My Meals Calculated by My Fitness Pal
It’s been 7 weeks since my bikini competition where I competed at 100 pounds and now I weigh 108! Yes, that’s over a pound a week! Yikes! I can tell that my body composition is still better than it was when I started training (more muscle and less fat), and I didn’t plan to stay at 100 pounds, but I’d like to be at 104. So, I find myself with 4 pounds to lose.
I’m sure I put on weight because: 1) I was eating two pints of Haagen Dazs Gelato (Sea Salt Caramel) a week for about 5 weeks, and 2) I stopped training as intensely as I was (just running around the neighborhood for 30 minutes) and then took some time off working out at the end of the summer to just be with my son. I don’t regret it, but I know it’s time to get back to work! My son started school mid-August and I’m back to my routine of working out as soon as I drop him off at school. I feel 100x better already. It’s amazing how quickly your body can change – for the better or worse.
I’ve been tracking my workouts on my iPhone and plan to share them in detail with you this week, but for now, I’ll just say that I start with 30 minutes of medium-hard cardio, then do 30-45 minutes of weight training with active rests (which keep my heart rate up) the whole time.
When I was preparing for my bikini contest, my trainer gave me a meal plan to follow for 12 weeks. I never counted calories or macros, but generally had an idea of what it was. Last night, I finally plugged the five meals into My Fitness Pal and got the calculations below. I think My Fitness Pal only allow for 4 meals a day, that’s why I had to combines Meals 2 & 3.
So, for those of you who were interested in the breakdown, there it is. I was surprised at how many calories I was eating, I thought it was been less, although I knew I was eating a lot of food- I was never hungry. But, you need to eat consistently (about every 3 hours) and get enough protein at each meal to build and sustain muscle.
Since I know I have weight to lose now, I need to be more strict with my food. My weakness is dessert. But, when I’m working out HARD, I’m much less likely to eat what isn’t good for me. I always think, “I didn’t just work that hard to blow it by having a piece of cake.”
I like My Fitness Pal because it allows me to see how everything I put in my mouth mouth adds up and it makes me reconsider my gelato! Of course, I will still eat it, just not as often!
I hope this chart helps! Let me know! 🙂 Do you use My Fitness Pal?
Hey Megan! Yes, I was using that app for a while and it definitely helped keep me on track. I was so much more mindful about what I was eating because I would visibly see the the calorie breakdown etc. 🙂 That's so weird it would only let you input 4 meals…I think I was able to do meals and snack logs as well as activity calories burned. Anyways, keep up the great job lady!
Linh
http://abeautifulrawr.com
I use MFP and always find that I make better choices ANd workout ore when I'm good about logging. Who wants to admit the three mini snickers and four bites of their kids Mac and cheese they are? Not me! And hey, I know its hard to see the scale go back up, but it sounds like you realize you do have better body compsoition still than you did before starting. I always struggle with the scale after shows…it's hard even if you know its for the best.
You can adjust MFP in your settings to anything you want. So if you want 6 meals a day you can do that and you can label them however you'd like as well. I have mine set for 6 meals and they're labeled Meal 1, Meal 2, etc.
Thanks Stephanie! I guess I need to play around with MFP more. 🙂
But wasn't all that ice cream yummy??? 😉 You look fantastic….then and now! Always!
I use MyPlate on livestrong.com and like being able to plan out my day to keep me accountable.
Question re: your meals: Do you weigh the chicken raw or cooked? The nutrition facts above are for raw chicken. I try to weigh before cooking but sometimes I have to weigh after. I've read that 4 oz raw chicken is approximately 3 oz cooked. Have you found similar info?
I measure it after cooking, for potatoes too. I didn't realize the info was for raw . . .
I wonder if raw vs. cooked makes a difference for potatoes. You were probably eating a lot more protein than you thought!
Unrelated to that, dessert is my weakness too, especially in the late evening. I can pass by the sweets all day long but by the time it is 9 or 10 in the evening, I find myself craving desserts, or even a spoonful (or more) of peanut, almond, or coconut butter. Do you have any good tactics for getting past this?
omg… I totally get what you are saying. I dread that time of the night , it has become my witching hours and it is so hard to get thru it.
Potatoes cook down too, so they are heavier raw. I have the same late-night sweet tooth. I just have to get to bed earlier! Sometimes, my fave Greek Yogurt (caramel) satisfies.
You looked amazing before, and you still do after. Enjoy that bit of ice cream. Life is short!!! I have learned to embrace that "healthy" isn't just in the number on the scale. While I am not where I would love to be weight wise just yet…I am healthier than I have ever been. Oh, and while I don't have too much of a sweet tooth anymore (being GF and avoiding chocolate for #2 helped cure that)…I have found that if I do get late night cravings drinking a glass of water or brushing my teeth helps to deter the cravings.
I have never used My Fitness Pal – I might have to give it a try! Is it difficult/time consuming to enter your meals??
If you are handy with your smart phone it shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes to enter meals. 🙂
I've been using fitness pal consistently for about 3 weeks {new record for me}, 6lbs lost so far with just mindful meal planning and recording..cannot wait to get back into the gym and lose even more with combining workouts. I have a sweet tooth like you Megan, so fitness pal really helps me say no! haha or if I really feel the need I found these great 80 calorie ice cream cups that are just the right amount.
I’m gunna try using the fitness pal and see how that works for me.
It definitely helps you keep track and see what you’re eating!