So, for the past week I have been on an 1800 calorie diet. It doesn’t fair well with me yet. I’m not going to discount it yet. I’m going to keep working at this. I’ll find my happy medium. I think a take away lesson over the past week was learning the importance of having a menu written out. Sounds silly to some of you and to the rest of you it probably sounds like a lot of work. Well, I will say this: IT IS A LOT OF WORK. However for someone who is new at competing and very new at having a certain diet, this is a necessary evil. So many factors to take into account when trying to stick to an 1800 caloric intake. The main factor being that I am a very active person. Being active requires having energy which means I need to fuel my body. How can I do this on 1800 calories? Well I’m using a few tools to help me figure this out.
One site that I absolutely love is Choose My Plate. It is an easy to use site that is managed by the USDA. I use the SuperTracker to help create menu options and related portions. Using the “My Plan” option allows me to put in my calorie goal. From there the tracker creates daily food group targets along with suggested foods. The amounts are given so if I don’t like the suggested food then I can easily substitute with an equivalent. This is a basic tool.
<<—-Click it and make your own plan.
Now here’s the more in depth portion for me:
I have to keep track of my macros (Fat, carbs, proteins) as well. I need a high protein intake. My protein goal is 25g per meal. The current ratio that I’m using for my macros is 20/50/30 (to be even more exact it’s actually 20/52/28). Along with a high protein intake I need maximum amount of carbs to help fuel my workouts and my busy day. To help me track my exact macro intake I use an online food diary called MyNetDiary. This definitely gives me a specific breakdown. In addition to being able to log and track food MyNetDiary links with Fitbit and Nike. Yaaaaaay!!! I use both products so it’s an amazing sync up for me. I love when all my apps come together. Linking/Syncing will allow my workouts to go in my food diary as well. I can track how many calories I’m burning versus how many calories I’m eating.
Using all these tools allows me to make adjustments based upon the multiple factors I have going on. Since the majority of my workouts occur in the morning and late afternoon, I would definitely need to make sure I have enough carbs and protein by the evening. In the morning I do Fasted Cardio so I really need to make sure I eat appropriately in the evening before bed and hydrate well throughout the day. Also, having a snack readily available after my workout is a must. Fasted Cardio works for me in the morning because of the time I workout. I do Army physical training at 5am three days a week and the other two days I work out on my own at 4:30am. I like sleep so I’m not waking up at three just to eat or make a protein shake. The body needs time to process nutrients so downing a shake on the way to the gym does nothing for me. My workouts in the morning are 45 minutes. That shake would just be kicking in. What I can do is eat a simple carb that will digest fast and provide me with enough energy for a short burst. Either way. Fasted Cardio works for me.
So, this week’s goals is to make 1800 calories work and to hit my target protein goal. I need a protein with EVERY MEAL! I will admit. I definitely knew what it was like to be hungry last week. I could hear my tummy growling at me in the middle of the night. That was new. So here’s hoping that this upcoming week is a better week.
“Progress is just that…progress!”–Me
Rock Bottom 