Fair warning: This might be an annoying detailed post. On Wednesdays I normally show you a round up of what I’ve been eating, but today I’m going to get a little more detailed. Why? Because yesterday was my first official day of food journaling.
As I mentioned in Monday’s post, I was accepted into the Get Well Challenge sponsored by Ellwood Thompson’s (the local natural food store). I’m really excited. We check-in with a wellness expert every week, meet with a dietician every month, and get tons of help from local fitness centers, including Hot House Yoga, Om On Yoga, CrossFIT RVA and FIT Richmond.
To kick things off yesterday, I had a body assessment at The Advanced Wellness Center, where I weighed in, and they used these electrode things to measure my body fat percentage. It was pretty cool, and pretty simple! We have a meeting on Thursday to officially set our goals, so I’m thinking of what those should be.
Now back to the food journaling…
Breakfast was eaten in the car, since I had to fast before the body assessment.
1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 2 cups raw kale, stevia, 1/2 tbsp raw cacao coconut butter.
~300 calories, 15g protein
Lunch was my current favorite salad:
Romaine, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, chickpeas, feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar.
I’d estimate this to be about 350 calories (mostly from the chickpeas and cheese) and 12g protein.
Snack
Apple & low fat string cheese - 100 calories, 7g protein
Dinner
Lindsay and I were going to the Content Strategy Meet Up in the West End, which meant dinner had to be on the go. We decided to meet at Moe’s which is the kind of place that can be healthy, or a total disaster. I tried to go healthy!
We don’t need to talk about the fact that Chipotle is way better than Moe’s, do we? I didn’t think so. But still, this wasn’t bad. I got a “naked” burrito, and used the nutritional calculator they provide online to check the stats before I went.
450 calories, 15g protein (and a whopping 16g of fiber!)
Since I ate an relatively early dinner, I knew I’d want a little snack when I got home. I had a small bowl of plain greek yogurt, with some blueberries and a bit of granola.
That came in at 160 calories and 15g of protein.
We’re also tracking our workouts, which for me was a quick 30 minutes on the Stairclimber thing at the gym.
Total: 1,300 calories, 66g protein. This is less than I normally eat. I think just being aware of what I was taking in made me resist my normal snacking habits. I’ll also have to add in some extra calories on days that I’m running!
Disclaimer: Everyone’s body has different needs and requirements. What my body needs is different from what your body needs. I’m no medical expert, so don’t go crazy thinking you should be eating more or less or the exact same!
Yeppers! It really helps me to know if I am getting the right protein and nutrients….and I think it is good to be aware of what you eat when! Lately, I have been noticing that I have a strange abount of “calories left” at the end of the day, so I am trying to adjust that-and spread them out more thru the day. The app I use helps calculate workout and calories burned too!
I use both notepads and My Fitness Pal to journal. It’s really interesting!
I think i might test out My Fitness Pal! I’ve heard good things but I always used the live strong app!
Firstly we are totally on the same wavelength with that lunch- love that combo…although I sometimes add in chicken and always cook the onions- can’t handle raw onions! I followed Weight Watchers for a long so food journaling became a habit for me! Although I don’t track my calories and protein anymore, I still write down everything I eat. It might seem time-consuming, but it has become second nature for me! Every so often I do tally up meals just to keep myself in check
!
It’s so true! I used to track things all the time and it really does become second nature!
All your food looks delish and healthy. Yes, I’ve been using a food journal for a long time now whether it by my blog, small purse size notebook or myfitnesspal.com It helps me remember what I ate so I don’t forget and then over eat.
Glad to have found your blog, hope you’ll pop over and check mine out. Jessica
sweatismysanity.com
Your meals are always so healthy girl!
Yup, I track what I eat daily. It always gives me ideas on days when I’m just not sure what to have.
I kept a detailed food journal for about 3 months when I was tweaking how much fats/carbs/protein I consumed to see what worked best for me. I’m actually going to start again soon since I think it’s time to reevaluate!
I’ve tracked calories and protein a lot in the past, because I’m always making sure I get enough protein! I’ve never really looked at carbs though. I probably should!
I’m currently logging my food as well for a challenge – 8 Weeks to Wellness. I find that it really keeps me on track and definitely does help with the extra snacking – you think twice before putting something in your mouth knowing that you are gunna have to write it down for someone to look at! Awesome first day and can’t wait to hear what you choose for your goals
It’s so true! I’m way more aware of my snacking, especially at night!
The challenge sounds so fun! Can’t wait to read more about it!
I have kept a food journal, but never with calories or protein broken down for each dish. I am trying to be aware of my sugar intake lately, so I really should be tracking that.
Tracking my protein definitely helps me cut back on carbs… I’m one of those vegetarians that could just eat nothing but crackers all day haha
I used to use an iPhone app called LoseIt to track calories throughout the day but I stopped tracking calories and now I just write down everything I eat in the Notes app! I do still take calories into mind when reading nutrition facts but I don’t worry about them as much as I worry about the nutritional value.
