We talk about what’s for dinner.  We talk about what to eat in a restaurant.  We talk about healthy breakfasts, healthy snacks, staying hydrated and making a plan and working a plan.  I thought it was time to show you my plan in pictures.

Here we go, come take a walk with me.  Hydration is as important as protein to me.  My tummy may tell me I’m hungry when in reality I am thirsty.  The fact is, by the time we feel thirsty we are already a bit dehydrated.  I start my day off in my office with a 16 ounce cup of green tea.  Tazo Zen is my favorite because the lemongrass and mint give it a fresh, sweet taste naturally. 

Once I finish my tea and get my day lined out and moving forward I am ready for a break.  I often take a quick walk around my building and then come back and make my breakfast around 11 am - noon.  (It’s really the rest of my breakfast since I have a protein drink before and after I work out -1/2 before and ½ after).  Check out the inside of my little office refrigerator - see the stack of pieces cut from my “egg frittata” and the Ziploc container with salsa?  That’s right.  Unwrap one and pop it in the microwave, top it with salsa and we’re done.  I start my day with 200 calories and 33 grams of protein, this egg dish adds between 125 and 175 calories and another 20 grams of protein depending on what I threw in it when I made it on Sunday.

So it is anywhere between 11 am and noon and I’ve had at the most 375 calories and 53 grams of protein.  Not a bad day so far, right?

I wait about ½ hour or so and then start pushing water or more tea, hot or iced tea.  My work day continues and sometime around 4PM I may be ready for a snack- this can translate into 100-200 calories depending on what I’m in the mood for and can be anything from:

Light cheese sticks and some grapes (105 calories/7 grams protein) to:

An 80 calorie/14 gram protein bag of jerky or a “granola bar” with 150 calories/6 grams protein/9 grams fiber or:

Some tuna or salmon straight from the bag or can (anywhere from 70/15 to 150/25.

If I know I need some protein for staying power but am not in the mood to take the time to stop and eat carefully and mindfully so I don’t have a “stuck” episode, or I want something warm or chocolaty I can make myself a cup of Fit Frappe for 65/10 per 8-10 ounce cup and ½ scoop.

I just use my shaker bottle for cold and a spoon to mix it hot.

I am never anywhere without food, a plan and a backup plan.

Should I need to I could hang out in my office through dinner, keep working and still have plenty of protein within my calorie allotment for the day. 

I will toss things up and bring in curried chicken salad and celery sticks, or shrimp, or other foods on Monday when I stock up for the week.  The main part of my plan is to always have my office stocked up with good choices for me.

Or, I could walk across the parking lot, stop at the little convenience store and totally blow my plan to shreds.  Whichever I choose, it is MY CHOICE and I can make the right choices simply by having a variety of food and drink right at my fingertips.