March 27, 2025 //
Susan Bazzle //
Gym News //
2 min read
Maybe they’re extremely high in cals
Maybe they’re not “balanced” in protein, fat, carbs
Maybe they’re highly processed or nutritionally deficient
My challenge to you is this:
Try to avoid all 3 categories at once
Avoid “dieting”, aka short term, heavily restricted eating
Eat as much real food as possible as often as possible
Seek out ways to prepare your favorite restaurant meals at home
Even when eating “cheat” meals, incorporate REAL food
Avoid processed food as much as possible
Don’t deprive yourself of things you love
Don’t beat yourself up over a “less than optimal meal” or day of “less than mindful” eating, after all, we are only human and life is short. Your next meal or next day is right around the corner!
I strive to eat an appropriate number of calories from nutrient dense foods, plenty of protein, and enough complex carbs to support my goals on a regular basis. Usually on the weekend, I will have a “cheat” meal. My cheat meals fall into the first two categories above bc I have learned over the years that 3rd category makes me feel terrible and foods in this category are less appealing to me with each passing year.
One of my go-tos is a loaded potato. This week is sweet potato. As you’ll see from the macro breakdown below, it’s a little heavy on cals & carbs. Overall, it has plenty of protein and, even w/BBQ sauce, it’s pretty clean. I mitigate the extra cals bc I had a very light breakfast & lunch. Bc my lunch was almost all raw fish, my macro breakdown for the day was still balanced.
Estimated calories: 750 5” sweet potato 5oz pulled pork 2 cu broccoli steamed 1/4 cu of sour cream 2T BBQ sauce 1/2 cup plain baked beans ~10 pickled jalapeño rings ~10 dill pickle chips
