For most people, there is one rule that seems pretty simple and valid when it comes to eating a nutritious dinner.
Salad = healthy
If you have a salad, you are eating healthy. You are making the right choice and you should feel happy for yourself.
wrong
I hate to be the spoiler but that's wrong. Now, salads can be healthy. If you prepare them yourself, you control everything there about your salad and you can toss in whatever you like. But of course when you go out to eat and leave the preparation up to somebody else, then you throw that all out the window and you are the mercy of the restaurant you are at.
The always-trusty Men's Health has compiled a list of 20 terrible salads and while I'm not going to list all 20 here, I will post a few to give you a quick idea of the dangers of the salad.
How bad are these salads? MH actually says you'd be better off eating a Whopper at Burger King than you would eating any of these salads.
Some places you'd do well just to avoid. Chipotle and PF Chang's each consistently get poor grades and/or poor reviews when it comes to healthy eating, and this is no different. Each has a salad on here. Chipotle's Chicken Salad has a not-that-healthy-at-all 720 calories. The vinaigrette alone has 260 calories and 25 g fat, and they don't have any alternatives to the dressing.
PF Chang's Chicken Chopped Salad w/Ginger Dressing has 730 calories and about 1,200 mg sodium. PF Chang's also has the saltiest food in the land, so it's no surprise they also weigh in here on this list.
Fast food salads can be tempting especially if you are stuck going to a fast-food place. However, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Wendy's and El Pollo Loco all have a salad on here. Still, one thing I learned was that if you omit the croutons and use light dressing (some of these places do offer light dressing, you just gotta ask) then it cuts down the calories. I used to get a salad at McDonald's (I think they did away with it) and I'd just leave out the croutons and use about half the dressing it came with and that would cut down like 75 calories. That doesn't sound like a ton but that's an AM or PM snack.
One thing too is portion size. MH dings Quiznos for not providing accurate portion-size descriptions. Their Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad (with bread) comes in at 920 calories, 66.5 g fat (20.5 g saturated, 0 g trans) and a whopping 2,090 mg sodium. This is the "regular" size, and they recommend a "small" salad, the Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad, that comes in at a much more reasonable 350 calories.
California Pizza Kitchen has four salads in the top 10. That's just not a great endorsement for that place. I don't necessarily think of it as an unhealthy place to eat but the salad choices there are obviously pretty bad. MH says that their "salad menu is filled with gigantic gut-bombs" and by the looks of things, that seems like a fair description.
No. 4 is the Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing at California Pizza Kitchen. This salad has 1,570 calories, 30 g saturated fat and 2,082 mg sodium. The calories are bad enough but throw in that much sodium and this salad is just a poor choice all-around.
You'll have to see the full list for the top three, but if you like TGI Friday's you might want to check out the top spot.
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Weigh-less Wednesday: Arm Yourself With Knowledge
When you put something in your mouth, do you think about the calories? About how much, if any, fiber it has? About the amount of sodium or carbs it has?
I don't. Well, I don't always think about it, I should say. That's in part because I've already got some things programmed in my mind. An apple is between 80-100 calories, for instance, while a banana is about 100. A handful of chips is... bad... but it has maybe 70 calories, maybe more (most serving sizes for chips are between 10-14 chips).
One simple way to figure out what's working for you in your meal plan is to figure out what you're ingesting. It's easy sometimes to just grab something and eat it without thinking about the nutritional part of it, but a quick glance at the nutritional facts box on the packaging will help you decide if you want to eat it or pass on it.
However, not all foods have that. I've been on a sweet potato kick lately, and have a bowl of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes in the fridge. I can't exactly look at the packaging to see how many calories one serving is, and exactly how much one serving is in the first place.
But there's a great web site that has all that info handy. Calorieking.com is easily the best site to find nutritional info.
Now, I sort of did it the backwards way. I ate first and asked questions later. But I had a rough idea of what I was eating. So for lunch... and dinner... I took out a measuring cup, got myself one cup of the sweet potatoes and went to town (after I heated them up and added a few things - a splash of milk, some cinnamon).
Later I checked calorieking.com and was pleasantly surprised. One cup of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes has 250 calories, 58 g carbs and 8.2 g fiber. Since I had two cups of that throughout the day, I got in more than 16 g fiber just in those two meals alone. Add in the 4.4 I got from my apple and I have more than 20 g fiber. I'm pretty sure I got what I needed in terms of fiber.
Calorieking.com is the best resource I've found for any sort of nutritional info.
How many calories does a baked potato have?
I ate a Fiber One bar but threw out the packaging - what did I eat?
I had a cup of grapes with my lunch, how many grams of fiber did it have?
and the site provides answers...
About 141
Fiber One bar - 140 calories, 9g fiber
Only 1.4, but it was only 100 calories to begin with
Also helpful is their restaurant info. I've done it many times where I'm at a restaurant and am on my phone, scanning the site for any sort of meal info. Let's say you are Olive Garden and want to order the Lasagna Clasico but aren't sure if that's more calories than you have left. A search on my phone reveals that it has 850 calories, not terrible, but 2,830 mg sodium, which is bad. So I start scanning for alternatives and stumble across the Cheese Ravioli, which has 660 calories and 1,440 mg sodium, so I opt for that. I'm also trying to ignore the fact that each breadstick is 150 calories.
Anyway, that's just a scenario that could happen.
I didn't get sponsored by the site or anything. My trainer told me about that site a long time ago and I've used it quite often since then. It's the best starting point for me with regards to calories and nutritional information, and I do use it often on my phone, when I'm out at places.
So you can't memorize the nutritional facts for every little piece of food and not all foods have that info handy. The best thing you can do, though, is to give yourself a fighting chance by finding that info out on your own.
I don't. Well, I don't always think about it, I should say. That's in part because I've already got some things programmed in my mind. An apple is between 80-100 calories, for instance, while a banana is about 100. A handful of chips is... bad... but it has maybe 70 calories, maybe more (most serving sizes for chips are between 10-14 chips).
One simple way to figure out what's working for you in your meal plan is to figure out what you're ingesting. It's easy sometimes to just grab something and eat it without thinking about the nutritional part of it, but a quick glance at the nutritional facts box on the packaging will help you decide if you want to eat it or pass on it.
However, not all foods have that. I've been on a sweet potato kick lately, and have a bowl of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes in the fridge. I can't exactly look at the packaging to see how many calories one serving is, and exactly how much one serving is in the first place.
But there's a great web site that has all that info handy. Calorieking.com is easily the best site to find nutritional info.
Now, I sort of did it the backwards way. I ate first and asked questions later. But I had a rough idea of what I was eating. So for lunch... and dinner... I took out a measuring cup, got myself one cup of the sweet potatoes and went to town (after I heated them up and added a few things - a splash of milk, some cinnamon).
Later I checked calorieking.com and was pleasantly surprised. One cup of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes has 250 calories, 58 g carbs and 8.2 g fiber. Since I had two cups of that throughout the day, I got in more than 16 g fiber just in those two meals alone. Add in the 4.4 I got from my apple and I have more than 20 g fiber. I'm pretty sure I got what I needed in terms of fiber.
Calorieking.com is the best resource I've found for any sort of nutritional info.
How many calories does a baked potato have?
I ate a Fiber One bar but threw out the packaging - what did I eat?
I had a cup of grapes with my lunch, how many grams of fiber did it have?
and the site provides answers...
About 141
Fiber One bar - 140 calories, 9g fiber
Only 1.4, but it was only 100 calories to begin with
Also helpful is their restaurant info. I've done it many times where I'm at a restaurant and am on my phone, scanning the site for any sort of meal info. Let's say you are Olive Garden and want to order the Lasagna Clasico but aren't sure if that's more calories than you have left. A search on my phone reveals that it has 850 calories, not terrible, but 2,830 mg sodium, which is bad. So I start scanning for alternatives and stumble across the Cheese Ravioli, which has 660 calories and 1,440 mg sodium, so I opt for that. I'm also trying to ignore the fact that each breadstick is 150 calories.
Anyway, that's just a scenario that could happen.
I didn't get sponsored by the site or anything. My trainer told me about that site a long time ago and I've used it quite often since then. It's the best starting point for me with regards to calories and nutritional information, and I do use it often on my phone, when I'm out at places.
So you can't memorize the nutritional facts for every little piece of food and not all foods have that info handy. The best thing you can do, though, is to give yourself a fighting chance by finding that info out on your own.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Weigh-less Wednesday: Not Worth Its Salt
Do you watch your sodium intake?
It's tough to keep tabs on so many things - calories, fiber, protein, carbs, sodium, etc. I prioritized two things during my weight-loss journey. My main priority was calories as I tried to stay around 1800 a day (and 2800 every fourth day). My second priority, though, was fiber. I figured that if I kept my calories at 1800 a day and got in 25-30 grams of fiber a day, everything else would take care of itself.
But that doesn't mean I could ignore sodium altogether. I wasn't quite sure how many grams of sodium were recommended each day so when I'd look at the nutrition facts and would see something like 700mg sodium per serving, I wondered if that was normal, bad or terrible.
Well, there are two schools of thought with regards to sodium intake. The Institute of Medicine recommends 2300 mg a day, which is roughly a teaspoon of salt. The average American consumes 3400 mg a day.
Not surprisingly, most excessive sodium comes from processed foods. Salt equals flavor and if processed foods didn't have so much salt, they would be bland.
Home cooking doesn't make for excessive sodium levels. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 77 percent of the sodium in an average diet comes from processed and restaurant foods. As far as lowering your sodium levels, the simple answer is to eat lots of fruits and veggies, and cook at home.
If you do have to go out, do what you can to avoid these foods, which Men's Health labeled the Saltiest Foods in America
5. Saltiest Nachos: On The Border, Grande Fajita Chicken Nachos (appetizer) - 5,180 mg sodium, 1,540 calories, 85g fat
4. Saltiest Steak Meal: Claim Jumper, Country Fried Steak - 6,157 mg sodium, 2,288 calories, 68g fat
3. Saltiest Breakfast: Perkins, Southern Fried Chicken Biscuit Platter - 6,680 mg sodium, 1,860 calories, 86g fat
2. Saltiest Burger: Chili's Jalapeño Smokehouse Bacon Burger - 6,710 mg sodium, 2,140 calories, 139g fat
1. Saltiest Food in America: PF Chang's, Double Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork - 7,900 mg sodium, 1,652 calories, 84g fat
* for a full list of the Men's Health 30 saltiest foods in America, click here
It's tough to keep tabs on so many things - calories, fiber, protein, carbs, sodium, etc. I prioritized two things during my weight-loss journey. My main priority was calories as I tried to stay around 1800 a day (and 2800 every fourth day). My second priority, though, was fiber. I figured that if I kept my calories at 1800 a day and got in 25-30 grams of fiber a day, everything else would take care of itself.
But that doesn't mean I could ignore sodium altogether. I wasn't quite sure how many grams of sodium were recommended each day so when I'd look at the nutrition facts and would see something like 700mg sodium per serving, I wondered if that was normal, bad or terrible.
