Tracking food consumption:  calories, macros and even water is a huge game-changer in fitness of any form.  Knowing what is consumed in a day is important wether on the path of losing weight, gaining muscle or staying healthy in general.  So many of us think we are exercising enough and eating right.  I can say, first hand, I was shocked when I started, actually, logging everything I consumed.  In fact, most individuals that have incorporated my methods for their own fitness journey have told me that were were genuinely shocked as well.  Initially, thinking my food intake was perfect for my needs, I wrote down what I was eating or drinking as I finished it.  After the first few days I realized, not only was I eating too much for my activity level, but I was eating the wrong types of foods too.  I was consuming far too many calories, too much fat & sugar and not enough protein and fiber.  Not even close.  All of the little bites and tastes I snacked on all day really added up as much as my meals.  I was also able to see on paper that most of my diet was processed.  I learned so much about this along the way.  Processed foods wreck havoc on hormones and the bodies ability to absorb proper nourishment.  Avoiding processed is best.  
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Seeing everything on paper was eye opening.  This lead me to find a fitness app.  I use My Fitness Pal.  I am not affiliated with this app at all, just sharing what I have found to work for me.  It’s a free app and I use it every day.  I log each thing I consume before I ever have a bite or a drink.  (There’s a database and virtually everything imaginable is already in the app, along with the coinciding nutritional information.)  I find it to be very accurate.  Wen I say I log everything, I mean if I have a piece of candy, take my gummy vitamins, have one slice of apple - I put it all in the app.  This gives me very accurate information, not only about what I am eating as far as calories, fat, fiber etc., but in addition to these macros, there are some of key vitamins and minerals tracked too.  So, I get a realistic view of my nutrition as well.  This app takes it another step and has an area to enter water consumption and exercise.  This enables an accurate view of the whole picture. Nutritional need factored in with exercise level can help to optimize whatever results your attempting to achieve.   Perhaps I seem a little off topic of “What I Eat in a Day”.  I am not.  I wanted to share background of how I actually know what I eat every day and why I believe it to be so important. If you are on any type of fitness, weight-loss, health journey I do believe that tracking everything will prove to beneficial.  Just try it!  It takes a little time to get in a habit.  According to research, habits take about 2 weeks to form.  My recommendation is do it for at least 2 weeks. 


Now, on with the meat.  No pun intended.  When I first started working out my goal was to lose weight.  I put all my specs in the app and found that I should consume about 1200 calories with light to moderate exercise.  As my exercise intensity picked up and weight dropped, I adjusted the app to get more accurate numbers.  Now, my goal is to consume about 1500 calories a day.  I have a very small frame and am 5’2”.   I am not a health expert, I am simply sharing my experiences.  Keep in mind, everyone is different so individual caloric intake and exercise needs may be very different from mine.  I recommend speaking with your healthcare practitioner before staring an exercise plan and changing your eating habits.  Everyone’s results differ too.  We all have different bodies and shapes.  


This is what my typical day of meals looks like.  I divide it into breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks usually.  I consume at least 8 - 10 glasses of water per day.  I like to start my morning with hot lemon water followed by an apple and my coffee with my breakfast of choice.   I take hair and skin multivitamins daily (which I believe are important to women in menopause as hair loss can begin).  I like to have consistent small snacks as illustrated below.  Usually, I include collagen as an extra protein that’s great for joints, skin and hair as well.  I will link the vitamins and collagen that I use below.  On this particular day I had 6 small meals.  (I am able to judge how much I need because using the app tells me if I ate too little or too much each day.)  I attempt to keep my meals very colorful incorporating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Now that I provided the visual of the meals, I’ll share my app screenshots for the nutritional breakdown as a reference.  Notable in the photos, I had about 90 calories left to consume on this day.  If it’s a day that I didn’t exercise I would not worry too much about this.  On a day with exercise I would finish off my last 100 calories with something like cottage cheese, protein shake, collagen or a small piece of tofu, chicken or fish.  Additionally, if I am doing something very strenuous, I consume more.  I am not trying to bulk-up to compete in body building.  I personally like being slim but having defined muscle, so my exercise and eating work perfectly for me.  Everyone has different goals and tastes.  This is why I believe an app to be so helpful.