Occasionally I will use Livestrong to keep myself in check. I like it!
Livestrong is my favorite! I’ve tried Sparkpeople and MyFitnessPal but I always end up coming back to Livestrong!
Great post! It’s interesting to see the calorie counts of everything together! Happy WIAW:)
i use sparkpeople to track my food and workouts – love it!
Have used a food journal in the past. It was more to document if I was gluten intolerant…I am starting to think I should start one now to try to get a handle on my intake!
I don’t explicitly write it down, but I can easily tally my eats for each day. 1300 is my low side on days I don’t work out (like literally not even walking the dog). Usually I’m closer to 1600.
I never realized how great the stats from chipotle could be! I love their naked burritos!
I’ve always wanted to get a body assessment/body fat percentage measure. Not for any real health purpose, just to know, haha. And I love My Fitness Pal–I track my ratios/protein to make sure I’m getting what I need to meet my goals!
Haha it was cool to know! (even if I wasn’t thrilled with the numbers… haha) Especially because they used the electrode things, rather than just doing that thing that pinches your arm.
That program sounds amazing, Liz! Good luck! Keep us posted on everything they tell you so we can live vicariously
I have used food journaling several times. The first was when I started my weight loss journey several years ago. Now I use it to help me keep track of eating habits. It is not something that I do daily or even weekly, but if I feel like I am not eating healthy or making good choices I will journal for a day or two!
I have always wanted to keep a food journal just to make sure I am getting the appropriate amount of calories, macros, and micros but never have. This is such a great idea to track your eating habits through time, thanks for sharing!
If you want to try it, I love the Livestrong app! I know a lot of people love MyFitnessPal as well!
we have gone on and off using food journals, we used them all the time in college and then took a break, now getting back into them as we track what we eat and how it makes us feel and how is changes our skin, to hopefully figure out what works for us!
I’m definitely battling some skin issues too. I love reading your updates on what you’re seeing help/not help!
I used to track my food religiously to the point where it became more of an unhealthy obsession than anything else, so I no longer do it. I get curious to see how I’m doing sometimes, but I’m afraid to start up the whole obsession bit again so I keep the journals closed. I’m vaguely aware of how many calories I take in, because you just can’t wipe your brain of that kind of information, but I don’t bother tracking anything specific. In the end, I guess it all just comes down to what works best for you.
It can definitely start to take over my brain! That’s why I do it on and off. If I do it too often, it makes me a little crazy!
The Get Well Challenge sounds so neat:) For one of my classes we had to do a food journal for a week and even though I tried to stick to my normal eating habits, my eating got pretty clean during that week. It’s tough when you know someone else is going to be seeing what you’re eating. But your Challenge sounds like such a fun experience…especially with all those different fitness centers you’re going to have access to!
I always track my food because I’ve been a Weight Watchers member for sooo long. It’s the best way to make yourself aware of what you eat. About a year ago, I actually started tracking my protein as well, because as you know, being veggie we have to be concious of that. I’m doing better with it. I really need to get into smoothies where I can throw in some protein powder. Liz, do you have a protein powder you especially like? The challenge sounds like fun, I would love to do something like that!
I track my food daily, which I started doing when I went vegan, just to make sure I was getting my calcium, etc. It is hard for me to do it without getting caught up in the numbers, or making it a challenge because of the way my mind works, but it is good with running to know if you have had enough in the day (or if you are gaining weight or something, figuring out where you can eliminate…or the opposite, where to add).
I’m excited to read more about this challenge and the things you learn from it! I used to track my calories but had to stop when my diet become too restrictive and unhealthy. But I do think that when done right, it can be a very helpful tool. Good luck!
Your breakfast drink looks amazing and sounds very tasty! I might have to try it out
I like Chipolte better than Moes too! Have you ever been to Freebirds before? It’s the same idea and SO delicious! Definitely my fav!
I do keep a food journal – have everyday for almost 4 years. (Yes, very Type-A.) It helped me when I started to lose weight and now keeps me accountable. I haven’t gotten as detailed with calories, protein, fat.
I used to like journaling my eats on my blog as a log of what I was eating day to day. I think it’s so interesting to see what other people eat.
Journaling makes me too obsessive, but I do usually count at the end of the day to figure out about how much I’ve eaten. I should do one to track my balance of protein/fats/carbs, but it backfires on me if I write it down unfortuantely. Your eats look really good and you kept your calorie count so low despite eating out- nice job!
Hey! I just found you recently via twitter as we have very similar food philosophies. Great work on the blog girl! Love your profile pic too!
XO
Thank you so much!!! It’s nice to “meet” you
I’ve been tracking my calories for about three months now with My Fitness Pal…I think it’s helped me a LOT with the mindless eating I was doing before and it definitely helps me aim for more variety in my meals…I mean, let’s be honest, it get’s boring to see the same meals day after day!
Love the look of that salad…there’s only one thing missing…OLIVES! Mmmm!