Well, there are two schools of thought with regards to sodium intake. The Institute of Medicine recommends 2300 mg a day, which is roughly a teaspoon of salt. The average American consumes 3400 mg a day.
Not surprisingly, most excessive sodium comes from processed foods. Salt equals flavor and if processed foods didn't have so much salt, they would be bland.
Home cooking doesn't make for excessive sodium levels. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 77 percent of the sodium in an average diet comes from processed and restaurant foods. As far as lowering your sodium levels, the simple answer is to eat lots of fruits and veggies, and cook at home.
If you do have to go out, do what you can to avoid these foods, which Men's Health labeled the Saltiest Foods in America
5. Saltiest Nachos: On The Border, Grande Fajita Chicken Nachos (appetizer) - 5,180 mg sodium, 1,540 calories, 85g fat
4. Saltiest Steak Meal: Claim Jumper, Country Fried Steak - 6,157 mg sodium, 2,288 calories, 68g fat
3. Saltiest Breakfast: Perkins, Southern Fried Chicken Biscuit Platter - 6,680 mg sodium, 1,860 calories, 86g fat
2. Saltiest Burger: Chili's Jalapeño Smokehouse Bacon Burger - 6,710 mg sodium, 2,140 calories, 139g fat
1. Saltiest Food in America: PF Chang's, Double Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork - 7,900 mg sodium, 1,652 calories, 84g fat
* for a full list of the Men's Health 30 saltiest foods in America, click here
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Weigh-less Wednesdays
So, how'd you do it?
It's easily the question I get asked the most when people find out about my weight loss.
How'd you do it?
Sometimes I wish I really did have a secret. I wish there was something that would make people gasp, or run out to the nearest grocery store or drug store and buy Secret Weight Loss Formula.
But I don't have a secret. And it's really deflating, because inevitably there is no payoff. Question-asker goes away feeling empty-handed while answer-giver feels helpless.
How'd I do it?
There was no miracle cure. No magic potion. No pills or shots or vitamins or creams or lotions.
How'd I lose 120 pounds? I just ate right and exercised.
The exercise part... well, that's tough. Yeah, I can explain all about where I am now, how running 25-30 miles a week is great because I actually have to eat more calories than I would otherwise in order to sustain my body and give it the ability to log that many miles. But I only took up running after I crossed the century mark with my weight loss.
I could tell them about the initial exercises I did when I weighed more than 300 pounds, about how the first gym session I had with my trainer I did eight minutes on an exercise bike and seven minutes on an elliptical and how I was sore for about three days afterward, and how I started from the ground up, but a lot of the actual exercises and pieces of machinery I used would require us to go to the gym, and maybe the answer to "How'd you do it?" wasn't really intended to include a gym outing.
But I can tell them about the first part of my anticlimactic response, the "eat right" part. Now, I can't tell them specifically what kinds of foods to eat or rather stay away from. It's easier to say "omit sodas, fast food, chips, candy, cookies, things like that from your meal plan" than it is to say "incorporate more vegetables and fruits and whole grains" and such because the latter only works if you give up the former.
What I can tell them that will work, that is something I can personally say with utmost certainty, is this: eat five small meals a day.
Breakfast. AM snack. Lunch. PM snack. Dinner.
It worked for me. And isn't that what they wanted to know in the first place?
How'd you do it?
I counted calories. I limited myself to about 1800 calories a day (I believe the exact figure was 1734). I ate five small meals a day. I had a breakfast, like a bar or small bowl of cereal, which was about 200-300 calories. A piece of fruit for a snack added another 100 or so, and then at lunch I had maybe a sandwich and some plain yogurt with fruit, or a veggie wrap and some fruit, and that was maybe another 300-400 calories. After another piece of fruit for a PM snack I had only eaten about 900 calories, so I had about 800 calories to play with at dinner. Do you know what you can have for 800 calories? Lots of good stuff, like a chicken breast with some rice and maybe a roll, or a bowl of chicken tortilla soup, or even a plate of pasta with some garlic bread.
Well, that's kind of a long answer. But that's the heart of the matter. When I feel someone is genuinely interested in how I did it, I'll give them that sort of answer. If they're just reacting to having found out that I dropped more than 100 pounds, I'll say "It was the easiest plan to come up with but the hardest to follow: I ate right and exercised." I can sometimes feel the air come out of their balloon of excitement, as if they really did want the name of the magic elixir I used. And I really don't like to disappoint people, but they wanted the response.
I think sometimes they want me to say "I got surgery" which a lot of people assume I had. In fact, some people used to ask me if I had gotten sick. Now that I run marathons and half-marathons, it's pretty evident that I'm not sick so those assumptions went by the wayside.
Still, getting sick, having surgery or having consumed the perfect weight-loss drink would likely appease people more than saying "I ate right and exercised."
Boo! That's BORING!! That ain't no kind of answer!!!
Perhaps, but it's true.
I ate right.
I exercised.
I lost 120 pounds.
What more is there to say?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Weigh-less Wednesday: Scaring Away The Desire
Sometimes, it's good to be scared.
That's what runs through my head when I see worst-of lists. The worst breakfast food, the worst restaurant, the worst anything just seems like a good thing to avoid.
But then there are burgers. Who doesn't like a tasty burger every now and then?
Now, I don't mind indulging every now and then. It's better to eat something like that once in a while then to deny yourself until you get to a point where you just lose all your willpower and scarf them down simply because you have been keeping this from yourself. We're human. It happens.
But if you're going to down a burger, best to avoid one of these. You'll have to click the link to see the full list but here's the info provided with each burger.
Number 3 on the list is the Worst Fast Food Cheeseburger, and that dishonor goes to the Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese and Mayo.
1,250 calories
84 g fat (32 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)
1,600 mg sodium
With one of these, I'd get more than half of the calories I try to consume each day and look at all those fat grams.
With each burger, there is an alternative, and in this case it's Burger King's Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich with mayo
490 calories
21 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,220 mg sodium
Much more reasonable, though the amount of sodium is still high.
Some things that jumped out at me:
* Don't be fooled by chicken and turkey; just because it has poultry doesn't mean it's healthy
* Don't be fooled by reputation either; I was surprised to see In n Out on the list, to be honest.
* Just because something is small doesn't mean it's better.
That's what runs through my head when I see worst-of lists. The worst breakfast food, the worst restaurant, the worst anything just seems like a good thing to avoid.
But then there are burgers. Who doesn't like a tasty burger every now and then?
Now, I don't mind indulging every now and then. It's better to eat something like that once in a while then to deny yourself until you get to a point where you just lose all your willpower and scarf them down simply because you have been keeping this from yourself. We're human. It happens.
But if you're going to down a burger, best to avoid one of these. You'll have to click the link to see the full list but here's the info provided with each burger.
Number 3 on the list is the Worst Fast Food Cheeseburger, and that dishonor goes to the Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese and Mayo.
1,250 calories
84 g fat (32 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)
1,600 mg sodium
With one of these, I'd get more than half of the calories I try to consume each day and look at all those fat grams.
With each burger, there is an alternative, and in this case it's Burger King's Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich with mayo
490 calories
21 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,220 mg sodium
Much more reasonable, though the amount of sodium is still high.
Some things that jumped out at me:
* Don't be fooled by chicken and turkey; just because it has poultry doesn't mean it's healthy
* Don't be fooled by reputation either; I was surprised to see In n Out on the list, to be honest.
* Just because something is small doesn't mean it's better.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Weigh-less Wednesday: The Debut
For a while now, I've been neglecting the blogosphere. I've been hiding my knowledge about weight loss. I didn't do it on purpose so please don't hold it against me.
But it's true. I haven't blogged much about nutrition or weight loss or anything of the nature. Maybe I ran out of ammo and shared all that I know about the subject before. Or maybe I just chose to write more about things such as my running escapades and have not been injecting more of what helped me get to where I am today.
Well, I'm trying to change that. I wanted to dedicate some time and space to nutrition. In some ways, it's nice to have a dedicated day where I will do something. Otherwise it tends to be sporadic and then it can get lost in the shuffle.
For now, that dedicated day is Wednesday, if for no other reason than both Wednesday and weight loss begins with a W.
Why am I doing it? Well, it's to share the knowledge and hopefully give readers a reason to think about their food choices. It's also to keep me on the straight and narrow. I've strayed from some of the things that got me here and I want to get back into the good habits I had for so long, that now are seemingly hit and miss.
To start off this Weigh-less Wednesday, I wanted to share a link with you. It's a cool little quiz about breakfast foods.
Do you eat breakfast? I do. I think it's essential, and yet so many people skip it. To me, the biggest problem with skipping breakfast is that it could lead to poor choices later in the morning. Not sure about you but if I skip a meal I get hungrier earlier than I would otherwise. So if I were to skip breakfast, I'd be very hungry by 9 or 10, and then if I hadn't eaten then by lunchtime I'd be ravenous. And you know by that point I'm not going to be picky about what I jam down my throat.
Anyway, breakfast presents challenges as well. Just like any other meal, there are good things to eat, bad things to eat, bad things disguised as good things and good things you might think would be bad.
Here's the link. It's a bit of a quiz. Men's Health put together the quiz and asks you to pick which of two similar items is the healthier breakfast option.
For instance, the first one it asks you to choose between pancakes and waffles. Hmmm... tough choice. Honestly, I felt like that was a lose-lose situation but I chose... and chose wrong. I should've known better, but I went with my gut and apparently it was the gut I had a long time ago.
I'm not going to spoil it for you because I want you to choose correctly.
I actually did pretty bad on the test overall. I think it's because long ago I whittled down my breakfast choices to energy bars. Then I slowly added other things, notably bagels and Fiber One cereal. Lately I've been alternating between bagels and Fiber One because I have them but also because I don't want to go to Costco so much. Damn Costco. I buy Clif Bars from Costco so if I run out I'm going to have to go back to Costco, and I can't leave Costco without dropping 100 bucks. Grrr...
So I'm not quite up to speed on pancakes vs. waffles, yogurt vs. cottage cheese, bacon vs. sausage, etc.
Anyway, take the test and feed yourself with knowledge. And I'll be here every Wednesday trying to give you more healthy info to arm yourself with.
Also, if you have any suggestions to future topics, please feel free to suggest topics.
But it's true. I haven't blogged much about nutrition or weight loss or anything of the nature. Maybe I ran out of ammo and shared all that I know about the subject before. Or maybe I just chose to write more about things such as my running escapades and have not been injecting more of what helped me get to where I am today.
Well, I'm trying to change that. I wanted to dedicate some time and space to nutrition. In some ways, it's nice to have a dedicated day where I will do something. Otherwise it tends to be sporadic and then it can get lost in the shuffle.
For now, that dedicated day is Wednesday, if for no other reason than both Wednesday and weight loss begins with a W.
Why am I doing it? Well, it's to share the knowledge and hopefully give readers a reason to think about their food choices. It's also to keep me on the straight and narrow. I've strayed from some of the things that got me here and I want to get back into the good habits I had for so long, that now are seemingly hit and miss.
