Monday marked the first day of a 6 week competition at work called Project Fit that includes teams of 5 people within Equinox Boston with a goal of the most body fat reduction by percentage. I’ve written a lot about body image and how it relates to our level of happiness and I have come to love my body even though I am the heaviest I have ever been.
That being said, I’ve taken 10 months off from any real “diet” or “clean eating” program (aka no structure, I just ate what I wanted). It’s been the best 10 months of my life because I relaxed and enjoyed life. Before I found out about this competition I had decided to start fresh December 1 not because I think I need to lose weight or hate my body but because my wardrobe doesn’t fit…like at all.
When I was told about the competition I jumped right on board. It’s going to be much easier than doing it alone since I am on a team of great women who are supportive and motivating because honestly, “dieting” is not fun. This time of year everyone is trying to eat healthy to make up for Thanksgiving and to prepare for Christmas so I have had a lot of people ask me what I eat (are you eating???) when I am dieting so I thought I would share a day in the life of the new and improved Kara diet (and yes I do measure my food and count my almonds).
I try to eat every 3 hours so that I don’t get famished and get tempted to eat everything in sight. This is just one day of eating. There are many more options and combinations of foods to prevent boredom. Clean eating can and is fun when you know what to eat!
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of egg whites sautéed w/spinach, a half cup of cooked oatmeal or steel cut oats w/1 tbsp of peanut/almond butter
Snack 1: Carrots and broccoli (or any combo of raw veggies) w/ 2 tbsp of hummus
Lunch: 4-6 oz chicken breast (baked, seasoned w/salt, pepper and some garlic powder) w/baked asparagus, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa and a 1/4 of an avocado (I like to chop everything up and mash in together with the quinoa…and maybe add some fresh salsa!)
Snack 2: Plain goat milk yogurt (Red Hill Farm found at Whole Foods) but you can do 0% plain greek yogurt if you’d like w/12 almonds
Dinner: A generous portion of shredded kale w/either 4-6 oz chicken breast or 4-6 oz of lean ground turkey, lots of veggies (broccoli, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes) and a 1/4 of an avocado
I rarely get cravings and when I do, I drink lots of water and distract myself. Going for a walk is a great way to delay and quench those cravings!
Stay tuned for more healthy options to keep your diet fresh and fun!
