One thing I love about the MyFitnessPal app on my phone is that I can look at my overall progress a week at a time. The thing about good nutrition and healthy living is that it is all about averages. Every day isn’t going to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be in order to be healthy! This option on the app lets you see how you’re doing on average, and for me it tells me where I can improve day to day to be better overall.
For the week of January 7th, 2013…
- I was 103 calories over my weekly goal. That’s pretty darn good considering I only worked out 4 out of 7 days and had a couple of really “play food” filled days.
- I was over my total fat goal, but only by 6 grams. I was under my saturated fat goal for the week and under my cholesterol goal for the week.
- I was over on my sodium goal for the week my more than a day’s worth of sodium – 3308mg! This is something I need to work on for next week, and likely was over because of all of the “play food”. ;)
- I was under on potassium by a lot, but I’m not surprised. I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, something I need to work on. I’m trying to have a smoothie every day which helps me get in more fruit!
- I was under on total carbs for the week and I was 6 grams over my goal for fiber, woo hoo! Yay for good poops!
- I was over my protein goal for the week by 91 grams, more than my goal for a day.
- I met or exceeded the weekly goal for vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium BUT I only reached 67% of my weekly goal for iron. More leafy greens – eh, not my favorite, but I will try!
- Overall my balance for the macronutrients was 52% carbohydrates, 18% protein and 30% fat – pretty good ratio, if you ask me. (And you could ask me, since I’m a registered dietitian and a nutrition expert!)
No matter the numbers and statistics, I know I’m doing a better job of fueling my body because I feel a whole lot better. I am getting better sleep and more of it, and I am feeling more energetic every day.
I’ve already started this week off right with a bowl of my fiber packed oatmeal and the best smoothie I’ve made so far… here’s the recipe so you can try it!
Strawberry Orange Lemon Cream Pie Smoothie (yup, I’m that original)
- 1/2 cup frozen whole strawberries
- 1 individual mandarin orange fruit cup in juice (don’t drain the juice!)
- 1 6 oz container Yoplait Light Lemon Cream Pie yogurt
Put all ingredients into a blender and whip it up! I use a Hamilton Beach single serve blender and it works wonders for smoothies, plus you can just take the cup with you wherever you go rather than dirtying another glass. I love saving time on dishes. This smoothie was a yummy, fruity kick in the face this morning, I’m loving it! Total calories: 160, Carbs: 34g, Fat: 0g, Protein: 6g, Fiber: 2g, Sodium: 80mg. (Sorry, those are the only nutrients I track on MyFitnessPal online, so it’s the easiest for me to post! But trust me, you’re getting some good Vitamin C and Calcium in that smoothie, too!)
RD on the Run 