To start off this Weigh-less Wednesday, I wanted to share a link with you. It's a cool little quiz about breakfast foods.
Do you eat breakfast? I do. I think it's essential, and yet so many people skip it. To me, the biggest problem with skipping breakfast is that it could lead to poor choices later in the morning. Not sure about you but if I skip a meal I get hungrier earlier than I would otherwise. So if I were to skip breakfast, I'd be very hungry by 9 or 10, and then if I hadn't eaten then by lunchtime I'd be ravenous. And you know by that point I'm not going to be picky about what I jam down my throat.
Anyway, breakfast presents challenges as well. Just like any other meal, there are good things to eat, bad things to eat, bad things disguised as good things and good things you might think would be bad.
Here's the link. It's a bit of a quiz. Men's Health put together the quiz and asks you to pick which of two similar items is the healthier breakfast option.
For instance, the first one it asks you to choose between pancakes and waffles. Hmmm... tough choice. Honestly, I felt like that was a lose-lose situation but I chose... and chose wrong. I should've known better, but I went with my gut and apparently it was the gut I had a long time ago.
I'm not going to spoil it for you because I want you to choose correctly.
I actually did pretty bad on the test overall. I think it's because long ago I whittled down my breakfast choices to energy bars. Then I slowly added other things, notably bagels and Fiber One cereal. Lately I've been alternating between bagels and Fiber One because I have them but also because I don't want to go to Costco so much. Damn Costco. I buy Clif Bars from Costco so if I run out I'm going to have to go back to Costco, and I can't leave Costco without dropping 100 bucks. Grrr...
So I'm not quite up to speed on pancakes vs. waffles, yogurt vs. cottage cheese, bacon vs. sausage, etc.
Anyway, take the test and feed yourself with knowledge. And I'll be here every Wednesday trying to give you more healthy info to arm yourself with.
Also, if you have any suggestions to future topics, please feel free to suggest topics.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Fueling On The Go
Last week I read a tip in Runner's World about consuming carbs during races.
The tip: 60-80g of carbs each hour will improve performance.
I was intrigued. So I tried it.
Now, I want to try it during the Long Beach Half Marathon. This makes sense to me, the reasoning behind eating as many carbs per hour as suggested, and I feel this could help me not only meet my goals in Long Beach but also help me just feel better during and after the race.
But I have a bit of a firm belief in this - nothing new on race day.
Nothing new. No new shoes. No new shirts. No new socks. No new gear. No new breakfast food. I don't like surprises and the last thing I want to do is to be surprised on race day. The last thing I want to happen is for something new to backfire on me and cause some sort of adverse reaction during a race. Of course, I put myself in a bad situation in San Francisco when I forgot my damn fuel belt and had to buy a new one and wear a new one on race day, but that's a bit of an extreme case where it beat the alternative of relying on the race to properly hydrate myself. I'm still mad at myself over that.
Anyway, nothing new on race day. I don't want to try this new 60-80 carbs/hr thing on race day for the first time. What if four GU packets in two hours makes me.... well, I'll let you use your imagination. I really don't want to find out the hard way how something works.
So I tried it out Sunday. We were running 10 miles, us Lopers, so I filled up two bottles on my fuel belt with Gatorade and grabbed three GU packets. Each bottle holds eight ounces of liquid (and there is roughly 14g carbs per eight ounces so it seemed to work out well). So my plan was to take two GUs and drink one entire bottle the first hour and then the other GU and the rest of the bottle the second hour. I figure we'd finish in about 1 hour 40-something minutes, so there'd be no time to get to the fourth GU packet.
My plan was to GU at 25 and 50 minutes, but we were at minute 24 something and I felt weird. I felt like a GU there would have been too early. It just didn't feel right. I was barely getting into a rhythm, barely breaking a sweat even and already I was going to GU? At minute 30, though, I forced myself to GU. I kinda made sure nobody saw me because it was pretty early even at that point (I don't think we were at Mile 3 yet, close but not quite there). I took the GU. I'd been drinking the Gatorade slowly before then.
I felt a little full. Like, my stomach was full full. I wondered if that many GU packets was wise.
At minute 50-something, I took the second GU packet. The whole first hour I felt strong. Very strong. I wanted to stretch my legs but we were going along at our usual 10:30 pace (okay, it was a little faster but still in the low 10s).
I took the last GU at around 1 hour 25 minutes. It felt way too early again but I wasn't regretting my decision by that point.
Towards the end, though, I definitely felt the effects. Here are the splits for the first six miles: 10:07, 10:50, 9:56, 9:47, 10:27, 10:07
The seventh mile featured a very long hill. I got stronger up this hill the higher I went and by the time I got to the top my legs wanted to open up. I contained myself though and when most of the rest of the group caught up I took off once more. The last three miles were disjointed as some of us wanted to run faster and others were fine with running at our usual pace.
The last three miles: 8:27, 8:54, 8:48.
Not only did I feel stronger as the run went on but I felt like I had energy to burn at the end. I felt like I still had some in the tank.
Did I burn more calories than I took in? Who knows? I'm not a fan of the 100-calories-per-mile thing as it just seems illogical to me that such a rule would apply for both, say a 110-pound woman and a 220-pound man. So, it's tough to say really how many calories I burned versus how many I took in. And to be fair I ate some pretzels at the water stops as well and also had some water there. The water obviously did not affect the calorie/carbs intake but the pretzels did I'm sure.
While burning calories may be a concern during midweek runs or Sunday runs, performance is my main concern during races. Therefore, this 60-80g carbs/hr appeals to me even more now that I tried it successfully.
I might be the only runner on the LB Half course sucking down some GU at minute 25 but that's fine by me. It'll be my means to my end.
The tip: 60-80g of carbs each hour will improve performance.
I was intrigued. So I tried it.
Now, I want to try it during the Long Beach Half Marathon. This makes sense to me, the reasoning behind eating as many carbs per hour as suggested, and I feel this could help me not only meet my goals in Long Beach but also help me just feel better during and after the race.
But I have a bit of a firm belief in this - nothing new on race day.
Nothing new. No new shoes. No new shirts. No new socks. No new gear. No new breakfast food. I don't like surprises and the last thing I want to do is to be surprised on race day. The last thing I want to happen is for something new to backfire on me and cause some sort of adverse reaction during a race. Of course, I put myself in a bad situation in San Francisco when I forgot my damn fuel belt and had to buy a new one and wear a new one on race day, but that's a bit of an extreme case where it beat the alternative of relying on the race to properly hydrate myself. I'm still mad at myself over that.
Anyway, nothing new on race day. I don't want to try this new 60-80 carbs/hr thing on race day for the first time. What if four GU packets in two hours makes me.... well, I'll let you use your imagination. I really don't want to find out the hard way how something works.
So I tried it out Sunday. We were running 10 miles, us Lopers, so I filled up two bottles on my fuel belt with Gatorade and grabbed three GU packets. Each bottle holds eight ounces of liquid (and there is roughly 14g carbs per eight ounces so it seemed to work out well). So my plan was to take two GUs and drink one entire bottle the first hour and then the other GU and the rest of the bottle the second hour. I figure we'd finish in about 1 hour 40-something minutes, so there'd be no time to get to the fourth GU packet.
My plan was to GU at 25 and 50 minutes, but we were at minute 24 something and I felt weird. I felt like a GU there would have been too early. It just didn't feel right. I was barely getting into a rhythm, barely breaking a sweat even and already I was going to GU? At minute 30, though, I forced myself to GU. I kinda made sure nobody saw me because it was pretty early even at that point (I don't think we were at Mile 3 yet, close but not quite there). I took the GU. I'd been drinking the Gatorade slowly before then.
I felt a little full. Like, my stomach was full full. I wondered if that many GU packets was wise.
At minute 50-something, I took the second GU packet. The whole first hour I felt strong. Very strong. I wanted to stretch my legs but we were going along at our usual 10:30 pace (okay, it was a little faster but still in the low 10s).
I took the last GU at around 1 hour 25 minutes. It felt way too early again but I wasn't regretting my decision by that point.
Towards the end, though, I definitely felt the effects. Here are the splits for the first six miles: 10:07, 10:50, 9:56, 9:47, 10:27, 10:07
The seventh mile featured a very long hill. I got stronger up this hill the higher I went and by the time I got to the top my legs wanted to open up. I contained myself though and when most of the rest of the group caught up I took off once more. The last three miles were disjointed as some of us wanted to run faster and others were fine with running at our usual pace.
The last three miles: 8:27, 8:54, 8:48.
Not only did I feel stronger as the run went on but I felt like I had energy to burn at the end. I felt like I still had some in the tank.
Did I burn more calories than I took in? Who knows? I'm not a fan of the 100-calories-per-mile thing as it just seems illogical to me that such a rule would apply for both, say a 110-pound woman and a 220-pound man. So, it's tough to say really how many calories I burned versus how many I took in. And to be fair I ate some pretzels at the water stops as well and also had some water there. The water obviously did not affect the calorie/carbs intake but the pretzels did I'm sure.
While burning calories may be a concern during midweek runs or Sunday runs, performance is my main concern during races. Therefore, this 60-80g carbs/hr appeals to me even more now that I tried it successfully.
I might be the only runner on the LB Half course sucking down some GU at minute 25 but that's fine by me. It'll be my means to my end.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Chocolate Milk And Gels
I was thumbing through my Runner's World magazine recently and came across some pretty interesting tips. There are always tips in there, great tips and advice from reliable sources... and then there are other bits of info that I dismiss as quickly as I read it.
These caught my eye, though, so much so that I've just tried one out and may try another one in my next race.
Chocolate Milk
Okay, this isn't new. In fact, I've tried this before. But maybe it's just a thing where you hear about something so many times that eventually it makes sense and you start believing. According to a study, after a 45-minute run some test subjects were given either fat-free chocolate milk or a carb-recovery drink with the same amount of calories. After three hours, the milk-drinkers had lower markers of muscle protein breakdown, which means better recovery over the other drinks.
The mag recommends a glass of low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk after runs of 45 minutes or longer, which for me is essentially every time out; well, 8 out of 10 runs probably.
I ran Thursday morning and happened to park near a grocery store. I ran for an hour and then just went into the store for a quick trip (yet still managed to dole out 27 dollars and came out with three big bags of groceries, how the heck did that happen?) and grabbed some chocolate milk. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that it has quite a few calories. The bottle I got had 300, although I didn't see how many ounces it was. It was either 16 or 20 ounces. Usually I will have a piece of fruit or two after a run and that's maybe 150 calories, less than 200 for sure, so you have to account for the calories. But still, the advantages seem plenty.
More Carbs To Improve Performance
This one is intriguing. This study centered on triathletes and cyclists who rode for two hours while consuming different amounts of carbs. Afterward they raced a 20K time trial. The ones who had the most carbs had the faster times. How many carbs? Per hour, 60-80 grams of carbs, as opposed to 30-60 per hour which is apparently the figure recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.
The mag recommends 8-16 ounces of sports drink and two sports gel per hour on long runs.
