What MizFit Eats. Part Deux.

by

I shall spare you the dizclaimers (please to refer back to this post) & merely add that this is only how I do it.

Not only am I not recommending you follow on my oft-salt-laden path: I wanna say loud & proud that I am a poster child for nothing.

I’m a busy working-full time momwifedaughterfriend & just strive each day to do the best that I can.

Below is what I ate yesterday and it’s fairly illustrative of how I eat during the week in general (read: fast, on-the-go but as clean as possible within my lifestyle.)

4am: Up at the crackcrack of dawn to work.  A cup of what ideally would be decaf but is, realistically,mostly regular with a smattering of decaf grounds thrown in to make me feel virtuous.

630a Force arse to climb on stationary bike (Im in the habit of doing my cardio on an empty stomach only because Im working like a maniac prior. Id not do this if I did cardio later in the day.).

meal 1:  (7:03)

As previously established my mornings are hectic. Ive found that the best chance Im going to eat well is to make this meal a no-brainer.

Im boring on weekday mornings. Repetitive. Easy.

2 or 3 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese (hastily crammed in mouth whilst doing 11 other things. Good fast protein and fat.).

Spoonfuls of flax (inhaled as fast as I can while Tornado yells “I want that! I want that!”).

1.5-2 cups of scrambled egg beaters/substitute (Why not real eggs? Sadly because Im known for being in a rush & Ren Man is obsessed with the fact I dont cook things enough.  Eggs undercooked = salmonella.  Substitute undercooked = finejustgross).

Oatmeal (1/2 cup? Im guesstimating) hastily made/left to sit on counter until lumpy & cold (perfect!) & I can eat it quickly.

2 morning star farms veggie patties (love.).

(water, vitamin, tums for calcium, extra vitamin C)

That’s pretty much how it plays out during the week.

Irish oatmeal with soy protein stirred in if—perchance—the Tornado feels like allowing me to eat leisurely (read: not have to inhale piping hot mush & inevitably scald my esophagus).

Protein pancakes if she is truly in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n & I can get out pans & ingredients.

meal 2: (10ish) Can of tuna (the large family size kind with 5 servings. I know. Lecture me about the mercury in the comments.) & a couple of rice cakes eaten whilst chasing Tornado/coloring on floor.

meal 3: (noonish) Often out somewhere so this meal varies wildly from foods Ive brought for us (ie. grilled chicken/cold rice/raw veggie type thing). Yesterday we went to a deli so it was the innards of a turkey sandwich (left the white bread), salad and fruit.

meal 4:(2ish) Beef jerky. 2 canisters of my addiction.

meal 5: (4ish) Some trail mix.

meal 6: (7p) chicken breast & raw veggies

meal 7 (husband worked late) Met-rx shake with him while he ate his dinner.

(BLAST of loud music to wake any readers we lost to slumber along the way…)

That was my yesterday and is pretty typical of my life right now.

(Thanks to the economy Ren Man is frequently working late so we tend not to eat at the same time.)

Some days the meal out might be a couple of chicken breasts (buns tossed to birds) slapped on a salad, the tuna might be replaced by poached-previously salmon, or the trail mix might be replaced with fresh fruit— but my weekdays are all fairly similar.

And similar NOT in a bad way as they’re foods that I *love* & I never feel deprived.

That, in my mind, is the key. People often compliment my will power & I always respond that I love what I eat!

If I felt I needed will power I wouldnt eat this way.  I’d find a way I *enjoyed.*

So there you have it, Oh Bumbling Band.  More than you ever wanted to know about what I ate yesterday.

Now you.

Hit me up will all your questions from last week which I ohsolovingly brushed off until now.

Lecture me on why I never, ever should eat the albacore.

Give all of us (myself included!) some tips for how to eat better on the run!

Ask any questions youve been longing to ask but have, until now, been too shy.

Ill meet you below in the comments…

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Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing Miz. It’s interesting to know what sustains super Miz! How on earth do you get up at 4am ?! What time do you get to bed?!?!? Also that seems like loads of food for brekkie… which is a good thing of course but 2 scrambled eggs or a bowl of porridge and I’m full. Of course maybe if I didn’t eat so much the previous evening ?! 🙂 (I may also be reading it wrong!)

  2. I wish I could get diffeent brands of beef jerky to choose from! In this town, they have one brand and it costs an arm and a leg. I love jerky. I especially love turkey jerky, but it’s not sold here either.

  3. Thank you so much for sharing!

    You and I seem to be total opposites in diet, LOL!

    Do you find it terribly expensive with all the processed/convenience foods? I’m still trying to lose a few lbs and, OMG, it can be costly!

    -Blue

  4. bed? early 🙂 like 930p.

    beef jerky? EXPENSIVE but to me worth it as when Ive tried to make my own it ended up being almost as pricey AND didnt last as long (dayswise) before tasking funny.

    and the convenience prices? kind of. although it really isnt a mainstay in my diet but mostly lunchtime out and even that isnt too, too often (we’re always OUT but the food is often brought along).

    for me food has been the last place Ive cut back (moneywise) with the economy as it was the thing I least wanted to do (I love my salmon steaks.)—-but cut back we have.

    ONE WORD: COSTCO (buy in bulk).

  5. That seems like a lot of food!

    I need to record what I am eating and compare 🙂

    Do you buy your fruit and veg in bulk too?

  6. I tend to skip breakfast because I’m in a hurry and after seeing all you eat in the morning I’m wondering if that is why you are far leaner than I?

    I start eating around noon usually.

  10. I love that you love what you eat that’s the most important thing.

    We’re all about the leftovers at our place. We routinely cook enough for four meals at dinner and put the extras straight into the lunch boxes before we eat dinner. That way we are done. For me it’s important to have a variety of foods and having those foods at my fingertips when I need them. This means, stocking up on protein for the week and getting veg and fruit every second day, to keep in fresh and exciting.

