A Day in the Life of Nicky's Belly

Today, I thought I'd share everything I ate from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. Some people have asked me about how many meals I eat a day, what kinds of snacks I have, etc. I thought this would be a good way to show a typical day. Today has been a little different, but not much.

Breakfast (8:00am)

Last night, I had a few too many cookies, so this morning I wanted to have a detoxifying breakfast. I found a detox smoothie recipe (http://www.chefscatalog.com/recipe/detail/910-detoxifying-breakfast-smoothie.aspx?sourcecode=FW1EM1175) that I wanted to try. 

I did change it up a bit. Instead of hemp seeds, I used chia seeds. Instead of protein powder, I used almond butter. Instead of water, I used almond milk. I also added a few grapes, some raw honey, vanilla, and shredded coconut. (Don't forget to alter any recipe to your own taste. This is one aspect of your life that can be all about YOU.) :)

I topped it with granola and some blueberries. Delicious. And it turned out to be very filling! 

Then, it was time to go to my internship. I was feeling pretty full, so I decided to just pack a snack instead of my usual lunch, hoping it would be enough to last me through my gym session.

Snack (12:30pm)

I made sure to pack some protein (almonds) and some carbs (whole grain flaxseed flatbread crackers). I threw in some berries and grapes, too.

Surprisingly, I was only a little hungry by 12:30. (I'll have to remember how long that smoothie kept me satisfied!) This snack was perfect.

Off to the gym I went for my cardio session. I spent about an hour and fifteen minutes of time on cardio, dividing my time between different machines. I get bored if I spend too much time on one machine. Today, I combined the treadmill, stationary bike, arc trainer, and elliptical. Sometimes I do a combination of two, sometimes three, sometimes four. It all depends on how I'm feeling.

I got home around 2:45, and began to feel hungry again. Time for another snack!

Snack (2:45pm)

I made a ancient grains wrap with roasted red pepper hummus, black beans, a little bit of mozzarella, and spinach, and threw it on the panini press. Delicious! I also paired this with some green tea.

Usually I eat a snack a little earlier (around 10 or 11), eat lunch around 12:30 - 1:30, and then another snack around 3:30-4. But since my smoothie was so filling, I only needed two small meals in the afternoon instead of three. Listen to your body and see how you feel. There's no need to eat if you aren't feeling hungry. Just because it's lunch time, doesn't mean you HAVE to eat lunch. Listen to your body; it knows more than you think.

Yoga time. Today, I did the Yoga-X video from the P90X program. An hour an a half of yoga combining a nice flow, some balancing poses, abs, and stretching. A great way to get sweating. 

My second snack (and glass after glass of water) kept me satisfied until about 6:45. I usually eat dinner anywhere from 5:30 - 6:30.

Dinner (6:45pm)

I didn't feel nearly as hungry as I usually do by this time, so I decided just have some leftover black beans mixed with lima beans. Weird combination? Maybe, but I love it. I also had a few pieces of broccoli with hummus. Sometimes I have a really hard time deciding what I'm in the mood for, so I go for more of an a la carte style dinner. (Just be mindful that you aren't eating too much! You don't want to feel miserable.)

Snack (7:30pm)

I started feeling a little hungry again soon after, so I made a little yogurt parfait as a snack and dessert. Greek yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red grapes, and granola. So yummy and one of my favorite go-to snacks.  I also paired this with some more green tea. I may or may not have also had two chocolate peanut butter cookies (oops) :) 

So, there you have it. A day in the life of Nicky's belly. Today was a little strange, but I just wanted to show you that it's okay (even better) to split your meals into much smaller portions more often throughout the day. Again, listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry. Note: If you are constantly feeling hungry, you want to be careful not to overeat. So try filling up on water instead. Sometimes your mind thinks you're hungry, when you're really just thirsty. 

Your body wants to be healthy, so changing your routine into a more healthy one will be a lot easier than you think. It may take some time to break your bad habits, but you'll get there. Have a good night everyone! I think another cup of green tea is in my very near future :)