Interesting. If I use this during the Long Beach Half Marathon, it would mean four GU packets instead of two like I'd planned, and I would probably need two full bottles of Gatorade on my fuel belt. I'd have to GU at 25 min., 50 min., 1 hr 20 min. and 1 hr 40 min. That's a lot of GU! Each packet has 25g of carbs, so two packets is 50g (you like my math skills) and the 8-16 ounces of sports drink would make up for the rest of the carbs.
I might just try this. Seems kinda strange to eat that much GU but then again, the science behind it makes sense.
These caught my eye, though, so much so that I've just tried one out and may try another one in my next race.
Chocolate Milk
Okay, this isn't new. In fact, I've tried this before. But maybe it's just a thing where you hear about something so many times that eventually it makes sense and you start believing. According to a study, after a 45-minute run some test subjects were given either fat-free chocolate milk or a carb-recovery drink with the same amount of calories. After three hours, the milk-drinkers had lower markers of muscle protein breakdown, which means better recovery over the other drinks.
The mag recommends a glass of low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk after runs of 45 minutes or longer, which for me is essentially every time out; well, 8 out of 10 runs probably.
I ran Thursday morning and happened to park near a grocery store. I ran for an hour and then just went into the store for a quick trip (yet still managed to dole out 27 dollars and came out with three big bags of groceries, how the heck did that happen?) and grabbed some chocolate milk. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that it has quite a few calories. The bottle I got had 300, although I didn't see how many ounces it was. It was either 16 or 20 ounces. Usually I will have a piece of fruit or two after a run and that's maybe 150 calories, less than 200 for sure, so you have to account for the calories. But still, the advantages seem plenty.
More Carbs To Improve Performance
This one is intriguing. This study centered on triathletes and cyclists who rode for two hours while consuming different amounts of carbs. Afterward they raced a 20K time trial. The ones who had the most carbs had the faster times. How many carbs? Per hour, 60-80 grams of carbs, as opposed to 30-60 per hour which is apparently the figure recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.
The mag recommends 8-16 ounces of sports drink and two sports gel per hour on long runs.
Interesting. If I use this during the Long Beach Half Marathon, it would mean four GU packets instead of two like I'd planned, and I would probably need two full bottles of Gatorade on my fuel belt. I'd have to GU at 25 min., 50 min., 1 hr 20 min. and 1 hr 40 min. That's a lot of GU! Each packet has 25g of carbs, so two packets is 50g (you like my math skills) and the 8-16 ounces of sports drink would make up for the rest of the carbs.
I might just try this. Seems kinda strange to eat that much GU but then again, the science behind it makes sense.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Guest Blogger: Snack Attack
** Mrs. LB caught the blogging bug (albeit briefly) and is guest-blogging once more. I turn my blog over to my better half **
“What are you looking for?” my husband asks as I spin wildly through our kitchen opening and re-opening cupboards.
“A donut,” I say emphatically. “Or a cookie, a sweet snack of some sort.”
“I made homemade granola bars. Do you want one of those?” he asks helpfully.
“No! I want a donut. Something with refined sugar and possibly some trans fat.”
“How about I peel you a mango or cut some bananas into some non-fat plain yogurt? I’ll sprinkle some Equal and cinnamon over the yogurt. It’ll taste just like the ones you buy in the store.”
At this point, instead of being grateful and accepting of my husband’s attempts to ease my sweet-tooth craving, I storm out of the kitchen and wonder what happened to our days of cupboards filled with snacks at the ready.
I know that my husband has transformed our kitchen for the better. The above-mentioned snacks he has made for our daughters on many occasions and they love them. Our children so rarely get candy that a Hershey’s kiss makes them squeal.
I also know I still want a donut sometimes. Luis will take pity on me and once in a while buys me treats. They’re not good for me, they’re not necessary and lending to an already-emotional connection to food but my brain wants them anyway. Not my stomach, my brain. Trust me, there’s no lack of food in my tummy. I know, in the same way that Luis has done us a favor by transforming our kitchen and potentially our lifestyle, that I don’t need donuts.
The most amazing part of Luis bringing unhealthy snacks into our house is that, for the most part, he’s able to ignore them. Apparently, he cannot hear the cookie dough ice cream in the freezer calling us in the dark hours after dinner. He is impenetrable to the shortbread cookies that send their siren song to me.
When I first starting dating Luis, it was obvious that although love knows no boundaries, we had grown up in different cultures. Nothing too radical, mind you, but different, nonetheless. I invited Luis over to my parent’s house one day after class and went in to the kitchen. I asked him if he wanted something from the pantry. He asked me what a pantry was. I peeked around the 6-foot-tall cupboards with amazement. Did he really not know what a pantry was?
I described it and then invited him over for a look. Our pantry was brimming with cereal boxes (no Grape-Nuts or Special K here), Little Debbie snacks (who doesn’t love a good Star Crunch?), Cheeze-Its, etc. Luis’ eyes got big and he struggled with the decision. He asked me when we eat this stuff. Again, incredulous, I told him they were for snacks.
“Snacks?” he asked. “Mexicans don’t really eat snacks. We eat big meals and that’s it.”
“Really? Well, interesting. Would you still like a snack?”
Of course he did. And this was his introduction to between-meal eating. Today, Luis still does a lot of between-meal eating but it’s most often some fresh fruit, a protein bar or raw veggies. A lot less calories than a Twinkie but where’s the satisfaction in crunching on baby carrots? If they had cream in the middle, maybe. . .
Luis has learned where the satisfaction is. He has now learned that the long-term goal is much more important than getting the immediate satisfaction of a handful of chips. He knows how his body will respond if he fills it with good fuel instead of Pie Bites from Fresh N Easy (those things are damn good, though).
The best thing about Luis and his food transformation is that he never, not once, has preached or pushed it on me. He just continues to set the good example hoping that one day I’ll join him. I love that about him. He’s patient in almost every way in his life. This patience is part of what helped him along his 21-month journey to shed 120 pounds and change his life for the better.
I see and hear the example but I’ll admit, I still enjoy Friday nights before a weekend of long runs because that means he’s going on carbo load and we all get to have pasta. Of course, he does add sauteed vegetables to the pasta even when I’d prefer to have Alfredo sauce but hey, he’s cooking and I’m eating so I just try to enjoy.
“What are you looking for?” my husband asks as I spin wildly through our kitchen opening and re-opening cupboards.
“A donut,” I say emphatically. “Or a cookie, a sweet snack of some sort.”
“I made homemade granola bars. Do you want one of those?” he asks helpfully.
“No! I want a donut. Something with refined sugar and possibly some trans fat.”
“How about I peel you a mango or cut some bananas into some non-fat plain yogurt? I’ll sprinkle some Equal and cinnamon over the yogurt. It’ll taste just like the ones you buy in the store.”
At this point, instead of being grateful and accepting of my husband’s attempts to ease my sweet-tooth craving, I storm out of the kitchen and wonder what happened to our days of cupboards filled with snacks at the ready.I know that my husband has transformed our kitchen for the better. The above-mentioned snacks he has made for our daughters on many occasions and they love them. Our children so rarely get candy that a Hershey’s kiss makes them squeal.
I also know I still want a donut sometimes. Luis will take pity on me and once in a while buys me treats. They’re not good for me, they’re not necessary and lending to an already-emotional connection to food but my brain wants them anyway. Not my stomach, my brain. Trust me, there’s no lack of food in my tummy. I know, in the same way that Luis has done us a favor by transforming our kitchen and potentially our lifestyle, that I don’t need donuts.
The most amazing part of Luis bringing unhealthy snacks into our house is that, for the most part, he’s able to ignore them. Apparently, he cannot hear the cookie dough ice cream in the freezer calling us in the dark hours after dinner. He is impenetrable to the shortbread cookies that send their siren song to me.
When I first starting dating Luis, it was obvious that although love knows no boundaries, we had grown up in different cultures. Nothing too radical, mind you, but different, nonetheless. I invited Luis over to my parent’s house one day after class and went in to the kitchen. I asked him if he wanted something from the pantry. He asked me what a pantry was. I peeked around the 6-foot-tall cupboards with amazement. Did he really not know what a pantry was?
I described it and then invited him over for a look. Our pantry was brimming with cereal boxes (no Grape-Nuts or Special K here), Little Debbie snacks (who doesn’t love a good Star Crunch?), Cheeze-Its, etc. Luis’ eyes got big and he struggled with the decision. He asked me when we eat this stuff. Again, incredulous, I told him they were for snacks.
“Snacks?” he asked. “Mexicans don’t really eat snacks. We eat big meals and that’s it.”
“Really? Well, interesting. Would you still like a snack?”
Of course he did. And this was his introduction to between-meal eating. Today, Luis still does a lot of between-meal eating but it’s most often some fresh fruit, a protein bar or raw veggies. A lot less calories than a Twinkie but where’s the satisfaction in crunching on baby carrots? If they had cream in the middle, maybe. . .
Luis has learned where the satisfaction is. He has now learned that the long-term goal is much more important than getting the immediate satisfaction of a handful of chips. He knows how his body will respond if he fills it with good fuel instead of Pie Bites from Fresh N Easy (those things are damn good, though).The best thing about Luis and his food transformation is that he never, not once, has preached or pushed it on me. He just continues to set the good example hoping that one day I’ll join him. I love that about him. He’s patient in almost every way in his life. This patience is part of what helped him along his 21-month journey to shed 120 pounds and change his life for the better.
I see and hear the example but I’ll admit, I still enjoy Friday nights before a weekend of long runs because that means he’s going on carbo load and we all get to have pasta. Of course, he does add sauteed vegetables to the pasta even when I’d prefer to have Alfredo sauce but hey, he’s cooking and I’m eating so I just try to enjoy.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
They Call It Fuel For A Reason
Eating is important. News flash, I know. But it is and I figured I'd share that with you.
I know this to be true because of what happened on Sunday. On Saturday, Mrs. LB went out for lunch and I was stuffed, so much so that I only snacked briefly the rest of the day. After work on Saturday night, I stopped by at Del Taco and got me some burritos. When I woke up Sunday morning, I didn't feel that hungry. It felt like I'd just eaten, and given that I'd eaten about five hours before I actually just had.
Instead of my usual Clif Bar and water, I opted to skip the Clif bar and drank some Gatorade before heading out to run with the Lopers.
We were only running five miles, and since I'd run 10 the day before I was rather happy with that. The weather was nice as the sun was not out, and our small-but-hearty group got off to a good start. But I didn't feel right. I thought it may have been the 10 miles I'd run the day before, or the four hours of sleep I'd gotten the night before or a combination of the two.
Now, since it was our first five-mile run this Loper season, it was also the first time the water station was out. We have water stations set up along the course during the Loper season, and this one was well-received. I didn't have my fuel belt and was thirsty, but more than that I was hungry. Man, was I starved! And I was lucky too. The water stations always have water (duh) but they don't always have food. This time, though, the table was well-stocked with trail mix.
