Cottage Cheese Beautiful Cottage Cheese
So you’ve read the recommendation that you start eating a diet consisting of a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and that is 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates or even like a successful powerlifting friend of mine 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% carbohydrates. How do you do that?
Since few of us eat this way without making an effort to do so, a good place to start is to get an idea of how what you are currently eating looks like. You can do this by tracking your food. There are a couple of web-based ways of doing that. My favorite is www.livestrong.com which has within the site “my plate.” I like this site because the food listing is pretty robust and you don’t have to do a lot of data entry. I have also heard good things about www.fitday.com. Both sites are free. Livestrong.com has an option of a pay program which allows you to set custom nutrition goals so if you wanted to continue to track from a 30/30/40 perspective, you could. Since I am not prepping for a contest I prefer to just get an idea of how the whole thing should look and aim to stick to it in general.
My major sources of lean protein are chicken, tuna, non-fat cottage cheese, powdered egg whites, low fat cheese and whey protein powder. Packing food for the day helps a lot. Most of the fitness diet gurus will recommend eating up to 5 small meals per day. Depending on the number of calories you need each might have, say, 350 calories in it. I find it easier to think of them as large snacks. These are to be eaten at about 3 hour intervals throughout the day. With the whole calorie goal and the target percentages in mind, you need to come up with meals that can be combined on a daily basis and become the building blocks of your daily diet. With a bit of practice you will identify things you like that you can put together easily to take with you for the part of your day lived away from home.
Brute Force 
So much of what you write on your blog resonates with me. Your recommendation regarding the book on New Rules of Lifting for Women especially. I was put on the waiting list at the Berkeley Public Library and copied a great deal of it into a new binder with plastic covers..a few years ago and did this religiously for months…until i realized that I had developed frozen shoulders (both) and cervical radiculopathy. This had little to do with the weightlifting, but everything to do with the eventual demise of my cervical spine. What of those shoulders you may or may not ask?? Again,,just happens. I had met with a physical therapist a few times, and have arranged to see her again next week to go over my progress. I mean to add some more weights more often, though the heavy ones are out of the question for a while. I am up to swimming nearly a mile 3-4 times a week at the Oakland Y with “Finis” swim fins and webbed hands. They are both yellow. I look like a multicolored duck. My swim cap is magenta and silicone and slips on smoothy over my curly locks streaked with white (not unlike Cruella DeVille or Jonny Depp in Sweeney Todd, so I’ve been told). I actually really look forward to that ‘glidey feeling’ I get after the first lap and shock of the cool water (even after i need to go into the sauna or steam room to heat up). I remember asking you how you motivate yourself to do what you do…and you told me it just became a habit..there was no way to just ‘become’ motivated. The habit has sunk in now, and i am feeling more fit and firm even after each swim. Weight Watchers is something I have gone back to…for the added accountability..though I might add I really did enjoy the fitday website as well as sparkpeople , as well as peertrainer.com. All wonderful sites with lots of good information to share and wade through. Did I mention I adore Dr. Oz, Dr. fuhrman, and years ago devoured Dr. Weil’s books and as well as his website. I had no idea that I’d write this much…there’s been lots of opportunity for blogging on all of the sites, but never made all that much time. I adore your writing…you have a lot of knowledge and place a wry and wise spin on everything…always have admired that about you. So glad that you have shared your blog, and have been so inspired by your musings. Just today when I was attempting to count laps (I have always lost track soooo easily) I was trying to visualize the number and between each stroke did “Meta Meditation”. For example 34 May I be happy, 34 May I be healthy, 34 May I be fit and firm….This mainly worked,,,and I got to meditate AND exercise at the same time. Not sure this is even legal I won’t tell if you won’t. Time to have some lavender tea with chamomile…i too pack my food for the whole day..takes out alot of the guesswork, takes away much of the mindless nibbling. So much to share..i have to figure out the best venue..thanks for reminding me there are people like you out their pursuing the very same thing as me!
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you be fit, firm and strong!!!
00hugs..Heidi
Thank you for your comment. When I first heard the word “radiculopathy” I could not get my mind off the idea that it was somehow related to “ridiculous.” We two have much in common, including the Cruella DeVil thing.