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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I plan all of my meals out starting with protein, to ensure I’m getting enough. Then I work around it. It’s also never set in stone – if I want something else, I eat it!
I’m having trouble losing weight, so I started a food diary about 2 weeks ago to see if I’m sneaking calories in on myself (self-sabotage!). I find it helpful to write down everything I eat, because it keeps me accountable (I don’t want to write down that I ate 4 Oreos … so I won’t eat them). I can see how calorie counting can get obsessive, though. I’m already trying to stop worrying about the numbers, but it’s getting hard to stop now that I’ve started.
I plan out my meals generally a day ahead of time. It helps me not get stuck out during mealtime without a packed lunch, helping to save money and calories.
I need to get on the breakfast cookie bandwagon! They look great!
I like your kind of food journal- I have started to use the blog more to look back and see what I need more of for the day. It would personally be a healthier way for me to journal than when I tried counting calories. I’ve gotta start making a “plan” though, I’m spending too much time changing little things and learning about blogging!
yours is organized so well! i don’t journal b/c i always forget and don’t want to carry it around with me everywhere, but i do try to plan my foods out in the morning and stick with it all day. that way i know i’m getting enough fat/carbs/protein to make it a healthful day 🙂
I don’t keep a food journal but I do track and log all my exercise in my Google calendar…for long runs, I add my stats (distance, ave. mph, incine) and even how I felt during different parts of the run. It helps me train and to look back at the distance I covered:)
I recently quit counting calories as well, which I think is for the best. I actually eat more healthfully now! I would say that my blog is my food journal now! I do record all my exercise as well, its good to keep track….
I have 3 journals which I should really try to combine one day. One for my “life”-work day at the office, appointments, kids stuff, etc, one I use at the gym to track what I’ve done/calories burned, etc and one at home for food. I use to follow weight watchers but don’t count “points’ anymore. Most people think I’m nuts, but doing this keeps my head clear.
lol– love it that your breakfast is served on a skull plate given to you by your NANA! Funny stuff! You are a great planner– I guess that’s why you’re so fit 🙂
i don’t keep a food journal, but i like the way you approach yours! i’m big on the hour by hour planning, though. best feeling ever is staying on track!
Breakfast cookie looks delicious! Where do you get the sun warrior? I have looked everywhere!
I just started tracking my meals and workouts. I think it helps to see how much I’m consuming and make sure I’m getting all my nutrients. Plus I love keeping track of my workouts, It makes me feel good when I can see everything I accomplished. I found a really good chart here: http://www.pharmalogika.com/weight.html – its a calorie counting spreadsheet but I don’t use it for that. It’s got a place for your meals and intake, as well as your excercise. Definitely helps to keep me organized!
Gina,
Which dehydrator model do you own? I know in a previous post you mentioned the 9-tray but they come in 2 models for the 9-tray (3900 & 3926). Your macaroons sound so delicious that I am considering buying one!
I am counting calories, but starting to wean away from it as it has become too obsessive. It has helped me shed 10 unwanted pounds though and evaluate what I was eating. Side note–I love that you use FAM. I also do but with the clearplan monitor since I wake up at variable times in the morning. It is so much better then birth control hormone because it is 100% natural. I have had great success with it!! I wish more people knew about it and understood it!!
Between all my aerobic classes, and working in general…it’s so hard for me to plan meals. I try to though, to keep me on track and to ensure that I am getting what I need. It’s tough, but sometimes it pays to be a little OCD! 😉
I want to be one of your clients so I can eat all of the delicious lunches you make them!!! 🙂
Like you, I don’t count calories but do keep a food journal. Doing so really helps to keep me accountable for what I eat. Sometimes I find myself sneaking bites here and there – which really do add up!!! – so the simple process of writing it down helps me to eat more mindfully and purposefully.
Okay so I seriously thought I was the only one who kept detailed schedules like this hand written out… there is something about writing it w paper/pen that just works much better for me too! I love to be organized, makes my life so much easier 🙂
That’s cool that you do the BBT method of planning instead of using the hormones from other contraceptives. We do the same thing and people always don’t understand it. Love your journal!
I hate legs day too, but I hate the day AFTER legs day even more lol it kills!
I just ordered “Taking Control of Your Fertility” because of your recommendation. I’m getting married in June and we’ve been discussing forms of birth control without going on the pill. We’re both pretty anti-pill (but also anti baby at this point) so thank you very much for the recommendation and for being so candid about your experience.
You’re so organized! Your food/exercise journal is great. I always keep an exercise journal, but I go on and off with the food journal – usually it gets tiring after awhile and I take a break :-).
You are extremely organized about your nutrition/fitness/life!
I don’t keep a food journal at all, but I do try to plan out my meals in advance… mostly to make it easier for grocery shopping. I also have a book where I write things down like plans or directions or ideas for my blog.
