Nutrition at 40

Nutrition at 40 is a follow up to my previous post. Where I explained the physical journey, going to the gym and exercising. But a person could exercise until they pass out. If you are not eating the right foods, then you’re defeating the purpose of it all. Because nutrition and exercise go hand in hand. I just didn’t really understand the dynamics of it all at the time, but I was desperately trying to learn. I remember a friend saying that abs were made in the kitchen, and she was right.

One day I was strolling through Instagram looking at random workout pictures. And one, in particular, caught my eye. It was of a lady working out. What I liked about her was that she was just like me. She didn’t seem fake, didn’t have on a ton of makeup,  you could actually see the fatigue and sweat. She was just being herself, getting her exercise done. If I had to describe her, the words I would use would be genuine, someone who I could relate to.

Anyway, what she was offering actually captured my attention.  “Meal Plans”, so yes I knew that I was disciplined with my workouts. However, I needed help with the nutritional aspect of it all. So after talking and getting what I needed, I started to understand so much more of what I was and wasn’t doing right, or shall I say eating right.

My first priority was to understand my caloric intake.  Which is understanding how many calories my body needed to achieve my nutritional goal. My second priority was to actually get a list of healthy foods that I could eat, and yes there are foods that you could enjoy, that are not loaded down with fat, salt or sugar.  And last I had to learn how to meal prep my food.

My meal plan consisted of protein, fruit, veggies, healthy fats, carbs, and a lot of water. Did I say carbs? Yes, I did and to me, that was the best part. That I didn’t have to give up everything that tasted good to me. And yes I still struggle with drinking water, but I haven’t given up yet!!!

So one Sunday I went to the Costco armed with my new grocery list and got started. I bought most of my foods in bulk, which is something that I have always done.  I tried to get just what was on my list so that I wouldn’t waste money, and come home with unnecessary things that I didn’t need. Made sure I had enough water and I was well on my way. That evening I cooked enough food that would last me for a couple of days.  And in the mornings for breakfast, I always had a protein shake with fruit. Which I could just grab on the way out the door. Below is a picture of my first attempt at meal prepping.

What I liked about meal prepping was the fact that there was always something healthy, that I could just pull out the fridge and eat when I was hungry. It kept me from snacking on unhealthy foods, getting unnecessary calories, and yes adding unnecessary weight to my body. To me, it was the key to the missing piece of the puzzle.

In the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed by the idea of meal-prepping. But as time went on, like everything else. With enough practice it became easy. It has now become something that I actually look forward to doing.

If anyone has a question about meal plans or meal prepping and would like to know more about how I got started. Just leave a comment. Thank you and God Bless.