I grabbed an empty water cup and scooped it full of trail mix. I inhaled that. I grabbed more and sucked that down too. My group was starting to walk away from the table and I was double-fisting the trail mix. So I grabbed one last cupful of it and carried it with me. I lagged behind but ate while the group took off up ahead.
We rounded one block and I instantly felt better. I'd finished the trail mix, it hadn't yet fully settled into my stomach, and I felt like a new runner. We were at about Mile 3 at this point and I suddenly had energy. Instead of wondering if I could make it to the end intact, I felt as if I could run six or seven or eight miles if need be. At one point I sprinted up ahead of the group to cover us as we were running across a street with no stop sign. As I ran and increased my speed, I felt a burst of energy and contemplated running fast the whole way in. I stayed with our awesome group though and finished strong.
I've known for a while that I don't need sleep to run. I got about five hours of sleep before Surf City and probably less before San Francisco but did great, felt great anyway. I ran the Run Through Redlands Half Marathon on a Sunday morning, having gotten home Saturday night well after midnight.
Food, though, seems to be a necessity I can't really do without. So even if I feel full from having eaten late the night before, I'm not going to let that lull me into a false sense of security and won't make that same mistake twice.
I know this to be true because of what happened on Sunday. On Saturday, Mrs. LB went out for lunch and I was stuffed, so much so that I only snacked briefly the rest of the day. After work on Saturday night, I stopped by at Del Taco and got me some burritos. When I woke up Sunday morning, I didn't feel that hungry. It felt like I'd just eaten, and given that I'd eaten about five hours before I actually just had.
Instead of my usual Clif Bar and water, I opted to skip the Clif bar and drank some Gatorade before heading out to run with the Lopers.
We were only running five miles, and since I'd run 10 the day before I was rather happy with that. The weather was nice as the sun was not out, and our small-but-hearty group got off to a good start. But I didn't feel right. I thought it may have been the 10 miles I'd run the day before, or the four hours of sleep I'd gotten the night before or a combination of the two.
Now, since it was our first five-mile run this Loper season, it was also the first time the water station was out. We have water stations set up along the course during the Loper season, and this one was well-received. I didn't have my fuel belt and was thirsty, but more than that I was hungry. Man, was I starved! And I was lucky too. The water stations always have water (duh) but they don't always have food. This time, though, the table was well-stocked with trail mix.
I grabbed an empty water cup and scooped it full of trail mix. I inhaled that. I grabbed more and sucked that down too. My group was starting to walk away from the table and I was double-fisting the trail mix. So I grabbed one last cupful of it and carried it with me. I lagged behind but ate while the group took off up ahead.
We rounded one block and I instantly felt better. I'd finished the trail mix, it hadn't yet fully settled into my stomach, and I felt like a new runner. We were at about Mile 3 at this point and I suddenly had energy. Instead of wondering if I could make it to the end intact, I felt as if I could run six or seven or eight miles if need be. At one point I sprinted up ahead of the group to cover us as we were running across a street with no stop sign. As I ran and increased my speed, I felt a burst of energy and contemplated running fast the whole way in. I stayed with our awesome group though and finished strong.
I've known for a while that I don't need sleep to run. I got about five hours of sleep before Surf City and probably less before San Francisco but did great, felt great anyway. I ran the Run Through Redlands Half Marathon on a Sunday morning, having gotten home Saturday night well after midnight.
Food, though, seems to be a necessity I can't really do without. So even if I feel full from having eaten late the night before, I'm not going to let that lull me into a false sense of security and won't make that same mistake twice.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Water, Water Everywhere
Water is good for you.
Not exactly news flash material, huh?
Well, it is. But it isn't always the first thing on your mind. Sometimes I wake up with a strong craving for coffee, or other times I want to drink something with flavor, maybe something sweet.
But I try and do my duty and drink the water I'm supposed to, the water my body needs to get by. Exactly how much water is that? That varies, though. And with all the research and information out there, you could easily get lost with that simple question.
Water, though, was central for me losing weight. My trainer told big LB to drink 80-100 ounces of water each day, so about the equivalent of about six half-liter bottles of water. Recently, during one of our Loper meetings, a running coach told us to drink at least eight, if not 10 of those bottles a day as we prepared for the marathon. He likened water to oil in an engine, helping keep everything lubricated.
Still, no matter how you break it down, drinking enough water can be tough.
I would not recommend drinking bottle after bottle of water if you are going to be driving a lot, for instance. You will have an accident, and not the kind where you exchange driver's license information with someone else. I've absent-mindedly drank water before the long drive out to the stadium and had near-misses. I had to pull off the freeway and find a store on more than one occasion. And those were times when I went to the bathroom just before I left the house.
There was another time when I was almost there, literally waiting for the light to turn so I can go into the stadium and I thought I would have to turn around and go home because I was certain I was going to have an accident right then and there. I still don't know how I made it, but I found a bathroom. I would have taken a bush at that point, but I made it to a porta-potty (honey buckets for you Seattle peeps).
If I'm going to be at home for a while, then I try and drink as much as possible. Sometimes that means trips every 15 minutes to the bathroom, but it's worth it.
We go through so much water a day, it's ridiculous. We get water delivered to us because our tap water here is not the best. We used to use a water filtration system but that was at our old house; our area now doesn't exactly have the best water. We get five of the five-gallon waters delivered to us every four weeks or so, and we always run out. Our last delivery was about two weeks ago and we're already on our last gallon. I'm the biggest culprit for that, so I don't feel so bad getting water when I run out.
The color of your, um, well, I don't want to get too graphic but if it's light then it's good. I get upset when it's not because then I know I haven't been drinking enough water.
I've been up for about an hour and have drank about half of one water bottle. I'm taking Yvie to school in about another hour and my goal is to drink four times that by then, so I'll have two full bottles in me by about 7:30 a.m. That's a good start for me. I'll probably spend the next few hours alternating between drinking water and going to the bathroom, but that's fine with me. I probably won't have an accident here at home.
Not exactly news flash material, huh?
Well, it is. But it isn't always the first thing on your mind. Sometimes I wake up with a strong craving for coffee, or other times I want to drink something with flavor, maybe something sweet.
But I try and do my duty and drink the water I'm supposed to, the water my body needs to get by. Exactly how much water is that? That varies, though. And with all the research and information out there, you could easily get lost with that simple question.
Water, though, was central for me losing weight. My trainer told big LB to drink 80-100 ounces of water each day, so about the equivalent of about six half-liter bottles of water. Recently, during one of our Loper meetings, a running coach told us to drink at least eight, if not 10 of those bottles a day as we prepared for the marathon. He likened water to oil in an engine, helping keep everything lubricated.
Still, no matter how you break it down, drinking enough water can be tough.
I would not recommend drinking bottle after bottle of water if you are going to be driving a lot, for instance. You will have an accident, and not the kind where you exchange driver's license information with someone else. I've absent-mindedly drank water before the long drive out to the stadium and had near-misses. I had to pull off the freeway and find a store on more than one occasion. And those were times when I went to the bathroom just before I left the house.
There was another time when I was almost there, literally waiting for the light to turn so I can go into the stadium and I thought I would have to turn around and go home because I was certain I was going to have an accident right then and there. I still don't know how I made it, but I found a bathroom. I would have taken a bush at that point, but I made it to a porta-potty (honey buckets for you Seattle peeps).
If I'm going to be at home for a while, then I try and drink as much as possible. Sometimes that means trips every 15 minutes to the bathroom, but it's worth it.
We go through so much water a day, it's ridiculous. We get water delivered to us because our tap water here is not the best. We used to use a water filtration system but that was at our old house; our area now doesn't exactly have the best water. We get five of the five-gallon waters delivered to us every four weeks or so, and we always run out. Our last delivery was about two weeks ago and we're already on our last gallon. I'm the biggest culprit for that, so I don't feel so bad getting water when I run out.
The color of your, um, well, I don't want to get too graphic but if it's light then it's good. I get upset when it's not because then I know I haven't been drinking enough water.
I've been up for about an hour and have drank about half of one water bottle. I'm taking Yvie to school in about another hour and my goal is to drink four times that by then, so I'll have two full bottles in me by about 7:30 a.m. That's a good start for me. I'll probably spend the next few hours alternating between drinking water and going to the bathroom, but that's fine with me. I probably won't have an accident here at home.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Figuring Out A Runner's Diet
Food isn't one of the main reasons why I run, but it certainly is a benefit of running.
According to running guru Hal Higdon: "The average runner training for a half marathon and running 20 to 25 miles a week probably needs a daily caloric intake near 2,500 to maintain muscle glycogen stores. As your mileage climbs beyond that, you need to eat more and more food, not less."
I had to do a double take. Near 2,500 calories a day? That's just awesome.
Since I'm in taper mode, I was looking around to some sorts of tips on tapering, specifically with food and caloric intake. My Loper pace leader sent a thing out a while ago about food, but it didn't include caloric intake. So I went looking around and figured I'd check Hal Higdon's Web site. It really has a bevy of information, and among the things I found was a story called the Runner's Diet.
In simplified terms:
* 2500 calories
* Common recommendations suggest 15-20 percent proteins, 30 percent fat, 50-55 percent carbohydrates (score!)
* Concentrate on complex carbs: fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, legumes
* Nutrtionally adequate food selection: fruits, vegetables, grains/legumes, lean meats, low-fat milk products, fats/sweets (listed in descending order of importance)
So how does that help me? Well, coupled with the list I received a while ago, it's helped formulate a plan, or least has helped give me some options. Here's the list of suggested foods my pace leader had given us.
Oatmeal (with blueberries)
Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast (no/little syrup)
Eggs
Bagels-whole grain (with peanut butter)
English Muffin/Bread-whole grain
Graham Crackers
Pretzels
Popcorn (light)
Fruit-bananas
Yogurt
Brown Rice with Chicken or Fish
Black Bean and Rice Burrito
Potatoes (baked, sweet, yams)
Whole Wheat Pasta (with marinara)
Sandwiches (with lean meat)
Salads (watch dressing)
Vegetables
I don't like eggs so that's out but I think the rest of the stuff includes things I can plan some meals around.
I can't keep bananas around here that often as I'm already helping myself to so many of them, so I have to restock often. I need to get me some sweet potatoes and bagels too. Nonfat plain yogurt is my new best friend. And also I bought some Fiber One cereals recently as they were on sale. Those things are good but so expensive.
If there's one area that I need a lot of work and practice on, it's nutrition, and to make sure I not only stay around the same amount of calories but also to make sure I'm consuming the right kinds of calories. That's not only important now in this taper but also beyond Surf City, especially if I'm going to continue running long distances.
According to running guru Hal Higdon: "The average runner training for a half marathon and running 20 to 25 miles a week probably needs a daily caloric intake near 2,500 to maintain muscle glycogen stores. As your mileage climbs beyond that, you need to eat more and more food, not less."
I had to do a double take. Near 2,500 calories a day? That's just awesome.
Since I'm in taper mode, I was looking around to some sorts of tips on tapering, specifically with food and caloric intake. My Loper pace leader sent a thing out a while ago about food, but it didn't include caloric intake. So I went looking around and figured I'd check Hal Higdon's Web site. It really has a bevy of information, and among the things I found was a story called the Runner's Diet.
