What a typical day of eating looks like for me, a personal trainer

One thing I absolutely love about being a coach is one day is never the same as the next. Variety is the spice of life and I absolutely thrive on it when it comes to my line of work. Because my schedule varies each day to each month to each year, I need some consistency in my life. That consistency for me comes from my workouts and my food.

So depending on if I am going to workout or not, my carbohydrate and fat intake will differ from day to day but for the most part, I don’t stray too far away from my norm.

I usually am up between 5:30AM and 7AM each morning. After my vitamin regimen and AM coffee, (with cream- no sugar) I typically hold off on eating until 9:30/10AM. No particular reason. I just personally don’t need to eat until my mind actually catches up with my body; which tends to be around this mid-morning time frame.

At this time, I usually have, (prepped the night before)

Breakfast

• ½ Oats

• 1 Cup egg whites.

• Spinach (2 cups)

And depending on if I will be working out that day (I may or may not add in one tbsp of PB OR ½ avocado. If I am not working out that day, I will not add this. If it is an off day, I will have the added fat. (I will get to why shortly)

After this I usually workout anywhere from 1-3 hours after I eat. (I try not to go longer than 3 hours because I will start to get hungry).

Post workout meal

• 1 serving of protein (4oz chicken, cod, or halibut) with usually asparagus and squash or sweet potato.

• I will usually have a protein shake in addition to this if I trained legs or back and I have a busy afternoon at work. If I do not train heavy or just did cardio, I will skip the shake.

Early dinner

• 4oz grilled chicken, ½ avocado and 1 serving of veggie. (broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus.)

Later dinner

• Another 4oz chicken or fish, asparagus and another serving of either a fat (typically avocado again) or a carb.

If I get home late and do not feel like cooking or eating a full meal, I may just do a chobani yogurt and/or cottage cheese OR a shake with no fruit.

My fats and carbs will fluctuate on any given day but my protein is usually consistent between 150-180g. I always shoot to have my protein within this range and am pretty good with consistently hitting those numbers. Yes, I track my macros daily. I stay under 2200 calories a day. If I am NOT working out- I will be eating less carbs and more fat simply because I do not need the access carbs because I will not be exerting that much energy. So my day of eating will usually reflect my planned activity level for the day. I usually prep 1x a week for the entire week and luckily I am not a picky eater where I need different things every day. Like I said, having this consistency actually works for me since the rest of my life is kind of unpredictable and at times, erratic.

Sure, I over indulge. Sure I go over my calories and my macros. I splurge. I’m obsessed with fro-yo. But for the most part, I stick to this schedule. I will usually splurge one day a week. But I usually always try to stick to the 40/30/30 rule. Keeping protein at around 40% and fats and carbs around 25-30%.

This is what personally works for me and I like eating like this. You have to find a routine and schedule that works for you and one that you enjoy. Not everything is good for everyone and that is OK. It took me many years to learn what works best for me. If you are unsure you can start by paying attention to how certain foods make you feel. You shouldn't feel deprived or unhappy with your eating schedule.

Balance and preparation are the keys to success when finding a proper eating routine that works for you.