I just completed a round of the Faster Way to Fat Loss program and learned so much about counting macros and better understanding how to fuel my body properly. Doing this program while pregnant, though, I did modify certain aspects – I did not do the intermittent fasting or low macro days, and I bumped up my carb intake slightly on low carb day, per my coach’s recommendations. With that said, I felt like I really got the hang of counting macros and carb cycling and I can’t wait to fully implement the entire program after the baby is born!
I thought I’d share some of my go-to meal ideas that kept me on track for the entire 7 weeks of this round of the FWTFL program. As a note, my coach, Kristen, is okay with gluten and dairy in moderation, whereas some coaches say you should avoid it altogether during the program. I already avoid dairy all the time and gluten most of the time, so I just continued that and was able to essentially continue to eat a mostly Paleo and Whole30 diet. Once I started tracking macros, I found that I naturally eat lower carb because I don’t eat gluten and often replace grains with things like riced cauliflower and zoodles, so it did require a bit more planning on my end to ensure I ate enough carbs on regular macro days! To be honest, I’m a creature of habit with breakfast and lunches, so there’s not a ton of variety in those categories – I ate pretty much one of two things for breakfasts on weekdays and weekends, we’d cook pancakes or waffles with eggs and turkey sausage for a little more variety. As for lunch, I’m a huge fan of salads, so I just made them with whatever I had in the fridge at the time! If you read my blog, you know I do a weekly meal plan, so there was a little more variety and creativity there. 🙂
Sign up for the next round of the FWTFL program here!
Faster Way to Fat Loss Breakfast Ideas
- Whole30 Sausage, Egg + Sweet Potato Casserole
- Protein Pancakes
- Eggs with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning + Avocado
- Turkey Sausage
- Paleo Pancakes
- Paleo Waffles
- Protein Oatmeal (Oats with protein powder/collagen powder/egg whites)
Faster Way to Fat Loss Lunch Ideas
- Salads
- Add a protein: Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burger, ground turkey, shredded chicken or pork, etc.
- Add veggies: carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc.
- Add additional toppings: on low carb days, I add avocado and/or hummus for extra fat and on regular macro days, I add dried cranberries for the extra carbs
- Add dressing: on low carb days, I topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the extra fats and on regular macro days, I would use Hilary’s brand or Trader Joe’s Green Goddess salad dressing or salsa
- Sauteed shaved Brussels Sprouts with olive oil and balsamic topped with a Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burger
- Sauteed spinach with shredded chicken or pork, avocado and balsamic vinegar (add olive oil for low carb days)
- Low-carb or gluten-free tortilla roll up with shredded chicken, hummus, spinach, peppers, avocado, etc.
Faster Way to Fat Loss Dinner Ideas
- Pesto Chicken
- Whole30 Chicken Alfredo
- Tacos or Taco Salads with Mexican Cauliflower Rice – love the versatility of this! Can tweak toppings/ingredients for low carb day or regular macro day
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Turkey Burgers + Baked Fries
- Dairy-free Cauliflower Crust Pizza
- Turkey or Chicken Meatballs
- Lemon Chicken “Pasta”
- Paleo Sweet Potato Chili
- Pork Chops with Apples + Greens
- Shrimp + “Grits”
- Paleo Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Pulled Pork + Sweet Potatoes
- Ground Turkey Spaghetti (can do zoodles or spaghetti squash for low carb day)
- Coconut Lime Chicken
Faster Way to Fat Loss Snack Ideas
When it came to snacks, I would input my macros for breakfast, lunch and dinner first, then base my snacks on the macros I needed to round out my day. So, some days were heavy on carbs, some heavy on fats…but honestly, I got most of my protein from my three big meals of the day so I didn’t have to go too heavy on protein for snacking.
- Apple with almond butter
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Scrambled eggs with Everything But the Bagel seasoning
- Oatmeal with peanut butter
- ThinkThin bar
- Perfect bar
- RxBar
- Silk Almond Milk or Soy Yogurt + Fruit
- Fresh Fruit
- Smoothie
- Cereal with fruit or peanut butter
- Carrots and hummus
- Grapes and walnuts
What cereal did you use for your snack?
I️ tend to reach for lower sugar cereal like Puffins, Oat Squares, Life, and Cheerios. I️ also have found a few gluten/grain-free options at Whole Foods, including Seven Sundays cereal!