One of the most common questions I get is:  “What do you eat?”  Especially when I tell people that I eat 140 grams of protein and 30+ grams of fiber per day!

Well, first let’s talk about the protein.  Why do I eat so much protein?   From February to September I was working hard to get the last of my weight off.  During this time I wanted to burn as much fat and hold on to as much muscle as possible.  Since September my goal has changed to building back some muscle.  To do this you need protein.  I aim for one to one and a half grams per pound of muscle.  I have about 100 lbs of muscle, so I aim for 140 grams.

All that protein does have some effect on the digestive system.  So, I make sure that I get plenty of fiber in my diet as well. 

Along with this, of course, I watch my caloric intake as well.

Okay, so, given all that, what do I eat?  Well, here is a typical day:

3 protein shakes.  I have one for breakfast, one for a late afternoon snack and one for a late evening snack.  I buy the Apex brand through 24 hr Fitness.  90 calories and 16g protein.  I make my shakes in the blender with 12oz of water, 3 ice cubes and a heaping teaspoon of Fiber Sure (5g fiber per shake).

4 ounces of lunchmeat.  100 calories and 20g protein.  I buy lunchmeat that contains no nitrates and is 25 calories per ounce.  I buy Primo Taglio brand at Safeway.  I like the taste of their oven roasted chicken breast.  They also have a turkey breast; I just prefer the taste of the chicken.  Boar’s Head has meats that fit my criteria as well.  I eat this everyday for lunch as a chicken salad.  I chop it up and mix it with green onions, cherry tomatoes, jar roasted bell peppers, Wishbone spray on dressing and a little salt.

I make a second salad for my lunch with dark greens, celery, cucumber, one chopped apple and one chopped orange.  I top it with balsamic vinaigrette and a little salt.

One half cup of low fat cottage cheese.  90 calories and 11g protein.   I like to make a nice snack by mixing it with a couple tablespoons of Dannon’s lite and fit yogurt (60 calories for the container and I use about a third of the container), a little fruit, and Kellogg’s bran buds.  The bran buds are 70 calories and 26g of fiber for one third of a cup.  I mix in about a half of a third of a cup.

String Cheese.  A client of mine found this one.  Frigo brand has a string cheese that tastes good and has 9g of protein for only 60 calories.  I often have this as an evening snack with some grapes or other fruit.

Dinner generally consists of a serving of lean meat such as 3oz of chicken breast or meatloaf or chili made with Jenny-O extra lean ground turkey.  I add as much in the way of vegetables as I can in order to “bulk it up” with few calories.  I like dinners with no meat at least a couple times a week.  La Tortilla Factory makes these wonderful large wraps for around 100 calories with 8g of protein.  I make quesadillas with them and add fat free refried beans.  The beans add 135 calories and 10g of protein.  Sometimes we’ll have Boca Burgers.  I eat two patties, skip the bun and add a bunch of grilled veggies that I make with a non-stick pan and Pam cooking spray.

If it’s after dinner and I’m still looking for more protein for the day, I like a cereal by Nutritious Living called Hi-Lo.  For one half cup it’s got 90 calories, 12g of protein and 6g of fiber.  Now, I admit it doesn’t taste like Lucky Charms, but I find that if I mix it with some dried apple chips, it’s pretty good.  The milk, of course adds some additional protein as well.

Yes, I do have some treats.  I like the Jell-O 60 calorie pudding, or sugar free Jell-O with a little Cool Whip on top.  There are several fat free or no sugar added ice cream treats available for around 100 to 150 calories.  I try to limit myself to no more than one per day.  Yes, there are days now and then when I break my limit but I work really hard to stay within this and all the other limits I set for myself.

So there you have it.  Breakfast, lunch and snacks are pretty stable from day to day.  But this is quite typical for most people.  Dinner is where the variety comes in.  I’ll be writing in the near future about how I go about planning dinners and such.