Hey all! It’s been a while since I did a “day in the life” post so I thought I would let you all know what’s been going on with me. Since the girls and I shot with photographer extraordinaire Mike Byerly in June, I have been focusing on consistent muscle-building and very little “leaning out.” As a result, I have gained a few pounds this summer, basically taking me back to my usual set-point. No biggie, I feel good and it was a conscious decision as I cut back on cardio and wanted to be able to enjoy my summer a little more. I keep my nutrition pretty clean year-round and will “diet” for about 3-4 weeks before a shoot, tightening up the reigns on my preemptive cheat foods like peanut butter, almond cheese, avocado, protein bars, breakfast meats :) etc. (Jillian is big on bacon, I am big on sausage…somehow that doesn’t sound right?? lol) ANYWAY…this summer I maintained my one “balls out cheat” every Sunday night and have kept my nutrition 90% clean 100% of the time. As a result, I have put on good lean mass, aided by my consistent 5x/week training with Tara and very little cardio, but have managed to stay fairly lean too.
Here is my weekly workout schedule in my “building” phase:
Monday: 30 min Chest/Triceps/Shoulder training with Tara, 25 min interval cardio on stepmill
Tuesday: 30 min Leg training with Tara, 40 min Incline Walk on treadmill
Wednesday: 30 min Back/Biceps training with Tara, 8 x Hill repeats with Tara (~70 meters each)
Thursday: 30 min Shoulder training with Tara, 25 min interval cardio on stepmill
Friday: 30 min Leg training, no cardio
Saturday: Track sprints with Tara (4 x 200m, 5 x 100m)
Sunday: OFF completely
I also go for a 60-minute long, sloooooow walk with Jade every morning outside 7 days/week, grande Americano in hand
Here is my daily meal plan (changes a little from day to day, but for the most part, I eat the same thing every day):
7am: Grande Americano on walk
8am (pre-workout): 5g BCAAs mixed with water
9:30am (post-workout): 2 scoops Vega Health Optimizer in chocolate, 2TB unsweetened cocoa powder, fiber & 5g L-glutamine (sometimes if I am really hungry, I will add an additional 1/4 cup oat bran here)
1pm: Large greens salad with 2 small grilled chicken breasts (usually from my favorite lunch place, Diolis)
4pm: 1 Think Thin bar (if I am eating quickly between clients) OR 1 chicken breast + 1 grapefruit
7:30pm:Shell-less Taco Salad made with ground turkey or bison (I alternate weeks)
8pm: ME Cocoa drink made with unsweetened cocoa OR just SF gum & bed
I cheat weekly on Sunday nights :)
As for supplements, I take 4g fish oil/day and use BCAAs and L-glutamine around workouts
I drink 1 gal plain water every day and drink 1 diet pepsi on the weekends for a treat
I am currently on strike with egg whites after getting a little sick of them last Spring, but sometimes I will sub them in for a shake in the morning or have an omelet for dinner
I only eat 4x/day because I have a big appetite and find that I am more satisfied with larger meals at each sitting, rather than smaller meals more frequently. I also fast for 12-14 hours each night (with the exception of BCAAs) and I like working out on an empty stomach. I do a fairly low-carb meal plan because I do well on it. I have been eating like this for years and tend to feel more satisfied with fatty foods (like red meat, nuts, avocado, cheese, etc) than with carbs. I have balanced energy, few cravings and don’t get too hungry too often. I don’t have to increase my food volume like crazy to gain muscle, I gain fairly easily with consistent training.
However, I know the more exercise I do, the more my hunger and cravings grow so I use what Metabolic Effect calls the “Exercise Tipping Point” to make sure my exercise is efficient–generating the best results for the least time exercising. Like Jade says, “More is not better…better is better” and for me to keep cravings and hunger in check, I know I need to keep an eye on my exercise volume. When I was doing hours and hours of cardio, I had cravings constantly and it was all I could do to keep from indulging. I was constantly using every ounce of will-power to keep from eating chocolate and peanut butter (my 2 hugest cravings), and with this building program I am currently on, I am hardly ever hungry or experience insatiable cravings. It has taken practice and learning about my unique metabolism to really understand how to eat to stay lean, but also balance hunger, energy and cravings. If you are interested in learning more about this concept, I would strongly recommend starting by reading The Metabolic Effect Diet book–a great starting guide to these concepts.
Hopefully this helps you get a sense of how I train and eat, if you are interested. It is important to understand your own physique, metabolic tendencies, sensitivities and preferences to know how to eat and train for best results while also staying sane :) Eating like this for me is something I could do forever. I know for an eating plan to stick, it cannot take every ounce of will-power to stay on–and if that is what you are currently doing, it will be unsustainable. Find your unique fat loss formula and go from there. Good luck! ox Jill
