Recently on Instagram I asked if you all had any questions about food or fitness headed into the new year, and you sure did. I’m going to have a lot of gifs in here to remind you:
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This isn’t that serious unless you WANT it to be serious and
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I am NOT a dietician or fitness professional, these are just things that I’ve learned over the last year and a half.
Q: How many meals a day do you think should be eaten?
This one really depends. I would say to do what your body tells you. If your body is totally happy just eating 3x per day, that’s great! If your body likes to eat 4x day, awesome. Personally I focus more on what and how much I’m eating rather than when.
Q: What do you think of including protein powders into a weight loss routine?
Your body needs protein regardless of your desired weight. Even if you’re trying to lose weight, your body still needs X amount of protein. If you aren’t getting your necessary protein from food alone (and many aren’t), you may need a supplement.
If you need a ROUGH estimate of where to start with your macros, I use this calculator. BUT REMEMBER: An online calculator is not the Bible and you may need to adjust.
Q: How do you make the time to work out?
I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. I can’t even imagine how people with multiple jobs or kids find the time to work out. I try and set myself up for success on Sundays to make the week easier by meal prepping and making sure all of my workout clothes are washed so there’s less to do on weeknights.
Plan ahead so you can avoid this. But a car cry happens to the best of us.
Q: Are you eating the same food as last year?
For the most part, yes! Although my macros have changed a lot. I’m eating a lot more salads now too and have been eating a ton of soup lately. Maybe it’s just winter and the cold. Here’s a baseline of what I eat in a day.
Q: How’s your knee?
Thanks for asking! It’s, meh. I ice my knee every night (low key love my ice pack if you’re in the market!), have an anti-inflammatory topical gel and pop some ibuprofen when I’m really swollen. I’ve been trying to take a rest day in-between workouts and modify a lot of bending. For example, bending my knee back (butt kicks) feels fine but kicking my knee out/up (high knees), not so much.
I am Jason Bateman when I think I can do rigorous activity two days in a row.
Q: Do you ever work out at home?
Eh, not really. I work out at Fitwall about 4-5x/week and give myself the off days to rest. However, now when I work out at home, I feel confident enough to know what I’m doing and how to properly lift because of the guidance I’ve received at Fitwall.
If you’re new to lifting, watching videos is great, but having a few personal training sessions/group fitness classes at the beginning can be really helpful so you know you’re using proper form to avoid injury down the road.
Q: Have you tried intermittent fasting?
No, and I also know this wouldn’t be a good fit for me. The idea of restricting when I am allowed and not allowed to eat, isn’t something that would work for my life. Plus, it’s my understanding that some studies have shown it doesn’t make an huge difference. Moral of the story that’s generally agreed upon by most medical and health professionals: eating late at night isn’t great, so try and avoid that.
What I imagine intermittent fasting is like.
Q: Do you have cheat days?
I don’t like the idea of a “cheat” day or a “cheat” meal. You’re not cheating on anything, you’re just eating food. I’ve changed my entire mentality around eating and exercise and it wasn’t until I granted myself a little grace that things suddenly became easier.
I used to be extremely all or nothing. Like, if I had a cookie before lunch it was like, “well crap, today’s a wash might as well go to town!” Instead of acknowledging, “ok cool you had a delicious cookie, now let’s have a tasty, filling salad for lunch and an awesome grilled sandwich for dinner.”
I’m pretty strict during the week and really let up on the weekends. This has allowed me to satisfy cravings, enjoy date night and hanging out with friends while still staying on track with my goals. But that’s just what works for me. You gotta find what works for you.
Thanks for all the questions!