    I find planning meals and getting interested in the selecting of good food and in the actual cooking helps me stay mindful when I’m eating, which is super important to me.

    Great post Miz, it’s like a secret back stage pass 😉

  11. “If I felt I needed will power I wouldnt eat this way. I’d find a way I *enjoyed.*”

    YES! That’s what I’m doing. People think it needs to be torture to lose weight/be healthy but it sooo doesn’t!

    Question:

    Can you please post a video of you playing some clarinet? 😀

  12. I was just recently reintroduced to Laughing Cow cheese. It’s awesome smeared between two rice cakes. Makes it feel like I’m eating a lot for a snack but it’s only 80 calories total.

    I’ve also been getting into sardines as a side to my salad or veggie soup. The only thing I don’t like is having to de-spine the suckers, otherwise it’s good.

    Must try jerky. I don’t get enough protein in my diet usually since I hate cooking meats which is usually my biggest source. I’ll have to see what England has to offer me. 🙂

  13. Few thoughts:

    Yesyesyes on the fruits & veggies in bulk.
    Weekly.
    And also supplemented with farmers market trips.

    Smoothies? All the time.
    Not listed here as the ingredients vary wildly depending on what’s in the fridge.
    *wildly*

    And FLG? Be careful whatcha wish for.

    Mondays Facetime may simply be a musical interlude.

  14. Thank you for taking the time to share this and mostly thank you for saying you are a poster child for nothing.

    Thank you for not urging us to do as you do because where I am in my weight struggle I would have followed.

    Even though I know deep inside I need to find waht works for me.

  15. Sounds a bit high on the processed stuff, but I’m not foolish enough to argue with someone with your biceps.

    Yesyesyes on the big breakfast. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. Works for me.

  16. Sounds a bit high on the processed stuff, but I’m not foolish enough to argue with someone with your biceps.

    and it’s not at all about the biceps 🙂

    when I was determined to be 100% processed free (year 1 to 1.5 🙂 of Tornados life) it simply didnt work for me.

    I ended up not eating enough calories. losing muscle and holding TIGHTLY onto body fat and MORE IMPORTANTLY being tired all the time.

    I love how I eat now and know that, when she’s in school, life will swing more closely back to the premamahood days.

  17. Sounds like you found what works for you. I understand that with having a kid and a super busy life (damn, your life sounds crazy busy!) you can’t plan out super fancy meals but you love what you eat nonetheless. I hope I can figure this out when I get a kid, and don’t instead balloon up because I’m eating on the go. But that’s to come many years later, so no worries for now 🙂

  18. Miz – I know you do more than cardio and I think I remember you saying that you’re not a huge fan of it. When do you get your other “playout” in?

    Great to see the many meal approach and the nice size breakfast. Do you slip in cut fruits and raw veggies throughout the day too?

    • quick thoughts: I tend to lift at random times/spontaneous times during the week and, these days, if Toddler would rather play than go to the daycare even for 20 minutes we do that. My year is all about focusing on being PRESENT in my life and thats a small part of greater changes. As with the food I know Ill have TOO MUCH me-time in a few years.

      weekends? Ren Man & I always workout together. Sat and Sun.

      and YES on the fruits and veggies.

      its a game in a way.

      every time we run past the ‘fridge (especially with the veggies).

  19. Wow, that breakfast is huge! What I see in your meals is PROTEIN PROTEIN and more PROTEIN! I’m thinking I need to step up my protein intake, lol!

    Funny you mentioned the large can of tuna. Last night for dinner I was holding the large can of white meat chicken (I don’t like fish) and was thinking to myself “I shouldn’t eat this entire can” even though it was what I wanted. Must do more of that intuitive eating.

    I love the beef jerky, but I stay away from it because of the salt.

  20. I’m all about following a healthy diet that fits the lifestyle. People are always fussing at me for eating out so much, but I keep telling them you can bend the menu to fit what you need. Except for fried fish. Haven’t been able to master that one.

    Re: Tuna. No admonishments, but should you find a bald spot on your head, you might want to cut back. 🙂

  21. This was fun to read and what I most learned was we need to do what works for us.

    How long did it take you to find that balance?

  22. Fabulous! I usually eat multiple smaller meals vs. the larger ones! Love how you eat! I can’t get enough egg whites!

  23. Y’know, if I had to get up at 4 am my breakfast would totally be a shake. Tomato juice and vodka shaken over ice.

    That is a lot of food. This morning I had 1/3 cup of lactose free cottage cheese, and a handful of roasted walnut/almond/pecan tossed with dried cherries that I make on a weekly basis. Unless I think about it, I won’t eat again until dinner. Should probably set a timer or something.

    As for the albacore? All I shall say is that poor coordination is one of the symptoms of mercury poisoning…

    Off to the races!

    🙂

    • MizFit’s Mishmashed Almost ‘Cakes (Theres no real recipe but here’s the framework)

      1 cup egg substitute (or eggwhites. or 3 whites & 2 eggs. you get the idea. I play around)

      1/4 cup cottage cheese

      1/4 Fiber One (original)

      1/4 cup dry oatmeal

      1/3 cup protein powder. ANY BRAND. Read the label. You can use FLAVORED but just remember we want LOW SUGAR.

      1/4 cup Sugar free syrup (or fruit. or agave nectar. or NONE and fresh fruit on top)

      (if I have tofu around Ill throw that in too, or spinach for SHREK PANCAKES, whatevers in the fridge most days :))

      Blend the above Chickenbus in a blender and VOILA.

      Now, if youre me, you shall find that each time you make these the batter turns out a different consistency (what’s THAT about?).

