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| "I was planning on swimming today!" |
During the week, I
like to eat basically the same thing at the same time (7:30am, time for snack! 5 minutes to Wapner!). I change up breakfast and dinner a bit, but for the most
part the timing and the calories are the same. At the bottom of this post is an example of what I was typically eating on a weekday. This was giving me roughly 1500 calories a day including 245g of protein.
The amount of protein is good. However, the calories are much, much too low; and I know better. When I calculated my caloric needs for P90X, I required about 2,300 calories a day. I lost 35 lbs at this intake level. Based on the amount of training I am doing now, I am working much harder for longer periods but I'm eating much less. Unfortunately, my workouts are starting to suffer.
Yesterday's run was a real struggle for me. When I got home from work, I had planned to go swimming. Mike was stuck in traffic and wasn't going to make it home in time to go with me, so he suggested I go for a run instead. I washed down a few crackers with a glass of water and headed out the door. At this point, I had probably eaten about 1,200 calories the entire day.
I started my run a little too fast, and quickly drained any energy I had. On top of that, the weather had warmed up a bit since the previous week and it felt like it was 90 degrees (even though it was only 73). I ended up only going 7.5 miles and at a much slower pace than what I would have liked. Because of this poor performance, I decided I needed to re-evaluate what I have been eating. It was obvious that I needed to up my calories.
Of course, this is easier said than done. I am 7 pounds away from my race weight. My initial thought is, eat less and you will lose the weight. However, the whole point of losing 7 more pounds is to improve my race. Improving my race also includes training at the appropriate levels. If I cannot train at the levels needed, then my race is going to suffer. I need to eat in order to be able to train. It's a vicious cycle to someone like me who can get too wrapped up in numbers on the scale.
That being said, I made an effort today to add extra calories to my lunch and to my afternoon snack. I also tried fixing 3 eggs instead of 2 for breakfast, but I just didn't feel like eating this morning and ended up giving the rest of my breakfast to the dogs. My first two snacks remain the same, but I did pack some stuff to make a wrap for lunch, and I have dried edamame, cranberries, and almonds for my afternoon snack.
My goal for the rest of the week is to get closer to 2,000 calories a day to see if I start feeling a little better during my workouts. Of course Saturday is our "Pancake Ride" out to Korth's. James said it will be a 40+ mile ride so I am going to pig out when I get there. In fact, I might just get the Pirate Special!
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's calorie calculator. This calculator gave me the same results as my P90X calculations... 2,300 calories a day (based on being "very active") to maintain my weight.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598
The amount of protein is good. However, the calories are much, much too low; and I know better. When I calculated my caloric needs for P90X, I required about 2,300 calories a day. I lost 35 lbs at this intake level. Based on the amount of training I am doing now, I am working much harder for longer periods but I'm eating much less. Unfortunately, my workouts are starting to suffer.
Yesterday's run was a real struggle for me. When I got home from work, I had planned to go swimming. Mike was stuck in traffic and wasn't going to make it home in time to go with me, so he suggested I go for a run instead. I washed down a few crackers with a glass of water and headed out the door. At this point, I had probably eaten about 1,200 calories the entire day.
I started my run a little too fast, and quickly drained any energy I had. On top of that, the weather had warmed up a bit since the previous week and it felt like it was 90 degrees (even though it was only 73). I ended up only going 7.5 miles and at a much slower pace than what I would have liked. Because of this poor performance, I decided I needed to re-evaluate what I have been eating. It was obvious that I needed to up my calories.
Of course, this is easier said than done. I am 7 pounds away from my race weight. My initial thought is, eat less and you will lose the weight. However, the whole point of losing 7 more pounds is to improve my race. Improving my race also includes training at the appropriate levels. If I cannot train at the levels needed, then my race is going to suffer. I need to eat in order to be able to train. It's a vicious cycle to someone like me who can get too wrapped up in numbers on the scale.
My goal for the rest of the week is to get closer to 2,000 calories a day to see if I start feeling a little better during my workouts. Of course Saturday is our "Pancake Ride" out to Korth's. James said it will be a 40+ mile ride so I am going to pig out when I get there. In fact, I might just get the Pirate Special!
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's calorie calculator. This calculator gave me the same results as my P90X calculations... 2,300 calories a day (based on being "very active") to maintain my weight.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598
Previous Weekday Menu
Breakfast:
- 1 cup greek yogurt (130 calories, 23g protein)
- ½ cup frozen blueberries (40 calories, >1g protein)
- 1 tbls. Agave (60 calories)
Snack 1:
- 1 whole pink grapefruit (50-60 calories, 1g protein)
Snack 2:
- Chocolate Shakeology® (170 calories, 16g protein)
- 1 banana (blended in shake) (100 calories, 1g protein)
Lunch:
- 1 can solid white tuna (180 calories, 39g protein)
- 1 green apple (100 calories, >1g protein)
Snack 3:
- 1 oz. almonds (180 calories, 6g protein)
Dinner:
- 6 oz. grilled chicken (280 calories, 52g protein)
- 1 cup steamed broccoli (55 calories, 4g protein)
- ½ cup brown rice (110 calories, 2g protein)
- If I've had a particularly hard workout, I will have a P90X Results & Recovery drink (220 calories).
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