What I Eat In A Day

Last week I did one of those "Ask Me Anything" Instagram stories (I should have been doing our taxes but I wasn't really feeling it and needed a break ;)) and had some fun responses. Folks wanted to know everything from what I'd recommend for recovery since I run so many miles injury-free to how the hubby and I were getting along being a one-car family.

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Someone asked about what I eat on a normal day. I often try to post pictures on my Instagram stories of what I am eating or snacking on throughout the day, but I thought maybe I'd turn their question into a blog post so I could include some additional details that don't really fit in an IG story. Obviously, before you go any further I need to make mention that this is what works for me. I'm including calories and macro for everything in case you're curious. Keep in mind, you may need more or less calories than me. This is NOT a "diet" or a "how to lose X pounds" post. This is simply a breakdown of what I eat on an average day to give folks who were interested a better idea of what fuels and feeds me. #YouDoYou #IllDoMe

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Okay, now that I've given my little disclaimer, we can get on with the show ;) {FYI: This was a low mileage day for me, which means I was not having to refuel much after my run, but it'll still give you a general sense of what I eat.}

5:30am - PROBAR BASE Bar (Frosted Peanut Butter)
               Calories: 290
               Protein: 20 grams
               Carbs: 33 grams
               Fat: 10 grams

7:00am - 40 ounces of water (Obviously I don't drink this all at once, but around this time in the day I have finished my first extra large bottle of water.)

8:30am - Banana
               Calories: 106
               Protein: 1.3 grams
               Carbs: 26 grams
               Fat: .4 grams

Since I normally wake up pretty early (thanks to my Fibromyalgia), I
usually eat another little something before heading out for my run.
The banana smiles at me and I smile at the banana.

10:00am - 32 ounces of water (Obviously I don't drink this all at once, but around this time in the day I have finished my next large bottle of water. Often times in my second bottle of water I will add a water "enhancer" to give it a little flavor.)

There just happened to be a sale on MiO at the grocery store, normally I
tend to stick with the generic, Kroger brand. 

11:30am - Big Ol' Salad (3 cups spinach, 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup cauliflower, 3 ounces sliced carrot, 114 grams spicy baked tofu {high protein tofu + 6 teaspoons hot sauce + .6 tablespoons corn starch + .25 tablespoon olive oil}, 2 tablespoons honey mustard hummus dressing)
               Calories: 383
               Protein: 27 grams
               Carbs: 37 grams
               Fat: 17 grams

Just started baking tofu and I'm loving it! And the hummus
dressing is AMAZEBALLS too! Gotta look at making my own!

1:30pm - 2 cuties
               Calories: 70
               Protein: 0 grams
               Carbs: 18 grams
               Fat: 0 grams

3:00pm - 40 ounces of water (Obviously I don't drink this all at once, but around this time in the day I have finished my last extra large bottle of water {if I don't stop drinking around this time I'll be up all night using the restroom}.)

The sun finally came out so I grabbed my book and water bottle and went to the
pool to read for a bit (even if it wasn't super warm, at least it was sunny!).

4:00pm - Chick'n Pasta (3 ounces whole grain penne pasta, .5 cup sautéed mushrooms {sautéed in their own "juice", nothing added to them}, 1 cup broccoli, 1 ounce red onions, 1 tablespoon olive oil {to sauté the broccoli and red onions in}, 16 strips Morning Star Chick'n, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, .5 teaspoon everything but the bagel seasoning)
               Calories: 646
               Protein: 49 grams
               Carbs: 75 grams
               Fat: 22 grams

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!

6:30pm - A bowl of strawberries and blueberries
               Calories: 263
               Protein: 4 grams
               Carbs: 65 grams
               Fat: 2 grams

PS This is a picture of the Tupperware of berries, I portioned
out a bowl of them for me (even if I could've eaten them all ;))

Total Macros:
               Calories: 1,757
               Protein: 101 grams
               Carbs: 253 grams
               Fat: 51 grams

**On days where I am running longer or working out harder, I may throw in an extra protein bar during the day, maybe a bag of popcorn in the evening or munch on some nuts throughout the day. I also don't limit myself on fruits and veggies - so I have no problem eating an extra bowl of blueberries and strawberries or grabbing four six cuties to snack on.**

Some of the information in pie chart format (thanks to MyFitnessPal)

Now I know I am going to get flack for posting this. Some of you will say "that's too much protein", others will say "that's not enough calories for you" and more of you will say "that's too much sugar". Let me stop you right there and say, I do what works for me. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I try my best to live a well-balanced, vegetarian lifestyle. Like I said at the jump, this is in no way a prescription on what you should eat, it is simply a description on what I do eat.

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And don't let me fool you, there are days when I am hangry after a long run and I gorge myself on all the chips and salsa I can shove down my gizzard. I am not perfect and I do not claim to be, but I do my best to live a healthy lifestyle - eating my fair share of fresh fruits and veggies. I see food as fuel for my body, but don't fret about treating myself to processed crap every once in a while. PS I did some blood work recently to make sure I was getting the proper amounts of essential vitamins and nutrients and I am well within the healthy limit for everything I was tested for, so I'll keep on keepin' on.

Do you routinely eat the same thing or do you constantly change what you eat?