      Sometimes it’s a bit too thin and Ill add flax seeds to thicken (flax? an upcoming entry in & of itself) or too thick and I’ll dump in more egg substitute/another white (pure protein, People!)

      Play around with it.

      You might prefer to add some honey or frozen/fresh fruit to sweeten and you COULD lessen the fiber & use 1/2 cup dry oats and skip the Fiber One.

      After the concoction is complete you simply make pancakes as you would with any other (odd high protein) batter.

      Me? I like to use a waffle iron every now & again for some texturizing variety.

  25. At some point in my life I burned myself out on chicken breasts. And really, I don’t like eating meat now…. Which makes my life a little harder. Sometimes I crave it, so I know I need it, but other times- eeek. Blah. gag.

    I do like eggs, fage greek yogurt etc. I like fish. Just gotta get myself hooked on tuna again. I burned myself out on that too… 🙂

    Did you ever train vegetarians or people with vegetarian tendencies? What did they eat?

  26. I’m not going to lecture you on the tuna, trust me. I eat my fair share!

    Here’s my question (and its the OCD weight watcher in me): how MUCH of each of those things do you eat? I’m sure its not CUPS of trail mix or dozens of pieces of beef jerky (yum!)

  27. I love tuna but rarely eat it as Husband can’t stand the stuff and complains if he can even smell it. But if Husband is not home, the cats & I do occasionally indulge…
    I OFTEN say to my husband, as the can is opened or the fish is being broiled “I know it’s hard for you to live with my food scents” (he can not stand the SIGHT of fish let alone smell…)
    I agree about finding a way to eat that is healthy but that you also enjoy. That is what I aim for as well. I find that it takes a fair amount of vigilance though – If I’m tired or too busy, it is all too easy to eat less healthy. Healthy just seems to take more work.

  28. I have stayed away from tuna in general because it make me think of cat food.

    What’s albacore?

  29. fast thoughts:

    Did you ever train vegetarians or people with vegetarian tendencies? What did they eat?

    MANY. Tofu, beans, some did eggs & cheese. No ‘across the board’ generalization as they type of veg.determined their food choices.

    it didnt, from my experiences, limit their muscle gains if they were committed to eating foods which provided them with complete proteins.

    mara? I did start 99% of my foods doing portion control. now I get the trail mix, for example, in bulk at whole foods.
    BEFORE? I either purchased individual packages (sacrificing money and making more trash to teach myself what a portion is) or I bought in bulk and prepackaged out a serving (or, more realistically, 2).

    now I can eyeball and end up with handfuls.

    (same thing for me and NUTS. same pattern)

  30. You have such good perspective on the stage of life the Tornado (and you) are in! I wish I could do the same. I resolve to do so and then get overwhelmed and wish they would all just nap/go to school already.

    What really blows my mind – and you knew it would – is that you eat twice as much as I do and work out half as much and yet I struggle endlessly with my weight and you look fab 24/7/365. Perhaps there is a lesson here for me to learn:)

  31. Miz I LOVED this post!
    Favourite part: “People often compliment my will power & I always respond that I love what I eat!”
    I wish people around me would UNDERSTAND that rather than think I am tormenting myself! I mean, if I really did not like what I eat, how could I keep going with the same food for SO long?
    Oh and I have a Jewish question: are you letting Passover restrict your diet? I am the only one in my family who is willing to (the others think “its pathetic to “suffer over something that happened thousands of years ago”), and I am already mourning over my oats!

  32. I am so glad you put in your post today that you love what you eat! I think that is the key to making a healthy lifestyle work. People comment to me about how dedicated I am regarding food – and I always respond and tell them I don’t have any restrictions, I can eat what I want. I spent a lot of time testing out the healthy foods and finding ones I love…and now I can truly say, I love what I eat and its healthy for me too!

  33. I am curious to see if more people nicely bash that you eat processed foods and fast food on the run.

    We, women, can be really hard on each other huh?

    I am blessed to know you in real life and have seen the Tornado in action.

    I cannot believe you find time to eat at all (especially with her digging into your plate the entire time LOL).

  34. I am impressed with the amounts of food. I think trusting your body and what works for you is good! That doesn’t sound like a lot of processed stuff compared to the average american. It’s clean in a realistic way. Thanks for sharing…it makes it all seem do-able!!!

  35. i picked up some buffalo jerkey at trader joes last time i was there, and i kinda liked it! that and Primal Strips, which i found at whole foods. i think i like the primal strips better, they’re a little softer, but i never used to like jerky 🙂

  36. are you letting Passover restrict your diet?

    I am. I havent in years past at all.

    (I was the consummate BAD JEW who would eat oatmeal the very night passover began. Go miz!)

    Now that I am a role model 🙂 I make an effort to keep the holiday in its entirety.

    Nothing makes healthy oats taste even more fanTIZtastic than not being allowed to eat em for a while huh?

    I do love me some fried matzah though…

  37. Oh I feel ya, but how do you do the 4am thing…eek…I’m having a hard time with the 5:30am thing if I want to get in a morning cardio. *Bows down to the Goddess MizFit* Guess that’s why you look SO Fab!

    I was going to share my meals on the go, but it would take up too much Commentary space in your blog…so I’ll address it at NaFOS. My peeps will be learning all this next weekend…SO Exciting!

  38. “my weekdays are all fairly similar. And similar NOT in a bad way as they’re foods that I *love* & I never feel deprived.”