In simplified terms:
* 2500 calories
* Common recommendations suggest 15-20 percent proteins, 30 percent fat, 50-55 percent carbohydrates (score!)
* Concentrate on complex carbs: fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, legumes
* Nutrtionally adequate food selection: fruits, vegetables, grains/legumes, lean meats, low-fat milk products, fats/sweets (listed in descending order of importance)
So how does that help me? Well, coupled with the list I received a while ago, it's helped formulate a plan, or least has helped give me some options. Here's the list of suggested foods my pace leader had given us.
Oatmeal (with blueberries)
Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast (no/little syrup)
Eggs
Bagels-whole grain (with peanut butter)
English Muffin/Bread-whole grain
Graham Crackers
Pretzels
Popcorn (light)
Fruit-bananas
Yogurt
Brown Rice with Chicken or Fish
Black Bean and Rice Burrito
Potatoes (baked, sweet, yams)
Whole Wheat Pasta (with marinara)
Sandwiches (with lean meat)
Salads (watch dressing)
Vegetables
I don't like eggs so that's out but I think the rest of the stuff includes things I can plan some meals around.
I can't keep bananas around here that often as I'm already helping myself to so many of them, so I have to restock often. I need to get me some sweet potatoes and bagels too. Nonfat plain yogurt is my new best friend. And also I bought some Fiber One cereals recently as they were on sale. Those things are good but so expensive.
If there's one area that I need a lot of work and practice on, it's nutrition, and to make sure I not only stay around the same amount of calories but also to make sure I'm consuming the right kinds of calories. That's not only important now in this taper but also beyond Surf City, especially if I'm going to continue running long distances.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Fueling, Recovering
What to eat? What to eat? What to eat?
That's something I often ponder. Not just in the day-to-day grind (I handle all cooking/baking duties around here as I relieved Mrs. LB of said duties a couple of years ago) but when it comes to running.
In terms of a pre-run meal, I have stuck with routine for a while now, a routine I'd settled on and was reinforced by my Lopers pace leader - an energy bar and a 16-ounce bottle of water. That works and has worked well for some time, but I have a fear that it won't be enough when it comes to the longer runs, like this weekend's 14-mile run.
I take Gu and Gatorade with me on my runs and do well to load up on them during my runs but I sense that whatever calories I have in me from the energy bar will be gone well before my run is over.
So I was glad when The Other Mag had a story on the topic of fuel. Actually, the story breaks down what is recommended before and after runs of various distances, from a 5-K to a marathon. The story actually suggests what to eat before and after races, not just regular runs, but it's still good to have that knowledge so I can apply some of that towards my own training regimen.
Their (paraphrased) suggestions:
5-K
Before: Don't eat if you're not hungry, but if you are have something between 200-300 high-carb calories and 16 ounces of fluid. They recommend a slice of whole-wheat bread with jelly and a banana.
After: A light meal with some carbs about 30-60 minutes after finishing. However, it isn't vital to get something in your system to recover since you probably won't have depleted your glycogen reserves too much.
LB's thoughts: If I ran a 5-K, I'd probably have my energy bar and water meal before, and after I might have some fruit or something, but I wouldn't be too worried about trying to recover. When I run for three miles or 30 minutes or so, I don't really do much but eat fruit and drink water afterward.
10-K
Before: Small amount of protein and fat along with carbs, about 300-400 hours at least three hours before race time. They suggest a cup of oatmeal with honey and berries.
After: Eat something within the hour, preferably a meal of 400 calories, with 75 grams of carbs and 20 grams protein. Suggestion: turkey sandwich with a cup of fruit salad.
LB's thoughts: I'm running a 10-K on Nov. 8, so this is something I need to take to heart. The 300-400 calories before the race will be a bit tricky for me , but then again maybe it won't be. I like to eat about an hour before race time usually, and did so prior to each Ragnar leg. I ate my bar and drank my water about an hour before I ran, and it worked well. Eating three hours before race time may not be ideal for me, though, because I might be hungry during the race. Still, I might try it and allow myself a small piece of fruit about an hour or 30 minutes before race time.
Half-Marathon
Before: Four hours before, eat 400-800 calories to keep your blood sugar steady. They suggest two slices of French toast with some peanut butter and syrup, a pear, half a cup of yogurt and fluids.
After: 100 grams of carbs and 30 grams of protein within the hour. Pasta with meat sauce, steamed veggies, salad and whole-grain bread with olive oil.
LB's thoughts: I like the post-race meal suggestion! That sounds fantastic, like it would be worth running 13.1 miles to have that as a meal waiting for you. This is probably the kind of meal, though, that I should be targeting now that I'm running the distances I'm running. I have a feeling that I'm going to be making a lot of pasta in the coming months. And as for meat sauce, I make two kinds of meat sauces (stuff I came up with on my own) that Mrs. LB really likes, so I can definitely whip some of it up. It's just a matter of making the marinara sauce and having the ingredients. Yay for long-distance running! Eat all the pasta you can and not feel guilty about it!
Marathon
Before: Consume 800 calories over 4-5 hours before the race, with a sports drink in the last hour. They suggest a large bagel with almond butter, 1-2 eggs, a cup of apple slices and an energy bar.
After: Eat 100 grams of carbs within the first 30 minutes of finishing the race, and also 1-2 hours later. They suggest two cups of sports drink, banana, energy bar; then two cups of fruit salad, whole-wheat chicken sandwich with greens, frozen yogurt with berries.
LB's thoughts: Sounds like a lot of food, but I'm not complaining.
That's something I often ponder. Not just in the day-to-day grind (I handle all cooking/baking duties around here as I relieved Mrs. LB of said duties a couple of years ago) but when it comes to running.
In terms of a pre-run meal, I have stuck with routine for a while now, a routine I'd settled on and was reinforced by my Lopers pace leader - an energy bar and a 16-ounce bottle of water. That works and has worked well for some time, but I have a fear that it won't be enough when it comes to the longer runs, like this weekend's 14-mile run.
I take Gu and Gatorade with me on my runs and do well to load up on them during my runs but I sense that whatever calories I have in me from the energy bar will be gone well before my run is over.
So I was glad when The Other Mag had a story on the topic of fuel. Actually, the story breaks down what is recommended before and after runs of various distances, from a 5-K to a marathon. The story actually suggests what to eat before and after races, not just regular runs, but it's still good to have that knowledge so I can apply some of that towards my own training regimen.
Their (paraphrased) suggestions:
5-K
Before: Don't eat if you're not hungry, but if you are have something between 200-300 high-carb calories and 16 ounces of fluid. They recommend a slice of whole-wheat bread with jelly and a banana.
After: A light meal with some carbs about 30-60 minutes after finishing. However, it isn't vital to get something in your system to recover since you probably won't have depleted your glycogen reserves too much.
LB's thoughts: If I ran a 5-K, I'd probably have my energy bar and water meal before, and after I might have some fruit or something, but I wouldn't be too worried about trying to recover. When I run for three miles or 30 minutes or so, I don't really do much but eat fruit and drink water afterward.
10-K
Before: Small amount of protein and fat along with carbs, about 300-400 hours at least three hours before race time. They suggest a cup of oatmeal with honey and berries.
After: Eat something within the hour, preferably a meal of 400 calories, with 75 grams of carbs and 20 grams protein. Suggestion: turkey sandwich with a cup of fruit salad.
LB's thoughts: I'm running a 10-K on Nov. 8, so this is something I need to take to heart. The 300-400 calories before the race will be a bit tricky for me , but then again maybe it won't be. I like to eat about an hour before race time usually, and did so prior to each Ragnar leg. I ate my bar and drank my water about an hour before I ran, and it worked well. Eating three hours before race time may not be ideal for me, though, because I might be hungry during the race. Still, I might try it and allow myself a small piece of fruit about an hour or 30 minutes before race time.
Half-Marathon
Before: Four hours before, eat 400-800 calories to keep your blood sugar steady. They suggest two slices of French toast with some peanut butter and syrup, a pear, half a cup of yogurt and fluids.
After: 100 grams of carbs and 30 grams of protein within the hour. Pasta with meat sauce, steamed veggies, salad and whole-grain bread with olive oil.
LB's thoughts: I like the post-race meal suggestion! That sounds fantastic, like it would be worth running 13.1 miles to have that as a meal waiting for you. This is probably the kind of meal, though, that I should be targeting now that I'm running the distances I'm running. I have a feeling that I'm going to be making a lot of pasta in the coming months. And as for meat sauce, I make two kinds of meat sauces (stuff I came up with on my own) that Mrs. LB really likes, so I can definitely whip some of it up. It's just a matter of making the marinara sauce and having the ingredients. Yay for long-distance running! Eat all the pasta you can and not feel guilty about it!
Marathon
Before: Consume 800 calories over 4-5 hours before the race, with a sports drink in the last hour. They suggest a large bagel with almond butter, 1-2 eggs, a cup of apple slices and an energy bar.
After: Eat 100 grams of carbs within the first 30 minutes of finishing the race, and also 1-2 hours later. They suggest two cups of sports drink, banana, energy bar; then two cups of fruit salad, whole-wheat chicken sandwich with greens, frozen yogurt with berries.
LB's thoughts: Sounds like a lot of food, but I'm not complaining.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My New Favorite Lunch
This is my new favorite lunch and after scarfing it down for the second time in two days I just had to blog about it.
First, a bit of background. I'm always trying to find ways to add fiber to my diet. Sometimes I'll splurge and get the flour tortillas that have 11 grams of fiber (and about 100 calories) per tortilla. Fiber One cereal is good too but it's so expensive I hardly every buy it.
The standard way to get fiber into my meal plan is, of course, through veggies and fruits but sometimes I'm just not getting to my five servings a day, which makes it tough to get the fiber I need.
So recently I came across a wrap that offered something I'd not seen before: 21 grams of fiber per wrap! Unreal. Before I found these, I started making some veggie wraps. It came about fairly easily. I had a tiny bit of lunch meat left and went to put it in a wrap, but it looked nasty , all moist and stuff, so I tossed it. I figured I didn't really need to have meat so I sauteed some zucchini, summer squash, onions and bell peppers. I sprinkled some sea salt, pepper, cheese and thousand island dressing on it. My new veggie wrap! It was so good.
Lately I've been making it with these 21-gram wraps.
Each wrap has 200 calories, 21 g fiber and 8 g protein. Along with the vegetables, this wrap is loaded with fiber but not calories.
Here are my sauteed veggies. Today I used some yellow bell and serrano peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, cilantro, baby spinach and onion. I also added a bit of Monterey Jack cheese and thousand island dressing.
All told, I'm guessing the wrap had less than 300 calories. And it was so good!
The only problem is that the package of eight cost around five bucks. I suppose I can't eat this every day for lunch, but 2-3 times a week wouldn't be bad.
