I don’t know what’s up with the lighting in my pictures today! Whoops! Sorry guys!

Breakfast: 3 eggs whites + s&p, 1/3 cup oats w/ 1 tsp. olive oil + sea salt, and 1 kiwi

“Did she say olive oil in her Oatmeal?”

Yea. I thought the same thing this morning when I heard that Giada from the Food Network does that everyday for breakfast!

I had to try it. It takes the sugar rush out of your morning bowl of Oats, and gives you a great fillin’.

This reminded me that Oatmeal IS actually a grain, just like brown rice. It was different, but actually quite good! It almost reminded me of a bowl of grits.

Kiwi for morning fruit fix

Egg whites for protein!

Before breakfast this morning, Marco and I hit the Gym. I did 30 min of Cardio on the Elliptical, and 30 min of Abs, Legs, & stretching

For lunch today I packed: salad with spring mix, broccoli slaw, and tomatoes from our garden. I will dress this with olive oil plus s+p

I also brought a Boca sandwich. That’s right! A cold Boca patty is still super yummy!

2 slices of ezekiel, mustard, 1/4 avovado, onion, tomato, lettuce, and a boca patty leftover from the night before.

This should be delish and super filling!

For a snack today, I packed 1 apple + 1/8 cup marcona almonds from Trader Joe’s (they’re pretty heavy on the cals, so I knew I’d need less to fill me up)

So, a reader requested that I posted some things that I am learning from Keri Gans book, The Small Change Diet (which again, is not about dieting, but rather making lifestyle changes).

1) Always eat breakfast!

2) NEVER skip meals

3) Ideally, your eating schedule would be like so: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack (optional) with 3-4 hours between each, but no more than 4. The purpose of this is to stabalize your hunger, maximize your metabolism, and curb the cravings.

4) a balanced meal is 1/2 plate fruit/veggies, 1/4 plate grain, 1/4 plate protein/fat

5) a balanced snack is under 200 cals, has 1 carb, and one protein/fat, but not a protein + a fat- one or the other (ex. apple + slice of cheese, or apple + 1 tbs. peanut butter)

6) weigh yourself only once per week, not daily (weight fluctuations will drive you crazy!)

7) write down everything you eat, including the times (this helps you be aware of your eating habits)

I love this book, because I feel she speaks to a large audience, where most everyone can relate in wanting to create a balanced lifestyle. Like most books, I still have my own views on certain things, but there are many things that I can agree with Keri on. I always make sure to keep my own values in mind as I read books, as well as having an open mind 🙂