    I’m the same way- though my meals include much more in the way of bread. Mmm bread 😀

    Love learning what you eat, Miz! Though I have no idea how you get through the first few hours of your day without food. I gotta eat within the first 10 minutes of waking or else I’m a zombie, hehe. totally the GottaGoWorkHaveOnlyFewHours mindset. The days I dont work? I cant get started w/out eating as well. Im hoping to scale BACK the 4am. Reassert myself in my worklife. changes shall abound 🙂

  39. You easily eat three times what I eat but then you move easily 5 times what I move.
    I am taking you up on this — I read that albacore does have more mercury than regular tuna. I do not know whether this means the albacore have thinner skin or they are the pigs of the ocean gathering the mercury as they go. Maybe there are more albacore than reg tuna. I’m going to check into this and get back to you. I stopped eating that pretty albacore after I read that study. I went back to the gluckier tuna.
    No knee pain today – two days in a row.
    And money back from the feds!

  40. I am with POD.
    I can’t believe how much you eat even though it is clean I still think I would gain weight.

  41. I think it’s great that you are eating what you love and still look so amazing 🙂 After looking at what you eat, I would say that all that healthy protein, good fats, pretty low carbs is what’s keeping you at what appears to be NO body fat 😉

    You are certainly doing something right, girl! Send some of it this way 😉

  42. Thanks for some insight on how you eat. I’m pretty much the same during the week and change up on weekends. You do actually eat more times a day thenn I do. I can’t seem to get in the habit of lots of small meals. I’m more on the three meals and a snack, sometimes two, depending on what I’ve eaten.

  43. Tuna? Straight from the can? Shivers… ewe 😀

    I like tuna just not straight from the can with out mayo and then I only eat a smidge. And I agree with you that we need to find a way that works for each of us with foods we like. And I agree with you about waiting and eating first thing in the morning. This weeks breakfast for me is Cream of Wheat, weak. Next week I might throw my body for a loop when I switch over to bacon and eggs. Mmmmm, bacon, lol. Thanks for sharing. Sorry I have no tips for eating on the run. Sadly I’m not so good in this area. On eof the things that is daunting is the logistics of it is I feed 7 and it’s difficult to plan without much notice and then carry all that food with us. I like the times when stuff doesn’t come whizzing by me and I have lots of time to plan and organize. Glad I made that meatloaf last week! 🙂

  44. Ok please make me feel better by reassuring me that you burn a gazillion calories a day working out. Please?

  45. Meg? YES.

    In that unlike pre-toddler I am gogogogo all day long.

    Literally.

    So much so Ren Man has remarked I’ll be surprised how different I’ll look if I eat the same amount when she’s gone all day @ school.

  46. Hey – Thanks for reviewing this again. You have actually introduced me to a few of my favorite staples in my diet now. Morningstar sausage, greek yogurt (LOVE it with honey and blueberry Flax), egg substitute (I have a genetic high cholesterol thing so these are a great thing for me) OH – and I almost forgot the Laughing Cow cheese. AWESOME.

  47. My first thought was, Holy Cow, she eats a ton!! LOL!

    It’s lots of nice lean protein and mostly healthy choices though. I like reading other people’s menus. Makes me think about tweaks to my own. I really should follow your protein example because you get way more volume of food than I do for probably similar calories! But then I am not a workout queen either 🙂

  48. Ah, geez!! Hectic hardly even covers it!! However, I do agree with the Laughing Cow cheese, it is now my favorite with my English muffin, and I’m learning to like the egg substitute. Thanks for the heads up on some of the other goodies.

  49. I don’t think you eat a ton, or even an unreasonable amount, though it is too processed for me, too. I eat much less meat, much more fruit. BTW, the white bread isn’t healthy for birds, either!

  50. Wow, that seemed like a huge bfast to me too. But it makes me feel better about the big bfast I enjoy.

    It seems you don’t eat a lot of dairy–is that because you don’t like it, or because you don’t find it ‘worthy?’

  51. I always enjoy seeing what other people eat. I also love that said you have to find foods that you love!

    A word about Tums: They aren’t a good calcium supplement, for several reasons. First of all, they contain calcium carbonate (and aspartame, sorbitol and yellow dye #3), which isn’t very well absorbed by the body. Secondly, it is an antacid, which makes it even more difficult for your body to absorb the calcium.

    Might I recommend a calcium supplement that contains calcium citrate-malate? Or you could get your calcium needs met with dark green leafy vegetables and nuts.

    Also, vitamin D is very important for preventing osteoporosis. It may be even more important than calcium!

    Of course, you have a huge advantage over most people because you engage in resistance exercise. That’s one of the best things we can do for our bones! 🙂

  52. when I was determined to be 100% processed free (year 1 to 1.5 of Tornados life) it simply didnt work for me.
    I ended up not eating enough calories. losing muscle and holding TIGHTLY onto body fat and MORE IMPORTANTLY being tired all the time.
    ********
    I’m just giving you a hard time. Eating a basically sound diet with some processed foods sure beats eating 100% clean for two weeks and then giving up because it’s too extreme.

    I loves me some processed foods, too. I’m a regular consumer of Coffeemate, Egg Beaters, and Aidell’s Chicken-Teriyaki Meatballs.

  53. Thanks for sharing part duh!
    Processed…I think a bigger part of processed for me is checking out the sodium and you’re “processed” doesn’t look like a lot.

  54. I think your day’s eats are way commendable (but would we expect less?), but I also you were right to stress that it works for you and if it felt like torture or involved will power, it wouldn’t look the same. If I’ve learned anything in my quest for wellness, it’s that what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for the next person. My size does not fit all – literally! And it’s ok if what I eat doesn’t look especially virtuous to the next person who’s a healthanazi – my ways are time-tested, but I could try and justify it til I’m blue in the face to the next person and they still might disagree.