First, a bit of background. I'm always trying to find ways to add fiber to my diet. Sometimes I'll splurge and get the flour tortillas that have 11 grams of fiber (and about 100 calories) per tortilla. Fiber One cereal is good too but it's so expensive I hardly every buy it.
The standard way to get fiber into my meal plan is, of course, through veggies and fruits but sometimes I'm just not getting to my five servings a day, which makes it tough to get the fiber I need.
So recently I came across a wrap that offered something I'd not seen before: 21 grams of fiber per wrap! Unreal. Before I found these, I started making some veggie wraps. It came about fairly easily. I had a tiny bit of lunch meat left and went to put it in a wrap, but it looked nasty , all moist and stuff, so I tossed it. I figured I didn't really need to have meat so I sauteed some zucchini, summer squash, onions and bell peppers. I sprinkled some sea salt, pepper, cheese and thousand island dressing on it. My new veggie wrap! It was so good.
Lately I've been making it with these 21-gram wraps.
Each wrap has 200 calories, 21 g fiber and 8 g protein. Along with the vegetables, this wrap is loaded with fiber but not calories.
Here are my sauteed veggies. Today I used some yellow bell and serrano peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, cilantro, baby spinach and onion. I also added a bit of Monterey Jack cheese and thousand island dressing.
All told, I'm guessing the wrap had less than 300 calories. And it was so good!
The only problem is that the package of eight cost around five bucks. I suppose I can't eat this every day for lunch, but 2-3 times a week wouldn't be bad.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Raising the Bar
As far as breakfasts go, mine can be fairly boring. Now, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, just that variety is lacking.
Most mornings I have an energy bar for breakfast. Its the easiest thing for me to have as I can grab it and go if need be, or munch on it while I get the day started around the house.
Plus, at around 210-240 calories, I have some leeway in terms of setting myself up for a positive day with calories. I hate to reach my pm snack with only 600 calories or so to spare because that makes for a light dinner.
For the longest time, I ate the max zone energy bars from Costco but last time there I bought cliff bars and they were quite good. Still gave me plenty of energy and quelled my hunger.
I think my favorite bar though is the snickers marathon energy bar. I don't know why but it seems the only place I find these are in convenience stores. I was in Utah last year and found some in some out of the way place. And recently I got some in Arizona as I stopped somewhere on the way home and came across them.
Maybe I don't look in the right places here but I can't find them. I don't remember the exact moment I had my first one of those but I had an awesome run after eating that. I believe I got a free sample in one of my early races and I got hooked.
Anyway, I've often tried mixing up the breakfast. Usually that's when I'm out of bars. One thing I like is fiber one cereal but its so expensive. That's a good alternative. Plus you knock out so much fiber in one serving that you are set for the rest of the day.
I also like to have fruit sometimes, with yogurt or just by itself.
But I like my energy bars best. Give me a bar and a glass of water and I'm a happy man.
Most mornings I have an energy bar for breakfast. Its the easiest thing for me to have as I can grab it and go if need be, or munch on it while I get the day started around the house.
Plus, at around 210-240 calories, I have some leeway in terms of setting myself up for a positive day with calories. I hate to reach my pm snack with only 600 calories or so to spare because that makes for a light dinner.
For the longest time, I ate the max zone energy bars from Costco but last time there I bought cliff bars and they were quite good. Still gave me plenty of energy and quelled my hunger.
I think my favorite bar though is the snickers marathon energy bar. I don't know why but it seems the only place I find these are in convenience stores. I was in Utah last year and found some in some out of the way place. And recently I got some in Arizona as I stopped somewhere on the way home and came across them.
Maybe I don't look in the right places here but I can't find them. I don't remember the exact moment I had my first one of those but I had an awesome run after eating that. I believe I got a free sample in one of my early races and I got hooked.
Anyway, I've often tried mixing up the breakfast. Usually that's when I'm out of bars. One thing I like is fiber one cereal but its so expensive. That's a good alternative. Plus you knock out so much fiber in one serving that you are set for the rest of the day.
I also like to have fruit sometimes, with yogurt or just by itself.
But I like my energy bars best. Give me a bar and a glass of water and I'm a happy man.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Eight greats
After a run or workout... well, actually after a run since that's all I do (I hate weight lifting), I usually have some sort of snack afterward, within 30 minutes. Usually it's a fruit and it alternates between oranges, apples and bananas.
An apple used to be standard but then I started getting burned out on them so I threw in other fruits.
But I always wonder what the best foods are to eat after workouts. I just assume fruit is good because that's what I've seen athletes consume after workouts or training sessions or whatever. But I don't know for sure.
Well, The Mag has a list of eight good fitness foods, foods to eat after workouts that target specific needs.
Here are the foods and what they help in:
Pineapple and Papaya - Muscle recovery
Salmon - Cardiovascular fitness
PB&J or Pasta w/Meat Sauce - Muscle building and repair
Pork Tenderloin - waist-trimming
Eight ounces of chocolate milk - Hydration
Coffee - Pain relief
Cold Water - Endurance
Green Tea - muscle recovery
There is a bit more info on each on the link above, but I wanted to focus on my own specific needs. I'd say of the eight things above, I am most interested in cardiovascular fitness and muscle recovery, followed by endurance and hydration.
Of course, I do not like salmon. Which is a shame. According to the article, an Australian study "found that cyclists who took fish oil for eight weeks had lower heart rates and used less oxygen during intense bicycling than a control group did."
Lower heart rates are great. I'm fascinated by heart rates and I firmly believe that if you get to know your body and get to know the way your heart rates alternate during workouts, you will maximize your workouts and they will be more effective. I know my heart rate well enough to know when I am close to exhaustion, when I have more to give and exactly at what point I hit the wall. Usually, the wall is at about 185 for me, if I've been running for a while. During a long and sustained run, if I climb up to 182, 183 I start to feel it but when I get to 185 - WHAM - hello wall. My max heart rate is 187 is my max heart rate so it's pretty close to that.
Anyway, you want lower heart rates during workouts. This is a good thing. It builds up your stamina, allows you to work out for longer periods of time and drives weight loss.
The article says that the good stuff from fish oil is incorporated into heart cells, thus providing the added boost. It suggests taking fish oil pills on a daily basis to do the same.
As for muscle recovery, I don't drink tea but I like pineapple. The pineapple and papaya have enzymes that break down protein for digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties as well.
Unfortunately for me, I don't necessarily have a lot of pain issues. I guess it comes and goes, and when it comes it's nipple pain. Coffee apparently helps reduce muscle soreness. Still, it's good to know that I can have coffee after a run and it will be beneficial. Usually after a run I drink lots of water but sometimes I'll drink coffee once I've quenched my initial thirst.
As far as the cold water, the article says this: "cyclists who drank about 30 ounces of a chilled drink in the half hour before riding in a hot, humid environment-and smaller amounts as they rode-were able to bike 23 percent longer than riders who downed lukewarm liquids. Drinking cold water may be the most direct way to reduce core body temperature, so it takes you longer to heat up and slow down."
That makes a lot of sense. I wonder if the same holds true for runners. But 30 ounces in a half hour? That's a lot of water! Not only would I risk feeling bloated and maybe hearing the water swish around inside (that's always fun) but it might make me feel like going to the bathroom. I don't often get that feeling when I run but when it happens, it's terrible!
Still, cold water on days like today, even in the mornings (Wednesday is supposed to be 73 degrees at 8 am, with temperatures topping at 97 degrees between 2-3 pm), it might be good to down a really cold glass or three of water before heading out on the run.
An apple used to be standard but then I started getting burned out on them so I threw in other fruits.
But I always wonder what the best foods are to eat after workouts. I just assume fruit is good because that's what I've seen athletes consume after workouts or training sessions or whatever. But I don't know for sure.
Well, The Mag has a list of eight good fitness foods, foods to eat after workouts that target specific needs.
Here are the foods and what they help in:
Pineapple and Papaya - Muscle recovery
Salmon - Cardiovascular fitness
PB&J or Pasta w/Meat Sauce - Muscle building and repair
Pork Tenderloin - waist-trimming
Eight ounces of chocolate milk - Hydration
Coffee - Pain relief
Cold Water - Endurance
Green Tea - muscle recovery
There is a bit more info on each on the link above, but I wanted to focus on my own specific needs. I'd say of the eight things above, I am most interested in cardiovascular fitness and muscle recovery, followed by endurance and hydration.
Of course, I do not like salmon. Which is a shame. According to the article, an Australian study "found that cyclists who took fish oil for eight weeks had lower heart rates and used less oxygen during intense bicycling than a control group did."
Lower heart rates are great. I'm fascinated by heart rates and I firmly believe that if you get to know your body and get to know the way your heart rates alternate during workouts, you will maximize your workouts and they will be more effective. I know my heart rate well enough to know when I am close to exhaustion, when I have more to give and exactly at what point I hit the wall. Usually, the wall is at about 185 for me, if I've been running for a while. During a long and sustained run, if I climb up to 182, 183 I start to feel it but when I get to 185 - WHAM - hello wall. My max heart rate is 187 is my max heart rate so it's pretty close to that.
Anyway, you want lower heart rates during workouts. This is a good thing. It builds up your stamina, allows you to work out for longer periods of time and drives weight loss.
The article says that the good stuff from fish oil is incorporated into heart cells, thus providing the added boost. It suggests taking fish oil pills on a daily basis to do the same.
As for muscle recovery, I don't drink tea but I like pineapple. The pineapple and papaya have enzymes that break down protein for digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties as well.
Unfortunately for me, I don't necessarily have a lot of pain issues. I guess it comes and goes, and when it comes it's nipple pain. Coffee apparently helps reduce muscle soreness. Still, it's good to know that I can have coffee after a run and it will be beneficial. Usually after a run I drink lots of water but sometimes I'll drink coffee once I've quenched my initial thirst.
As far as the cold water, the article says this: "cyclists who drank about 30 ounces of a chilled drink in the half hour before riding in a hot, humid environment-and smaller amounts as they rode-were able to bike 23 percent longer than riders who downed lukewarm liquids. Drinking cold water may be the most direct way to reduce core body temperature, so it takes you longer to heat up and slow down."
That makes a lot of sense. I wonder if the same holds true for runners. But 30 ounces in a half hour? That's a lot of water! Not only would I risk feeling bloated and maybe hearing the water swish around inside (that's always fun) but it might make me feel like going to the bathroom. I don't often get that feeling when I run but when it happens, it's terrible!
Still, cold water on days like today, even in the mornings (Wednesday is supposed to be 73 degrees at 8 am, with temperatures topping at 97 degrees between 2-3 pm), it might be good to down a really cold glass or three of water before heading out on the run.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Shopping Craze
I'm going to take a page out of my blog buddy Angie Eats Peace and blog about my recent shopping adventures. She wrote recently about grocery shopping so I figured I'd follow suit.
Now, first I think I need to tell you a little bit about my shopping habits. I'm addicted to shopping. I can't deny it anymore and in fact I came to terms with this addiction a while back. I just love going to the store and buying vegetables or fruit or dairy products or bread or whatever. Sometimes I really do need some things but a lot of times I just kind of go to browse and then buy stuff that I may or may not need.
