How Meal Planning + Macronutrients Make A Healthy Lunch Easy
Guts and Glamour are two body positive women on their fitness journey. They find comedic relief to be most therapeutic, and focus on maintaining an achievable healthy lifestyle. Find them on Instagram @guts.and.glamour.
This year has been one of the most stressful of my life. I found myself becoming a single mother, going through a divorce, jumping into school full-time, and moving thousands of miles- among many other trials. During this time, I slipped away from healthy habits and eating well; resulting in the weight gain of 60 pounds.
I decided that I needed to focus on myself. Not just for my physical well-being, but for my children and my mental health. I am not a dieter. I hate fad and rapid weight loss diets. I believe them to be detrimental to health, and a contributor to the skewed image that society forces upon women. Still, I needed something to help me keep focused. I decided not to attempt a fast fix, but to focus more on self-love, being body positive, and changing my nutritional habits that I can maintain for a lifetime.
In my research, I discovered a few things that have helped me maintain my goals. Two of them are meal planning and focusing on my macro nutrients. I had never heard the term “macro nutrients” before, and I am still learning, but the basics are: Calculate your daily caloric needs, then split those calories into 40 percent carbohydrates, 40 percent protein and 20 percent fat. This is the ratio which is the most effective for muscle growth, fat burning, and consistent energy levels. I focus on good fats and lean proteins: chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, nut butters, seeds, seed butters, coconut oil, avocados. I try to stick with complex carbs, like quinoa, brown rice, oats, and black beans.
Since I am so busy, it can be difficult to eat this way if I don’t plan ahead. Without meal planning, I just scramble to find whatever's close or convenient. I have always hated pre-making salads because I hate that my tomatoes make my lettuce soggy, or having to bag them all, or carry all the separate little boxes. I inevitably lose some containers or smash and bruise my produce. It just resulted in me not pre-making my salads. Having a product like Bentgo Lunchboxes helps me maintain my goals and meal prep. My meals are consolidated, my produce stays fresh, and make my life easier- which makes me happy!
Combining the meal prep with macros, has helped me focus on maintaining my health goals. I feel stronger, and have increased my energy 100 fold. Plus, it actually ends up saving me money and time! What more could a mother ask for?
What tricks do you have up your sleeve that help you save time and stay on track?
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