    I have four siblings who are all married with toddler (and pre-pube) tornadoes of their own (I’m the wee babe), so I have utmost respect for your ability to keep your eating as clean as you do and squeeze it into the time you do have. Canned tuna is the ultimate convenience protein (and I embrace liquid cartons of egg whites as well) so I was way excited to find the Trader Joe’s brand that doesn’t have added salt! Rock out.

  55. busy morning so more soon but:

    Dairy? Gives me a stomachache (not lactose intolerant tho I don’t think) I tend to drink soy milk.

    Thanks Anne for the tip!! I get so many greenleafys that the tums has become more a habit than anything….

  56. There’s no way I could just up and eat a can of tuna…for me it’s a fruit smoothie.

    Trying to eat breakfast every day has been one of the hardest challenges for me this year. I’ve tried to do it every day in March and have actually achieved it, and noticed a difference. More energy and no hunger spikes/crankypants during the day. Plus I just realised that if I have time to get up and work out I can honestly add 5just minutes to my morning for some cereal or some kind of basic breakfast. It isn’t THAT much harder to get up 5 minutes earlier…
    I just can’t wait until I can start riding my bike to work…that frees up a whole extra 30 minutes in the mornings…no bus means actual hot breakfasts like oatmeal or eggs more than once in a lucky day.

    Yum…

  57. I admire the way you can front-load your meals like that (eating most in the a.m.) despite mornings being crazy hectic. Mine aren’t half as busy and yet I could do better!

    And: 4 a.m. = OK, I’m beginning to understand how you can get everything done. 100% decaf? Now, that would have made me feel WAY too inadequate. 😉

  58. loved this post – so timely for me as i’m in the process of figuring out what “works” for me foodwise, too! looking forward to the flax post…

  60. I like the protein pancake recipe…I think I’ll try to make a almond meal version of it too…this could be a fun “nutty” venture.

  62. Hey Miz. I have had the exact same breakfast every weekday morning for the past month or so, but it just never gets old. I would love to rotate in some other proteinier foods, but here is my go-to breakfast atm:
    1½ cups multi-grain Cheerios
    ½ cup 1% milk
    1 FiberOne muffin

    I eat that at home around 0730, then grab my water bottle, gym bag and lunchbag and head to the lab. On the way, I drink about 24oz of water. Once I arrive at about 0800, I take a banana out of my bag, put that in the fridge and fill my bottle back up. Around 0930-1100 (depending on how busy my morning is) I will have finished another 24oz of water at which point I fill it back up and tear into my banana.

    2 hours after that, I have lunch, then another snack 2 or so hours after lunch, then a FiberOne bar or granola bar or string cheese or something carb-y before my hour on the elliptical (save Wednesdays when its a 15 minute elliptical warmup followed by 70 minutes of yoga!).

    I love my eating schedule because it keeps me focused on my water and food intake without making me feel hungry like… ever in spite of the fact that I’m operating on a base deficit of 500 or so kcal per day and closer to 1500 thanks to the workout.

    I have a question. I bought some flaxseed a few weeks ago and have yet to use it. I understand it needs to be ground to get the nutritional benefits, but I haven’t got a coffee grinder. Would a mortar and pestle do the trick? Would anything else work?

  63. peeking in from mommy & me spanish 😉

    (The MEs are learning rt now notsomuch the MOMMIES ;))

    Yes on the flax seeds needing to be shredded.

    Why do I think a mortar&pestle might NOT work well enough?

    I guess it depends on how actively and vigorously you M&P, huh?

    EDITED TO SAY: supposedly it will work —- but you need to work at that mortaring HARD.

  64. My husband makes fun of me because he thinks I eat a lot for breakfast (either a bowl of Kashi cereal or oatmeal, 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter, and a clementine), but now I can just show him what you eat! 🙂

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who eats something every 2-3 hours.

  65. Honestly at first I wanted to comment and say MORE DAIRY MORE FRUITS MORE…and then I realized you are human as we all are.

    That sounds so silly but I almost critiqued this as if it were in a book and not your life LOL

  66. Rice cakes are the devil.

    On the run? Those frozen chicken breasts. Cook them all up, and grab one + an apple, and you are VERY satisfied.

  67. You are a convenience-eating role model! I feel like so many people use the “I’m busy” excuse to eat badly.

  68. LOVE hearing what you eat! A day in the life. 🙂

    I agree with everyone else – you definitely found what works for you, and to me, that is key. I’m starting to slloooowly realize what works for me, too.

    I love how you said “If I felt I needed will power I wouldn’t eat this way.” Proof that when we deprive ourselves (hell-o chocolate!) it’s all we want. 🙂

  69. You eat a huge breakfast!!! And so much protein. That’s my problem, not enough protein.

    It took me a long time to figure out that if I didn’t like what I eat I wouldn’t eat it. I think that’s what lead me to binge eating. Thankfully, I’m over that. I really enjoy good, healthy food. I love the way it makes me feel.

    Tuna – I was involved in the research that will be out shortly that shows that just measuring mercury is wrong. Mercury in fish occurs in conjunction with selenium. Selenium binds up the mercury so it can’t be abosrbed by the human body. Turns out that tuna, all kinds, has way more selenium then mercury. So while albacore may have more mercury than other tuna it also has more selenium. The study that the whole mercury warning was base on was a study done on an island people who eat whale. The particular whale that they eat is very high in mercury and when that was discovered panic ensued. Turning the tide of misinformation is difficult at best. Anyway, as I said I was involved in the research and I’ve seen the data, it’s true. Mercury in fish is not a problem. Unless you eat whale or mako shark. I could talk about the Japanese and their incredibly high fish consumption and the incredibly high IQ’s of their children, but I’ll stop here 🙂

  70. Have you tried the soy crisps? They’ve got a nice protein / carb ratio, and they’re alot like the consistency of rice cakes. I really enjoy them and they curb crunchy snack craving. What are your thoughts on them in the world of nutrition?

