ½ cup cooked quinoa)
Snacks:
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt and Apple
Gluten Free Rice Cakes with 2 Tbsp Natural Sunflower Seed Butter (sometimes drizzled with NuNaturals Cocoa Syrup)
Dinner:
Stuffed Chicken with Sweet Potato Puree (recipe coming soon!)
Total Daily Macros:
Calories: 1598, Fat: 35g, Carbs: 171g, Fiber: 27g, Protein 146g
Example Day 3
Pre workout:
Vega Sugar-Free Energizer
30 Energybits
Post workout:
½ scoop Vega Recovery Accelerator in Tropical
Breakfast:
Banana Egg White Smoothie (½ cup lactose-free skim milk, 1 cup water, ½ cup liquid egg whites, ½ frozen banana, 1 scoop Skoop A-Game, 1 scoop Vega Sport Performance Protein Vanilla)
Lunch:
Tuna & Kale Salad (2 cups kale, 6 grape tomatoes, 4oz Tuna [canned in water and drained], ½ avocado, ½ Tbsp hemp seeds, ¼ shredded mozzarella, 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar)
Snacks:
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt flavored with NuNaturals Liquid Stevia drops
½ Chocolate Peanut Butter Quest Bar
2 Fruit Punch Beauty Bursts
Dinner:
Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry from Skinny Taste (I subbed broccoli for asparagus) with 1 cup cooked brown rice
Total Daily Macros:
Calories: 1576, Fat: 40g, Carbs: 149.7g, Fiber: 31g, Protein 154.1g
Example Day 4
Pre workout:
Vega Sugar-Free Energizer
30 Energybits
Post workout:
½ scoop Vega Recovery Accelerator in Tropical
Breakfast:
Mint Cookie Protein Oats (½ cup gluten free oats, 1 cup water, 1 drop peppermint oil, 1 scoop Plant Fusion Cookies & Cream protein powder)
Lunch:
Quinoa, Tuna, Egg White Salad (2 cups kale, 4oz Tuna [canned in water and drained], ½ avocado, ½ cup cooked quinoa, ¾ cup liquid egg whites [cooked and scrambled], ½ Tbsp hemp seeds, lemon juice for dressing)
Snacks:
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt and Apple
Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar
2 Fruit Punch Beauty Bursts
Dinner:
Sweet Potato Bean-Free Chili (I subbed lean ground turkey for the mushrooms)
Total Daily Macros:
Calories: 1598, Fat: 38g, Carbs: 167g, Fiber: 39g, Protein 147g
As you can see, I don’t hit the numbers dead on every single day. Sometimes, I go a little over. Sometimes I’m a little under. Since I’m not competing in a muscle building or bikini competition, I’m not too hard on myself – I just try to stay in a close range.
You may also notice that I have the same pre and post workout meals every day. That’s just what works for me. Breakfast is usually a smoothie or oats (which is what I’ve always done even before this plan), but on weekends (not featured here) I sometimes whip up protein pancakes. Lunch is some sort of salad with fish or chicken, and dinner varies from week to week. One thing’s for sure: I never go hungry!
To make these plans, I usually pick what I want for dinner first, and work my staple smoothies, salads, and favorite snacks around that.
For example, if I want to have Protein Pizza for dinner on Day 4 instead of the chili, I’d have a Banana Egg White Smoothie for breakfast instead of oats, leave the avocado and quinoa out of my salad and nix the Quest Bar from the mix to make room for the macros of the pizza.
It’s definitely a bit of a puzzle, but now that I have some staples, it’s not so bad!
**UPDATE: Check out Meal Planning with Macros – Part II!**
What have you been eating lately?
How often do you switch up your meals?
Oh – I also haven’t forgotten about hydrating! I drink A LOT of water to make sure all these macronutrients flow through my system, and my CamelBak Relay is a huge help with that. Check out the giveaway I have going on here and enter to win one of your own below!
Thanks for the meal plan ideas, I’m always at a loss when it comes to that. I know that sometimes my problem in not shedding fat is not eating ENOUGH! Those mint oats sound interesting. I’m a big fan of mints so I’m intrigued 🙂
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Summer Salmon Wrap recipe!
Yes! So many people think you just need to cut calories, but that can mess with your metabolism and sometimes make you gain weight! – as for the oats, I’m in love! They taste like Thin Mint cookie cookie dough!
How much were the energybits, and did you find it hard to not go over your macros at times?
Linda @ Fit Fed and Happy recently posted…Challenging My Anxiety Around Exercise
In terms of macros, the energybits are 30 calories, 0.5 fat, 1.4 carbs, 0 fiber, and 4.8 protein – if you’re interested in trying them out, you can use my discount code (fitfulfocus) to get 15% off at checkout 🙂
And yes, it’s definitely hard sometimes. I go over a bit every now and then but just try to stay as close as possible. I’m pretty happy if I’m within 5g of fat and 10g of carbs and protein.
You are a rockstar!!! So proud of you already!
Jolynn recently posted…Ultimate Athlete Challenge {recap}
Thank you! 🙂 🙂
Oh those energy bits looks awesome! AND I love your graphic for this post 🙂
Amber recently posted…Wild About WINK- Review & Giveaway
Thanks! And yes, the energybits are AMAZING! I love them! I have a discount code if you ever want to try them. Just enter “fitfulfocus” at checkout. 🙂
Great post! All your meals sounds so delicious and healthy! And I can’t believe it’s nearly been 12 weeks already…time flies!
Lauren @ Lauren’s Glass Slipper recently posted…Behind the Scenes of Lauren’s Glass Slipper – My Blog Writing Process
Thanks, Lauren! It’s only been 4 weeks so far, but hopefully I can keep it up for 8 more!
Holy Moly – this is TOO intense for me! I just eat. HA HA! But man, I give you a lot of credit! 🙂
GiGi Eats recently posted…Sharing The SamePlate
haha! I’m honestly surprised that I’ve been able to do it! I am so NOT a counter! But so far, so good! 2 more months to go!
I love counting macros (when I’m actually doing it). I was worried at first it would screw with my running but I found my longer runs to actually be easier when I was aiming for certain numbers. Thanks for sharing your meals. I live by eggs whites after a workout. Something about it is filling and tasty with turkey sausage crumbles, and a little cheese.
Katie recently posted…Over The Hump
It’s definitely good to track while running/training for a big race to make sure you are getting in enough carbs and refueling properly. And egg whites! Yes! I have a new found love for them 🙂
You are killing it girl! I’ve tried to count macros before and it is hard work! How did you figure out your macros? I’ve had a tough time figuring out where mine should be.
You can just use an online calculator, like this one : http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ 🙂
Macros is definitely the most interesting way of eating to see, because it doesn’t seem obsessive. It just helps people make sure that they’re getting enough nutrients. 🙂
Emily recently posted…TOLT: Clothes, Grace, Wonder, and Exercise
It’s a pain to still count and track macros, but it definitely ensures you’re eating better quality stuff and not just getting nutriousless calories.