Meal Preparation - One of the Many Tasks of a Fitness Competitor

Being a bikini and fitness competitor, I am often asked by others who do not compete about my diet, nutrition and meal preparation. Whether you compete in bodybuilding, figure, fitness or bikini, or if you're just living a healthy lifestyle, one thing is for sure - we must be prepared when it comes to our meals!

I typically eat 5-6 small meals a day, which are comprised of protein, veggies, fruits, good fats and whole grains. My protein choices usually consist of egg whites, chicken, tuna, lean ground turkey or beef, white fish, whey protein powder and cottage cheese. For veggies, I usually stick with a lot of green veggies like spinach, green beans, asparagus and broccoli (especially when close to a show) and for fruits I like any type of berry, apples, grapefruit and kiwi (again, these especially when close to showtime). My starchy carb choices are primarily oats with a sweet potato or brown rice thrown in every now and then. My good fat choices range from nuts/nut butters (natural peanut butter, almonds, etc), olive oil, Udos oil, avocados, etc.

A typical day when dieting close to a show may look like the photo above (*note* currently 4 weeks out from show):

MEAl 1

Egg Whites

Oats

Blueberries

MEAL 2

Egg Whites with Asparagus

Oats

MEAL 3

Chicken with Green Beans and Salsa

MEAL 4

Protein Shake

MEAL 5

Cod with Asparagus

MEAL 6

Cod with Asparagus & Udos Oil

In my off season, I add a lot more variety to my diet by adding more exotic fruits like mango or pineapple and more colorful veggies like tomatoes and carrots. For the average healthy individual, the key is to spice it up and to have a lot of variety with your food so that you never feel deprived and more importantly, so that you get a lot of your recommended vitamins and minerals from your food.

In my off-season, a typical day could look like this:

MEAL 1

Egg Whites

2 Kashi Waffles

Peach

MEAL 2

Cottage Cheese

Natural Peanut Butter

Apple

MEAL 3

Chicken

Brown Rice

Stiry Fry Veggies

MEAL 4

Tuna Lettuce Wrap

MEAL 5

Shrimp

Sweet Potato

Green Beans

See how much variety I can incorporate into my diet while keeping it enjoyable at the same time! Its all about spicing it up and thinking outside of the box. I love to cook, so that makes my meal preparation a lot easier. For others, it can be a challenge to say the least!

Think about what you typically eat in a day - is it planned or are you always on the go deciding last minute how to fuel your body? Even if it's just for 5 minutes, think about your body and what you like to eat / what you enjoy. Now take the time to just jot down a couple of meal ideas, maybe even put it into action and plan 2 for the next day (2 is a start!).

Try not to use the average excuse of "I'm too busy". Believe me, I'm busy too and even I can get it done. You just need to take some time to plan and then prepare and it doesn't have to take that long (think frozen fruits and veggies, etc). As discussed in my previous blog - take the time for you because your body certainly deserves it. You wouldn't fuel a Porsche with sand instead of gas now would you? So what makes you think that fueling your body with donuts and candy is better??? Just something to think about....get it done! I know you can!