  71. Looks a lot like my schedule, although when I started I was super-sensitive blood sugar-wise in the morning and had to eat smaller breakfasts. Just got in the habit of doing so.

    Hmmm…my favorite convenience foods? I like Trader Joe’s “Just a Handful of Almonds” packets. (Costco’s prepackaged nuts taste kind of stale to me.) Cheese sticks–I’m so glad they make pepper jack ones now. Just about any fruit that doesn’t need a lot of prep work is on my list (apples, clementine oranges, grapes). I also like the South Beach bars, especially those that run lower on the carbs (meal bars or high-protein snack bars). I do wish that broccoli called to me as compellingly as dry roasted, lightly-saled peanuts do, but oh well. Oh, and I tried the salmon-in-a-packet that they have in the tuna section, and it worked nicely cold. (It’s fully cooked, but pricey, so more of a once-in-awhile thing.)

    Sometimes the whole food balance thing seems kind of overwhelming, trying to balance the not-too-much of this, and gotta-get-more-of-that. I find that when something *else* tries to noodge its way in (have-you-considered-the-other-thing), I tend to tune out or put it on the back burner. Not a great tendency, but we do the best we can, right?

  72. I laugh that as Ive eaten today Ive felt as though I should report back 🙂

    THANKS FLO for all the information. Appreciated. it’s so hard to know what to ‘believe’ so we all just do the best we can huh? I love my tuna and, as with all things, it’s moderation I guess.

    Beckstein? LOVE my soycrisps. I have them in the house but never on the go. Ive morphed too many bags into powder by smooshing em into my bag 🙂

    Pubsgal? we’re a lot alike.

  73. You do understand that 4am is well BEFORE the crack o’ dawn?

    And if mercury via tuna is the worst thing you consume you are doing better than most of us as far as chemicals go. Heh.

  75. I love seeing what has and does work for others.

    Did you (I may have missed this, please forgive me if I did) or did you ever count calories? I know there is so much talk now on the whole calories in vs calories and the only way to truly know if you are on the winning side of that equation is to count.

    A couple of years ago I attended weight watchers and hated counting points, when I finally got over my fear of their core program and tried it I lost 50 pounds, not counting. But somewhere I lost my momentum with it and am back struggling. My point is, I know there had to be days I ate more “points” than I would have had I been counting points and yet consistently dropped weight, so where as in the “math world” cal.in vs cal.out makes sense, I am not totally convinced in the “weight loss” world that math holds true. I mean if I had 1500 calories a day to eat and lose weight and chose to eat it all in chocolate I should still lose weight…right? But I think in reality you would be lacking vital nutrients and your body would rebel.

    What do you think?

  76. Trish? I only have a moment but I havent been a calorie counter in…20 years? I did try that once and beyond the fact it was a crazymaker for me I did precisely what you said above with the chocolate.

    it was in the heyday of the FAT FREE Snackwells craze and I would eat, say, 1700 calories but all fat free cr**.

    I did lose some weight, mainly muscle, and ended up a slightly smaller far more dimply version of how I started.

  78. Right now, I’m looking hard at what I eat (both because I’m not eating sweets right now and because although I’ve got time before the wedding, I want to know how different things impact my energy, mood, skin, etc., so that when the weddingstress hapens, my food won’t make everything that much harder). But everything I eat rarely takes time to make.

    For breakfast, it’s oatmeal, fiber cereal, toast with peanut butter and a banana (although I also eat that for lunch. I have bread that contains 7 grams of protein per slice), or some kind of muffin (REAL muffins, not a dessert disguised as something mildly healthy). And 2 large mugs of caffeine.

    For lunch, I’m a fan of tuna, peanut butter, amy’s frozen stuff, and lean cuisines (I think they taste good, and I’d never be able to put the time or effort into making the real version of their meals for lunch). For a snack, it’s apples or grapes or multigrain pretzels (they even have flax in them!).

  79. I eat alot like you although I don’t have all those interruptions you have.. amazing! I even use Met-Rx along with another protein powder. As for tuna, it certainly can be fit in.. all in moderation.

    As for eating on the run, always tough. I make a homemade protein bar with oats, protein, flax, raw almonds, non-sweetened applesauce & a few more things. It has it all in there & great for an on the run snack for me. I can always eat 2 if I need to since the make-up is good!

  81. i want that homemade protein bar recipe too! miz, you must post it if jody sends it to you!

    next, thank you thank you thank you for introducing me to PB2. i have started mixing it into my oatmeal and topping with a banana! yummy breakfast and upped my protein in the AM. i have also been eating egg beaters and laughing cow cheese more..yum, especially when mixed together. hungry girl has a recipe to cook in microwave by the way.

    anyway, thanks for the post. i’m again encouraged to up my protein! will probably do me some good! and i agree…if you don’t like it, you won’t stick to it, so why bother…

  82. Oh, if only all menus and food plans could be as entertaining (and truthful) as yours, Miz!
    And, in all seriousness, you are an inspiration to me. I’ve been trying, for the past 3 years, to fix my relationship with food while trying to take care of my health. I’ve been eating cleaner food most of the time, and reading your posts is helpful and inspiring! Thank you!!!!!

  83. except for the jerky, that is very similar to the way i eat and the way i’ve been able to lose weight. i feel like i’m eating all day, so i’m never hungry. and the odd thing about it is that i always tweak recipes for “plainish food” here and there and all of the food is food i love, it’s NOT torture, i’m NOT on a “diet” and i’m not unhappy with it at all. i love chicken breast, veggies and healthy snacks and the kids happen to love them too. i like it so much, in fact, that i always think that i must be doing something wrong!!

