What I Ate Today (And Why It Probably Shouldn't Influence Your Choices)

I'm going to do something most health coaches won't: show you exactly what I ate yesterday, then explain why you probably shouldn't eat like me.

Here's my full day:

Now Here's What You Need to Know

This works for me. Right now. With my specific biology, at this moment in my life.

I work from home, so I have the flexibility to eat multiple times throughout the day. I genuinely enjoy lifting heavy things in the gym. My body tolerates dairy well. I've built up 66+ pounds of muscle mass over nearly 30 years of consistent training, which means my metabolism runs differently than someone with less muscle mass. My blood sugar stays stable with this eating pattern. I don't have food sensitivities to eggs or nuts. I have time to grocery shop and prep.

But you?

You might have:

• Different genetics that influence how you metabolize carbs, fats, or protein

• A different health history that includes thyroid issues, insulin resistance, or gut problems that change what your body needs

• Different blood sugar control that means eating six times a day would spike and crash you repeatedly

• Diagnosed Pre-diabetes which requires careful monitoring of total intake and carbohydrates

• Less muscle mass (or more), which completely changes your basal metabolic rate and protein needs

• A completely different activity level—maybe you're not lifting heavy, or you're dealing with joint pain, or you're training for a marathon

• Hormone shifts that have changed everything about how your body processes food and builds (or loses) muscle

• A demanding job where eating every few hours isn't remotely realistic

• Caregiving responsibilities for aging parents or grandkids that mean your schedule isn't your own

• Food preferences that don't include fish or Greek yogurt (and that's completely valid)

• A budget that doesn't stretch to grass-fed meat sticks and organic everything

And here's what most people won't tell you: carrying extra weight is a symptom, not the problem itself.

Weight gain—especially during the menopause transition—can be a symptom of:

• Disrupted sleep from night sweats or insomnia

• Years of yo-yo dieting causing metabolic chaos

• Chronic stress and elevated cortisol

• Thyroid dysfunction

• Blood sugar dysregulation

• Loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia)

• Inflammation

• Gut microbiome imbalances

• Nutrient deficiencies

• The grief and mental load of this life stage

Telling you to "just eat like I do" doesn't address any of that. That's not actually coaching, it's dictating. And it doesn't work.

Here's Something Else You Should Know

I wrote out those protein numbers for you—but I want to be honest: I don't track my food daily. I don't count calories. I haven't logged into a food tracking app in years.

I calculated yesterday's intake specifically for this post to give you context. In my everyday life? I follow my intuition. I eat when I'm hungry. I stop when I'm satisfied. I've learned to recognize what my body needs based on how I feel, what I'm doing that day, and what sounds good.

This approach works for me NOW because I've spent a lifetime learning to read my body's signals. I know what 30 grams of protein feels like. I recognize when my blood sugar is dropping. I understand the difference between actual hunger and stress eating or boredom. I've developed trust in my body's wisdom.

But 'intuitive eating' might not be your solution right now--and may not ever be the correct solution for you. And that's completely okay.

Maybe you need to track for a while to understand what different amounts of protein or carbs actually look like. Maybe you need data to see patterns in how certain foods affect your energy, sleep, or brain fog. Maybe you've spent so many years dieting that you've lost touch with your hunger signals and need structured guidance to rebuild that connection. Maybe tracking gives you a sense of control during a time when everything else feels chaotic.

Or maybe tracking makes you obsessive, anxious, and disconnected from the pleasure of eating. Maybe it triggers old diet mentality patterns. Maybe it's just one more thing on your already overflowing mental load.

Both paths are valid. Neither is superior.

The goal isn't to eat intuitively OR to track forever. The goal is to find what works for YOUR brain, YOUR body, and YOUR life right now—and to recognize that might change as you move through this transition.

Some women I work with need to track initially to understand their patterns, then transition to intuition. Others need structure indefinitely because it reduces decision fatigue. Some toggle between the two depending on stress levels or health goals.

There's no moral virtue in any particular approach. There's only what serves you and your health in this moment.

What Actually Matters

Understanding YOUR body. YOUR hormones. YOUR metabolism. YOUR life circumstances. YOUR health history. YOUR relationship with food and your body.

When women come to me in the BrainGrace™ Program, we don't start by copying my meal plan or my approach to eating.

We start by asking:

• What's happening with your sleep quality right now?

• How is your blood sugar responding throughout the day?

• What does your current muscle mass look like, and how is that changing?

• Where is your stress actually coming from, and how much control do you have over it?

• What foods make you feel energized versus foggy or inflamed?

• What's your history with tracking, dieting, and your relationship with food?

• What's realistic given your actual schedule and responsibilities?

• What does your brain specifically need during this hormone transition?

• Do you need more structure right now, or less?

  
  

Because here's the truth about menopause: your brain is reorganizing itself. The strategies that worked in your 30s—the diets, the exercise routines, the stress management, even your relationship with hunger and fullness cues—might not work now. Not because you're doing something wrong, but because your biology has fundamentally shifted.

You need a different approach. One that works WITH your changing brain chemistry, not against it. One that honors where YOU are right now, not where some coach on Instagram says you should be.

My Role Isn't to Make You Eat Like Me

My role is to help you sift through all the noise and prioritize what actually needs to shift for YOUR body and YOUR brain.

Maybe that means:

• Focusing on blood sugar stability before worrying about total protein grams

• Addressing your sleep disruption before adding more exercise

• Healing your gut before pushing harder in the gym

• Building muscle strategically to support your changing metabolism

• Managing stress and cortisol so your body feels safe enough to change

• Understanding which supplements actually move the needle (and which are just expensive pee)

• Learning to track temporarily so you can build intuition later

• Ditching tracking because it's making you crazy

• Finding a middle path that gives you both structure and freedom

  
  

The path forward isn't about perfection. It's about precision—for YOU. It's about finding the approach that supports both your health goals AND your quality of life. Because what's the point of "optimal health" if you're miserable getting there?

Ready to Find Your Way Forward?

The BrainGrace™ Program opens for limited 1:1 coaching spots in January. This isn't about following my food diary or adopting my approach to eating. It's about understanding:

✨ What YOUR changing brain actually needs during this transition

✨ How to work WITH your unique metabolism and hormone patterns

✨ Which interventions to prioritize based on YOUR specific situation

✨ How to build sustainable strategies that fit your real life

✨ Whether you need more structure or more intuition right now (and how to develop both)

If you're tired of cookie-cutter advice that doesn't account for your individual biology, your unique life circumstances, or your personal relationship with food and your body—let's talk.

Your menopause transition doesn't have to look like mine. Your eating approach doesn't have to look like mine. Your path just has to work for you—and your brain. 🧠

P.S. Yes, I track my protein (loosely, in my mind, but I don't write it down).

Yes, I take specific supplements.

Yes, I meal prep.

But I've also spent a lifetime figuring out what works for MY body through trial, error, education, and a whole lot of grace for myself along the way.

You don't have to spend the next few years fumbling in the dark.

That's why I'm here—to help you find your path forward faster, with less frustration, and more compassion for yourself in the process 1:1 Coaching

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