What I Eat in a Day (with Macros)
Hi friend! Welcome to a fresh, new week! We had a really good weekend, starting with Jordan’s basketball game on Saturday. All her practicing in the driveway is really paying off- she’s a little hustler on the court! She made several shots and it’s so fun to watch!
I was in charge of the snacks and this collapsible tote came in very handy for transporting!
And, the best news of all- we got my mom moved into her new apartment! It’s a really cute home and only 2 miles from us. It’s been a long time coming and we’re all thrilled that she’s finally here! Now for all the unpacking and organizing, but I love helping with that kind of stuff.
WHAT I EAT IN A DAY
Last week I shared the simplest way I know to lose weight. Note that I said simple, not easy.
It’s really working for me, I’ve lost 4 pounds since the new year. I asked y’all on Stories if you wanted to see more fitness content here and nearly everyone said yes.
In the follow-up poll I did, most of you said you wanted to know what I eat in a day, so I’m happy to share here.
MY MACROS
I use My Fitness Pal to track everything, and once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy and quick to use. And, you can quickly access things you’ve logged before in your history. Or add a whole recipe and save that.
You can use My Fitness Pal to calculate your macros (protein, carbs and fats) if you want to know how much of each you’re eating in a day. You can adjust the percentages and MFP will let you know what that equals in grams.
I aim for 1,250 calories (see why here) and 40% carbs, 35% protein, and 25% fat.
The breakdown looks like this:
If you want to see how many calories you should be eating for fat loss, go here.
For me, to get 1,250 calories in a day, I usually break it into 5 meals with 250 calories each, or 4 larger meals.
WATER
First things first! If you’ve been following me for long, you know one of my daily healthy habits includes making sure I drink enough water each day. To help with this, I fill up two big water bottles right when I wake up. One stays downstairs and one goes up so that I always have a drink handy.
I like these water bottles because they travel well without spilling in my purse and also fit in my car’s cup holder.
I usually wake up around 5:30 or 6:00 a.m., fill up my water, make my coffee and sit down to read, journal and I’m trying to meditate also.
COFFEE
PROTEIN PANCAKE
After I get home from the gym, I shower and make breakfast.
A protein pancake is delicious, filling and packed with protein.
1/3 cup Power Cakes Protein Pancake Mix
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Liquid Egg Whites
1/2 scoop Protein Powder (optional, but I feel like the pancake cooks better when I add this extra protein)
*Spray 8-inch pan with cooking spray. Mix together and pour into pan over medium heat. I usually cover the pan with a lit for a bit until the liquid is mostly solid (about 4 minutes), then flip. Cook on the second side for about 2 minutes. Makes 1 pancake.
I top with a handful of blueberries and 1 tblsp sugar free syrup.
COFFEE
By this time, I’m getting ready and usually sitting down at my computer to get work done. Two – three times a week, I’ll enjoy a Starbucks Brown Sugar Shaken Oat Milk Espresso.
It’s not that high in calories for a tall, but it does have about 10 grams of sugar.
MEALS 3, 4 & 5
SHRIMP, RICE & VEGGIES
Here are a couple of examples of meals I like.
I buy frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp and thaw it. Then, it’s easy to sauté in pan or cook in the air fryer. I use my air fryer daily!
Veggies are usually steamed and then put in the air fryer for a few minutes to crisp up. I love seasoning with onion powder, garlic salt, or truffle salt. Sesame seeds and scallions add a bit of texture and crunch.
SHRIMP & VEGGIES
I’ve also realized that sometimes, I can skip the rice or potato carb I usually add with my meals and just double up on the veggies.
This meal is air fried shrimp, asparagus and purple cabbage with a touch of this sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It’s also yummy with a side of avocado.
TUNA WITH SPINACH ON DAVE’S KILLER BREAD
I don’t eat many sandwiches and if I’m trying to lose weight and want a burger, I’ll make sure it’s lean and eat it without the bun.
That being said, I do like a tuna sandwich and sometimes eat it in a salad or open faced with one piece of bread.
SALMON, BROCCOLI & GREEN BEANS
Over the years, I’ve come to really enjoy eating fish. I usually buy it frozen and individually vacuum sealed so it’s really fresh when I prepare it.
A side of steamed veggies with seasoning goes perfectly with it. Add a squeeze of lemon for a bit of acid and zing.
ROTISSERIE CHICKEN WITH SIDE SALAD
This is a super fast meal to put together. Just a slice of rotisserie chicken (pulled the skin off before eating) and a green salad with Bolthouse Farms Creamy Ceasar Yogurt Dressing.
Or you could use Walden Farms dressing – they have zero calories.
I usually have grilled chicken breast tenders prepared, but rotisserie works in a pinch.
Hi there! I receive your emails regularly. Occasions you say leave a comment or I would like to see comments but I don’t know how or where to see them. Can you tell me where I go to see those? I just clicked on your link to see this in a browser but still don’t see comments. Thanks!
Hi Sally! The comments are at the bottom of the blog post, but you won’t be able to see those if you’re reading via email.
This was helpful. Love healthy meal ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for all of this info, Megan! How do you stick with the tracking? Every time I try, I end up quitting after a few days when life gets in the way, or I didn’t plan my meals and ate too much junk. The only time I ever stuck with it was when I hired a trainer/nutritionist and I had to send him my MFP food log each day.
Hi! I’ve been tracking for a few years and I’ve found that I’m most consistent when I plan out my meals for the day first thing in the morning. Usually my alarm goes off then I get my phone and start creating my plan. Helps me stick to it and be intentional on what I put into my body and not fall into whirlwind cravings when your brain is scattered later in the day.
Very good idea! I sometimes plan out my meals the night before for the same reasons!
You are welcome Jodi! I think because I tend to eat the same type of things, it’s really easy to log. I can easily look in my history for foods and you can also scan a bar code to enter the info. It motivates me to stick with it because I’m seeing results so I know it works. That’s encouraging!
I don’t let myself eat until after I have logged!
Often stops me from giving in to junk 🙂
Loved this post! How do you steam your vegetables? What kind of air fryer do you use?
I love my Walmart air fryer – I linked it in the post. I usually just steam in the microwave in a glass dish with a splash of water, microwave for about 2 minutes and then check to see if it needs more time.
Interesting, maybe for a vegetarian is a little bit different!
Thanks for sharing!!!
Do you use the vanilla flavored Vega protein powder? Do you like the flavor of it, or only in the pancake because you can’t taste it there? Yummy vegan proteins are hard to find!
Yes, I can’t really taste it- I think it blends into the pancake mix. 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve followed you for year and so admire you so much. I needed this to “get me started”;
I downloaded the app to keep track of macros. Thank you!
I’m so glad this post was helpful for you!
I thought this was sponsored…by starbucks! Lol
Hi i was sent to see your blog post on how to figure out your calories from this post, which was really helpful. In that blog post it had a link for a video on how to use MyFitnessPal, but it says it is private?
Congrats on losing 4 pounds. Not eating after dinner is great for your health. Eating late is not an effective way to lose weight because research studies revealed less fat storage happens when you are committed to your natural circadian rhythms, our bodies process food and clear glucose from the blood better by eating earlier.