Long days of training require a lot of food

Hi! It’s Wednesday, and that means I only have two more days of work before Dave and I fly out for a little getaway. Now, in true “What I Ate Wednesday” fashion, let’s take a look at a real account of what I consumed to make it through a 13-hour day of work at Equinox yesterday. 

No, I wasn’t working all 13 hours. But that’s how long I was there. I trained a few clients, did my own workout, then trained some more clients, all before taking an Uber ride home just before 8 p.m., completely exhausted.

Breakfast at 5:30 a.m. at home

Overnight oats, my friends. It’s my go-to. It’s a mixture made of Greek yogurt, almond milk, chia seeds, rolled oats and cinnamon. I always throw on a big banana and enjoy it with a mug of hot green tea, sweetened with almond milk and stevia.

I downed that while doing a little blogging, then hit the road for my nearly two mile walk to work before I met my first client at 7 a.m.

This breakfast runs about 425 calories with around 20 grams of protein.

Snack at 8:45 a.m. at work

In between clients, I had this snack in the break-room. It’s a baggie of Trader Joe’s Breakfast Trek Mix, which includes roasted almonds, raisins, oat clusters, Greek yogurt chips and all sorts of goodness. I also had a little tub of cottage cheese, and halfway through eating these separately, I poured the mix onto the cottage cheese for a parfait. Now that was a filling and tasty delight.

It’s a good thing this mixture comes in single-serving baggies, because otherwise it would be hard to stop eating.

This morning snack runs around 300 calories with 13 grams of protein.

Lunch at 12:45 p.m. at work

The only time I eat salad that isn’t from a restaurant is when I prepare one to have at work. After much meal prep trial and error, I’ve found salad is the easiest thing there is to throw in a tupperware and take with me. This particular salad had grilled chicken, grilled peppers and onions, black beans, spinach, carrots and tomatoes with a little balsamic dressing. Another benefit of this meal other than the fact that it’s healthy? It’s break-room friendly, putting off zero unappetizing smells.

And it just looks good, doesn’t it? I didn’t have much time to eat this meal though, and basically had to shove it in my face before changing into my workout gear and meeting with one my fellow trainers for an intense one-hour-and-fifteen-minute workout. Yes, he helped me get back on track with my heavy-weight training program.

This lunch runs around 400 calories with about 36 grams of protein.

Post-workout shake at 2:30 p.m. at work

After I foam rolled and stretched to recover from my workout, I reached for this protein shake. It’s made with the Game Plan Whey Protein Powder that I recently mentioned in my Friday Favorites, and it’s really tasty.

This shake runs about 110 calories and 24 grams of protein.

Afternoon snack at 5:15 p.m. at work

Before I met with my last two appointments of the evening, I had a huge fuji apple and a bag of trail mix. Don’t be fooled, I didn’t eat another bag of the Breakfast Trek Mix, but this is a bag of the Trader Joe’s Omega Trek Mix, featuring almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cranberries and more. It’s also a taste sensation.

This snack did a good job of holding me over through the final hours of work, until I got home, unpacked my bags, took a shower and repacked my bags for the next early morning wake-up. Ohhhh the life of a trainer.

This snack runs about 275 calories and 5 grams of protein.

Dinner at 8:45 p.m. at home

My last meal of the day was a good one. It was zucchini and squash noodles, topped with sauteed spinach, carrots and grape tomatoes. I put a little Sockarooni pasta sauce on it and mixed in three Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs for some protein. Ever since I bought my Veggetti, I’ve been eating zucchini pasta noodles twice a week. I could eat this meal every single night. Soooo healthy and delicious.

This meal runs about 350 calories with around 24 grams of protein.

After-dinner beverage at 9 p.m. at home

See this almond milk? I heated it up in the microwave for a minute-and-a-half to make it a warm and comforting treat for my usual post-dinner chug.

This beverage runs about 60 calories and 2 grams of protein.

And that was all she wrote. You’ll see I often eat the same things during the week, mostly because once I’ve found something quick, healthy and hearty, I stick with it. The weekends tend to stray just a bit, especially dinners out on Friday and Saturday nights.

Now, it’s time to go off and take on another day. Today features a break big enough in the middle for me to leave the gym to fit in one of my last ClassPass experiences before going back for my evening sessions.

Stay in touch

If you’re new around here to A Lady Goes West, I’d love to stay connected with you, so be sure to follow me on Bloglovin’, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more healthy living ramblings throughout the week. And check back tomorrow, because I’m bringing you a full review of a Barry’s Bootcamp workout class.

If you like to see these food recaps, check out my past posts, or visit the official home of “What I Ate Wednesday.”

1. A full day of eating in pictures
2. Another full day of my eats and drinks
3. Real food isn’t always pretty
4. Do you have a balanced dining out strategy?
5. What I ate and drank all day
6. Three meals, two snacks and a shake
7. Food trucks and rest-day eating
8. Plenty of protein at every meal
9. Colorful fuel for a day of training

Questions of the day

Do you eat the same things for dinner each week or switch it up? Does anyone else out there look forward to a protein shake? I sure do!