I’m one week into a calorie deficit and wanted to share a real-life update: what I’m eating, what’s been working, and what’s actually making this feel sustainable.

Why I’m Doing a Calorie Deficit Right Now

After getting in the best shape of my life for my 40th birthday last February, I spent most of 2025 in maintenance… and if I’m being honest, a surplus at times.

We traveled a ton and while I stayed consistent with workouts, my nutrition wasn’t as dialed in. I was also dealing with some health things and feeling a bit stressed so it made sense to stick with maintenance rather than adding more stress to my body by trying to be in a calorie deficit for fat loss.

What I'm doing right now isn't about starting over or being restrictive. It’s just about tightening things up for a few weeks (probably 6-8 total) so I can feel more like myself again, as well as, confident and comfortable this summer.

My Before Photos

Progress photos like this are never fun to take (and not very flattering) but they are one of the best ways to track progress. I find that photos, actual measurements and how your clothes fit are the best way to track progress because the scale doesn't tell the full story.

I recently had a DEXA scan + RMR test so I have that data as well, which is super helpful.

The Biggest Shifts That Are Working

Before I get into meals, these are the habits that are making the biggest difference:

• Pre-logging my meals BEFORE I eat them - this is a game changer (waiting until the end of the day never works well)
• Repeating meals to make tracking easier (copy + paste in my tracking app)
• Weighing my food with a scale so I’m not guessing portions (here are the food scales I have)
• Prioritizing protein at every meal - my goal is 130 grams per day and I've actually been over every day
• Drinking ~120 oz of water daily
• No mindless snacking

I’m also sending a screenshot of my macros to my coach (Hi Ana! 👋🏻) every night for accountability — which is exactly what I have my clients do.

What I’ve Been Eating (Week 1)

Breakfast (it's been the same every day right now)

I’ve been keeping breakfast super consistent because I found something that I love that is super satisfying.

• Trader Joe’s protein pancakes (they're so good and apparently hard to find so I'm hesitant to share ,but again, they're sooo good) I top them with a little peanut butter + jelly
• 3/4 cup egg whites cooked with some veggies
• 1 Applegate savory turkey sausage link (my fave)

This is almost the same breakfast I was eating before, just two less turkey sausage links. Which really is the case for all my meals. I'm eating the same things, just slightly adjusting portions.

Lunch + Dinner (keeping it simple)

I prepped a big batch of air fryer chicken at the start of the week and have been building bowls and salads around that prepped protein.

For my Big Volume Salads/Bowls I add a variety of things like:

• greens (this week I had arugula on hand)
• cucumbers - I love the mini ones
• onions
• bell peppers
• radish (daikon radish is my fave right now)
• tomatoes
• ​pickled red onions​
• some sort of cooked green veggie - broccoli, green beans, zucchini

All of these veggies help add volume without a ton of calories, which keeps me really full.

Oh!! And I've been testing a new high protein dressing that I absolutely love so I've been drizzling that on all my salads and bowls.

This has been key for making everything taste good without adding a ton of calories. Flavor matters SO much when you’re in a deficit and this dressing is delish. I'll be sharing the recipes on my site soon, but because I don't want to gatekeep this one, here's how to make it:

High Protein Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

Just blend together:

• 1 cup roasted red peppers, drained (about 8–10 oz)
• ½ cup full-fat cottage cheese
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Some other things I've been loving include:

Roasted Sweet Potato Halves (Foolproof + So Good)

Sweet potatoes are of my favorite carb sources because they're super satisfying and easy. And lately instead of baked sweet potatoes or roasted chunks, I've been doing roasted sweet potatoes halves. It's honestly my new favorite way to cook sweet potatoes because it's quick and the bottoms get perfectly golden (even at little crunchy) and the inside turns soft + creamy.

• 1–2 medium sweet potatoes
• Avocado oil spray (or olive oil)
• Sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven or air fryer to 400°F.
2. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.
3. Lightly spray the flesh with oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Place cut side down on a baking sheet or air fryer basket.
5. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until tender and caramelized.

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowls

This bowl is similar to my street corn ground beef bowl, but with chicken and rice. It's so good and easy to throw together for lunches/dinners with a great balance of protein, carbs, and flavor - recipe for this is coming soon. Oh and bonus, my kiddos really love the street corn salad as a dip with chips.

This Thai Basil Chicken was another easy meal I made this week! I served it over a little rice and some coleslaw mix to bulk it up.

Snacks

Keeping things simple here too:

• 1 cup of hot coffee in the morning and then 1-2 cold brew coffees with almond milk (I should probably cut back, but y'all know I love coffee so much)
• Siggis low sugar yogurt with Catalina Crunch, berries and basil seeds as my afternoon snack
• Usually having at least 1 Spindrift a day
• ​LMNT electrolytes - either a packet mixed in my water or one of their sparkling drinks (which are so good!)
• ​Beam Dream before bed. It's my favorite nighttime routine and the brownie batter flavor literally tastes like hot chocolate. Use code BIRDFOOD if you want to try it.
• No mindless snacking - everything is intentional

Eating Out (real life)

All my meals have been at home except one this week. We went out to dinner to celebrate my best friend's daughter's birthday. We went to one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants and I ordered make-your-own spring rolls with shrimp and a side of steamed veggies which put me right on track to hit my macros.

This is something I always remind my clients: you don’t have to avoid eating out, you just have to be intentional.

What I’m Not Doing

• I’m not cutting out foods I love
• I’m not doing tons of cardio - I'm sticking to my normal FASTer Way workouts (30 mins, at home)
• I’m not under-eating

This is all about balance and consistency.

Results So Far

I’m using my Hume Pod to measure my progress and already this week I'm down about 2 lbs — which is mostly water weight + inflammation dropping, but still a step in the right direction and feels really good.

More importantly:

• My energy feels stable
• I’m not overly hungry
• I feel in control (which is huge)

Final Thoughts

This is exactly what I teach inside my 6-week program (next round starts April 20th) — nothing extreme, just simple habits that actually work when you stick with them.

If you like these little updates, I'll keep sharing them as I go, just let me know!