Okay this is one of my most requested blog posts. I love talking about my journey to a better and healthier me and I think this post is one of the best ways I can show you some of the things I have changed in my diet.

Start of the morning- I usually go on a run in the morning therefore when I get home I start my day with my vitamins.

I take:

A women’s daily vitamin– if you do not take a women’s daily vitamin or a men’s daily vitamin you really need to consider it. Our bodies cannot possibly get the nutrients they need from just what we eat unless you have a super versatile diet.

Probiotic- Probiotics are super important for a healthy gut. I did not know this until about a month ago and it is a complete game changer for myself. I already feel less bloated and less anxious (It is supposedly supposed to help with anxiety).

Biotin- for healthy hair, skin, nails.

Vitamin B-12 (If you are new here, I have hypothyroidism and it is super common to have a vitamin B-12 deficiency with this thyroid condition)

Thyroid Plus- I take this on top of my Synthroid for my thyroid condition and it seems to help a lot.

Capricylic Acid- for a healthy microbiome. Not really sure what this exactly means but my Dr. recommended this because he believes in gut health and I had a test done that showed a lot of unhealthy bacteria in my gut.

*You can shop everything I use by pushing on the products below*

Next, I will have a cup of espresso with 1/2 a cup of almond milk. This is the exact espresso machine I have and it is super affordable and has been a game changer in my morning coffee routine. I usually do 2 shots of espresso using the Starbucks Blonde coffee grains or the Starbucks Espresso roast grains and then I do 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk with 2 stevia. Sometimes, I have two coffees if I am feeling extra tired. I also treat myself to whipped cream on top somedays.

After this I try not to eat till 11 am or 12 pm. I follow the under 50 calories rule not counting my vitamins. I know, I know technically this is not intermittent fasting but I do a modified version that works for myself and for my body which in the end I think is all that matters. At 11 or 12 I start my meals by having a scoop of collagen with my daily greens supplement mixed in water with lemon juice. I use the greens from ItWorks. I necessarily do not agree with all of their products but their berry flavored green powder is super good and seems to have pretty good ingredients. Next, I take a tablespoon of coconut oil for gut health and a half of a cup of bone broth for gut health as well. It is recommended to take 3-4 cups of bone broth a day but I prefer 1/2 a cup and it seems to help myself. I recommend trying a little at a time and working up till you feel better.

To start off the day, I usually have one or two of these, I prefer smaller meals so I can snack throughout the day:

• A vegan protein shake with frozen/fresh berries. I usually use this vegan protein or the Arbonne vanilla vegan protein. I personally prefer the Arbonne one for its flavor but it is a little more costly. I use a ninja blender and add the frozen berries usually 1/2 a cup, 1/2 a cup of fresh berries, a handful of ice, the protein mix, and I blend it this way. If it is a little too thick, I’ll add a splash of unsweetened almond milk but personally I prefer my shakes thick like a smoothie bowl. I then add flax seeds and chia seeds on top. If I have granola, I will put that on top too.
• Oatmeal with fresh berries, bananas, peanut butter, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
• Salad with grilled chicken (This sounds blah but I actually LOVE salad so this is one of my fave meals with avocado, tomatoes, and homemade ranch dressing)
• Vegan Chicken with Cauliflower tots with ketchup. This is a great way to get your veggies in without feeling like you are eating healthy. The tots taste just like tater tots!
• Bagel with lox salmon and cream cheese (I try to stay away from a ton of gluten but I will have this every once in a while)
• Homemade Acai Bowl with granola, honey, and fresh fruit and granola on top.

Snacks-

• I LOVE LOVE LOVE these crispbreads. They are super high in fiber and they taste amazing with avocado spread on top with tomatoes and onion slices.
• Banana with peanut butter or almond butter (This is my absolute fave).
• Prunes- I LOVE dried fruit and the fiber in this type of food is amazing.
• Non-fat Greek Yogurt sweetened with stevia with granola, peanut butter/almond butter, and fruit.
• Fruit with whipped cream.

