FAQ: "What was your diet like at the beginning of BBG"

I’m frequently asked what I was eating when I first started BBG, or how I learned to change my diet. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was doing and there was so much information out there that I was overwhelmed. I had counted calories almost my entire life but only focused on the number not on the nutrients I should have been consuming (at one point in college I was literally living on string cheese, granola bars, and chips because it was under my daily calorie goal).

This time I wanted to make sure I was truly eating healthy so I started using the “plate method”. If you haven’t heard of the plate method before, it originated from MyPlate (which replaced the USDA’s food pyramid in 2011) and is commonly used to teach people how to create balanced, portion-controlled meals. Canada’s 2019 food guide also follows this concept.

So how did I use the plate method?

1. I filled half of my plate with non-starchy vegetables. This was usually around 50 calories for me but of course depends on the vegetable and how you prepare it.

2. I filled 1/4 of my plate with 1 cup of grains or starchy vegetables (brown rice, pasta, quinoa, sweet potato, etc.) 1 cup of grains is approximately 200 calories.

3. I filled the last 1/4 of my plate with 4 oz of lean protein. 4 oz of lean protein is approximately 150 calories.

I also incorporated healthy fats by cooking with olive oil, adding nuts/avocado, and using peanut butter.

This method was an easy way for me to learn to create balanced meals under 500 calories. Below are examples of my meals using this method from the beginning of BBG.

Hope this helps! Tag me in your posts if you decide to try it out!

xx