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In the past month or two I’ve received a slew of DM’s asking me to go over what I eat in a day, changes I’ve made, etc. While I’m flattered (not offended at all), I don’t plan on doing a new “what I eat in a day” post. I’ve done one before and though I agree it can be an interesting read, it’s really hard to take what I do and apply it to yourself. You aren’t going to get the same results. Period.

I’m going to go into some specific things, but ultimately, I hope you leave this post with the mindset to make the best possible decisions for your body and yours alone. Keep reading for some thoughts and things to keep in mind around eating and finding out what is best for you!

I finally tried Burgers Never Say Day in Silverlake last weekend and it is SO GOOD.

If there’s anything I’ve learned since being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis this past January (2020), it is that it is pretty rare for one specific thing that works for one person to work on another. Whether it is your family’s genetics or just the way your body works, everyone is literally so different. One example I always go back to is eating veggies raw versus cooked. A lot of people I follow on Instagram have really pushed raw diets and raw being best. Here I am over here trying to force down raw broccoli (not my fave), only to find out that people with UC (and most humans!!) digest vegetables easier COOKED. Sure a raw diet might work for Susie Q over there, but ultimately ask yourself what works best for you. Now I don’t feel bad for cooking my broc broc versus choking it down out of the fridge. Why did I feel bad for that in the first place? I guess that is a con to social media these days assigning “good” and “bad”to foods, when we really shouldn’t feel that way about them at all. Going to pull a line from most motherhood circles and say “fed is best”.

I went into specific things regarding Ulcerative Colitis here and talked about it some on this instagram post, but basically I have lost over 10 pounds this year. I haven’t weighed myself recently, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more weight has come off. I knew I was at my heaviest weight toward the end of last year, but I had also been doing hour long yoga classes 5 days a week, was walking more than I ever since moving to LA and hadn’t really changed anything in my eating habits. About 8 months ago, my inflammation levels (measured via stool sample) were around 1060. A “normal” inflammation level is 50 or below. When I went for my check-in with my doctor a month ago, My inflammation levels dropped to around 260. I need to get it under 150 to be considered in remission, but still!! Doesn’t it make sense that I’ve lost 10+ pounds? I was so inflamed and bloated all the time. I’m not suggesting that you have UC or another issue if weight won’t fall off like it has “appeared” to do for me, but just be mindful of your body. Also know that I noticed feeling less bloated around 3 months after being on medication, but others have only just begun to notice. The point is that my inflammation weight didn’t fall off overnight.

So what now? I still try to move my body 5 days a week, whether that is yoga or some kind of pilates or HIIT. I still try to get a walk or a hike in on the weekend. If anything, I’ve begun to work out less! Since July I’ve been doing more 20 - 30 minute workout classes and guess what? It hasn’t changed much if anything. I think I had a stigma around needing to workout for an hour for it to count, but that is really not true. Lately I’m loving CorePower Yoga, Boho Beautiful, Bailey Brown, and EmKFit. I LOVE wearing my Adidas Adidas Racer TR23 to train in or just walk around the neighborhood. I feel like my feet can stretch out and breathe in this. They have tons of Mens Athletic shoes to check out too! Nick loves his Dropset Trainer shoes.

Regarding eating, again not much has changed. I really try to be mindful about what I’m eating. I’m lucky in the sense that my UC wasn’t bad enough to make me have a specific diet. I have many UC friends who can’t enjoy a salad or even bite into an apple. Everything must be cooked and that is how they feel their best. I’ve tried cutting dairy and didn’t really see a difference, so I do still eat it. I do limit it and use nutritional yeast where I can; however, I’m always down for queso or a good cheese board. I basically do the same processed sugar and try not to eat any before lunch…mainly because it gives me a headache when I do. When bread comes into the picture, I’m pretty picky. Hah! During quarantine we started making our own Sourdough bread and it is SO GOOD. This is also the same base for our pizzas, and pretty much any other bread we eat. Sourdough is actually easier for your stomach to digest, so I’m ALL IN. If I’m buying bread, I purchase Dave’s Killer Bread or from a local bakery. My stance on pasta is that it should be homemade. This means that it is processed the least and easier on your stomach. Don’t get me wrong… I do keep Kraft macaroni and cheese on hand (literally had it yesterday), in addition to brown rice pasta when I’m in a pinch! Not against it, just not a habit for me. I’m pretty selective! Sometimes I break this “rule”, but in general I try to have bread with one meal a day versus all three. If I know I’m having pizza for dinner, I don’t plan on having a sandwich for lunch. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but I find I physically feel better if I abide by this rule of thumb.

the answers to what i eat in a day plus my current workout regimen, lments of style, la blogger, ulcerative colitis, burgers never say die, why "what i eat in a day" is BS

Some things to think about…

Actually pay attention to what you’re eating and how it makes you feel. I LOVE kombucha or a good Topo Chico, but a lot of carbonation makes me bloated and keeps me feeling sub par. I enjoy these in small doses and on special occasions… at my own risk;). Listen to your body and what it is trying to tell you and you’ll be better off.
Know your cycle. Did you know that you’re often hungrier in the last part of your cycle? (luteal phase, which is after you ovulate / before you start your period again). I didn’t know this until recently, but it is true!! So many women are feeling good on the first half of their cycle, because they are eating less and working out well. Then the second half hits and they are hungrier than ever and their workouts don’t feel the same. When you’re in tune with your body, you can nourish it rather than be mad at it for doing its job. You can learn more about this by following your menstrual cycle and researching the infradian rhythm.
Watch the fad diets. Guess what? Most fad diets along with a lot of medical studies are not tested on women past puberty / before menopause. Because of our cycle, we are pretty hard to test on, as you need women in each part of the cycle to be a test group. Take intermittent fasting for example. The main studies are done on men and women in menopause. If you are of child bearing age, doing IF can actually shrink your ovaries among other things. Just know what you are signing up for and make sure it is right for you! Fad diets are also just that… FADS. Personally it doesn’t make sense to restrict things you plan on going back to unless it is under the care of a dietitian. I cut out processed sugar for 6 weeks to see if my skin would clear, but still ate fruit and drank wine. This is an area I still limit, but partake in for certain occasions.
Cook more. Nick and I love to cook, but have been cooking more due to the pandemic. We are total foodies and moving to a new city makes for SO MANY eating out options. When you make the food yourself, you can more closely monitor the ingredients and generally eat better for your body. Find out what healthy swaps you like and use them! I use plain greek yogurt for EVERYTHING. Some recipe blogs I love are The Defined Dish, Minimalist Baker, Skinny Mom, Ambitious Kitchen, Skinny Mom, Inspiralized, and Sally’s Baking Addiction. I also love Kristin Cavallari’s cookbooks, as well as cookbooks by The Defined Dish, Oh She Glows.

I hope these tips are helpful and made you think! The next time you click to read someone’s meal habits, do it for nosey reasons… not to try and mold your life to it. But for reference, I typically have bacon, eggs, and a banana every morning. Lunch usually consists of leftovers from last night’s dinner, and dinner is whatever I can cook up. Hah! Every Friday we like to make pizza. We probably have Belcampo cheeseburgers or make patty melts from Belcampo beef at least every 2 weeks. Also, homemade fries are AWESOME. We make a lot of bread and love ourselves some sourdough pancakes. Life is short. Eat what you love, but do so mindfully and with moderation!