While counting calories is one way to educate yourself how to fill each 500-calorie "bucket", you can more simply pay attention to your body's signals. Keep checking in with yourself. Ask, "Is my body content? Or, does my body need this fuel?" If confronted with large portions that would leave you feeling stuffed, consider letting the excess food go to waste, not to your waist.
Think Moderation
Rather than categorizing a food as being good or bad for your health, think about moderation, and aim for a diet that offers 85 to 90 percent quality foods and 10 to 15 percent foods with fewer nutritional merits. Enjoy a foundation of healthful foods, but don't deprive yourself of enjoyable foods. This way, even soda and chips, if desired, can fit into a nourishing food plan. You just need to balance the "junk" with healthier choices throughout the rest of the day. That is, you can compensate for an occasional greasy sausage and biscuit breakfast by selecting a low-fat turkey sandwich lunch and a grilled fish dinner.
Take Mealtimes Seriously
If you can find the time to train hard, you can also find the time to fuel right. In fact, competitive athletes who don't show up for meals might as well not show up for training. You'll lose your edge with hit or miss fueling, but you'll always win with good nutrition.
Want access to healthy recipes and nutrition tracking? Download the free athleats app here.
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest for more tips, recipes and ideas to fuel your ACTIVE life.
Find more healthy recipes.