‘What To Eat To Lose Weight – What I Eat In A Day’ – Monica May
Okay, so we’re finally here.
I’ve wanted to do this article for SO long since I had many requests over the past few months.
And today I’m finally showing you guys what I actually eat in a day to lose weight.
For those of you who are subscribed to my RADIATE Meal Plan, you already know what I eat daily.
However, today, I’m shooting out some of my favorites recipes showing everyone how a fit girl eats to get and stay fit.
Also, this is an opportunity for all of you out there to see that you don’t have to starve to lose weight.
On the contrary, you can eat as much as you want, as long as the foods you eat are healthy and clean.
So, if you are wondering what to eat to lose weight, you are in the right place!
Just stay with me as we go through every single meal and snack I have throughout my day.
Enough chit-chat, let’s get started right now!
Pssst… Check out my all-in-one meal plan + workout program!
What To Eat To Lose Weight
Breakfast
I always start my day with a glass of water.
It helps me start off with my morning right, and hydrate at the very beginning of the day.
After I drink my water, I start preparing my breakfast.
My all-time favorite breakfast and probably the healthiest one, is rolled oats with Greek yogurt, fruits, and nut butter.
It’s super fast and easy to make, it takes less than 2 minutes.
Yet, it’s freaking delicious!
And it’s nothing like the regular boring oatmeal since it has a bunch of delicious and rich ingredients that make this breakfast full of flavors.
The berries and nut butter really give this oatmeal a special taste, making it satisfy your sweet cravings and keeping you full for a longer time.
Here’s exactly how I do it…
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 small banana
- 1/2 cup berries
- 1 tablespoon Peanut butter or any nut butter by choice
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds.
All you have to do is combine the base ingredients, which are rolled oats, Greek Yogurt, and banana and mix them nicely using a spoon.
Then add the topping – berries and nut butter.
In this case, I’m using peanut butter, but you can use your favorite nut butter.
Mine’s favorite is definitely hazelnut butter.
In the end, sprinkle chia seeds on top.
This can be premade in a food container or a jar as overnight oats too.
Also, check out my 10 rice cake recipe ideas, for more breakfast and snack options:
Snack
When someone asks me what to eat to lose weight, my very first thing to think of is healthy snacks.
So many women out there tend to eat healthy every day, but mess it all up by snacking the wrong foods in between their meals.
And as a matter of fact, snacking is not a bad habit at all, you just have to make sure the snacks you eat are healthy.
I always take healthy snacks with me on the go.
That being said, one of my favorite go-to snacks is hummus with carrot sticks.
I usually add it in a jar with the carrots on top, so that I could carry them with me wherever I go.
This way, I make sure to always have a ready to eat, healthy snack on hand.
Here’s how I do my hummus…
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch of black pepper
Lunch
In my diet, lunch is one of the most important meals of the day.
I pay really close attention to it so that it’s the perfect balance of proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs, same as my breakfast.
I have my lunch approximately 5 hours after my breakfast.
It’s usually something fast and easy to make, and today, I’m going to share my favorite recipe with you.
I love having some sort of chicken for lunch, paired with my favorite veggies.
That being said, here’s what I’ll use in today’s recipe…
Ingredients:
- 1 medium-size chicken breast
- 1 onion
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup cauliflower
- spices: paprika, curry, powdered garlic, Himalayan salt, pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven on 200 degrees celsius.
Cut the sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower in pieces, spread them on a baking sheet and add them in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Slice the chicken breast on cubes.
Add it in a small bowl together with the spices, plus the onion and one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
Mix them nicely and let them sit for about 5-10 minutes.
Add them in a pan and cook over medium-high heat on the stove for a few minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
It usually takes me around 8-10 minutes.
You can add a splash of water to the pan if it’s getting to dry.
Once fully baked, remove the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli from the oven, and squeeze fresh lemon juice over them.
Add them on a plate next to the cooked chicken.
Eat and enjoy!
Pre-Workout Snack
My all-time favorite pre-workout snack is peanut butter and apple.
I usually take this on the go, half an hour before my workout.
It’s delicious, fulfilling and packed with energy, healthy fats and proteins, which makes it THE BEST pre-workout snack.
Even if you are not working out, this is the best snack to keep you full until dinner time.
You can add it in a jar and have it on the go.
Shake
Protein shakes are so beneficial, especially if you are working out.
They add up on that fast-digesting protein your muscles need right after finishing the workout.
I have my protein shake within 20 minutes after finishing my workout.
If I don’t have time, I usually grab a bottle add water and a scoop of protein and sip up.
I usually add a little bit of kefir too – I just like how it tastes that way.
>>> Check out my Fit Girl’s Guide To Protein Shakes – Do We Really Need Protein?!
