What am I eating?

     

      

      As most of you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 31, 2013.  I underwent a bi-lateral mastectomy on March 1, 2013.   I have eaten clean for a big part of my life and have always worked out.   3 years ago I dove into the bodybuilding sport and started competing.   Over my lifetime, I have been exposed to many diets as have many of you.  We have tried them all, have we not?  Some in fact work better than others.  The question is…can you eat that way all of your life and is it healthy?

      I would bet that most of us could not and did not stick to whatever diet it was that we tried.  It was either too restrictive or we didn’t find it satisfying.   I am just like all of you, only I like to think of myself as a product of my own study.   I have been on every diet you can think of, weight-watchers, atkins, south beach, low-fat, fat-free, high-protein, vegetarian, body for life and of course my competition diet.  One thing all these diets had in common was that they recommended you eat 5-6 meals each day.  These are mini meals to satisfy your hunger, keep your metabolism revving and ensuring your insulin levels were in balance.   Every “diet” has some restrictions.  The biggest is calories.  

      I’ve chosen to eat clean as a way of my life.  Have I eaten processed foods, cheeseburgers, pizza and chocolate…hello, of course I have.  Most of us do.   Do I eat them every day or every week, no I don’t.   I would say I eat them once a month.   I can still have these treats or foods of sins, even on the eating plan I have chosen for myself.   Instead of getting them at a restaurant or out of a box, I make them myself.  That’s for another time.

      

      I wanted to focus on what I have incorporated into my lifetime eating plan.  That’s right, I’m eating for life, not for dieting purposes.    Naturally I will lose weight and drop body fat, however I can increase my calories in order to maintain my physique.   For now, I have reduced my calories to allow for an 8 pound drop in weight and I’d like to drop a few %’s of body fat.  After I discovered I had breast cancer, I found comfort in foods I thought I would never eat on a daily basis.  My favorite was creamy macaroni and cheese.   While it was yummy at that time, there seem to have been many yummy moments like that over the month of February.   So I want to shave off the 8 pounds I put on during that emotional food fest.

     

      While I have an extensive background in food, how your body breaks it down, what puts weight on, what takes weight off, I am not a nutritionist, nor am I advocating this eating plan.  This plan works for me.  My body is being nourished down to the cellular level, which is important for cancer patients.  For preventative measures, we need to keep our cells as healthy as possible.   It doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get cancer, but it helps keep more cells healthy. 

      I’ve chosen to mix up all that I have learned from the past diets and from everything I researched on the internet to help cancer patients lower their chances of recurrence through better eating.  I used my competition eating practices as a foundation to lay out the plan.  My goal is to continue to keep a lean and muscular body.  I am not interested in being a skinny fat.   So I made sure I kept protein, both animal and or plant protein in each of my meals; including a vegetable complex carbohydrate.   This plan does not include dairy, sugar, bad fats or processed foods of any kind.  I am not eating grains because I’m not working out right now.  When I am able to lift again, to be able to maintain and maybe add a little muscle I will bring in quinoa, brown rice and sweet potatoes.

      

      I’m sure you are all on the edge of your seats waiting to see what I am eating on a daily basis ;-)   I thought it was important to layout the above foundation to help you understand how I arrived here.    The below daily intake is an example of what I have been eating.   I am measuring everything.  This is a practice I got into, when I was competing.  It’s become a habit and keeps your food intake in balance.  There’s no going back for seconds with this plan!

Breakfast:

1/3 cup oatmeal (I include everything in the oatmeal except for the eggs)

1/3 cup berries(I use blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries)

1 teaspoon of flaxseed oil

1 teaspoon walden foods sugar free, fat free, calorie free maple syrup (I’m sure it’s all chemicals…but I do love this product)

4 egg whites scrambled

Mid-morning snack

¾ scoop chocolate whey protein

1 tbs raw spirulina

1 tbs raw chlorella

1 tsp raw hemp seeds

1/4 c. blueberries

Lunch

2 cups organic wild greens

1 cup veggies (cooked mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes)

1 tbs chopped raw almonds

3 oz organic/free-range chicken breast

1 tbs homemade dressing (base is extra virgin olive oil, rice vinegar with a variety of seasonings)

Mid-afternoon snack

¾ scoop chocolate whey protein

½ tbs raw spirulina

½ tbs raw chlorella

      Dinner

1 cup cooked organic baby spinach

½ avocado

1/3 c. chopped strawberries

2.5 – 3 ounces of organic/free-range chicken breast

      I change the meals up, for instance today I will have broccoli instead of spring salad mix and I’ll roast cauliflower to throw into another day’s salad.  The idea here is to eat fresh whole foods and to eat every 2-3 hours.   I will also grill up some tilapia.  I do enjoy eating fish as well.  On days where I might be hungrier, I’ll have some celery with hummus as my 6^th meal.   I may add a little more almonds here and there and won’t have avocado every day.  I have more fat in my diet right now because it’s great for healing the skin.  As I head back into the gym I will drop my fat intake and up my grains.    My body feels good right now, no stomach issues, no gagging from eating too much animal protein and my bowls are extremely regular!

I had some issues with formatting with this blog.  Thanks for understanding.

Until next time...