I’m very interested in how/why you determine your macronutrient ratios for the day. Is there an optimum balance? Do you think it’s important for people to do this?
I don’t really have a set way of planning out my eats. I do plan out dinners in advance, but that is about as far as I go. However, I do find myself lacking protein at times, and lacking veggies most days. Oops! Trying out a food journal for a few days may not be a bad idea for me.
I’m trying to guess what you mean by “inspiration boards really work” and trying to read whats under your blurriness on your inspiration board. Can’t wait to hear what is in store!!!
it’s definitely on there
i can’t wait to tell all of you guys about it!
as soon as things are in full swing, i’ll spread the word 🙂
i don’t keep a food journal but i do have a running list in my head making sure my meals are balanced. i have a really good memory which helps 🙂
I used to also count and it drove me crazy…like to the point my husband would get annoyed with me 🙂 But I list my meals along with everything else on my Google calender. I just end the time I ate the meal and then what it was etc. It helps me be able to see it over a course of a day based on my workouts and such.
Keeping a food journal does not work for me! I become too obsessive. Plus, I don’t want to keep track of how many times I refilled my mug o’ cereal. I do, however, schedule out some of my busy days/weeks hour by hour. Love that!
I too become obsessive with a food journal counting calories. I do however like the idea of knowing what major food groups you’ve consumed. I am really dragging after a day in the lab if I haven’t fueled properly (same for marathon training, as you know).
KUDOS for keeping a time management schedule and sticking to it! I think I could benefit from one 🙂
Can’t wait to see your inspiration board! I made one about a year ago and I think the way I segregated it really helped. Let me know if you need any ideas 🙂 🙂
Lauren
I get really obsessive when I journal too, but mostly because I associate it with counting Points, which then is numbers, which mess with my head. BUT I have found that doing Roni’s tweet what you eat thing helps me keep track without it always being in my face.
I try and plan my meals ahead of time and bring in leftovers to have for lunch at work to save money etc. I don’t keep a food journal but I find if I eat a minimal amount of processed foods, I stay at a good weight and size.
I plan my meals out for the day. And I always have a plan in mind for the gym…neither are set in stone but I try to follow my plan as close as possible. I use to be a counter, but I became obsessed. So, now I just count calories for a meal here or there. I like the journal. I think it might be the answer to dropping these 5 lbs that found me during the holidays and still have not left:/
I don’t keep a food journal because I just assumed they were for counting calories and the such. But yours looks easy and organized! I’d like to hear more about it 🙂
Oh, and question: If you run a lot (like, um…me) would you reccomend strength-training your legs? Is running + strength training too much hurt on the legs or will it help? Thanks!
hey danielle,
i think strength training helps so much with running- just make sure to either strength train and run on the same day, or do them on non-consecutive days (by not running and doing legs on consecutive days.. like doing legs on tuesday and trying to run on wednesday– bad idea)
I used to write a food/calorie/exercise journal for a while, but I got too obsessive at times. I recently started one similar to yours- just food/exercise, which is a great way to keep healthy but not crazy!! I love your letters method though, I may have to apply that to my own- can’t wait to find out on that “rainy day” what the art is!
xo
K
I was the same way with calorie counting- it just became way too obsessive and unhealthy. Strangely enough, before I got into calorie counting, I used to just keep track of my meals and make a tally of each serving of fruits, veggies, protein, dairy (or calcium) and whole grains I ate and was actually incredibly successful at both satiety, and wait loss/maintenance.
I try to plan out my meals the night before and estimate the caloric value to determine how much leeway I can have for the next days eating and snack attacks. As far as working out I try to plan for the week and if I end up completing all of my workouts I reward myself with something like a massage at the end of the week. I am also interested in getting off the pill and trying a non hormonal birth control method because I think those extra synthetic hormones are so toxic to the body.
Wow, I feel like such a bum compared to you. You’re super disciplined and probably do more in a day than I do in a week. Have you always been like that? I love the way your journal is set up and the fact that you don’t count calories. Being a slave to Corporate America and the chair I sit in from 9-5, five days a week is a total bummer! My best advice for avoiding the “office 15” is to pack a balanced, healthy lunch and one healthy snack. When the food is gone, don’t eat anything else! It kills me to watch people at work eat crap all day long while they are completely sedentary.
haha don’t feel like a bum.. my days are just ridiculous
and yes, i’ve always been like this. even in school full-time (and getting great grades), i always worked at least two jobs.
you’re totally right- as long as you’re prepared with healthy eats, everything is bueno 🙂
I keep a food journal so I can hold myself accountable for my eats as well as be able to look back on the day and see if I hit all the categories. I did (ok, still do) count calories but Im getting to the point where I am more lax about it and will probably phase out of it. When I first began, it was good to see how much a small bite here, or a mini chocolate bar there adds up. Now I feel that I have a better control over my eating and don’t need to keep track to stay on track. Definitely a nice tool to watch yourself though!!
