My 7-Day Food Diary
A full week of writing down everything I ate — breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks — and what I noticed about my habits.
Day 1 — Monday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Steak and white rice
- Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, roasted potatoes, broccoli
- Drink all day: water
Day 2 — Tuesday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Chicken and rice
- Dinner: Ground beef burrito bowl (no tortilla) with rice, beans, peppers
- Drink all day: water
Day 3 — Wednesday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Ground beef and rice
- Dinner: Salmon, rice, asparagus
- Drink all day: water
Day 4 — Thursday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Chili
- Dinner: Steak, baked potato, green beans
- Drink all day: water
Day 5 — Friday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Steak and rice
- Dinner: Grilled chicken, rice, roasted vegetables
- Drink all day: water
Day 6 — Saturday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Chicken and rice
- Dinner: Ground beef with potatoes and broccoli
- Drink all day: water
Day 7 — Sunday
- Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1 whole avocado, water
- Lunch: Chili
- Dinner: Salmon, rice, mixed vegetables
- Drink all day: water
Reflection
For this, I tracked everything that I ate for a full week. Since starting weightlifting 6 months ago, I have been trying to make sure I'm getting enough protein to build muscle, so I was interested in knowing whether or not I was getting my calories to accomplish my goal of muscle building and to see what meals were ideal. I also wrote them down immediately afterwards so I could remember everything.
One thing I noticed was just how consistently I had energy. Eating 4 eggs with a whole avocado in the morning left me full until lunch without needing to snack, and having protein in every meal, be it steak, chicken, ground beef, salmon, left me full for the majority of the day and not starving at lunch time. I would say that I had enough protein for each day and felt a lot more recovered after a heavy lifting workout and not sore for several days.
In addition, my water intake is far higher, probably around 3 liters per day. That's what is recommended in the United States for teenagers who are active by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences. Having water instead of soda or juice meant not feeling sluggish in the afternoon anymore as I do when I do drink soda.
The only thing that was difficult with eating enough protein and getting those calories that are necessary for the body to build muscle. There were some days that I actually had to force myself to finish the last few bites of dinner just to get a couple more grams. By the end of the week, though, it had made me feel better overall. I lifted stronger weights and felt like I was sleeping better, so even though I had to force myself to eat at the end of some days, it seemed more than worth it. I found that I didn't even miss carbs or sugar once I got the routine of eating what I had to and didn't find it that hard to not eat bread and sugar.