If you’ve read any of the latest issues of People magazine, you may have noticed their weekly celebrity “What I Eat In A Day” feature.
While it’s always fun to get a glimpse into the real lives of our favorite celebrities, I think this particular column is not only misleading but also quite dangerous.
Many of the featured celebrities are listed as eating somewhere around 1200 calories per day, making it seem like this is what anyone who wants a body like theirs should also do.
In one feature where the celebrity actually did eat a higher amount of calories, the nutritionist recommended she scale her portions back—even though the celebrity in question leads a highly active lifestyle and is far from overweight!
By only showing one day in the life, with no disclaimers about how much these women are consuming on average in a week or month, I think the article unintentionally sends out a dangerous message, especially to impressionable kids and teenagers wishing to emulate their favorite celebs.
The featured women look healthy and vibrant, which most likely means they’re either eating more than they claim or are just not giving the full picture by mentioning occasional splurges on drinks, dinners out, or other indulgences to account for the extra calories keeping them properly fueled.
(While 1200 calories per day may be healthy for some individuals, the USDA lists a much higher number as the average caloric needs of a young and active woman not looking to lose weight.)
I wanted to publish today’s post as my answer to the “What I Eat In A Day” feature; to show an alternative to the Hollywood standard of eating. Not all healthy women are eating the way Hollywood would like you to believe, and no one should ever make you feel guilty for eating a less-than-“perfect” diet or indulging in dessert.
When I read the weekly features, I’m shocked at how clean these girls eat. Eating clean is great… but eating should also be fun. Unless you get enjoyment out of eating only steamed veggies and proteins every day (which is perfectly fine if you really do), you’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.
(For more on this topic, see my post on Orthorexia – The New Eating Disorder.)
*Disclaimer: As always, be sure to listen to your own body or ask a doctor or nutritionist if you’re concerned about how many calories and other nutrients you should be eating.
Just like the magazine feature shouldn’t be used as a guide for how much to eat for your own ideal health, today’s post is also just showing what works for one person.
So many people write to me and ask for meal plans, and it scares me because bloggers on the internet—unless they are also certified nutritionists or health professionals—should not be writing meal plans for people they’ve never met. This is an alarming way that some bloggers seem to be making money, so please be careful and trust your health only to a professional.
**To clarify: The photos in this post were taken either before or after eating. They were styled for food photography purposes and do not show the actual portions eaten.
What I Eat In A Day
As a teenager, I loved sleeping until noon. Now I somehow wake up naturally around 4 am, and I immediately go looking for food!
There really isn’t a typical day for me in terms of variety; but the amount I eat stays pretty constant. Exercise includes running once or twice a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) and walking quite a bit since I live in a city.
I enjoy being outside and am not really a gym person.
Morning:
I’ll usually grab a small handful of raw nuts, seeds, or some coconut butter.
Today my hand found the bag of cashews. If I’m going running, I might make a cup of coffee and eat a bit more. Otherwise, I just sip water as I make real breakfast.
Breakfast:
Breakfast this morning was a giant bowl of peanut butter oat bran.
I cooked 1.5 servings of oat bran with unsweetened cashewmilk then stirred in some peanut butter and melted a piece of a 95% chocolate bar.
If you happen to run into me at 9 am, I’ve probably already eaten chocolate at least once.
Lunch:
Lunch is usually comprised of whatever leftovers I can find in the fridge.
Some mornings are so busy that I have to pull something from the freezer. I often will make huge batches of recipes so I can keep the freezer well-stocked at all times.
And by well-stocked, I mean things may or may not fall out when you open it…
Lunch today was rice, white beans, and homemade Coconut Curry.
Snack:
Snack was one of my favorite things – I call them “Extra Melty Gooey Brownies.”
They are so fantastically delicious… but I’ve never posted the recipe because they are so gooey that they often fall apart! Plus, I know not everyone is as big a fan of super gooey brownies as I am.
*Edit: By popular request, the recipe can now be found in my brownie recipe archives: Healthy Brownies And Baked Goods
If it’s a baking day and I’ve eaten a lot of samples, I’ll sometimes just sample my way through snacktime and never actually sit down for a real snack.
Dinner:
Giant Monster Salad:
- 1 Large Avocado
- Raw Almonds
- Frozen Raspberries
- Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Homemade Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Trader Joes Organic Kale
Tahini and a baked sweet potato, cooked extra long until it is all sweet and caramelized.
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes – 3 secret tricks
Night Snack:
2 servings of Creamy Pistachio Ice Cream – One of my top 5 favorite recipes from my new cookbook.
Surprise! For once, it’s not chocolate!
(Photo credit: Probably my mom, back in like 2005… I found this picture buried in a folder on my computer.)
Daily Total: 2,958 calories
(15g total added sugar for the day, and it easily meets the RDA for protein, calcium, and other nutrients vegans are always being asked about. I don’t worry about protein but do take daily Vitamins D, B12, and an Omega 3 supplement.)
Edit due to popular request: Link To Full Nutrition Facts
Thank you for this post, Katie! I know so many people that are confused by these kind of articles in magazines. So many women have a false expectation about what they body needs everyday to function. I actually eat about the same amount as you. Some people won’t believe me that you can eat until you’re satisfied without worrying about your calorie intake. If you eat a goodbalance between healthy fresh food and some treats, it’s totally fine. Sure you shouldn’t sit all day and do some exercise from time to time. Oh and I’ve noticed that you can actually eat more as a vegan – at least that’s my experience.
Best
Lena from healthylena.de
True, I’v enoticed i can eat more in quantity if i eat vegan and feel happier (lots of greens, and veggies, healthy fats)
Thank you so much for sharing. I love reading your blogs for how health and body positive they are, and you are right – though I have never seen those articles mentioned, they sound extremely misleading and I wonder into the intentions of them. It IS all about moderation and a healthy LIFESTYLE, as your posts so often remind us!
Yum, thanks for posting:)
I love this post. Eating fewer calories doesn’t mean you’re healthy. You showed the propper way to eat healthy. That gooey brownie looks great by the way I would like to know the recipe even if it does fall apart. 😉
Bingo! Time of life has a lot to do with what you can get away with eating eating. A few months ago, I weighed 175 pounds which was as much as I weighed at the end of my first pregnancy. I hadn’t really changed anything over the years and was always right around 130 (which felt good and right for me at 5’5″). I hit 40 and it seemed like my body changed over night as far as how many calories I needed to maintain my weight. A few months ago I finally had to reconcile in my mind that my body in my 40’s in much different than my pre baby body in my 20’s and 30’s. I do eat 1200 calories per day right now and have lost a steady 2 pounds per week since May and am down to 135 pounds and feeling much better. As far as maintaining, I am guessing I won’t be able to eat more than a few hundred calories more a day to do that (I am guessing 200-300), but I don’t know. I have been tracking everything on Excel, including calories burned on my Fitbit (which takes into account BMR plus activity) and aim for all my macronutrient and calorie needs to be met, and then I work towards a 1,000 calorie deficit per day (which is 7,000 per week. 3,500 calories in a pound…so 2 pounds of fat per week). I have to walk about 15,000 steps per day to get there (so about 1 1/2 hours of good fast paced walking per day). Much of the diet advice and weight loss tips I have seen are really geared towards women in their 20’s and 30’s I think. As you get older, it’s a game changer. That’s why so many women in their 40’s and up put on weight at that point.
I am right there with you, Holly! I wish I had better news for you, but when you hit 50 your metabolism is likely to slow down even further (it happened to me). I can eat 2000 calories per day, TOPS, and maintain my weight (right around 135). But, I have to make sure I run four miles every day and take at least two long walks as well. I, too, obsessively track everything with my FitBit and the online tracking tools that FitBit offers. I also have an Aria scale and weigh myself daily so things don’t get out of hand (which happens terrifyingly fast when you’re older). Sadly, it doesn’t matter if I’m eating healthy cashew butter or Twinkies. I even tried Paleo for a year (I don’t like meat, which I thought would help) and managed to gain 10 pounds (because they tell you not to weigh yourself all the time). I’m back eating mostly vegan food and struggling to get back to 135 after being sick for six weeks and being unable to exercise. I gained seven pounds! When I was 25, I lived on hotdogs, Hamburger Helper, Ben and Jerry’s, and pizza, all without gaining an ounce. Such is life!
SO so true. I am 57, and never had a weight issue until after turning 47….I gain so easliy and it does not want to come off. I have to watch the amount I eat ALL the time. Doesn’t help that I have a desk job.
Ladies, please get the book Trim Healthy Mama from your local library (or buy it on Amazon for around $15) if you are having weight issues no matter your age! You don’t have to count calories or do rigorous exercise all of the time. My sister lost 10 pounds easily, and I’ve lost about 4 since I really don’t need to lose a lot. But I’ve never been hungry with Trim Healthy Mama and I’m still able to lose weight. It’s fantastic!
I second the Trim Healthy Mama plan. Good clean foods & sensible ideas.
Katie, you are an inspiring young woman, a fantastic role model, and a ray of sunshine. Thank you for being so open and honest on your blog. It’s truly refreshing, as some people on the internet can be so superficial these days. 2,958kcals is wonderful fuel for a day! My naturopathic doctor encourages me to aim for the same (~3,000kcal) as I naturally have an extremely high metabolism and love to be active. I agree that magazines and articles on “what to eat” can be dangerously misleading. You and I and many many other young adults are living proof that every body works differently. I’ve tried the low-fat diet fads, and they’ve wrecked me time and again. This post is very helpful to me, especially in this season of recovering from an injury prolonged by dietary-lipid-deficiency. I love your recipes and make them often. They help me to eat healthy dietary fats to fuel my dreams. I’m so thankful to have found your blog 3.5 years ago! Thank you CCK for helping to fuel this energetic athlete!
Hi Katie! I am so happy you posted this! I am in the process of taking pictures for my own post for next week, called “What I eat in a week”. It is so true that these daily food posts can be misleading and I am so happy to see another like-minded person! Keep doing what you do and loving life!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds that segment of the magazine ridiculous. It’s a gross misrepresentation of caloric needs for active young women. I dont know how these women even get out of bed, i could not live off what they eat! Such a refreshing post! Thanks for sharing!
You are definitely not the only one! I’ve read that segment in the magazine so many times and questioned my own eating habits, which include a heck of a lot more calories than just eating plain oatmeal with nothing in it for breakfast and a shrimp salad with a glass of water for lunch, and it’s made me wonder so many times if I’m being unhealthy (I don’t feel unhealthy, which is why it always confused me) or if I should change or cut out all sweets or whatnot. I’m glad you and Katie are speaking up about this, because it has confused me every time I read it. The media is very influential and that’s not always a good thing.
People also have to consider their resting metabolic rate and their activity levels. As an overweight woman in her early 30s with an RMR of 1717 who is actively losing weight, I’d quickly gain weight eating the same diet that Katie does.
There’s more to it than simple calories in, calories out, but people looking to lose weight need a deficit. It’s nearly impossible to outrun (outexercise) overindulgence.
Exactly…I just posted a reply about the math issue above. I have lost 40 pounds since May and I track everything. I am losing 2 pounds per week on 1200 calories plus walking briskly 1 1/2 hours per day. If I increased my calories of quit walking I would likely maintain, but if I ate almost 3,000 calories per day…I would definitely gain. According to my Fitbit (which tracks BMR and activity calories burned ), I currently burn anywhere from 2,200 calories per day to 2,500 calories per day. At 3,000 calories, I would have at least a 500 calorie excess per day. At that rate, I would put on 1 pound per week at my current activity level (and I don’t think I am a slouch), I wasn’t eating that much before I started losing the pounds. Good luck to you on the weight loss! It’s quite the journey
Thank you so much, Katie, for this extremely refreshing perspective. For myself personally, I know I feel best when eating approx. 2500, however often feel incredibly guilty doing so. For the past several years I’ve been struggling with phases of amenorrhea as well as occasional ‘out of control’ eating. I know deep down this is due to my persistant calorie restriction – around 1700-1800. I find caloric intake such mental conflict, due to the fact that (as you said), we are often encouraged that 1700-1800 is actually TOO MUCH. I feel that consuming this amount that is sort of a compromise between what we are told we ‘should’ be eating and what I feel my body actually wants.
Sorry for the ramble. I just had to explain why I am so grateful for your post. I believe that there would be many more confident, productive, and inspired women out there if more of us could cast aside this ridiculous ‘standards’ and simply listen to our bodies.
Thank you! xx
Actually her blog has the opposite effect. As someone with an eating disorder this post and her blog inspire me to have a BETTER relationship with food not a worse one. I see mainstream media talk about cutting calories and that its “sinful” to have dessert and then I read such a positive message on here about the importance of intuitive eating and seeing food as nourishment and something that is associated with GOOD things. I’m also not really sure how you can say she miscalculated when she didn’t list amounts for the foods she ate.
Trust me I know calories. They can add up fast when you’re talking about an extra tablespoon of peanut butter, nuts or other high calorie foods like that and her calculations seem like they’re probably pretty accurate. I don’t know if you have a history of disordered eating too and that’s why you’re commenting but I can tell you that her blog for me has been so helpful in seeing food and health in a more positive light.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share extra melty gooey brownie recipe, this is exactly how I like my brownies!!!!