[Jamers04]

I'm sick of crashing in the late afternoon. Any ideas?<br><br>
A typical day:<br>
5:30 - Wake up, run, shower<br>
6:50 - Breakfast (Coffee w/ milk, Kashi/Raisin Bran/Rice Crispies)<br>
10 - 1.5 mile walk on mail route<br>
Noon - Lunch (Strawberries/apple, yogurt)<br>
4:15 - "Dinner" (PB Banana Bagel/Pasta & tomato sauce)<br>
6 - CRASH!! Nap (wish I didn't!)<br>
7:30 - Snack (Popcorn, cereal, soup, rice)<br>
10:30 - Go to bed<br>
11:45 - Fall asleep

 

[diablita]

Jamers,<br>
You are riding a sugar rollercoaster! It's no wonder you crash and burn. The good news is, you can make some easy changes and get big benefits.<br><br>
Where are the vegetables in your diet? I don't see any fresh veggies. And while you have a bit of fruit, your lunch of fruit + fruit + yogurt is loaded with sugar. So it's no surprise you crash and burn. The banana, bagel and pasta are all high glycemic foods. That doesn't mean you can't eat them, but you have to eat them in smaller quantities and with other foods that balance them out. The PB helps with the bagel, but bagel + banana is huge from a glycemic standpoint. I'm not sure how much the pb can help there. So another crash and burn meal.<br><br>
Do you know how many calories you're eating in a day? Without a lot of data, I would recommend:<br><br>
lunch should be more substantial. fresh fruit is good, but have some complex carbs (simple carbs in the yogurt) with protein. A couple of suggestions: Ryvita or Kavli crackers (delicious, and whole grain) with low fat cheese, fresh cucumber and carrot sticks + fresh fruit. Cucumbers paired with almonds are delicious, plus full of water and protein. Have that with some good complex carbs, like couscous and veggies (make ahead) or lentil salad. They sell edamame in the freezer section at the grocery. By the time it sits out for a few hours, it'll be thawed and ready to eat.<br><br>
Early Dinner: get some veggies in here, girl. How about some salad? Look at the sugar content in your tomato sauce. If it's high, find a new one. It's summer now, so good tomatoes are in abundance. I'd just buy a tomato, chop it and throw it in with the hot pasta, with some herbs and mushrooms or olives or other veggies.

 

[Jamers04]

I'm working on getting out of my sugar binge habits already by not sweetening my coffee and cutting waaay down on sugary snacks. I understand I have a long way to go, but realistically if I change everything it'll never stick. Which should I change first, the lunch or early dinner? The other will follow in 2-3 weeks, whenever I feel the first habit has 'stuck.'

 

[Billy]

I think the 5 smaller meals a day theory has merit. It sounds like a gimmick, but it has helped me with some of the "crash" issues and it means I end up eating less b/c I don't arrive at any given meal too hungry. Except for maybe dinner. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br><br>
Cheers,<br>
Billy

 

[diablita]

Before you change anything, why don't you journal your food in sparkpeople.com or fitday.com for a couple of days to get an idea of total calories. I suspect you're also not eating enough calories, unless your portion sizes are pretty big.<br><br>
I would start by changing lunch, if you're going to change one at a time. But if you see a big calorie deficit, especially at one meal, you could also concentrate on upping it a bit.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

the biggest thing i see is along the lines of what Diablits already said.....you have virtually no protein or fat in your diet. They are very important macronutrients and help significantly with the maintenance of blood sugar and feelings of satiety.

 

[Jamers04]

I kept track of things on a different program through my nutrition class. I keep a calorie count every day and usually come in between 15-1700, with the exception of one weekend day when I'm around 2500. Since my workouts only burn about 300 I figure that's reasonable.<br><br>
If I swapped out yogurt for string cheese and had veggies for my nightly snack, would that be a good start? Any other things I could easily sub in?

 

[witchypoo]

your menu needs protein, carbs, fat at every meal to prevent crazy highs and lows with your blood sugar...<br><br>
so, something like this:<br><br>
breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, and a glass of milk; (or) peanut butter toast; (or) 2 poached eggs with veggie sausage. keep your coffee. no sense in making yourself miserable (i know i need it). you could also try a smoothie with fruit, yogurt, some veggie juice, etc.<br><br>
snack: handful of walnuts or almonds, and some cherry tomatoes.<br><br>
lunch: handful of baby carrots with peanut butter or yogurt cheese, and a turkey sandwich (with tomatoes, lettuce, smear of something) on whole grain bread; amy's frozen burrrito, and a salad (made at home); PBJ on whole grain, with some raw chopped veggies and dip; plain yogurt (<b>not</b> non-fat) with granola and fruit, along with a handful of crackers or some tomatoes or cucumber.<br><br>
snack: fruit leather and a string cheese.<br><br>
supper: grilled chicken salad with a piece of crusty bread and a nice vinaigrette; 1/2 a turkey sandwich with cheese, and a bowl of minestrone; whole wheat pasta with red sauce, spinach salad, and a glass of milk; broiled fish, steamed broccoli with salsa and sunflower seeds, and a small serving of macaroni and cheese; veggie lasagne, and a chopped salad; roast chicken, with steamed green veggies, and something potato-y; nicoise salad; a handful of crackers, some brie cheese, a handful of walnuts, a pear, and a glass of wine. <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br>
snack: a cup of yogurt; a tomato sandwich; 1/2 a PBJ; a bowl of cereal.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

witchypoo---- that is like perfect! Good Job!