  85. Trish (#77), a calorie is most definitely not a calorie. I can eat 3,000 calories a day of nutritious food and not gain weight. I can also eat 1,500 calories a day of mostly crap and gain weight. My body will not let me get away with living on junk.

    I think this is a big failing of Weight Watchers. At least among the women I know who are into WW, they can’t see the forest for the trees. They’re so fixated on how many 1-point “treats” they can squeeze into their days that they eat very little real food.

    I don’t deliberately count calories anymore, but I used to, so I sort of keep an informal estimate running in the back of my mind as I eat my way through the day. I’m more concerned with ratios of carbs, fats and proteins. I don’t figure anything out mathematically, but if I’m looking at a package of some sort of seasoned chicken or fish or something that will be the main protein source in my meal, the protein better be much higher than the fat or carbs.

  86. Normal to Natalie?

    This is foreshadowing to tomorrow:

    i have also been eating egg beaters and laughing cow cheese more..yum, especially when mixed together. hungry girl has a recipe to cook in microwave by the way

    .

    D’Mamma? WHAT YOU SAID. Completely.
    All this:

    I can eat 3,000 calories a day of nutritious food and not gain weight.

    I can also eat 1,500 calories a day of mostly crap and gain weight. My body will not let me get away with living on junk.

  87. Thank you both MizFit and D’Mamma!

    I have on and off tried to “eat clean” and definitely feel better when I do, but just do not see the scale move, and when you have as much weight o lose as I still have THAT gets so frustrating. Maybe I just did not allow enough time for my body to thank me by treating it well. Determined I am to not only lose weight but to be healthy in the long run.

    Time for an attitude adjustment and to make a truce with food…real food.

  88. OMG, you get up at 4:00??? That’s about when I’m getting to bed. (not really) Love Laughing Cow – been eating it since I was a little girl. My new favorite quick snacks lately have been roasted pumpkin seeds and bananas with peanut butter. I’ve been eating pretty clean for about the past year except for my beloved chocolate. 😉

  89. That’s awesome. I thought too – geez, that woman eats a LOT, maybe I’m doing something wrong! I typically have a packet of oatmeal in the morning, today was an amy’s Indian microwave meal and a big salad with turkey pepperoni for lunch, I have a pint of strawberries waiting for me for a pre-workout snack, a shepard’s pie waiting for me at home with yet another salad (veggies, tomato sauce, super lean ground beef and *cough* instantmashedpotatoes *cough*), and probably a dark chocolate kiss or 2 somewhere in there for desert.

    It’s not nearly as healthy as what you’ve got there, but baby steps! It’s better than a pot of coffee or an energy drink for breakfast, a burger and fries for lunch, and pizza delivery for dinner, which is what I was into 2 years ago…

  90. MizFit, OH HOW I LOVE FRIED MATZO TOO! Wish my Dad were still alive. He made a mean batch of that!

    As for my homemade protein bar recipe, it came from Clean Eating mag & I tweak it a bit for myself. You can see the full recipe on my post of February 18, 2009.
    I wanted to add that I bought some of those mini loaf pans & are now making them in those pans instead of using the tin foil or the cupcake tin. They are really too big for the amount you put in but that is OK. Just measure out the amount equally among the mini loaf tins for 6 bars (that is what the recipe makes) & as they bake, they spread out perfectly & make a nice little protein bar! Again, I also mix it up with different nuts in them & I like to add ground flax as well. You can play around with the amount of other stuff in there but just make sure the liquid type items equal out as they can turn out too dry for some. I like things that way but I am weird. Also, don’t overcook!

  91. I just love your sense of humor and obvious zest for a healthy life. 🙂

    For snacks/meals on the go, I have measured snack bags of various high-protein nuts and dark chocolate that I can grab when I’m heading out with lots of errands. I’ll usually add an apple or banana. Sometimes a meal replacement bar. I’ve been experimenting with ones listed in the Flat Belly Diet. (The list of snack items in this book has helped me a LOT!) Favorite so far is the Luna Lemon Zest (need to add a MUFA to the bars.) I’ve also studied the “Eat This, Not That” lists on the Men’s Health website so I know what is best to have at various restaurants or fast food joints. (And which ones to avoid!)

    I try to eat every 4 hours, 400 calories per meal/snack and on some days, I have a hard time fitting in 4. I have just done 3 on some days. I can’t imagine doing 7, but hey, it definitely looks GOOD on YOU!

    As for tuna, the smell makes me gag. My kids (21 and 19yo and both underweight) eat it all the time and I make them take out the garbage right away so the kitchen doesn’t reek for too long. But I do know it’s a good source of protein. I just don’t do seafood or red meat. And I’ll be praying you don’t get mercury poisoning. 😉

    I think the quote that “I’m not a poster child for anything!” is an extremely important point. Sometimes people are aching to find the magic formula and just because it works for you, it doesn’t mean it will work for all. But the common sense stuff is good for us all to remember. 🙂 Eat HEALTHY calories, not empty ones. And get active!

  94. How do you get so many comments Miz???

    Do you read them all?

    If you read mine I’d love to know how long you have been eating this way.

    1 year? 6 mnths?

    Thank kind of thing.
    Thank you,

    Elisa

  96. How do you get so many comments Miz???

    Do you read them all?

    If you read mine I’d love to know how long you have been eating this way.

    1 year? 6 mnths?

    I love the comments. Appreciate the comments. Ready every one (and have em all sent to my handheld so I can read them as they come in!).

    good question about the eating habits and it hadnt occurred to me Id not said.

    this way in GENERAL Id say fifteen years.

    In that time span Ive deviated off path a few times once succeeding in gaining a good 25 pounds or so while finishing a tween fiction manuscript (writing not reading :))

    this way and NOT gaining 25 pounds I say about 10 yearsish?