I’m Sheryl of SheDo50Too, a lifestyle blog about being over 50 and staying fit, healthy and fashionable.  My motto is a healthy, beautiful and vibrant life at any age.  Please Subscribe, like, and follow me if you want all of my inspiration and tips for life over 50.  I am an Amazon Associate and the fitness apparel, equipment, supplements and more, that I use - are available in my Amazon Storefront.   As an Amazon Associate I do earn commissions off of purchases through my links.  This has no effect on the cost to you.   


The collagen (new packaging) and vitamins can be found at the link here: 

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Find me @SheDo50Too on social media to see more content, reels  and videos on: workouts, recipes, meal prep and healthy eating; as well as style and beauty inspiration for the active over 50 life. I wish you health in all things and success in your own fitness endeavors.


© Copyright, 2023, All content is created, displayed and owned solely by SheDo50Too and rights retained herein
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With rising temperatures and summer right around the corner, many of us are thinking about swimsuit weather, our waistlines, and possibly even a fitness routine and low calorie meal plan.    A Delicious and nutritious way to meal prep and stay on track with any diet is lettuce wraps.  I have been making these for my family and friends for years.  It doesn’t matter if you are counting calories to lose wight, packing in the protein to gain muscle, if your vegan, gluten-free, no mater what your tastes.   These delightful rolls are sure to please.


One of the most beneficial things I do for my family is meal prepping.  Lettuce wraps, of all types, have been a cornerstone of our prepped meals for some time.  At the onset of my fitness journey, I was trying to lose weight and counting every calorie.  Meal prepping made it very easy for me to track exactly what I was eating and the nutritional value of the foods I was consuming.  Lettuce wraps replaced sandwiches for me, cutting out 2 slices of bread and over 150 calories along with the sugar and carbs, (that I was limiting at the time).  To top it off, My daughter and I have food allergies and I am gluten free so this is a perfect option.  By prepping and logging everything I am able to stay on track and know exactly what to eat and when.  Lettuce wraps are the perfect, quick and easy meal-prep for this.  Even now, I do a lot of meal prepping for my family.  We make breakfast and lunch to grab and go.  When I achieved my weight-loss goal, I shifted my focus from weight-loss to gaining more muscle, maintenance and overall health.  By continuing to prep and track everything I am able to ensure that I’m consuming plenty of protein and all the rest of my macros each day.  Still, lettuce wraps work perfectly, just by slightly switching up the filling.  Here are just a few of our variations

I found that lettuce wraps make a hearty meal and hold up well as a packed lunch.  My version are full of vegetables and lean proteins so they are packed with nutrition too.   Literally, anything works for this meal.  Iceberg lettuce leaves, romaine lettuce leaves, steamed cabbage, collards, mustard or any large green leafy vegetable form a perfect wrapper.  The fillings are endless too.  I use fish, tofu, any leftover meat and even lunch meat and eggs, alongside cheese or hummus, yogurt, fresh and cooked vegetables, coupled with some fresh herbs and sometimes even grains.  Any combination and any flavor works.  Simply, use up what you have on hand.  Lettuce wraps, often, utilize my leftover meat and cooked vegetables.

I highly recommend giving lettuce wraps a try in place of an ordinary sandwich.  They are real, unprocessed food. They make a great alternative to salad bowls too and really add variety to the lunch mix.  The whole family will enjoy these tasty handheld rolls.     

Let me know if you give this a try or have a favorite recipe, with a comment.  

I’m Sheryl of SheDo50Too, a lifestyle blog about being over 50 and staying fit, healthy and fashionable.  My motto is a healthy, beautiful and vibrant life at any age.  Please Subscribe, like and follow me if you want all of my inspiration for life over 50.  

Here’s a shortcut to all my sites
https://linktr.ee/shedo50too


Find me @SheDo50Too on social media to see more content, reels  and videos on: workouts,  recipes, meal prep and healthy eating; as well as style and beauty inspiration for the active over 50 life. I wish you health in all things and success in your own fitness endeavors.


© Copyright, 2023, All content is created, displayed and owned solely by SheDo50Too and rights retained herein

When I embarked on this journey I had a goal to lose the extra weight and build some muscle.  Things have progressed even better than I planned.  I was worried, that at 50, it would be much more difficult to get back into shape.  It wasn’t.  Just remember you have to be persistent.   If you have a bad day with diet or exercise - start over the next day, and make that day great.  I lost over 20 pounds following this simple workout and meal plan.  My daughter lost 17 pounds and other friends and family have had similar results.