Doing the planning thang
Hi! Hope your day is going well <3
Mine has been pretty busy, but wonderful.
It started with a traditional b-fast cookie on a skull plate, courtesy of my nana.
Today’s mix was:
-1/3 C oats
-1 T almond butter
-1/2 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior
-Cinnamon and nutmeg
-Raisins
-Almond milk
-1 small smashed banana
After the foodgasmic breakfast feast, I met Ashley for a legs workout at the gym. I don’t know why (or maybe I do) but I hate legs day. I see amazing results from working my leggies but I always dread legs day.. it’s a beast 😉
Protein:
Roon:
I started on my client’s lunches, which were vegan gluten-free calzones.
The filling was consisted of mushrooms, onion, squash, zucchini, sundried tomatoes, basil and oregano
The dough was an abomination.
It tasted like heaven with the organic marinara, but looked a hot mess 😉
So today, I thought I’d show you guys something that I’d been doing for quite a while.
My food journal:
(Thanks again for the notebook, POM friends!)
I told you guys when I stopped counting calories quite a while ago (Read my thoughts on calorie counting on this post)… Counting calories works extremely well for some people and I counted diligently until it started to make me crazy. Numbers were always flying through my brain and I often based meals on how many calories I had left instead of the nutrients my body needed. In the end, I decided I didn’t want to spend my life counting and even though it was very difficult, I eventually broke the habit.
I do still, however, keep a food journal.
It’s separated into segments:
Top Left corner: my waking temperature (since I do the FAM method after stopping birth control pills)
Left column (top): All of my eats. No calories, but next to each item you’ll see a “C”, “P”, “F” or “N” standing for carb, protein, fat and neutral, respectively. There is more of an art (not a science) to this, but I can’t share that with everyone just yet. Have to save some things for a, umm, rainy day 😉 Anyhow, I use these letters to determine my macronutrient ratios for the day. Usually if my jeans start to get snug, I can look back and see that I was eating too many fats or carbs and not enough protein. It really helps me to make sure my eats for the day are balanced
Left column (bottom): Exercise for the day. This is a great way of tracking how I’ve improved and it’s always fun to look back and see how much consistency matters in the fitness game 😀
Right column: Plan for the day. As you can see, my days often broken down by the hour until I finish my last training appointment or aerobics class. After that , I usually make dinner, blog and chill until bedtime. This plan is never set in stone but it certainly helps with time management and to make sure I get everything done that I’d like to accomplish. Yes, I do have a crackberry but only use it to schedule appointments and when bills are due. As far as everything else during the day, I’m pretty old school and like to scribble it out on paper rather than online.
Do you keep a food journal? How do you plan out your days and keep organized?
Well I’m off to walk these puppies, train a client and then go for a run. It looks dreary outside, so I may be destined to the RAD :/
Have a fab day and I’ll see ya before GREY’s!
xoxo,
Gina
PS. Inspiration boards really work 😉 More info to come within the next couple of weeks.
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ahh! your food journal is so intense!! however… i’m inspired 😉
I love that you plan so well! That’s awesome. I keep a food journal to hold me accountable. I also like to write down my workouts!
I track my food online but HAVE to have a hand written planner w/ monthly and week/day sections and a daily to do list and post its everywhere. I freak out without it!
I LOVE my planner!
I am definitely a planner and I still track calories. I eyeball portions for the most part, so I know that I am hitting a range more than a specific number. It works for me for now. Although, I eat the same types of things (meaning I get a wide variety of foods, but still mostly whole and raw) so I know I don’t “need” to track the calories. I think food journals are really important to maintain health and hold you accountable. So many people complain about gaining weight and they don’t know why. If you keep track, in some way, you will know why.
I started a food journal today thanks to your post. I LOVE your blog & it motivates me to stay on the healthy track when it comes to comida. I do a ton of cardio, but still carry 30 pounds of extra weight. I’ve known for a while that I need to track what I’m eating, rather than not staying accountable.