You are such a nerd! JK I love it! I am the same way. Not really about keeping a food journal, but I am very into my day planner (nerd alert). It is even color coded. I used to be obsessive with keeping track of what I ate every day but have since given that habit up. It was completely unhealthy for me personally. Instead I do a general meal plan for the day and bring my food to work. I tend it eat high raw, high vegan so I don’t fret over calorie intake. As for exercise I am, um, kind of lazy… I try to take classes at the gym to motivate me, so I pick a few for the week and more or less stick to the schedule. Not totally results oriented but at least I’m moving right?!
a nerd?!
bahaha, YOURE a nerd! 😉
and yes, as long as you’re moving that’s all that matters!
haha meant entirely in a nice way! I am the same way!
i know, just messing around w you 🙂
Some days I keep a food journal (online), and some days I don’t. I am trying to tone up & lose about 10 pounds (nothing major; just working off the muffin top ;-)), and I struggle with whether or not to log my food. So many of the women I look up to recommend NOT counting calories because it can cause a restrictive mentality or obsessing – but then I’ve read often that counting calories is the only surefire way to lose weight & keep it off…
I do really like like your idea of just writing down food but not worrying about the calories very much. I think that’d fit in very well with my lifestyle! I’m excited to learn more about how you do that. 🙂
I typically don’t food journal, unless I notice the jeans are getting tight. This is typically after training very intensely for a few weeks, eating to keep up with it, and then the training ends but my eating doesn’t. Mhaha.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
wow you are so organized & that is inspiring. i plan out my meals in my head while shopping for groceries, focusing on high, raw plant-based foods & then making sure i purchase protein (fish, eggs). i count protein grams daily, though i do not write it down. i find that if i track protein everything else falls into place since my base diet is high raw, protein, raw fats & supplementation with superfoods, & a whole lot of water–that usually works out to being properly nourished for me. new Grey’s tonight! my fave show!! thanks for sharing your daily journal!
Love your daily journal! I am so old school myself…pad and paper is all I need! 🙂
Gina,
Gotta say, your blog is one of my favorites. Makes me want to do one, but I’m yo mamma’s age, not nearly as creative or interesting as you and my 9-5er takes a lot out of me.
Love your simple way of tracking daily activities and eats, I’m going to implement it! WW worked for me until my head imploded, couldn’t cope with constant counting, measuring & tracking.
Stephanie
hey stephanie,
thank you so much!!! age is just a silly number 😉 so many fab ladies of all ages have blogs- go for it!!
yes, measuring and counting is for suckas 😉
I can’t believe I’ve never read your blog! It’s fantastic! I agree with you about legs day. I’m always so sore after an hour of squats and lunges, but they’re so worth it!
thanks so much for stopping by and saying hello 🙂 hope to see ya around more often!
I’ve been keeping a food journal for a couple of years and keeping track of calories but just gave up counting. It was scary because it does become second nature and I still have the numbers in my head but I’m just not letting them get together, if ya know what I mean. 😉 Hopefully not counting will become second nature after a while too… I do need to keep better track for nutritional purposes but right now I’m just enjoying a bit of *freedom* and not seeing food as the ENEMY.
That’s such a great idea! I’ve debated starting a food journal for a while, then I resorted to counting calories until recently. You’re completely right, it DOES drive you insane and has you focus on the wrong things, rather than fueling your body correctly. Since I’ve started blogging I feel like it does most of the work in the food journal department, but I might start writing it down to add more intention to what I’m eating. 🙂
I suspect that we’re going to hear some very good news from you in the next couple weeks!! How exciting!
I have attempted to journal about my food and exercise in the past, but it’s never stuck. I dig your format, maybe I will have to try it out again.
yes, very good news 🙂
I don’t kkep a food journal now but when I was doing body for life I did keep one. Now I feel like I know my body well enough and can tell if I am getting what I need……
Of course there is always room for improvement!
i’m really intrigued by your method of recording your food intake! it sounds really balanced, because its so easy for calorie counting to become obsessive!
i used to calorie count but i got so obsessed, so i used a technique like this (not as scientific 🙂 ) for a while until i eventually stopped all together, now i just try to think of eating in the food groups & i use my blog as accountability. love this post & I cant wait to hear about your n,c,p etc explanation!
I used to track calories ALL the time and worry about it all. And only eat things that fit into my amount of calories I had left, not really focusing on what I SHOULD be eating. I stopped doing that lately and just be eating way better. I am moving my way into vegan eating so ive been eating good wholesome foods and my snacking has gone way down.
I make TO DO lists but thats about it. I try not to worry about food so much anymore, it makes me Crazy! and no one likes that lol