What does a trainer eat? By Coach Robyn

A lot of people ask me about what to eat and what foods I eat personally.  Well, when it comes to what I eat....it's really no secret.  Nothing crazy, nothing special, nothing too out there.  I shoot to eat foods as close to their natural forms as possible.  I do eat meat.  I have tried to go without and know that I am not getting the quota for the amount of protein that I need and I am not willing to get it from other sources (or at least all of it).  Yes, I do like legumes, lentils, beans, etc but I know that I cannot eat enough of those to get the 100 grams or more of protein I shoot for in a day to keep my metabolism up and ensure that I maintain or (in the case of my 90 day challenge goals of gaining lean muscles mass) gain muscle mass.  If you are one of these people, then please do NOT be vegetarian.  Being a vegetarian or vegan is very difficult and takes a lot of planning and preparation.  If you are willing to spend the extra time learning about how to use a vegetarian lifestyle to maintain good health then I am all for it.  If you are just going to eliminate meat and animal products without increasing protein from other sources, then I am not.

Whether you are a meat eater or not, protein shakes are highly effective at getting the amount of protein that you need.  I use Advocare's Meal Replacement Shake every morning because it has 24 grams of protein and time-released carbs and then I fill in the gaps throughout the day with Muscle Gain protein. The reason I like Advocare's protein is that it is a very high quality, pre-digestive protein that your body can use (aka it is bioavailable) within 15-20 minutes.  Getting this protein to your muscles in a quick fashion helps your body use it to grow, recover and build muscle which all leads to increased metabolism.

Back to what I eat.  Well, most of the time when I cook for myself, I load up on a ton of different veggies from Sprouts or the Burnet Road Farmer's market.  I also make sure I have a good protein source like Salmon, Chicken, Turkey, Lean Beef or sometimes Pork.  If at all possible, I'm buying from the farmer's market or something that is local.  When I cook, I am not gonna lie....I just cut everything up, throw some olive oil in a pan with garlic and span fry it up.  There are many others ways but this is my preferred for taste and amount of time it takes.  Yes, I am a creature of convenience as well.  This is usually my dinner.

For breakfast (or for me it's a mid-morning meal since I usually get up early and have a meal replacement shake), it's most likely 2-3 eggs, some leftover protein from the night before's dinner and some random veggies like peppers, onions, kale, spinach, etc

Throughout the day, I'm snacking on nuts, carrots and hummus, avocados, apples with peanut butter and my leftover meals.

And that's about it!  There's really nothing left for me to include here.  It's pretty simple......at least for me.  I have learned what foods effect my body negatively over the years and I simply try to stay away or reduce the consumption of them all together.  Fried food is completely OUT.  Frozen meals GONE.  Breads and Pasta, drastically reduced.  Fast food (the traditional kinds).....well I don't even consider what they serve "food" so absolutely not.  Dairy....not anymore. I stick to clean foods.  Fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs.

Supplements are essential in my world.  Out of all the brands and company out there, Advocare is the only one I've come across in which I absolutely trust that the product does what it says it does.  I just know I can trust each and every single one of Advocare's products.  Not to mention that I feel a noticeable difference when I take them as well as increased results when my clients do.

Here's what I had for dinner this evening which is pretty typical a few nights per week.  I had a burger with avocado on top, portabella mushrooms, kale, onions, squash and cabbage. This meal took me about 30 minutes to make start to finish.

~ Coach Robyn