Day 11: Eating Enough

I am tracking calories and macros with the MyFitnessPal app. It’s set up to adjust based on activity, so on workout days it has been suggesting over 3,000 calories, including 230+ grams of protein. Compared to how I was eating before returning to the gym, this is a major increase! It has been easier to eat the right food than to eat enough of it. To avoid overeating at once, I’m eating smaller, more balanced meals throughout the day. This takes a lot of careful planning and some meal prep.

Because of sensory issues and food aversions, I’ve built a menu of foods I can tolerate and those that are more effective at achieving my goals. This includes boiled chicken with curry-like spice blends, cottage cheese with cinnamon and apples, and the Fairlife Elite protein shakes. For protein-packed carbs, I’m adding beans and lentils. Making these meal plans and adjustments has been consuming far more brainpower than the actual workout itself! Since I’m only seeing slight increases on the scale, I also won’t be able to tell if they’re working until I do another in-body scan. I just have to trust the process for now.