Dinner-

I usually try to save most my calories for dinner only because I prefer to enjoy eating with Jarrett and not really feeling like I’m overeating if we have a spontaneous night out or a spontaneous ice cream run. Dinner is usually always different. I always try to make sure if I have a carb like potatoes that I pair it with a vegetable or salad. I try to eat my veggies or salad first as well that way I do not fill up on potatoes and then not eat my veggies.

• NY strip steak with half of a baked potato with cheese and steamed/sautéed zucchini and yellow squash with tomatoes added. Sometimes, I’ll make a small salad with this as well.
• Grilled Chicken with small gold potatoes and broccoli
• Breakfast Casserole
• Tacos (I usually do not eat tortillas because they are so heavy on my stomach so what I do is I get homemade corn tortilla chips from Albertsons grocery store and make taco nachos or make a taco salad)
• Lemon Pepper Chicken with sweet potato fries and a salad

If we are out to eat I usually try to go for something grilled. I love Chili’s and Applebees because they have the calories listed which is super important even if you aren’t trying to lose weight. Most Americans over eat and next time you go to a restaurant and look at the calories you can definitely see that the portions are WAY too much. I have so many friends that talk about their experiences overseas and how their portions are so much smaller there. Therefore, if I want a burger and fries or something a little more caloric dense I usually try to half it as soon as it gets to the table. Don’t make it a big deal, just ask for a to go box right away and put half in it and you will be less tempted to over eat. To my surprise, I’m usually full after eating just half and it also causes me to eat slower as there isn’t as much there. I love doing this because it makes me realize that sometimes I just eat to eat because it is there and I’m not really hungry. I also sometimes eat so fast that I do not give my body time to realize what I am doing. Therefore, slowing down and cutting portions is very important.

Dessert-

I love sweets so I usually try to always save room for dessert.

• Half of a small mini bagel toasted and then I spread on peanut butter blended with honey and broil it in the oven with marsh-mellows on top until they are slightly golden/brown.
• 1/2 cup or 1 cup of Halo Top ice cream. I do not like chocolate at all so I usually go for flavors like vanilla bean or birthday cake. I usually top it with whipped cream because I love the texture this adds.
• Sorbet ice cream because its dairy free and lighter on my stomach in my opinion.
• Yogurt with stevia and fruit.
• Fruit with whipped cream.

Jarrett hates my sweet tooth, he says I have ruined milkshakes for him because I used to ask for one everyday. “Used to” as in, we decided last week that we are just going to make a certain day out of the week to go so I don’t ask for one the rest of the week. lol.

I truly think everything is about balance. Before Jarrett got home I was super strict on myself and only allowed myself 1-2 cheat meals in week periods but now that he is home I am following the 80/20 rule, eating more, and to my surprise I feel 10x better and my energy seems to be up but that also could because I am just happy to have my husband home lol. However, I am not the most perfect human being at eating clean. Last night, I had 4 slices of pizza. In my defense they were small slices but it is truly about balance. I had a side salad first that way I wasn’t super hungry when the pizza came. J and I split the pizza and it got rid of my pizza cravings while not over indulging or binging later on if I would have told myself I couldn’t have it.

I use MyFitness Pal to track my calories as well. If you have a smart phone, you can download it for free on the app store. I love using this app and I have it connected to my apple watch for when I workout so it adds back the calories I can eat from what I burned and believe me if your not working out to eat more, you are doing it wrong lol. I love this app because it customizes your calorie goals to what you want to accomplish and it gives you recommendations when they think your goals are too much or things like that.

From putting in my goals on MyFitness Pal, it told me for my current weight and height, I should take in about 1360 calories a day. However, since I run in the morning, it usually tells me on the app that I can have 100-200 calories more. Therefore, I end up eating about 1500 calories a day. This is customized to my current weight and height and depending on your height and current weight and your goals, the app can help customize what you need to take in, in a day.