How to Stick to Your Diet While on Vacation (Blog Series) - Day 3

Day 3:

First day actually on vacation, going to try really hard to hit things perfectly today! So far the challenge has been keeping fat low and getting some carbs in me, so I'll have to keep that in mind!

Breakfast:

2 Slices of Nature's Own "Butter Bread"

24g Carbs

1g Fat

6g Protein

120 Calories

2 Tbsp Jif Peanut Butter

8g Carbs

16g Fat

7g Protein 

Normally, like I have said previously, I have protein in the morning and try to keep carbs low, but I have noticed having protein is super easy, so I decided to try to have some carbs. The bread we got is actually pretty low in everything though, so it is kind of nice because I don't eat my days worth of carbs in one meal!

Lunch:

Angus Beef Hotdog 

2g Carbs

15g Fat

6g Protein

170 Calories

Hot Dog Bun

24g Carbs

1.5g Fat

4g Protein

120 Calories

Ketchup

5g Carbs

0g Fat

0.3 Protein

20 Calories

Orange

17.6g Carbs

0.2g Fat

1.3g Protein

69 Calories

Fiber One Coconut Almond Bar

17g Carbs

7g Fat

6g Protein 

140 Calories

Kind of screwed myself for later with the hot dog because of the fat, but overall I am okay with how the day has gone. I am unsure of where we will be eating later, but hopefully I can eat something decently healthy with lots of protein! But of course I always have backups like my protein powder that I brought with me, so all in all I'll be fine! And still have to get my workout in which will also get me feeling a lot better!

Dinner:

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Chicken w/ Potatoes & Spinach
30g Carbs
20g Fat
62g Protein
540 Calories

1/2 Garden Fresh Salad
5.5g Carbs
5 Fat
1 Protein
75 Calories

11/2 Breadstick
37.5g Carbs
3.8 Fat
6g Protein
210 Calories

We went to Olive Garden for dinner, since my lunch was full of fat, I looked up the menu in advance to make sure what I got would be lower in fat. I think I picked a really good entree and the breadsticks were surprisingly low in fat as well which was really nice!

(Sorry a bit late with this one, internet was down for a couple days)

Final Macros for the Day:

171 Carbs
69 Fat
100 Protein

Pretty much almost hit everything dead on, but a little under protein unfortunately! Still having troubles with fiber, but just have to keep working on it, bought some frozen broccoli and fruit, hopefully that'll help!

How to Stick to Your Diet on Vacation (Blog Series) - Day 2

Day 2:

 Breakfast:

 2 Scrambled Egg with 2% milk

2.3g Carbs

10g Fat

13.6g Protein

153 Calories

3 medium-sized Strawberries

2.8g Carbs

0.1 Fat

0.2 Protein

12 Calories

Lunch:

Junior Hamburger

26g Carbs

8g Fat

12g Protein

220 Calories

Plain Baked Potato

61g Carbs

0g Fat

7g Protein

270 Calories

So basically, for this I really just needed a ton of carbs with the littlest amount of fat and after looking at all my options, this one I determined was the best! It was at Wendy’s which is a place Josh and I love to go if we need fast food because there actually surprisingly very healthy options (Josh told me of this discovery) like chili, salads and baked potato. So especially for road trips or any vacation, this is a great option for staying relatively healthy!

Dinner:

Outback Special 6oz Steak

13g Fat

0g Carbs

37g Protein

254 Calories

Rice Side

7.4g Fat

41g Carbs

5.6g Protein

251 Calories

Honey Baked Bread (½ Loaf)

1.2g Fat

20.6g Carbs

2.5g Protein

100 Calories

Steamed Mixed Vegetables

7g Fat

11g Carbs

3g Protein

108 Calories

Went to the Outback for dinner and I had the privilege of sitting back and watching my whole family chow down on cheesy fries, it was so hard. But at the end of the day I am so happy because it was really worth it; I feel satisfied, but not like I over did it!  It is only the second day and I am so happy we can finally cook in our hotel room. I think limiting the amount of times I eat out will help make this a whole lot easier, but as can be seen it is totally do-able!

Final macros for the day:
 

165g Carbs

65g Fat

101g Protein

1646 Calories

So, still under my macros and calories for the day, but not as much as yesterday! Tomorrow I am definitely going to be getting a workout in, so I’ll feel a lot better about actually hitting them. I am really happy with how it is going so far, I was super worried about it, but it has turned out to be completely fine. Sodium is high and fiber is a bit too low again, but just have to keep working on it!

New Blog Series - How to Stick to Your Diet on Vacation - Day 1

Current Macros:

170g Carbs
106g Protein

66g Fat

1700 calories

I do follow the IIFYM diet, however I do not just eat anything. I try to eat healthy generally speaking, keep my sodium low and eliminate dairy whenever I can. I am not too strict with my diet, that is just a personal preference, however eating totally clean is obviously a really amazing thing to do and if I had a specific purpose like competing and such I would probably push a little harder to do so. With that being said, I just like to have a good balance, I think it is the best way to stay motivated and curb any binging or cravings. At the moment I am cutting so my caloric intake is lower than usual which makes it a lot harder to stay within these boundaries, especially on vacation when it is so easy to just completely fall off of routine and eat lots of greasy foods. This is how I am going to document my time on vacation and how I have stayed on track, I figure it will help keep me accountable and maybe help some people who have similar goals!

Day 1:

Today will probably be a huge challenge just because myfitnesspal requires Wi-Fi and I’ll be driving to Florida, so I won’t have access. I have already pre-logged two meals because I knew in advance where we would be stopping for lunch and obviously I had breakfast at home. The hardest part today will be figuring out how to make dinner fit my macros as closely as possible, while also trying to hit that 28g of fiber.

