What does a personal trainer eat? My secrets to a typical day of eating!

Do you want to loose some weight? Loose some inches? Detox? De-Bloat?

Have you ever thought about what a personal trainer eats during the day?

As a personal trainer for the last 6 years, I have been asked these question many times! Especially at the first of the year when most people have over eaten, over indulged in foods they would not normally eat and did not even exercise to burn off those extra calories.  Well, the new year is a time to start clean by eating clean.  You will begin to de-bloat, detox, loose those extra inches and loose those extra pounds.  But, what does eating clean really mean?

Well, eating clean means something different to everyone, but I am going to tell you what it means to me and how clean eating (on most days, not every day, you must have some cheat days too) has kept my weight the same (minus 2 pregnancies💙 💗) as when I  was in the my 20’s,  and now I am 52 years old.  I am not a certified nutritionist, nor do I ever go on a diet, but I have learned to manage my weight by choosing “good for my body” foods and of course exercising too.  You must remember most people can never get enough exercise in the day to burn the overindulgences they eat, so never assume that if you exercise you can eat whatever you want.  So many people make this mistake and keep putting on pounds! So let’s breakdown a personal trainers typical day of eating, MINE!

7:00am* Eating breakfast!  The studies have gone from you must eat breakfast every morning to kick start your metabolism to some studies now saying  you don’t really need to eat it.  I don’t really care what the studies say, because I have found that my consistent eating of breakfast to start my morning has always been the best way to start my day.  Now, I do workout very early in the morning (usually around 6am) and only sometimes do I have a little snack before I hit the gym.  BUT, as soon as I get home from my workout and before I head to my trainings, I ALWAYS have breakfast.  *I will show the approximate times that I eat, so you can get an idea about how often I am eating throughout the day, usually 5 to 6 times! Here is a sampling of some of the items that I eat:

▶︎Protein Shake (see my favorite recipe and why protein is so important)

▶︎Ezekiel Bread toasted with (organic, natural almond butter)

▶︎Gluten free pancake (see my favorite recipe and why I love this breakfast😋)

▶︎Egg Sandwich (toasted Ezekiel bread, 1 fried egg (non-stick spray) avocado or cheese)

▶︎Quinoa Egg Breakfast (see my favorite recipe)

▶︎Steel Cut Oatmeal with fresh berries and almond milk

9:30/10am* Snack Time! Usually I am traveling around from home to home for my personal training and I will usually bring a snack,  especially if I will not be home before lunchtime. Whether you are at home, at the office or traveling, I feel it is very important to have a healthy snack about 2-3 hours after breakfast and after lunch.  Here are some of my favorites:

▶︎Organic apples with Organic nut butters (pre-slice apples, rub lemon juice over them, then wrap to prevent browning)

▶︎Celery with Organic nut butters

▶︎Packaged Nuts with a banana

▶︎Natural Microwave popcorn with sea salt/chocolate (see my favorite recipe)

▶︎Healthy, low-calorie (less than 200 calories) protein bar (careful, many are the equivalent to a candy bar, check the fiber (2g. or higher is great) and sugar (less than 10g. is best)

12:00/12:30pm* What’s for lunch? It does NOT matter if you eat at home, at the office or on the road, there is ALWAYS a healthy option if you pre-plan for packing or do your homework before eating out.  I will not get into restaurant eating now, as I will be posting in the future about what places you can eat out at and still get healthy food options……..look for it!👀 (Don’t forget to sign up for my blog updates below, so you don’t miss out!) Here are some of my fast, easy lunch items to eat, and all of these can be packed to take with you on the road (while traveling or just running errands) or the office!

▶︎Non-fat unflavored Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit and low-fat granola (Greek yogurt, not the other regular kind of yogurt, as many of those are filled with sugar and low protein content) Greek yogurt is very high in protein, some as high as 22g. per serving, like Fage.

▶︎Low fat Cottage Cheese with sliced vegetables (optional: drizzle with vinegar)

▶︎Mixed Green Salad (love Kale) loaded with veggies, a little feta cheese drilled with vinegar & EVOO

▶︎Lettuce Wrap Sandwich (crisp lettuce cup with hummus, slice cheese, avocado & veggies) I am not really a meat eater, but you could add meat too……just try to choose organic sliced meat, as so many deli meats are loaded with nitrates, antibiotics and sodium.

2:30/3:00pm* Snack Again! Yes, hopefully you got a workout in this morning or will be exercising later today, so fueling your body throughout the day will keep your metabolism going strong and your energy level staying at the best peak.  This is the time of day that most people get that afternoon slump, yet by eating a nutritious snack (yes, the high sugar your craving right now will only bring you up, but you will be crashing in about 30 minutes and feel worse than you did initially) you will avoid that slump.  Read above about some snack time ideas!

6:00/6:30pm* Dinner Time! Ok, I have to say this is my least favorite meal of the day! Why? Because I am always at a loss for healthy ideas and I am just ready to eat and move on with my night! Pathetic I know! BUT, when I do rock at the dinner menu 🙄 here are some of my favorites:

▶︎Spiralized Veggie Spaghetti (see my favorite recipe )

▶︎Grilled Fish (Thank you Tom for always rocking at the BBQ😀) with veggies and quinoa or rice

▶︎Organic Ground Chicken Breast Burgers (the BEST meat is from Whole Foods butcher) on brioche buns (also from Whole Foods) with avocado, onions and tomato, with kale salad and sometimes I bake some french fries

▶︎Organic Chicken Fajitas with grilled veggies, black beans and avocado

▶︎Green Salad with grilled fish or chicken, veggies, feta cheese then drizzle with vinegar & EVOO

▶︎Baked Eggplant Parmesan (sliced eggplant, dipped in egg whites, topped with Panko bread crumbs, placed in dish with marinara sauce then baked in oven at 350 for about 30 minutes)

8:00* Yes Dessert! Now I do not have something sweet every night, but sometimes I just need to have something a little sweet!  I bet most of you feel the same way too!  Just be careful when eating too many sugars, read this post for more information about why.  So here are a few of my healthier dessert choices:

▶︎1 to 2 pieces or maybe more …….. 😳 of dark chocolate

▶︎Sliced banana or strawberries with melted dark chocolate drizzled on top

▶︎Non fat unflavored Greek Yogurt with honey or maple syrup on top and fresh fruit

Time for bed! 😴 This a typical day of what I eat and I have been able to keep my weight very consistent over the years, but I do also have my cheat days of pizza with wine, mexican food with chips and salsa, etc. because YOU must have balance, but the majority of your days should consistent of clean eating.  Let me know of any of your favorite healthy choice meals!

I promise you will feel so much better AND you will loose weight, loose inches,

de-tox and de-bloat your body!