Week 3 Fitness Challenge: Clean Eating! One day or day one, you decide?

Week 3: Clean Eating! One day or day one, you decide?

Let's talk about clean eating! First of all clean eating is greatly misunderstood, and so lets demystify all this stuff about clean eating. Lets look at sugar content first of all, and go from there. Most pre-packaged foods contain high amounts of sugar, and so do most lattes. This added sugar increases caloric intake, and also contributes to the spike of blood sugar levels in the body which bring on ravenous hunger. When in doubt reach for low sugar whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. The myplate program gives an excellent idea of healthy portion sizes, and serving sizes. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/testimonials

On the other hand we are all human and have comfort foods we enjoy. This is perfectly okay so long as it is in moderation. So, what does moderation look like? For me I set aside a cheat day once a week whereby, I eat 3 meals of satisfying comfort foods I enjoy, and the rest of the week I eat clean. My 24 hour recall of a clean eating day would be:

0800 hrs wake up workout 20 mins interval training with 1 cup black coffee and 981 ml water during workout and post workout.

0900 hrs 1 cup dried oatmeal cooked with 1 cup whey protein isolate (salted caramel flavor) and 1 litre of water

1100 hrs abdominal workout and 60 minutes of cardio interval training on the upright bike and 250 mls water during workout

1200 hrs lunch time meal chefs salad made with 3 cups mixed greens, 1 shredded carrot, 6 baby tomatoes, 1 boiled egg chopped, 1 beet shredded, 1 chicken breast diced, 2 TBS low fat Italian vinnaigrette and 250 mls water

1500 hrs workout at the beach lifting and flipping beach logs until exhaustion, approximately 40 mins and 981 mls water

1600 hrs post workout snack protein shake with 1 scoop whey protein isolate (salted caramel flavor) and 6 almonds

1830 hrs dinner time meal 1 piece roasted chicken breast and 3 cups steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup wild rice

2000 hrs 60 mins cardio training easy light jog, and 1 litre of water

2115 hrs late night snack protein shake, 1 scoop whey protein isolate (salted caramel flavor) with 250 ml water and 1 cup decaffeinated coffee (almond roast).

Everyone is unique and requires different caloric intake based on their energy output, body mass, and goals, etc. Thus my plan that I follow is tailored for me exclusively. It is solely an example of what I eat in a day of clean eating to give you an idea of what clean eating looks like. To find out your caloric intake you need for weight loss, or for gaining muscle mass it is best to talk to a trainer at your local gym. And just in case you are curious and would like to calculate your caloric need this is a great link:

https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm