"Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym."

Back in August, I gave y'all my Eat This, Not That words of advice. It really entertained me probably more than it educated you, but nonetheless, it showed you a little bit into my "world."

I've had a few people ask me over the last several months what I am doing about my diet. Honestly, I didn't have much to say to them. I knew all the "right" things to say, but I had really used exercise as such a crutch to eat whatever I wanted (within reason) and still maintain/even lose weight. I was talking the talk....just not 100% walking the walk.

But we all know where that got me now, don't we?

But, I was jerked back in line, and in the last three and a half weeks, I have had to be really careful about what I was eating....because smallest pants have been bought and rings have been resized. There is no option to go backwards. So, I went back to the basics.

I will say it again and again that My Fitness Pal and I are BFF's. It helps keep me accountable and educates me on everything that I am putting in my body.

Because, I don't know if you all know this, but...

It's true. You could work out all day everyday, but if you are continuing to eat c.r.a.p. then you are doing yourself NO GOOD.

We've revamped the way we eat in our house. I used to be able to grocery shop once a week (Fridays) and be good for the whole week. Why? Because we were eating a bunch of processed, boxed, canned, packaged, EASY foods. And because we probably snuck in a few dinners out here and there, too.

Now, I have discovered (the expensive way, might I add) that fruits and veggies go bad. Quick. Dinners have to be planned well and we have to stick to the plan. Jake and I usually make a Harris Teeter run mid-week for more produce. I try and use Pinterest for meal planning (and just try to ignore my yummy "Sweet Treats" board that has sit there untouched for a looooong time).

So....what do we eat?

Breakfast- I love the Muller yogurts with fruit and the Chobani flip cups. I also like a good Quaker oatmeal but those are high calorie so I try to eat those on the days when I know I am getting cardio later that day. I shoot for a sugar free flavored creamer and two Equals in my one cup of coffee, so that my breakfast lands around 200 calories.

Morning Snack- Fruit- banana, grapes, apple, etc; Or I even get something from my lunch box like baked chips and salsa. I try to keep this snack around 100 calories.

Lunch- Leftover dinner (if it was reasonable); We are eating a lot of salads. I have found at Sam's the Olive Garden dressing and croutons. If you use 2 cups of tossed salad, 6 croutons, 6 black olives, and one tablespoon of dressing, it is around 150 calories and tastes JUST like you were at the OG. Holla! Sometimes I will have a yogurt for lunch if I did oatmeal for breakfast. Lunch usually runs me anywhere from 400-600 calories. I shoot for the lower but sometimes end with the higher (depending on what leftover dinner I ate).

Afternoon Snack- More fruit; Maybe a granola bar because I am usually craving something sweet but they are so high calorie, so sometimes I just opt for two mini Kit-Kat's and end up around 90 calories. Winner! :-)

Dinner- See my Pinterest Boards titled "Coming to a Kitchen Near You" or "Stick a Fork in it." All excellent choices. I try to eat about 600-800 calories for dinner and eat as early as we can. If its a higher calorie meal, then I just eat less and walk away after the first portion and start cleaning the kitchen and pack lunch for the next day. We've tried to replace our boxed rices with sweet potatoes and the canned veggies with steamed or roasted vegetables. Lots more boneless, skinless chicken and pork and less ground beef. Cabbage has become pretty fun, too.

Water- Water intake is soooo important. My boyfriend, Chris Powell, says you should drink half your weight in ounces. So, a 150 pound person should drink 75 ounces of water. I wanted to make water drinking fun, so we all got different colored Camelbak water bottles at Target. Ok, it's not like "OMG, this is the funnest thing ever," but more like "I feel very accomplished when I drink my three required bottles."

Other Drinks- There are none. Sorry to burst your bubble, but besides my cup of coffee, I really only drink water. I should be better about milk. But no juice, no soda, no diet drinks, no tea......I mean, in rare cases I will have one, but I can probably count on one hand over a 2-3 week time the "other drinks" that I may have. I gave up alcohol a long time ago because I would much rather chew empty calories than drink them (see Kit-Kat reference above).

All in all, I shoot for 1200-1400 calories each day. That should keep me on track weight-wise, regardless of my exercise for the day.

I hope this helps some of you.

I am by no means a nutritionist, a trainer, or a dietician.

But I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm a working mom that has seen success. I've learned some things and I have made some mistakes. I've seen great results, but a lot of it has to do with having a pretty awesome support system that keeps me in check. And a smart phone.

I've found things that work for us in the "real world."

But I am always learning.

And as I keep on learning, I'll keep on sharing.