I need nutritional help. I'm not a foodie and I don't really have cravings for anything anymore. I feel like there are times that I have to force myself to eat just to eat. I prefer to meal prep and have it all planned out and ready to go but that's where I end up meticulously calculating numbers and trying to make them fit into macro counts that never seem to fit my goals.
I grew up with a chronic yo-yo dieting mother and have been a label reader since I was 7. I was teased and bullied and told that if I eat fat I'll get fat and was called bubble butt and thunder thighs. I was constantly reminded to be careful of my food choices because what touches my lips goes to my hips ... real rich coming from a family of diabetic over-indulgers. I didn't really know any better at a younger age so I cut everything out and started eating mainly salads and minimal fruits. I was afraid of getting fat and my family would make little comments about clothes fitting differently or my face looking rounder. I was always active and never really a red meat or pork eater but would eat poultry and fish. Looking back now, I ate mostly healthy foods but nowhere near the amount of daily macros/nutrients/calories that my body needed. I would say I ate under 1,000 calories a day for years. In my twenties, I started noticing that certain foods made me bloat and I just didn't feel good after eating them so I started cutting them out. Now the tables turn and my family claims that I'm anorexic and that I have an eating disorder. I probably do have some sort of disorder or something.
Fast forward to today, I have a lot of food intolerances/allergies (poultry, soy, dairy, eggs, nuts, gluten) and I feel like I'm running out of food/meal options. I went full vegan about a year ago and it helped how I feel a lot. I felt like I was carrying around a ton of water weight, the majority of the foods I was having reactions to weren't vegan so they were cut anyways, plus I have pet ducks and it's hard to eat chicken (which I'm allergic to) and not think of them. I realize now that I have to eat healthy fats in order to burn fat. I don't do good with higher amounts of carbs (I bloat and feel terrible) and I don't do well with too much fat but I can't find that sweet spot of macros to get to my goals. I want to be toned and lean without being bulky and dumpy. I just can't get the fat to budge and it's driving me crazy.
I'm female, 5'7", 125 lbs. and I workout almost everyday, at least 30 minutes of cardio/hiit/piit and 30 minutes of yoga. I'm trying to squeeze in a 2 mile brisk walk in the mornings before work. I drink at least 2 liters of water a day, I follow 16/8 intermittent fasting and my Fitbit claims that I burn over 2,000 calories a day. I wouldn't say I'm fat, maybe more towards skinny fat but I do have obvious muscle. As for food ... that's where I hit the wall. I was doing a chickpea veggie soup but the tryptophan in the chickpeas made me crash after lunch and it was higher in carbs than I wanted. Today, for example - since I haven't been to the grocery store because I'm trying to figure out what to buy/make and I don't want to buy crap and waste money, I will have an Owyn vegan protein drink with .5T of added MCT oil for my meals until dinner. I try to drink one every 2 - 2.5 hours, even if I'm not that hungry because I feel like I have to. I've noticed a positive difference in my digestion (which has also been an issue for years) if I do a full liquid diet day here and there, like it gives the body a break to clean things out. I know I can't live off of protein shakes but I have hit a wall when it comes to meal planning.
Any help, guidance, suggestions, recipes, ideas ... anything is appreciated. I don't have a support system around me so I'm counting on you guys (just kidding, no pressure).
