What A Nutrition Coach Eats In A Day

Have you ever been curious about what a nutrition coach eats in a day? Well, we’ve got a bunch of diverse eaters here at Macros Inc, each with their own unique style and goals. So, I decided to sit down with five of them to give you a glimpse into the world of what a nutrition coach eats in a day. Whether they’re vegans, watching their calories, maintaining or bulking up, let’s dive into what fuels their day.

What a vegetarian/vegan coach eats in a day:

Let’s start with the vegetarians and vegans among us.  Meet Coach Melody, a vegan who doesn’t track her food, and Coach Rachel G, who’s also a vegan but who prefers to keeps tabs on her intake, aiming for 1400 calories a day during her cut.

What is your overall philosophy when it comes to food and nutrition? Are there any specific principles or beliefs that guide your approach?

I asked Coach Melody and Coach Rachel to tell me a little about their philosophy around food and what helps guide their eating decisions throughout the day. Coach Melody is a moral vegan who does her best to minimize the environmental impact and harm to other creatures.

Coach Rachel is also a vegan and focuses her diet on vegetables and variety to ensure that she gets lots of nutrients and food volume to keep her satiated when calories are lower. That said, she is not one to shy away from having a daily treat!

So what does a typical day of eating look like?

Coach Melody is all about three square meals, keeping things simple and filling with fewer snacks throughout the day. This helps her with food noise and keeps her feeling satiated for longer. She tends to stick to her go-to meals, mainly because she doesn’t track, but she always makes sure that she gets enough protein with meat substitutes and loads up on nutritious veggies. Breakfast might be a quick Dave’s Amazing Everything bagel as she dashes out the door during the week or a fancier tofu scramble on the weekends. For lunch, you’ll catch her with a protein-packed meat substitute, Ezekiel bread, and lots of veggies. And dinner? Leftovers from slow-cooked goodies cooked from frozen food, and for dessert, some fresh fruit with a few squares of 70% or higher dark chocolate to hit that sweet tooth!

Coach Rachel likes to spread her meals out, with up to four or five meals a day to keep those hunger pangs at bay.  She’s a planner, and likes to map out her meals, keeping an eye on her macros and sticks to her daily allowance.  That can be really important for people with lower macros! She starts by identifying her protein source for each meal, then builds the rest around that while staying within her calories.  Below is an example of the Coach Rachel’s typical food logs:

What challenges have you faced in maintaining your eating habits, and how do you adapt to different situations or goals?

Coach Melody has learned that it is hard to eat and perfect out while being vegan, and there will be events that she can not eat at. She loves using the Happy Cow app to identify vegan-friendly restaurants while traveling!

Coach Rachel finds that her biggest challenge when cutting is not planning, especially on weekends. To navigate this, she sets an alarm on her phone that says “plan your food” to ensure she still prioritizes her goals.

And now, the big question: what’s the one food you couldn’t live without?

I asked both coaches the big question, what is the one food that they couldn’t live without? Coach Melody couldn’t quite nail down one dish, but her love for Thai food became crystal clear during her time traveling in Thailand. She could feast on it all day, every day, without ever getting tired of it! Coach Rachel however didn’t miss a beat, declaring Trader Joe’s Vegan Buffalo Dip as her go-to favorite.

What a nutrition coach on a low macro diet eats in a day:

The next couple of coaches I wanted to look at are examples of more petite women who are navigating their diets with fewer macros. One coach preferred to stay anonymous, but we also have coach Krista Snyder sharing her journey with us. Our anonymous coach gave us some great examples of food logs in the 1200 range, so look below for those!

What is your overall philosophy when it comes to food and nutrition? Are there any specific principles or beliefs that guide your approach?

Now, when it comes to their food philosophy, it’s all about balance. Our anonymous coach follows a 90/10 rule, focusing 90% on nutritious foods while allowing for a bit of flexibility with less satiating options. She’s all about maximizing food volume, especially during her cut phase.

On the other hand, Coach Krista’s mantra revolves around enjoying what she eats to fuel her daily activities. She believes that she, and her clients, should love what you eat and how it makes you feel!

So, what does a typical day of eating look like for these two?

