Great Q&A with a Westlake Village personal training client

One of my Westlake Village personal training clients asked a great question – so I’m sharing my answers with everyone!

Miguel,

Hey, there – I am having some issues with my food.  My husband seems to think that I’m not eating enough calories.  Honestly, I’m really starting to not like to eat.  Part of it is because it is all so confusing.  I’m just trying to keep it simple, low fat, low carb, low sugar, low sodium…  I don’t have a lot of time between kids, work, house and YOU.  So, can you give me some ideas of simple foods that don’t take much time to make. Eating has become a chore that I don’t like.

Sample of eating yesterday:

7:00 a.m. Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread with one serving of smart, natural peanut butter. Cup of coffee with sugar free creamer

At my local gym by 7:30 a.m. and did 2 miles of treadmill work and stretching my SORE leg!

Went to my weigh-in for fitness challenge – Lost 6lbs. I’m not happy and I am making a bigger commitment to work out twice a day. Mostly because you scare the crap out of me and partly because I still need to step it up on days I don’t see you.

12:30 p.m. Lunch: Trader Joes artichoke salad with spinach. I used my own low fat dressing and added a little feta cheese

5:00 p.m. felt a little hungry so I ate one string cheese and then felt yucky…

7:00 p.m. Dinner: One serving of swordfish and vegetables (sautéed in non-fat broth with small amount of low sodium teriyaki sauce) Ended up giving away half my fish…

Back to YMCA by 8:00 p.m., did 3 miles of treadmill work and stretching my SORE leg!

See you in a few…

Jane D.

———–

Hi Jane –

Based on the food log from yesterday you likely consumed about 1,300 calories which is fine.  I would increase the protein by adding more chicken breast, turkey, low sodium ham, egg whites or egg beaters to your day – nuts and cheese are the fattiest source of protein available so lean meat, eggs, beans or low-fat yogurt (not Greek) are a better idea.  Organic Apples, melon, citrus, and berries should be your daily fruit choices and vegetables such as carrots, yams, broccoli, beans, onion and peppers should be eaten raw or steamed/grilled and without toppings.  Mango, grapes, avocados, bananas, white potatoes and corn should be avoided.  Sugar substitutes should be skipped as well in favor of stevia or agave.  I hope this helps, and 1,100-1,400 calories a day is perfect.  

– Miguel

P.S. Ready-made egg white salad from Trader Joe’s is just 100 calories for the tub with 14g protein, as compared to the artichoke salad’s 3g protein =)

P.P.S Drink more filtered water to feel less "yucky".

Alrighty there you have it – a lot of really good tips up there and I really hope that was helpful for EVERYONE – I’d love to hear you feed back!  Please let me know in the comments section below, also let me know of any other questions you might have!!

Committed to your health and fitness success,

Marine Miguel A. Juarez, NASM – CPT

P.S.  Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog and become a fan on Facebook to stay connected and up to date with the latest blog posts, news, events, updates, videos and more!