[Jamers04]

I'm still truckin', or at least trying. My general routine (I'm on an every-other-day schedule, hence the slashes):<br><br>
6:15 - Workout, shower, etc<br>
8:30 - B: Coffee with skim milk<br>
Cereal, oatmeal, or a high-fiber granola bar (sometimes I'm late)<br>
9/10 - Class or Internship begins<br>
12:30/1 - S: Yogurt, fruit, peas, walnuts, or string cheese<br>
4/3 - L: Soup, black beans with rice & salsa, or a whole-grain bagel with PB<br>
6:30 - D: Pasta (I know it's evil, but it's cheap and I'm in college), potato w/ salsa, scrambled eggs, soup or beans & rice if I haven't had them already<br>
8:30 - S: Animal crackers, popcorn, fruit, granola bar, or something that pops up as the result of having roommates who spoil each other.<br>
10:30 - Bed/sleep<br><br>
I'm not having the big crashes I used to have, which is awesome especially since I'm doing much harder workouts and am busier than I was in the summer. Where can I go from here?

 

[Jamers04]

For those who weren't here this summer, this was my starting point:<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

 

[Gingerbread]

Pasta isn't evil and probably whole wheat or whole grain pasta is less evil.<br><br>
I hope someone chimes in to help you go forward, the lack of the crash at 6 is a big plus. I don't know enough to be very helpful.

 

[Jamers04]

Bump... any help, folks?

 

[altoids]

Add some veggies?

 

[Gingerbread]

Oh! A nutritionist I worked with a while back said that one should have protein, carbs and fat with each meal (or mini-meal) for proper fueling. Maybe you should add nuts to your snacks. Like almonds or peanuts or something. It may help you maintain an even blood sugar level.

 

[Jamers04]

Hmm. I could move the walnuts to balance some carbs..?

 

[Gingerbread]

It's worth a try. I find that putting nuts in with my cereal (hot cereal) at breakfast, and some in my yogurt for my second breakfast (about 4 hours later) helps curb hunger. I don't use a lot, about 1/4 to 1/2 a serving because nuts are so high in calories.<br><br>
I also have a stash of peanuts in my car for my post run drive home, which takes an hour. It's usually 1.5 to 2 hours after my run before I eat, otherwise, so this helps with recovery, according to the nutritionist.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

Jamers---- what specifically are you having an issue with...the big crash is gone, but you seem to feel like you wanna do better. How do you wanna do better? Lose weight? more vitamins? I'm not sure where to direct you without a goal in mind........

 

[sistergoldenhair]

You're sleeping a lot more, which is great! That's probably helping as much as the foods. It looks like you've added some protein. You could probably add even more protein and/or good fat (nuts, avocado, nut butter, hummus) to most meals, maybe in place of some starchy carbs here and there. Oh and do you like veggies -- I don't see a lot there and they are filling and full of nutrients.<br><br>
Are you a vegetarian?<br><br>
Everyone is different, so some of this will be you being your own lab rat, too. And like Becca said, what is your goal with nutrition?

 

[Jamers04]

I'm not vegetarian, I'm just not crazy about most meat. The high cost isn't a real motivator, either.<br><br>
My overall goal is to develop long-term healthy eating habits. I'm trying to figure out my biggest mistakes and come up with realistic ways to fix them. I got rid of the big p.m. crash, I'm working on the sugary snacks and weekend binges. I don't know what change to work on next, so that's what I was hoping to find.<br><br>
I'm also trying to stabilize my weight, but that's more of a symptom than a problem, I think. I've spent the last 7 years fluctuating between 112-146, so I'm realizing that it's important to really ingrain the healthy habits in my routine.

 

[sistergoldenhair]

I think it's great you have the foresight to already be thinking like this. Remember in the last 7 years you went from a girl to a young woman, that can affect your weight too. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>
The only overly "sugary" items I see in your new plan are animal crackers and granola bars. (Yogurt and fruit have sugar too, as does cereal, but tend to also have other nutrients.)<br><br>
Yeah, it can be hard to get budget-friendly meat, but depending on the kind that appeals to you, bags of frozen chicken breasts and tuna can be reasonable. I've been getting individually frozen salmon fillets at Wal-Mart for like $3/bag. Do you like veggie burgers like Boca or Morningstar farm? They are high protein, low cal and very quick to heat up and slip into a pita.<br><br>
A lot of people tend to relax their eating on weekends. If you keep it to one more indulgent meal and eat mindfully/moderately the rest of the time, it can actually be healthy in terms of not feeling deprived.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

very sound advice! and adding veggies would be a great goal for you, as well!

 

[sistergoldenhair]

cut-up veggies and hummus is one of my favorite snacks. That would help you increase your good fats and vegetables.

 

[Jamers04]

Thanks folks