Our anonymous coach, maintaining a deficit under 1200 calories, opts for substantial meals with fewer snacks throughout the day. She starts her mornings with a protein-rich coffee and saves her appetite for a late lunch/dinner (Linner), and a bedtime snack, ensuring satisfaction and better sleep. High-volume, high-fiber foods are her go-to to keep her feeling full. And since she’s a seasoned tracker, she often sticks to familiar foods that she knows fit her goals without needing to track them meticulously. Check out her food log below to see what a typical day looks like:

Meanwhile, Coach Krista sticks to a consistent routine. She’s been following a similar eating pattern for over seven years! Three balanced meals a day with a snack or two, depending on her training schedule. Planning her meals a day ahead helps her stay accountable and on track.

What challenges have you faced in maintaining your eating habits, and how do you adapt to different situations or goals?

Our Anonymous coach admits that her biggest challenge while dieting is hunger and navigating tricky social events. Sometimes, she’ll opt for a maintenance day to enjoy a special gathering, but during deficit phases, she limits those events to stay on track with her goals. It’s much easier to enjoy those meals and social events when you’re in a maintenance phase!

Coach Krista says that her biggest challenge when dieting is also eating out. She doesn’t shy away from asking for foods to be cooked without oil or butter and ordering off the menu by choosing things like grilled protein and steamed veggies to help keep the calories in check. She also avoids alcohol or sugary beverages opting to focus on filling, satisfying foods instead.

And now, the big question: what’s the one food you couldn’t live without?

Anonymous Coach: “When in a deficit, veggies.  Otherwise, pizza!”

Coach Krista: “ICE CREAM 10000%. I don’t know what it is about ice cream, maybe a texture, but if I couldn’t have ice cream in my normal eating routine, I wouldn’t be a happy camper.”

What a nutrition coach on bulk/maintenance calories eats in a day:

Let’s wrap things up with Coach Brooke and a peek into my own eating habits as Coach Brittany.

Now, when it comes to food and nutrition, Coach Brooke doesn’t have a strict philosophy per se. Her main focus is on making sure she doesn’t feel deprived in her day-to-day while also ensuring she gets enough micronutrients from whole foods to fuel her daily activities and training. It’s all about finding that balance between what she wants and what she needs throughout the day.

As for me, I’m all about keeping it balanced. I don’t have any hard “nos” when it comes to food, but I do try to prioritize whole foods as much as possible. Not only does it help me feel better overall, but as a shorter individual, it also helps me stay within my macros, even during a bulk!

So, what does a typical day of eating look like?

Coach Brooke is big on planning her food, and she navigates this by logging her dinner first so that she has the macro set aside to eat with her family. She will build the rest of her day around her dinner meal. She puts in her protein, then moves to her fruits and veggies, and then fills in the rest with the fun foods she craves that day.  She sticks to three meals daily with one or two snacks, ensuring she gets large, satiating meals to fuel her through the day.  But one big challenge? Anticipating the day ahead – whether it’s chauffeuring the kids around or resisting the urge to snack while out and about, she’s always planning ahead.

Now, when it comes to me, I  always describe myself as a simple eater. I consider myself relatively busy, and it’s not a priority for me to spend a lot of time thinking of what I will eat. Most of my meals consist of a protein, a fruit or a veggie, and a carbohydrate Source. I put them together, season them to taste good, and eat them.  I make sure I have many colors throughout my day, and I stick to three to four meals daily. By having a smaller number of meals, I can make them larger, which keeps me satiated longer.  I tend to be hungry, so I’m always mindful of that.

What challenges have you faced in maintaining your eating habits, and how do you adapt to different situations or goals?

For Coach Brooke, the biggest challenge is maintaining a routine. With life throwing curveballs left and right, even the best-laid plans can go sideways. To tackle this, she keeps some trusty staples in the freezer as backup plans for those hectic days!

As for me, well, I’ve had my fair share of challenges too.  I spent years maintaining a super lean body weight, which took a toll on both my body and mind. Transitioning into this bulk phase has been a whole new ball game. You see, with a history of dieting, I tended to swing between under-eating and overeating. So intentionally upping my calorie intake was initially tough – I mean, cramming in those extra calories felt like a mission! But after a few months, I settled in. Now, my hunger cues are more balanced than they’ve been in, well, probably a decade.

And now, the big question: what’s the one food you couldn’t live without?

Brooke: “CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!” 

Me? Well, it has to be an Everything bagel with cream cheese and lox. My favorite!

Wrap Up

So what can we take away from this? Everybody follows a slightly different nutritional practice, and that is ok! There is no one “right” way to eat, there is only what is right for you and your goals.

If you’re feeling lost about where to begin with your nutrition journey, why not book a call with one of our team members? Discover how our coaching can support you in reaching your goals.