What I'm Eating Lately

I was going to make this one of those 'what I eat in a day' style blog posts, but to be honest it's been a bit more flexible in off season and so I feel I'll give a more broad look at types and quantities of the foods I've been eating these last 3-4 months with a few basic examples.

One thing I've learned with eating in this body-building way is that it is calculated and consistent. So I tend to alternate between a handful of go to meals where the macros can be tweaked easily and don't rely on a lot of additional sauces/oils etc. Always calculating my protein intake is a must and as you might guess, as a vegan athlete my flavour profile is admittedly fairly basic.

Right now I'm working with a new coach with 180C/82F/132P on my high days and 125C/70F/118P on my low days. And it is a lovely satiating spot to be hovering with calories sitting at about 1900/1500 respectively. I do tend to go over on protein by a few grams since my go-to protein powder is 30g per serving (Vega Sport Peanut Butter Flavour). I use tofu or tempeh as my other main protein sources for dinner and lunch. So you might just say my main source of proteins are really just different forms of peas and beans.

I'll say this about tofu - there are different firmness selections for different meals and if you don't like the texture there's a variety of ways to alter or cook it to suit your needs. However I am the most plain-jane style tofu eater you will find and so I'm likely not going to appeal to those who are looking for a delicious tofu recipe to wow their meat-eating friends. This is not the place I'm afraid. I'm the girl who will cook a whole block of tofu with sesame oil and tell you straight to your face it's the best thing ever. And that's exactly what I'm about to do.

My go to meal lately is sesame tofu with quinoa or rice and 1-2 cups of mixed vegetables. It's a lot like your typical buddha bowl you might have at the local indie cafe. I make a light dressing out of Frank's Buffalo Hot Sauce, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil and Peanut Butter (roughly 20cals per serving, I water it down a bit for an even spread among veggies and so the tofu kinda absorbs it).

To prep the tofu I slice them up into chunks and line them up on parchment paper. I lightly brush sesame oil over each one. I'll cook two packages at a time in the oven at 375 degrees for ~30 minutes. I like them crispy/dry but you can store them in the fridge for multiple meals throughout the week. You can do the same method with firm/extra firm tofu but I wouldn't recommend cooking soft tofu in this way.

I'm lazy when it comes to meal prep so I keep a few bags of pre-cut veggies in my freezer and toss them in when either the rice/quinoa is nearly done cooking. I do meal prep on one or two days per week at the moment and divvy up my portions day to day.

Protein:

• Medium-Firm Tofu

• Tempeh

• Plant-Based Protein Powder

• Homemade Seitan

Carbs:

• Quinoa

• Jasmine Rice

• Oats

• Sweet Potatoes

Fats:

• Sesame Oil

• Peanut Butter

• Olive Oil

• Avocado

• Almonds

Snacks/Other:

• Coconut Yogurt

• Chickpeas

• Strawberries

• Bananas

• Apples

• Rice Cakes

• Cucumbers

• Carrots

• Pickles

• Edamame

• Lentils

Unlimited amounts of fresh lettuces, herbs, kale, endive, broccoli, bok choy, zucchini etc.

Sporadic/Minimal use of: sesame seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast, mustard, hot sauce etc.

Since my first prep I'm hyper aware of the additional sweets/sauces and oils in store bought foods and while I absolutely have cheat meals and evening's out where I'm not on plan, I don't generally struggle with binging too much besides over eating on my peanut butter protein mesh. Somehow I have rewired my brain to believe protein powder is a comfort food so I'm essentially working with it while in this growth phase.

Growth Season Thoughts

This is essentially the first real 'growth season' I've had. And I say that not because I'm not proud of how far I've come in the past, but this is my first real period where my focus has been solely on growing instead of last time where I chose a show with a date and decided to do that show as a goal regardless as a starting point or the amount of recomposition required.

Looking back there were many mistakes I made last year that I have already corrected in my growth and in my practice moving forward and I'm really most proud of those corrections I've made to my 'package' in the offstage game.

Just starting this lifestyle has required some re-training and re-learning of habits and daily life that I never expected in the beginning. Which makes sense, because I can't expect different outcomes from the same or similar patterns. Exceptional goals require exceptional habits and for me the process wasn't like a light-switch, on or off, there was a sort of ebb and flow and consistency increase that had to happen for certain things to stick. A frequency I needed to tune into and literally create for myself.

Tuning into my own strength frequency looks like: showing up with intensity and dedication. Becoming more coachable and responding to feedback. Listening to my body honestly and intently and holding myself accountable. Turning goals into action items. Improving my adherence to the plan. Gathering data to drive my next steps and, in all sense of the word following through with the motion. Maintaining the momentum.

The show I did in May was a goal that I can say I checked off the list, but now I don't just want to show up I want to create and curate a package I can be proud of.

I jumped into things likely far too quickly - my eager little ego wanted the shiny, sparkly suit and the heels and the stage all at once. In hindsight I would have done things differently. I would have taken more time to learn the sport, the criteria, the build etc. I would have hit smaller goals first. But my eyes like the big prize.

So now is a good time to harness that energy and put it to work.

Maintaining momentum.

Starting the Blog: New Chapters

I think a part of beginning and maintaining this fitness journey, for me, has always been sharing it. When I went vegan I was sharing a lot because I was excited and passionate and that part of me has never faded. That part that loves to cultivate community in my own quiet way and lift others up around me.

To put it bluntly I guess the meaninglessness of existence is hard to grapple with since we're all just struggling squishy beings drifting somewhere on a rock in space. If I can find a little glimmer of hope and something that makes me feel good I want to share that with others. Otherwise what's the point? Without letting my depression brain taking over too much here I'm being a little silly but also quite serious. All we have is time.

When someone extends their time - a fragment of their existence - in a moment where they may have something; an insight, a habit, a bit of informational light to share a little with me in the middle of my own darkness - I take that glimmer and hold it very close. It is a trait I have always admired in others so I feel like it's only natural for me to honour that inclination in myself by attempting in my own small way to do the same. So here I am, sharing a little more of myself in an awkward way to maybe help others improve their own lives.

Also in a very real and very selfish way I am using this as a personal diary space of sorts to express myself in a way that feels safer than openly on social media. I know only folks who are genuinely interested are even going to read the depths of these lines so in a way I already see a reader as a potential friend from a far.

One day I hope to look back on this log and see an evolution of sorts. Or a reflection of lessons learned along the way. Time will tell.

So yes, a hippy vegan chick is writing this blog and you have been warned. I like to believe in people for the most part and I believe we're all in this together trying to improve and have some kinda positive effect in the emptiness otherwise what's the point?