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Bedtime Treat and Nutrition Update

Well, it's officially the first day of Fall. I'm a little sad that Summer is over and really not looking forward to what comes after this....but I did find myself really getting into the Fall spirit last week with the cooler weather we've been having. I made some turkey chili and even put up a few decorations around the house. And I couldn't resist getting a caramel apple the other day at the grocery store! ;)

So I wanted to share a couple of things that I'm loving lately. I have to tell you, MuscleTech's Phase-8 protein is pretty awesome stuff. Tastes SO good. I usually have it as a bedtime snack, in the form of "ice cream" or my protein frozen Reese cups! If you need something to curb a sweet tooth, this does the trick. Plus, I always like to have a slow digesting protein source before bed to feed my muscles and Phase-8 is perfect for that! This girl is trying to grow, remember?

For the "Reese cups", I blend a scoop of Phase-8, a tablespoon of peanut butter, 4 oz of water or almond milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and a packet of Stevia(optional). Pour into muffin tins and freeze for at least 30 minutes, then let thaw for a 5-10 minutes before eating.
 
For the ice cream, all I do is blend about a cup of almond milk with a scoop of Phase-8 in my magic bullet and freeze for a couple of hours, then take out and let thaw for about 30 minutes before eating. I'm telling you, it's good stuff! And for even extra yumminess, add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter to the mix! Oh. my. gosh. I look forward to it every night!
 
Okay, so now onto a little nutrition update. I mentioned in a previous post that I was tracking my macros and somewhat following the IIFYM protocol. Since the photoshoot, however, I have not been tracking my calories or macros. I've found that tracking and weighing every little thing I eat tends to give me anxiety. I feel better just playing it by ear, watching my portion sizes, and keeping a rough estimate in my head but not worrying about my macros being perfect. I want my nutrition to be as simple and stress free as possible, so this is what works best for me. 

As I've mentioned before, I really like the IIFYM concept of allowing yourself to have treats throughout the week if it fits within your macros, rather than stressing and obsessing about eating perfectly "clean" throughout the week....only to go on a bingefest on the weekends. I heard someone say once that if your diet doesn’t make you miserable, then you’re not doing it right. Really?? It's sad that many people actually do feel this way, but I couldn’t disagree more. I think you should be able to eat foods you enjoy and not restrict yourself to the point that you are miserable! That is no way to live your life.

For me, just adding more carbs into my daily diet and allowing myself to have some post workout treats throughout the week has really made a huge difference. I don't feel miserable throughout the week like I have in the past when I was keeping my carbs low and forcing myself to eat broccoli every day! Looking forward to my cheat meal on the weekends used to be the only thing that kept me sane sometimes, and I realize now that that was because I was being a little too restrictive.

With that being said, I do have to say that for me personally, I still like having one big "treat/cheat/off-plan/(whatever you wanna call it)" meal once a week in addition to having a couple of smaller treats during the week!  It's just more satisfying to me to have one meal where I don't have to think about portion sizes and can just eat until I'm stuffed. BUT it's no longer looking forward to that meal that gets me through the week. I also find that I have much better self control when it comes to those not-so-healthy foods....so now I can stop at 2 brownies instead of 5(most of the time)!

I may go back to tracking macros again if my body composition starts to change in a negative way, or if I'm looking to tighten up a bit, but for now, I'm gonna stick to what I'm doing. You really have to find what works for YOU, I can't stress that enough!! There is no ONE way.

 What are your thoughts? What nutrition philosophy is working best for you right now? 



Comments

  1. Hi Lindsay! I track my calories through mynetdiary and the amount I eat each day is dependent on the amount of exercise I do. That being said, it's set up for me to maintain weight, not lose it. I get to eat PLENTY of calories (2200 on days I am active... which is like every day!) and I just make sure I get tons of protein and lots of carbs. Since I lift and run, I KNOW I need carbs to refuel. That was hard to get through my head at first but I started easing up on carbs a couple months ago and guess what happened!? I got a six pack!! As far as treats, I get plenty of little ones all week (ice cream cones for dessert- just not a HUGE portion). I don't PLAN cheat meals, I just wait until they come up organically. I would say my last pretty big cheat meal was a few weeks ago. I had chicken and cheese quesadilla, chii (with full fat burger!), a dirty martini, and a warm cinnamon bun with syrup and vanilla ice cream and nuts on top. Mmmmm go big or go home, right!!???

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  2. I love your approach! I used to do the "eat clean all week, binge on weekends" thing and it just doesn't work. I feel so much more sane eating relatively healthy all of the time, with a few small treats thrown in throughout the week. I've also learnt how to time my meals well - after I do a particularly intense strongman session (usually twice a week), I know I can down about 1500-2000 calories post-workout, of any type of food without it having a negative impact on my physique. I'm much happier living this way!

    I used to make those protein 'Reece's cups" all the time. I haven't bought a blender/food processor since we've moved to London, so I miss them!

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  3. loved this post, girl! thanks for being so open and honest :) would LOVE to hear more about your nutrition <3 you're so inspiring

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