Breakfast:

¾ cup Egg Whites

0g Carbs

0g Fat

21g Protein

90 calories

1 cup Almond Milk

3.5g Fat

2g Carbs

1g Protein

1 scoop Iso Sensation 93 Protein Powder (Cookies n Crème)

0g Fat

1g Carbs

30g Protein

130 calories

So Basically for breakfast I had a ton of protein just so I made sure I got enough for the day since I was not really completely sure where we would be stopping along the way. I typically have protein in the morning regularly as well, I think it is a good tip for anyone who is not completely planning what they will be eating throughout the day, it generally makes things a lot easier.

Snack:

Special K Strawberry Protein Bar:

23g Carbs

5g Fat

10g Protein

170 calories

Sometimes I cheat a little and have diet drinks! Shhhh :$ 

Lunch:

Single Cheese Burger

31g Carbs

16g Fat

15g Protein

280 calories

Small Fries

33 Carbs

11 Fat

2g Protein

Ketchup (300g)

6 Carbs

0.6 Fat

3.6 Protein

60 calories

So, for lunch we went to Steak n Shake which was a lot of fun. I pre-logged this in advance to make sure I could work my day around it. It wasn’t actually too bad, the sodium was just out of this world. I’m not too concerned about sodium, I have kind of accepted it will be high while I’m on vacation which for some people wouldn’t be ideal. For my regular diet I would not be too happy with this, however for my vacation, especially while on the road I am okay as long as my macros are good!

Dinner:

Quiznos Ham Sub  on Whole Wheat with Veggies & Cheese

58.8 Carbs

5 Fat

18.8 Protein

350 calories

Ranch Sauce

1.5 Carbs

8.5 Fat

0.5 Protein

80 calories

This was my last meal of the day. It was not planned and I had no choice over where we went. The place we stopped had a starbucks, burger king, sbarro and quiznos. The flaw with my fitness pal is that in order to look foods up you need internet or data and in the States I don’t have access to data. In order to log this I already had a sub on my frequently eaten foods because Josh and I like to go to subway a lot. So since quiznos is 8 inchs I logged it as 1 ¼ ham sub on whole wheat with veggies and cheese. So this may not be 100% accurate, but its pretty close and for on the road & my first day I think I did pretty well!

So here are my final macros for the day:

156 Carbs

50 Fat

102 Protein

1440 Calories

So I was about 15 under fat and carbs, 5 under protein and 260 under my calories. I was sitting in the car all day, so I decided to go under a bit, but I’m really happy with it because I still almost hit my protein! Overall, for the first day I think I did really well, only thing is I wish I was able to hit my fiber, but that’s the goal for tomorrow!

My Three Favourite Ab Exercises:

Just starting my first ever cut and I am super excited to see some ab progression! So, I decided to share some of my favourite ab workouts that can be done at home & require no equipment. I typically will do about 4 sets of 25 reps for each exercise (on each side for specific ones).

Here they are!

1. Double-Leg Extensions - This one is probably my favourite, there are multiple ways to do it, some people do it with one leg at a time etc. If this is your first time doing this to make it a tad bit easier place your hands beneath your bum. If holding your hands behind your neck like I did is uncomfortable you can place your arms crossed at your chest or straight to the sides. 

2. Waist Whittlers - These are basically some fancy planks where you twist and squeeze your torso. This will target your obliques and when done for long enough will seriously buuuurn! 

3. Bicycles - Lastly, these are a classic, but had to include them because they have always been a favourite of mine. Sometimes simple works, it is common because it is effective.

xoxo @bronzerandbarbells

4 Bad Habits You Should Break Now!

1.  Having Unreasonable Expectations:

When starting out as I have previously mentioned setting goals for yourself is really helpful in setting a focus for your routine and your overall mindset. However, expecting to lose x amount of pounds or gain a certain amount of muscle in a short period of time is unrealistic. Getting that dream beach body is totally achievable as can be seen through the multiple transformations on colossus fitness, however these things take time. So, have patience, enjoy your workouts and know that soon you’ll love your transformation and in 20 years your body will be thanking you!

"Getting that dream body is totally achievable as seen through the multiple transformations on colossus fitness..." 

2.  Workout Rut

Sometimes we get into patterns of doing the same thing every time we want to sweat. We are all guilty of getting into that nice familiar routine, whether it’s at home, in a class or in the gym. It is important to keep in mind our bodies adapt! In order to get the results you want change up your workout every few months and have variation in what you do throughout your week. Rather than having easy consistent workouts that do not provide results, you’ll start to feel the burn and see the results you are trying to achieve!

"...feel the burn and see the results you are trying to achieve!"

3.  Skipping Stretches

Okay, I’ll admit I am totally guilty of this one! Sure, stretching can be super boring, but it is really important! Although, it has not been proven to reduce risk of injury, it has been proven to increase circulation, which will supply nutrients to those hard working muscles. It also can alleviate pain and stress, making your day-to-day life overall more comfortable.  Plus who doesn’t want to be more flexible?

4.  Skipping The Gym:

Any amount of exercise is great, so by saying this I am by no means suggesting that going a couple times a week is pointless. However, to see desired results in your appearance the ideal amount of visits to the gym a week should be about 5-6. Sometimes it is easy to convince ourselves we are far too busy with work and school or whatever it is occupying your time. The only thing I have to say to that is priorities! Even going for half an hour and doing a quick workout is something, it is totally an achievable amount of time to make in your day that will benefit and extend your life.


Hope this was helpful!!
xoxo @bronzerandbarbells