Maintaining Lifestyle Changes // Meals, Snacks, and Workouts

Today, I wanted to give you a glimpse into what I eat in a day. Even on the days when I pick fast food. And also, what kind of movement I incorporated. So, without further ado, let’s get right to it.

Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash

Normal Day

Morning: Breakfast smoothie w/a low sugar plant-based protein & 1/4 cup cold brew concentrate 

I use this brand when I can splurge, but if my budget does not allow it, I opt for this one. It doesn’t taste as good, but it does the trick. And I know the prices are "flipped" making the first one more affordable, but this is not the case at my local grocery stores.

Lunch: Leftover Cheeseburger (no bun) w/Sweet Potato Fries 

This consists of ground beef, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. We try to make these fries from scratch, but when pressed for time we use these sweet potato fries and this brand of ketchup. 

Afternoon snack: 1 cup of Cashews or fruit like mandarin, pineapple, or watermelon

Dinner: Rice Bowl w/Steak 

This consists of think steak or wagyu steak, white or basmati rice, black beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, half an avocado, and this sour cream alternative. Optional: Cooked bell peppers

Drinks: 80 - 100 oz of water, and 1 can of sparkling water for lunch or dinner - pick one.


Fast Food Day
Morning: Breakfast smoothie w/a low sugar plant-based protein & 1/4 cup cold brew concentrate

Lunch: Chick-fil-A grilled nuggets 12 ct, small waffle fries, and medium unsweet tea

Afternoon snack: 1 cup of cashews

Dinner: Steelhead trout w/white or basmati rice, and a side salad w/this Cesar dressing

Drinks: 80 oz of water, and 16 oz of unsweet tea


Snack Ideas

• Fruit bowls (sliced/chopped strawberries & pineapples, or blueberries, strawberries, and banana slices)
• Cashews
• Popcorn
• Chopped tomatoes and cucumbers w/salt & lime juice
• Chopped tomatoes and avocado w/salt & lime juice
• Pickles
• Homemade french fries
• Homemade protein ice cream 
• 1 cup strawberries, 1 small banana, ⅓ cup almond milk, protein powder of choice. Blend and freeze. I played around with this recipe, but this is the basic version.
• Various veggies (carrots, broccoli, celery, snap peas) w/this ranch alternative
• Whole fruits (bananas, mandarins, oranges, apples, watermelon, pineapple, guava, kiwis, etc)

Sample Workout Schedule# 1 

Monday: Rest 

Tuesday: Run 3 miles 

Wednesday: Weights for 30 - 45 minutes or walk for 30 minutes 

Thursday: Run 3.5 miles 

Friday: Rest 

Saturday: Long run (6+ miles w/run group) 

Sunday: Rest

Sample Workout Schedule# 2 

Monday: Weights for 30 minutes and treadmill walk for 15 minutes 

Tuesday: Run 3-5 miles 

Wednesday: Weights for 30 minutes 

Thursday: Run 3-5 miles 

Friday: Rest Day 

Saturday: Long run (6+ miles w/run group) 

Sunday: Rest Day

Sample Workout Schedule# 3 

Monday: Rest Day 

Tuesday: Walk for 30-45 mins 

Wednesday: 15 - 30 min light yoga, or bodyweight strength training 

Thursday: Rest Day or walk for 30 mins 

Friday: 15 - 30 min light yoga, or bodyweight strength training 

Saturday: Walk for 30-45 mins 

Sunday: Rest Day

Please keep in mind that the mileage in the above workouts is for someone who already runs those distances regularly. This is meant to be a guide/example that should be modified. It's more like an example of the schedule I had at various stages during the past nine months. You can switch things around, not run at all, focus on other areas, or do whatever you feel is best for you. And as for the food, I'm not the cook so I don't have specific recipes, but I did list the main ingredients used. There are a lot of ways to play around with recipes. And for a lot of the main dishes that you normally make, you can substitute some of the main ingredients with alternatives. The main sides we had on heavy rotation were rice, black beans, mixed veggies, and salad. Since we had those "bases", it became easier for us to decide on the main course.

I hope these past few posts have helped in some way. I know it's not easy to make drastic changes, and it can take a lot of trial and error. Again, I highly recommend speaking to a doctor or nutritionist before pursuing any kind of changes. And I say this because you need to know what your body needs and what it can do without. You'd be surprised at what you could be doing, thinking it's healthy, and it's actually counterproductive. Now, if you have any questions or need some more ideas, feel free to reach out!