I know the food goals over the past 4 weeks have been a bit of a challenge. We've been moving quickly to get all those goals in, and I promise that things will be simpler from here on out! You still need to focus on those protein, veggie, carb and fat servings, but we'll be adding easier goals along with them, so you can continue to really work on getting those right.
For week 7, your goal is to get in 100 oz of water every day. But keep in mind that only plain, clear water actually counts as water! Tea isn't water, and neither is coffee. You can still have those, but only in addition to your 100 oz of water! Watch the video for all the details, or keep reading below the video. But be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page for a couple of printable resources!
The rules
You need to avoid any calorie containing or artificially sweetened beverages. This means avoid juice, soda (diet, too!), Crystal Light, Gatorade, and yes... even alcohol. Hold on, don't quit on me yet! Keep reading, and I will show you how to fit in some freebies. The exception to this rule is milk (nut milks, coconut milk, cream in your coffee, etc) and coconut water that you may be using in your smoothies and protein shakes.
Zero calorie beverages that are sweetened with stevia (like Zevia) are ok in moderation. La Croix, San Pelligrino and other flavored unsweetened drinks are ok, also. Just be sure to check your ingredient label! Some San Pelligrino waters are sweetened! And even though these are all ok in moderation, they still may not replace any of your water requirements. You can only have one of these in ADDITION to your 100 oz of plain, clear water.
"But you said something about freebies." Yes, I did. Keep reading, we'll get there...
Rather than continuing to write down everything you ingest in a food journal, you're now going to check off whether your meal was an "anytime" meal, a "post workout" meal, or a "freebie". Your protein + veggie + fat meals are your "anytime" (AT) meals, and your protein + veggie + carb meals are your "post workout" (PWO) meals. Anytime you eat something that doesn't fit into the AT or PWO meal categories, or drink something that isn't an allowed beverage (ahem... glass of wine?), you will mark it as a "freebie". You will also be checking off your water intake.
Resources
Need help figuring out your AT and PWO meals? Here's a cheat sheet to help! Download and print it out, or take a screenshot so you can refer back to it.
I also made a meal journal sheet you can use, to replace your food journal. Print it out and check off the boxes as you go! Using this sheet isn't a requirement- use whatever method works best for you.
Summary
1- meal plan and prep
2- eat slowly and stop at 80% full
3- eat 3-4 meals daily: all anytime meals on non workout days, and up to 2 post workout meals on workout days
4- 100 oz of water daily
5- record daily: AT meals, PWO meals, freebies, and water intake