I remember years ago when I read a lot of fitness magazines (have to admit I don’t read as much now), I used to absolutely LOVE the section where the celebrity or fitness model or competitor would reveal their daily meal plan, EXACTLY what they ate. At the time I thought that if I just ate exactly what she ate, I would get the same results.
Well, needless to say, years and hundreds of client cases later, I understand that you can put 2 people on the exact same diet and they will get completely different results–which is why the one-size-fits-all dieting approach doesn’t work. Yet, we really, really want it to :) We want someone to provide a meal plan that we can just follow, and will guarantees results. I have written before about the danger of this. There are zero guarantees when we leave it to someone else to get us results. The only way to attain and sustain body change results is when we figure out what works for us.
The best thing about checking out other people’s meal plans is simply to get ideas. But we can’t implement it exactly as is and assume it will work for us.
I like stealing other people’s recipes or trying new things, as I am sure you do too. It’s great to see examples of other people’s diets because it shows us that it doesn’t have to be all that complicated–which is the main reason I am posting my daily meal plan here. I literally eat the exact same thing almost every day. Small parts have changed over the years but essentially, it’s simple–not too strict and not to lax. It’s a fat loss LIFESTYLE plan.
Try not to over think this stuff. If you find it hard to eat 5-6x/day because of prep issues, back it off to 3-4x/day. Make your plan work for your own schedule. I don’t want you to see my plan and go, “Well, I will just eat like Jill does” because in the end, it simply may not be doable for you.
Fat loss is not about “the plan.” It’s about your ability to DO the plan. You can have the most gorgeous fat loss meal plan on earth but if you simply cannot do it, it doesn’t matter. Doable will always beat perfect.
Moderation: It’s not sexy, it’s not flashy, but it works :)
Here’s my what I eat pretty much every single day. For pulling ideas only! Take a piece or two that might work for you, leave the rest.
7am: Coffee/AM leisure walk
8am: Workout: Interval cardio + weights
10am Meal #1 Protein shake: 8-10 oz unsweetened almond (or coconut milk), 1 scoop whey protein, 1 scoop vegetarian protein (Vega Sport), 1 TB each of unsweetened cocoa powder, PB2 regular, PB2 dark chocolate, fiber. Stevia to sweeten, ice to thicken (I love a HUGE shake! This is the highlight of my eating day!)
1pm Meal #2: A B-A-S (aka Big-Ass-Salad) with grilled chicken & balsamic viniagrette, either made at home or take-out from a restaurant (usually our favorite Italian Kitchen, Diolis).
4pm Meal #3: Think Thin protein bar OR 1 slice homemade pumpkin bread
7pm Meal #4: Salad with protein (my favorite here) OR lean protein with veggies. Lately I have been making tortilla-less fajitas with grilled chicken and peppers/onions. I hate to cook so I’ve been using the convenience options below, from Whole Foods. Takes <10min.
8pm: 1 cup frozen raspberries with Truvia sprinkled on top
Miscellaneous:
- I drink 3-4 liters of plain water throughout the day, sometimes a second cup of coffee early afternoon
- I do a single cheat every Sunday night
That’s it!
Don’t know macros, don’t know cals. I don’t count them. I simply try to eat to satisfy & take away hunger and never to stuff myself. I am in maintenance mode with my weight right now. To eat this way feels effortless. My workout routine is sustainable, easy.
Bottom line is simply that I don’t worry about food as much as I used to.
I used to stress that I wouldn’t get to have every single food item I wanted. I would stress that there’s wasn’t going to be enough, or that I was missing out if I skipped a dessert or chance to drink booze. Now I look at it like, food will always be there. Alcohol will always be there. Dessert will always be there, and if I ever get to the point that I *need* it, I will go out and get it and then do some detective work as to why I got to the point of needing it.
My friend Lori Harder (Miss Bikini Universe & Oxygen Cover Model) told me that if she has a craving for something, instead of trying to harness willpower to the point that you’ll end up overindulging, she will instead just acknowledge a craving, eat a single bite or two of what she wants–enough to satisfy–and then she moves on, no more cravings, no more willpower needed. I know that for me, my overeating and/or indulgences are directly related to how much I deprive myself. If I deprive, I crave. If I eat my usual meals, I am in control. It’s a delicate balance that I strive for daily. It’s taken a lot of time, patience and practice to get good at this type of balance (about 2 years). But it works, and I’ll never go back to all-or-nothing “dieting” approach again. It’s simply unsustainable. And sustainable means more to me than losing 10 lbs only to gain back 20. Not. Worth. It.
Hopefully you picked up a few new tricks, now you try with your meals! Good luck :) ox Jill
