WIAW

It stands for What I Ate Wednesday. I am not sure who started it or when. When I first encountered it, via blog posts from fellow FitFluential members, my first question was not what but WHY?

I do get asked what I eat a lot. I’ve shared an average day in the past on the blog without much fan fare. I don’t find what I eat especially complicated although I do understand it is different than the Standard American Diet. That, I suppose, is what makes people so curious. If you don’t eat meat, then what do you eat? If you do eat out for lunch what do you order? What if you don’t have leftovers? I hear these questions over and over.

I decided to participate in WIAW on Facebook. It was the easiest way to share with the most people in “real time”. It was just over a year ago when I started to post everything I ate each Wednesday. I was surprised at the initial reaction. Everyone wanted to know what was in my oatmeal, the recipe for the date balls (which I think I have now shared at least 100 times) and why do I take the yolks out of my hardboiled eggs? (I’ve done it since I was kid.)

I enjoyed the discussion but I was also worried.

In my mind, the idea was to satisfy curiosity and show that I too live in the real world. I am a woman running a business, running a household and on the go constantly, just like most of you. My hope was to spur ideas of new lunch combinations or snacks. I worried however that people thought I was expecting them to EAT JUST LIKE ME. If you’re a 30 something vegetarian who has been on her fitness journey for over 15 years that would work just fine but my guess is you are not. My patterns and foods work for me after years of trial and error. My goal is sustain myself and my blood sugar on a high energy day. I am maintaining my body, not pursuing fat loss. I eat the whole foods I want my clients to eat, that I want YOU to eat, but I also practice 80/20. Occasionally there will be dessert, pizza or a chai latte. If I have it on Wednesday you don’t get to see that I DON’T have it on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as well.

The Goal of What I Ate Wednesday Photo 2
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The Secret to My Success…

It took some time and discussion but I think my intentions became clear. But another problem arose – boredom. I asked not too long ago if my Facebook fans wanted me to continue WIAW. Yes, they said, but could you have more snack ideas? Or could you have different recipes? I suppose I could but then it wouldn’t be real. I eat pretty much the same thing every day. I have habits so I don’t have to make too many food decisions on a chaotic and full day in the gym. The secret to my success is consistency. I know what works for me and I try not to venture too far off that path unless it’s a special occasion, like vacation or Thanksgiving.

I considered the suggestions as I keep up the WIAW routine. I try to share recipe links when I can and explain a little more about why I make certain choices. I also try to share choices from other days on occasion, on Facebook and Instagram. My daily diet however does not really change much. To me that is the real lesson of What I Ate Wednesday. It’s the truth of what it takes to stay healthy and fit in real life. Real fitness doesn’t come from cleanses or 30 day challenges. It shows that real fitness is about consistency. It’s about forming new habits. It’s about finding foods you love that also love you back.

I hope my Facebook posts give you some ideas to experiment with. You may find something that works for you but you’ll find plenty of things that don’t too. You’ll start to develop a routine that supports your goals, your health and your life. Pretty soon others will notice the change in you. They’ll start asking you what you’re doing. They’ll want to know what YOU are eating. Then you can start sharing your food photos every Wednesday too.

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