For Anyone Who Might Be Curious: My Flexible Meal Plan

This is based off of a meal plan my nutritionist gave me.

Breakfast

1 Protein

1 Calcium

1 Fruit or Vegetable

1 Complex Carbohydrate

1 Fat

Lunch

1 Protein

1 Calcium

1 Fruit or Vegetable

1 Complex Carbohydrate

1 Fat

1 Fun Food

Dinner

1 Protein

1 Calcium

1 Fruit or Vegetable

1 Complex Carbohydrate

1 Fat

1 Fun Food

Snack

1 Protein, Calcium, or Fat

1 Fruit or Vegetable, Complex Carbohydrate, or Calcium

On days you engage in vigorous physical activity, you will need to eat snacks. You can eat them through out the day, or whenever you feel hungry. Women: keep in mind that your menstrual cycle affects how much fuel your body needs. Certain weeks of it will see your body working harder and so needing more fuel. Try to track these and respect them by adding snacks, if needed.

1 Protein = 3-4 oz of meat or 2 eggs or 4 tablespoons tofu, 2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 Calcium = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 2 oz cheese

1 Fruit or Vegetable= 1 whole fruit or vegetable

(use discernment: carrots you would have 2 or 3, broccoli florets would be 6-8)

1 Complex Carbohydrate = 2 slices of bread, one side of a full-size bagel, 1 cup cereal, 2-3 oz pasta

1 Fat = 2-3 teaspoons butter or oil, 1 tablespoon salad dressing or cream cheese, 1/4 avocado

1 Fun Food = a cupcake, a small bag of chips, 2 cookies, ice cream, small order of French fries, whatever foods you may have tried to avoid because they are supposedly "bad"

Note: You may eat a protein and fat in the morning if you are not too hungry or are in a rush (example, bagel and cream cheese), then go back around 9 or 10am and eat the rest (ex: yogurt with fresh blueberries and two eggs). So you don't have to eat the entire meal at one time.

Make a goal to eat all of the categories at each meal every day. It will help your body learn what it needs to eat, how to tell you when it needs something, and will help you trust it.