How do you resist all the yummy eats like cheeseburgers or ice cream when others enjoy them? I think you have an amazing amount of will power & I really admire that (and want some). Thanks so much for all you do.
I used to keep a written food diary but I didn’t really like it. The same thing happened to me where calorie counting soon took over my life and I couldn’t even really enjoy eating food…I just ate so I would have energy to workout. I now just watch my portions and know that if I have a crazy bad eating day I will just work that much harder in the gym. However, I have made my blog into my “diary” but its more just a photo diary. I really love blogging!
I put everything I eat on the Weight Watchers Log on their site. I’m so much more accountable to myself if I have to put down everything I eat.
I’m an old fashioned list writer. Something about the old paper and pen. I keep a food journal as well. If I know the calories for something I’ll put it down, but I typically just write the general foods down without measurements or other details. I like your idea of simply putting down C,P,F,N.
I’ve been doing it on again off again for quite sometime. I actually just came across my journal from 2007 tonight when my Dad brought me a box of old things to go through!! I was “Isaac, aren’t you dying to know you want to know what I ate May 1, 2007.” Haha.
I *wish* I were that organized…
I always try to plan out what I’m going to eat but I don’t know why I can never stick to it! But I do track my food – what I eat anyway. Counting calories makes me absolutely nuts in exactly the same way – I don’t think about what I need, only how many calories I have left for the day.
Can you do a list of ideas or things you do when your
sore after working out
YOGA!!!
yoga
stretch
yoga
😀
Im going to have to try it 🙂
I love that you keep track of things in a physical notebook, very cute! I like to keep everything in a spreadsheet on the computer because I can do quick calculations, edit things easily, and such. I currently keep track of my calories and macronutrients on sparkpeople because I’m trying to find the correct balance of things to maintain my weight. I’m not sure if just keeping track of macronutrients would work for me and my weight, but I would love to bust out of calorie counting for good someday. It’s way to time [and brain!] consuming to do forever.
That chocolate agave looks CRAAAAAAAZY good! So jealous. Also, I’m an avid gym-goer/strength trainer who just got into yoga, and watching the way you balance yoga with other types of exercise is an inspiration. I’m definitely not someone who wants to cut down drastically on cardio or weights to make room for yoga, but I’ve realized that the flexibility and balance yoga teaches is pretty essential, and I’m excited to get more into it.
I avoided calorie counting like the plague, but I’ve been doing it for the last month and I’m finally losing weight. I feel like I’m monitoring, though, not restricting, and that tracking at this level is a temporary learning experience. I have a feeling it might be something I need to do for a few weeks every now and then, just to keep myself informed about what I’m putting in. I’m a numbers nut, but when it comes to winging it, my mind plays all kinds of games with me to justify overeating. For now, it’s best to have it in black & white. Maintaining should require less scrutiny.
I definitely like to plan out my stuff on paper. I make lists like crazy. It just helps me stay on track!
I don’t keep a food journal, but I do follow a meal plan based on getting a balanced amount of food groups at each meal and making sure I get 2-3 snacks throughout the day. I found this makes me MUCH less crazy than keeping track of calories, and it’s kind of “fun” to see what different things I can try as types of food groups.
i like the idea of labeling what you are eating so you can see where you are loading up or not getting enough of a certain nutrient. i eat a mostly vegan diet and am frustrated with not being able to trim a few lbs off, even with living a healthy and active lifestyle. i worry i am consuming more carbs and not enough protein, but then i worry if i up my protein i will be getting more fat [ie nut butters] and am not sure that is best. i have a feeling sugar intake could be part of the problem because i have a sweet tooth that i struggle with at times.
do you have any suggestions for how to determine what proportions are best for someone? [i.e. some people do better eating higher fat contents and others seem to see more results when they are lower fat/higher protein].
i suppose experimenting is key 🙂
you’re exactly right- you have to experiment and see how your body does best