    I guess that’s a sign it has all become habit…

  97. OOOH. Forgot to ask. Do you ever eat pasta? It’s my favorite…don’t think I could ever really live without it. Maybe I’ll do sans noodles…yes, love red sauce THAT much 🙂

  99. I’d say you’re a model for believing in yourself, Miz. And my gut tells me that has as much impact as anything else on our health.

  101. Do you ever eat pasta? It’s my favorite…don’t think I could ever really live without it.

    I dont really. occasionally I will but Im happy with brown rice and couscous and quinoa etc.

    If I do it’s a side dish not a main thing but, until you mentioned it, I hadnt thought much about it either way

    were it a fave Id eat it weekly I think. as a treat meal perhaps?

    just not my ‘thing’—-Im a rice adorer from way back 🙂

  102. I love reading other people’s schedules and meals. I think its so interesting. What time do you usually go to bed? How do you get up at 4am?!!! I figure if I could get one of those contraptions that dumps water on my face in the morning MAYBE just MAYBE I could learn to get up earlier.

  104. You may claim loudly and proudly that you are a poster child for nothing, but I say that you are a poster child for Bill Shakespeare’s timeless advice:

    “To thine own self be true.”

    And we need more of that. So, continue to be a poster child for who you are; truthful.

  106. I love the toss it together meals! One of my favs, which I had today, is spinach, slice of sweet onion, red pepper, tomato and TWO cans of lemon pepper herring snacks. Topped with some peperoncini. Protein, healthy fish fats and veggies… and tastes great. Canned herring snacks are my tuna, LOL… for some reason, I don’t care much for canned tuna.

    Drawback? Sets the cats off. BIG TIME.

    Wow! Maybe in 10 years, my eating’ll be total habit too. It’s getting there, but I still have too many deviations. I’ve added a few processed foods here and there… latest favorite is a Field Roast brand vegan sausage with 26g protein.

  107. You may claim loudly and proudly that you are a poster child for nothing, but I say that you are a poster child for Bill Shakespeare’s timeless advice:

    “To thine own self be true.”

    This onetime English major loves the Shakespeare.

    And the movie Renaissance Man (seen it?).

    That quote always reminds me of Renaissance Man as well.

  108. What about being a poster child for “just striving each day to do the best that I can” – that is massive just in itself.
    and THAT I can do 🙂

  109. Oooh I’m late to this party. Thanks for sharing. I love the fact that you love what you eat. I wish I could! I mean I do, but what I love to eat is quite different then what you love to eat. Hence I look like me and you look like you! 🙂

  111. I loved this post! Thank you!

    I had totally pictured you making your own bread and pasta, eating fresh fish caught from a filtered stream in your backyard, fruit & veg from a community garden you helped set up – just 100% clean. Duh!

    It’s nice to know that you are more down-to-earth and real-world than all of that! And still superfit! Love ya! [throws kisses]

  114. I knew you ate a lot of food (regular reader). I was surprised at how little fruit you had in that day.

    Oh, and studies have shown that caffeinated coffee is good for us, but decaf not so much. Just limit to 2-3 cups/day.

  115. What a luscious amount of food! I always shock myself with how much I can eat and lose…if it’s of the right type of food. I am going to draw so much inspiration from your website and posts.

    I just started my “100 days till I wed” adventure. It’s exactly that long that I have to make much better choices for myself. I have a lot of “shoulda” and “coulda” but this is it for me. Something this time has to be different for me to succeed. I am hoping that blogging about it will.

  116. Miz – I’m probably not much help, but I thought I’d share a breakfast I often have: I cook steel cut oats with milk & egg white (adding chopped fruit, nuts, and a tablespoon of maple syrup) in a casserole dish. I divvy it up after it cools, into individual servings. Then each morning I grab a container, nuke it, and pour a little milk over. Works for me, and is pretty quick at 4 am. Lunch is usually leftovers, and snacks include almonds, pb & apple, Greek yogurt & berries, or cc & banana. Dinners I’m not so good at – I haven’t got a routine down for that at all!

  117. Miz, you are so right…people always ask how I can stay so disciplined with what I eat, and it’s not that I’m disciplined, I just love food and love what I eat!!

    I feel like I’m always having to eat on the run. So I make baked oatmeal or egg muffins often that I can just heat, grab and go in the morning. Tupperware is my best friend! I do so much food prep on Sundays with my husband…packing salads, almonds, cottage cheese, veggies, you name it! It always helps me to be prepared and have food on hand 🙂 I love to cook for dinner, so that’s not usually a problem, and when I do I try to make enough so there are leftovers for a few days. I’m sure you’ve heard most of this before, just throwing in my two cents 🙂 Have a fabulous night!

  119. I love your reasoning for using eggs-in-a-box! Your eats are fantastic- just what I’d expect from a strong, crazy (why crazy? who wakes up at 4am?!) woman like you!

  120. I eat tuna. It’s one of the few fishes I like. (I don’t personally dislike the actual fishies, I’m sure they’re very nice. I just don’t like eating most of them.) How to balance need-fish-for-good-fats-and-protein with need-to-limit-exposure-to-mercury? Sigh. But I don’t eat it every day, I will admit.

    Love Laughing Cow, too. It feels so sinful, and it’s so…not. 🙂

    V.

  121. Very interesting Miz, thank you! I too am oddly fascinated by what other people eat. 🙂 My fiance loves the Met Rx bars…those are his lunch at work every day (I love MR bars too but he always reminds me that they are a MEAL and not a snack type food so one is plenty for a good chunk of the day)

  122. MR as in meal replacement, not necessarily the met rx, I haven’t tried very many…I love powerbars and the metrx’s i have tried though. 🙂

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