Something that I've mentioned many times on my blog but that I'll mention here again is the power of living a healthy, yet balanced life. I'm a health coach, personal trainer, I have celiac disease and I care deeply about how I treat my body and what I put into it, but I still allow myself to indulge here and there. I've learned that living an 85/15 lifestyle when it comes to food (85% whole healthy foods and then 15% whatever I want) has allowed me to feel so much freedom around food. For years, so much of my time was consumed by thinking about food. It drove me absolutely nuts. What was I going to have for dessert? How long until I could have another snack? What would I order when I went out for dinner? Could I have a glass of wine tonight?
Listen, thinking about food all of the time isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when it starts to control your life, you know it's time to make a change. For me, it was learning to relax around food and let myself enjoy ALL of the pleasures it has to offer. Food is more than something you can control to make you look thin. For me, it's about family, friends, tradition, taste, feeling and experience. And those are things I refuse to miss out on.
Once I gave myself permission to live and eat an 85/15 lifestyle, my cravings and thinking around food began to slowly subside. I allowed myself to eat the ice cream if I really wanted it. I didn't eat it because I was sad or looking for comfort, but because I really wanted it and knew it would taste amazing...no guilt tagalong there either!
So, with that, here is a deep dive into my 4 day food + workout journal. I'm sharing this with you so that you can see what balance looks like for me over the weekend and then during the week. This isn't about comparing one diet to another. Rather, it's a way for me to share what health looks like in my eyes + a dose of "real girl food". I mean every girl needs a glass of buttery chard here and there!
Saturday ::
This is my sister in law and me out on Saturday night. Yes, I do enjoy having a few cocktails here and there out at a bar. It's not the healthiest thing in the world but for me, it's really important (and in my mind healthy) to let loose and have a little fun!!
Breakfast -> 2 mugs full of hot water with lemon followed by a bulletproof coffee (coffee + 1 TBSP coconut oil + 1 TBSP grass fed butter +stevia)
Workout :: I went to the gym and got a nice long lifting session in. I try to lift heavy weights 1-2x per week as long as I have time to fit it in. Today I did deadlifts, walking lunges, bench press and push ups.
Lunch -> It was a friends birthday so I had 2 TBSP of almond butter mixed with coconut flakes after my workout before I left and then a large plate full of roasted veggies + 2 glasses of chardonnay at the party! Yeyy!
Dinner -> We decided to go out in SF after the birthday party, so in an effort to stay semi healthy while drinking all day we had postmates deliver big salads to the bar we were hanging out at. PS- Postmates is awesome if you're out and about and don't have access to healthy food. They will deliver basically whatever you want directly to you! I had a salad with steak, avocado, carrots, beets and cucumbers + 3 vodka soda and grapefruits at the bar.
Sunday ::
Sunday's lunch :: grass-fed beef, bacon, brussel sprouts and kale with a little hot sauce. I also added avocado but had already eaten all of it when I took the photo :)
Breakfast -> 2 mugs full of hot water with lemon followed by a bulletproof coffee. I was definitely feeling a little groggy this morning from the party yesterday but it was totally worth it! Now, time to detox!
Workout :: I decided to lift again today because I just felt in the mood for something a little bit more intense so that I could sweat out yesterday's cocktails! I also really enjoy putting in my headphones and getting in the zone alone at the gym. It's incredible therapy for me. After my workout I sat in the sauna for about 25 minutes and then followed that with a cold shower to detox.
Lunch :: I followed my workout with a big veggie and ground beef stir fry. I took about 1/4lb grass fed ground beef and cooked it up in a little bit of grass-fed butter with brussel sprouts, kale and 1 piece of chopped bacon. I topped it with half an avocado and chowed down!
Dinner :: I was pretty hungry for dinner since I did a big workout so my husband cooked up grass-fed burgers (no bun) that we topped with bacon, onion, tomatoes and avocado. I served them with a light side salad and home made sweet potato fries that I just baked in the oven with olive oil.
Monday ::
Breakfast -> I woke up feeling pretty hungry so after a cup of black coffee I sautéed 1 sausage in grass-fed butter with some zucchini, cauliflower rice and turmeric. When I do eat breakfast (on days that I don't it's because I'm not hungry and I'm drinking bulletproof coffee) I stay away from eggs. Eggs give me a major stomach ache (although they are awesome for most people), hence why my breakfasts are kind of weird and out there.
Workout :: Today was a rest day. Originally I was planning to do a spin class in the morning but I woke up feeling so incredibly sore from my weekend workouts that I decided it was a good day to give my body some much needed rest. I've learned that it's just as important for me to give my body rest as it is to get to the gym.
Lunch :: I've been experimenting with this meal delivery service called Thistle and so far I really like them! I get 3 lunches delivered to my door every week and they are all gluten and dairy free. Today's Thistle was a salad topped with sliced turkey, avocado, quinoa, carrots and beets. It did look a little small for me so I added a little bit more avocado and then also had 2 TBSP of almond butter after I was done.
Snack :: You'll notice that I don't really snack that often. That's because I eat pretty large meals so that I don't want to have to worry about snacking when I'm out and about. I hate that crazed hangry feeling! Then, add the fact that you're out and don't have access to anything healthy, it's a recipe for disaster. I sort of see snacking as a bit of an inconvenience when I'm busy during the work week. So, to combat that, I eat really large meals :) But, when I do want to snack, like today, I normally reach for a Suja green juice or kombucha.
Dinner :: I was feeling really really lazy after a long day of work so I made an "everything but the kitchen sink" dinner. I cooked up two organic sausages and then sautéed cauliflower rice and zucchini (clearly I had a lot of this in my fridge this week) and then added avocado and pesto to everything. Sounds random but it was actually pretty delish! I also couldn't resist a glass of red wine so I had some organic Bonterra cab. Monday FTW!
Tuesday ::
Workout :: I woke up early this morning to get in a LeGree workout with my girlfriend at this adorable new studio down the street from me. LeGree is this new badass workout that is kind of like pilates on a reformer but the reformer is a little bit bigger. This workout is no joke. It was an incredible class and now I'm pretty much immobile, but I love the burn!
Breakfast :: I had 1 cup of coffee and water before my workout but followed the workout with a bulletproof coffee while I cooked up a super hodgepodge breakfast. I was still running really low on groceries and didn't have time to run out so breakfast was basically the same thing I had for dinner. 2 sausages + kale and zucchini!
Lunch :: Today I had another thistle salad that had chicken, butternut squash, carrots and fennel in it. I added half a can of wild salmon to the top and some avocado because this girl needed some more fuel!
Snack :: Yup, decided to snack today. I had 1 bag of organic kale chips that I bought from Safeway along with a suja green juice.
Dinner :: My husband is out of town and I was really craving pizza but wanted to keep it healthy. So, I invented this new pizza recipe and I'm total obsessed! I can't even wait to share the recipe with you guys! In short, it's just coconut flour, coconut oil and a few eggs. I topped the pizza with organic pasta sauce, sautéed garlic and onions, 2 pieces of cooked and chopped bacon and then a little bit of goat cheese. Dairy is really hard on my stomach so when I do have it I try to stick with goat or sheep and I make sure that it's organic and full fat.
Dessert :: I don't always have dessert but tonight I was really in the mood and feeling a little bit hungry still. So, I put 2 TBSP of almond butter in a mini bowl and sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top. It was divine!