However, when I have the time, I make a shake using:
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- 1/2 apple
- A few lemon drops
- 1/3 cup water.
I blend them nicely in a food processor and add a scoop of my favorite clean unflavored whey protein.
However, this is not a meal replacement – I always have my dinner afterward.
Dinner
I usually eat my dinner within an hour after finishing my workout.
Since this is the last meal of my day, I tend to make it as clean as possible, but then again full of volume.
That being said, my dinner is usually a salad.
I make sure my salad has lots of proteins inside, however I usually do it with what I currently have in the fridge.
Here’s what that usually looks like…
Ingredients:
- Lettuce
- Arugula
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/2 avocado
- Few slices of mozzarella
- Pumpkin seeds
- Tahini dressing
- 1/2 tomato
I usually just mix everything in a salad bowl and top it all up with my favorite tahini dressing.
Instead of the eggs, you can add chicken if you have leftovers from lunch or any other type of protein you prefer.
You can also add this in a jar, layered in diverse order, if you want to have it on the go, or do it as meal prep.
Now Come On, Start Eating Healthy Already!
If you were looking for a sign to start eating healthy – this is it!
I challenge you to eat like me for a full day and see what happens.
Trust me, amazing things will happen – you’ll fall in love with healthy food.
If you’d like to see what I eat in a month, and get a monthly meal plan with 28-Days of healthy, weight loss meals, head-on and start my meal plan.
Also, let me know in the comments below if you’d like me to do ‘what to eat to lose weight Vegan Edition – I’ll be more than happy to do it.
Although my meal plan is not vegan, it’s most certainly vegan-friendly.
Get it now and start eating healthy today!
Till next time babes!
xo,
Monica
What a great article!
Glad you like it :)
FITGIRLSDIARY is literally the BEST weight loss community anywhere. I read it everyday, and I’m so grateful I found it, it helped me not only lose weight but keep it off, hope it helps others as well!
everything looks tasty
Thanks babe :)
<3
The lunch recipe says to mix ingredients for the sauce and top the sweet potatoes and broccoli with it. What’s recipe for the sauce?
Omg, sorry, I just corrected it.
I mixed it up in a hurry to publish it :)
The sauce/dressing is actually the one I used in the dinner recipe.
However, I didn’t end up using it in the lunch recipe, I only squeezed fresh lemon over my veggies.
Thanks for noticing :)
Hugs,
Monica
yummy
Awesome to get a taste of how your day shapes up.. Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay!! So glad you like it!
Regards,
Monica
Hi! How many calories you end up eating in a day?
Hi Anna,
I don’t really count calories.
My meal plan is all about healthy food.
That being said, healthy food doesn’t always mean low-calorie food, and that’s totally fine.
All calories are not the same, and they are not processed the same way in our bodies.
It’s always better to eat a handful of almonds, instead of diet coke with zero calories. Regardless of the calories, almonds are good for your body, and for your health, they will fill you with all the right nutrients that will only promote weight loss.
On the other hand, the zero-calorie coke will do nothing good for you.
So, yes, I don’t really believe in calories.
I make sure to eat healthy, real foods, and limit the portions sizes of high-calorie foods such as peanut butter and almond butter for example.
Other than that I don’t really care about calories.
This doesn’t mean that you are wrong to count calories, because that’s most certainly one way to lose weight too, but not the healthiest one if you ask me.
I believe in healthy, real foods, and that’s working for me and for many girls out there for sure.
Hope I helped.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Best,
Monica
This is a great article! Thanks for sharing a lot of information.
Love, love every single menu ideas. Fantastic article
So glad you like it!!!
Love,
Monica
All your meals for the day look delicious! Do you have any dessert at the end of the day? I have such a sweet tooth. I love having a treat at the end of the day. Wondering if you do too? Thank you for sharing
Marjie,
Yes! I feel you!
I have a sweet tooth, especially when it’s “that time of the month” :)
I mostly snack on protein bars, here’s a link to my faves:
https://fitgirlsdiary.com/iherb-best-high-protein-snacks/
I also have so many recipes here on my blog for deserts, here’s a link to some of them:
https://fitgirlsdiary.com/rice-cake-recipe-ideas-recipes-with-rice-cakes/
https://fitgirlsdiary.com/easy-and-delicious-vegan-gluten-free-pancakes-recipe/
Hope I helped :)
Love,
Monica
Hi! I was wondering if you use a bottled tahini dressing or if you use a recipe? I’d love to know what your favorite tahini dressing is.
Hi,
I don’t use bottled tahini dressings because of the added ingredients.
If you find one that’s clean in ingredients, you can absolutely go for it.
However, I do it myself, simply by mixing a little bit tahini, a lemon juice, curry powder, and a teaspoon or two of water to help mix everything nice.
And that’s it :)
Try it out and let me know if you like it!
Hugs,
Monica