 

[Jamers04]

You folks are being super helpful. The ideas sound reasonable and delicious. The only challenge will be overthrowing old habits, especially because I'm a cheapskate in the grocery store. But I'll sub some fruits for veggies and walnuts to start, and maybe add some chicken or turkey.

 

[Jamers04]

Related questions:<br>
1. Can I scramble eggs the night before and keep them in the fridge 'til morning?<br>
2. If I cook chicken on a George Foreman, how many days it it good for in terms of reheating?<br>
3. Would slimfast and coffee mix well, or would it curdle? (I'm wondering about trying them on ice for breakfast)

 

[diablita]

I can really only answer #1 from experience. Most eggs don't keep well, the exception being hard boiled or egg salad, or eggs cooked with other things. You can scramble eggs quickly in the microwave, easy with Egg Beaters: pour some into a small plastic container with condiments, then heat on high stopping every 30 seconds to whip w/ a fork until cooked. Takes about 90 seconds.<br><br>
I'm thinking that the slimfast and coffee mix would be good. I'll bet you could add a spoonful of instant espresso to your slimfast with ice cubes in a blender and make a delicious mocha shake.<br><br>
Good luck with the changes. And making the slow changes as you suggested should still net you good results.

 

[drgenie]

The chicken keeps for a couple days at least, I often do that on a Sunday for the rest of the week....like cook the whole package of chicken and then use it for different things during the week. Honestly, preparation is key here. It takes a little more work to do the healthy diet thing, but it's doable. I'm not home much during the week so I set up stuff on the weekend. Make a big pot of soup on Sunday, or put the stuff in the crockpot in the AM and you come home, add a salad and there's dinner.<br><br>
Witchy is dead on, you are having WAYYY too much of an imbalance of carbs here, especially starchy carbs and fruit sugars. I'm hypoglycemic and I had to add more protein, get my carbs in more grains, like barley, BROWN rice and breads (LOSE the white flour if you're still using it, it's the worst thing for you) and whole wheat pastas. I do some type of protein at every meal, which is getting more challenging now that I'm leaning more vegetarian. Lots of beans, chickpeas, lentils, which fill you up, are higher fiber and lower in fat. Slower to digest means less of a sugar spike, which causes the crashes.<br><br>
You can do this, Jamers....it just takes a little more planning ahead. I would get the Egg Beaters so you can have that in the AM, and make a big pot of oatmeal or multigrain hot cereal at night, then you can just reheat in the AM, add nuts, cinnamon, whatever.....that helps me too.<br><br>
PS---a bagel, in terms of carbs, is really not much better than a donut. That was a big shocker to me.<br><br>
And I've done the protein powder in coffee thing for breakfast, you have to stir real good but it works. I'd get a good quality whey protein rather than Slim Fast, there's more sugar than there needs to be in that crap. I use the chocolate one from Vitamin World. Another good way to up your protein first thing in the morning.

 

[drgenie]

And as far as being a cheapskate in the grocery store.....there are ways to do this economically too. Hit the farmer's markets for cheaper and fresher produce, Trader Joe's if you have one, or Produce Junction if they are out your way. Sit down one week with your entire grocery list and see where there is crap you are wasting money on that isn't good for you....and it's an investment, just like anything else. Fueling your body properly brings tons of rewards, even if it means spending more on veggies and taking more time to prepare stuff ahead. Do you like to cook? That makes it a lot easier, because it's fun to explore new foods, new ways to cook old foods...etc. I'm having a ball getting into Asian and Indian spices with doing more vegetarian meals, then I am not always relying on "just salad" or a boring cooked veggie.<br><br>
We should post more recipes and stuff to help each other!

 

[Jamers04]

I'm ambivalent as far as cooking goes; I don't hate it, but I'm a big fan of speed and convenience. Making chicken ahead of time will make a big difference, I think. Breaking these habits isn't going to be easy, so convenience will definitely be key in keeping me away from the pastas.<br><br>
I've already switched away from white flour, and that switch wasn't difficult. I've also given up most sugary drinks (nonsense juices, sodas, frappucinos) with the exception of special occasions. I no longer count cookies or cupcakes as a "meal," either, which was a major overhaul. So on one hand I know I can do this because I've done similar things before. On the other hand I'm frustrated because I feel after so much work I haven't accomplished a thing.

 

[Hairy Trotter]

Good points here on the food front. Another thing that might be contributing to the need to nap: less than 6 hours sleep per night.<br><br>
I try to pull that off a lot myself, and I seem to need less sleep than most, but it still always kicks my ass eventually (he said, groggy from a late Saturday afternoon nap).