I usually go to the store twice a week at least but it's not uncommon for me to hit the grocery store four or five times a week. I've been known to go to two different grocery stores on the same day. See, I shop at Stater Bros. because it's nearby and I've kind of always gone there (those of you who don't live in Southern California probably aren't familiar with this local chain). I like it, but another store called Fresh & Easy just opened up nearby and I've fallen for that place as well.
See, that place has good deals on certain fruits and veggies. Basil is 2.88 for uh, I forget the exact amount but you'd have to pay a couple bucks more for the same at Stater's. Also, the baby spinach and regular spinach are way cheaper, as are bananas (19 cents apiece). Strawberries tend to be a better bargain there too. Tomatoes, zucchini, onions... they can all be way cheaper at Fresh & Easy unless Stater's has a really good sale. The bread is very good there too, though it doesn't last that long.
But for other things like cilantro (49-69 cents a bunch), parsley (about the same) and peppers, it's better to go to Stater's. And Stater's has some things that Fresh & Easy doesn't.
Anyway, I recently went to Costco. That's the worst because you can't just go there and get a few things because it can get pretty expensive. But there are some staples that I get there and when I run out, it gets difficult to cook or bake or do anything.
I stocked up, and here's what I got.
Cheese
2-pound blocks of Monterey Jack (3.89) and Mozzarella (3.39).
Cheap cheese. It actually was cheaper but went up in price. Love cheese.
Meats
Zesty Italian sausage (6 pounds worth)
Salami
Chorizo
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Hot Dogs (Hebrew national)
Those hot dogs are so good! We recently had them at a birthday party and agreed that they were better than what we usually buy.
Breakfast-type stuff
Coffee creamer (powdered)
Eggo waffles
Cliff energy bars
18-pack of extra large eggs
The energy bars are usually my breakfast unless I opt for some fruit or yogurt. The waffles are for the girls and the eggs, well, none of us here likes eggs. Those are for baking.
Etc.
Coke Zero
Salsa
Refried beans
Tomato paste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Canola oil
Fruit by the foot (snacks for girls)
I'm ashamed to admit it but I can't cook refried beans. My mom would be disappointed if she knew. I went for so long not using tomato paste until I started making my own marinara sauce that now it's become a must-have item. Olive oil is also a must have but canola oil is great for other things like baking. And if I drink a soda, it's either diet something or Coke Zero.
Alright, there you go. As you can see, no fresh fruits or veggies. After all, I can't rob myself of the fun of going to the local grocery store multiple times a week.
Now, first I think I need to tell you a little bit about my shopping habits. I'm addicted to shopping. I can't deny it anymore and in fact I came to terms with this addiction a while back. I just love going to the store and buying vegetables or fruit or dairy products or bread or whatever. Sometimes I really do need some things but a lot of times I just kind of go to browse and then buy stuff that I may or may not need.
I usually go to the store twice a week at least but it's not uncommon for me to hit the grocery store four or five times a week. I've been known to go to two different grocery stores on the same day. See, I shop at Stater Bros. because it's nearby and I've kind of always gone there (those of you who don't live in Southern California probably aren't familiar with this local chain). I like it, but another store called Fresh & Easy just opened up nearby and I've fallen for that place as well.
See, that place has good deals on certain fruits and veggies. Basil is 2.88 for uh, I forget the exact amount but you'd have to pay a couple bucks more for the same at Stater's. Also, the baby spinach and regular spinach are way cheaper, as are bananas (19 cents apiece). Strawberries tend to be a better bargain there too. Tomatoes, zucchini, onions... they can all be way cheaper at Fresh & Easy unless Stater's has a really good sale. The bread is very good there too, though it doesn't last that long.
But for other things like cilantro (49-69 cents a bunch), parsley (about the same) and peppers, it's better to go to Stater's. And Stater's has some things that Fresh & Easy doesn't.
Anyway, I recently went to Costco. That's the worst because you can't just go there and get a few things because it can get pretty expensive. But there are some staples that I get there and when I run out, it gets difficult to cook or bake or do anything.
I stocked up, and here's what I got.
Cheese
2-pound blocks of Monterey Jack (3.89) and Mozzarella (3.39).
Cheap cheese. It actually was cheaper but went up in price. Love cheese.
Meats
Zesty Italian sausage (6 pounds worth)
Salami
Chorizo
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Hot Dogs (Hebrew national)
Those hot dogs are so good! We recently had them at a birthday party and agreed that they were better than what we usually buy.
Breakfast-type stuff
Coffee creamer (powdered)
Eggo waffles
Cliff energy bars
18-pack of extra large eggs
The energy bars are usually my breakfast unless I opt for some fruit or yogurt. The waffles are for the girls and the eggs, well, none of us here likes eggs. Those are for baking.
Etc.
Coke Zero
Salsa
Refried beans
Tomato paste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Canola oil
Fruit by the foot (snacks for girls)
I'm ashamed to admit it but I can't cook refried beans. My mom would be disappointed if she knew. I went for so long not using tomato paste until I started making my own marinara sauce that now it's become a must-have item. Olive oil is also a must have but canola oil is great for other things like baking. And if I drink a soda, it's either diet something or Coke Zero.
Alright, there you go. As you can see, no fresh fruits or veggies. After all, I can't rob myself of the fun of going to the local grocery store multiple times a week.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
No Skipping
As I write this, its almost 10 am. I spent this morning in a rather hectic fashion. Did some work, lots of work actually, sent some emails off for work, washed the truck and took an important phone call. Before I knew it, the morning was gone.
I'm at the pool right now while the girls are having their swim lessons (today's is on pool safety, they aren't actually in the water and I know they will leave disappointed). Next up is library and then when its done back home for lunch.
So far, I haven't had time for breakfast or a snack. I'm hungry.
Not good.
Its not a good thing to skip meals. For several reasons.
First, the longer you go without eating, the more your body holds on to fat and the unwanted stuff. Eating twice a day, then, is not good, even if they are small meals.
Also, the longer you go without eating, the more likely you are to make bad choices. The last thing you want to do is put yourself in a vulnerable situation. I'd probably find it tough to resist a plate of, say cupcakes. I don't like cupcakes. I normally don't eat cupcakes. But if I'm super hungry, it would be tough to resist.
It's better to eat five or six times a day, every couple of hours. So if you follow an 1800-calorie meal plan, you could have a 200 calorie breakfast at 7, 100 calorie snack at 9, 500 calorie lunch at noon, 100 calorie snack at 3 and you would 900 calories heading into dinner.
What does that look like?
Energy bar with water at breakfast (210 calories)
Banana (100 cal)
Turkey grinder (400 cal) with side of plain yogurt with fruit (160)
Peach (60) and plum (30)
Baked penne with roasted veggies (600) and garlic bread (100)
That doesn't sound bad at all, does it?
I'm at the pool right now while the girls are having their swim lessons (today's is on pool safety, they aren't actually in the water and I know they will leave disappointed). Next up is library and then when its done back home for lunch.
So far, I haven't had time for breakfast or a snack. I'm hungry.
Not good.
Its not a good thing to skip meals. For several reasons.
First, the longer you go without eating, the more your body holds on to fat and the unwanted stuff. Eating twice a day, then, is not good, even if they are small meals.
Also, the longer you go without eating, the more likely you are to make bad choices. The last thing you want to do is put yourself in a vulnerable situation. I'd probably find it tough to resist a plate of, say cupcakes. I don't like cupcakes. I normally don't eat cupcakes. But if I'm super hungry, it would be tough to resist.
It's better to eat five or six times a day, every couple of hours. So if you follow an 1800-calorie meal plan, you could have a 200 calorie breakfast at 7, 100 calorie snack at 9, 500 calorie lunch at noon, 100 calorie snack at 3 and you would 900 calories heading into dinner.
What does that look like?
Energy bar with water at breakfast (210 calories)
Banana (100 cal)
Turkey grinder (400 cal) with side of plain yogurt with fruit (160)
Peach (60) and plum (30)
Baked penne with roasted veggies (600) and garlic bread (100)
That doesn't sound bad at all, does it?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
How sweet it is
When speaking in absolutes (ie, never, always), I tend to not throw those terms around loosely. If I "never" do something, or "always" do something else, I better damn sure mean it. Otherwise, when I really do mean something is an absolute, it will have lost its meaning.
Having said that, I can safely say the following statement and know it's true: I have never tasted pineapples as sweet as the ones I tasted in Costa Rica. Never.
Costa Rica is home to plenty of exotic wildlife and spectacular beaches but nature's beauty does not end there. Fruit is bountiful in Costa Rica, and one of their specialties is the pineapple.
Hawaii is, of course, famous for the pineapple. But the pineapple originated in the Americas. Pineapples have grown in Costa Rica for centuries, and the pineapple was introduced to Hawaii by explorers some 400 years ago.
Now, I've never been to Hawaii and thus never tasted pineapples in Hawaii but they'd have to be pretty sweet to top the ones I had in Costa Rica. We stopped by a fruit stand on the drive from San Jose out to the coast and we didn't even intend to buy pineapples (as evidenced by my lack of pictures of the fruit).
In that picture, there are lots of fruits for the taking: mango, papaya, watermelon, pineapples and something called mamones or something. The guy in this next picture ran the fruit stand we stopped at and sliced open a mango for us to try.
Below the mango are the mamones. Now, the guy called them lychees (a lot of Costa Ricans we ran into spoke English, limited or full-on English) but I'm not sure if those are lychees or not. They are interesting. You had to slice them open and squeeze them to get the fruit out, but it came right off its skin.
Then you suck on them until you are left with the pit and little else. I chowed down several handfuls of those. They were interesting. Not my favorite fruit but definitely worthwhile.
But those pineapples. They were an afterthought, to be honest. We bought a bunch of those mamones and some mangoes (which were fantastic; firm and very sweet) and as we were leaving I noticed the pineapples and said 'Why not?' so I asked the fruit stand owner if he could cut us up a pineapple and he did. Once I bit into it, I was in heaven. Pineapple heaven. I ate almost half a pineapple by myself over the next 30 minutes.
I don't know if I can purchase a pineapple here now without comparing it to that sweet slice of heaven I had in Costa Rica.
Check this out. This was breakfast one morning.
Pineapple (awesome), watermelon (very good), bananas (very good) and papaya (actually, not a fan) with some yogurt, honey and granola. I couldn't have asked for a tastier breakfast.
Having said that, I can safely say the following statement and know it's true: I have never tasted pineapples as sweet as the ones I tasted in Costa Rica. Never.
Costa Rica is home to plenty of exotic wildlife and spectacular beaches but nature's beauty does not end there. Fruit is bountiful in Costa Rica, and one of their specialties is the pineapple.
Hawaii is, of course, famous for the pineapple. But the pineapple originated in the Americas. Pineapples have grown in Costa Rica for centuries, and the pineapple was introduced to Hawaii by explorers some 400 years ago.
Now, I've never been to Hawaii and thus never tasted pineapples in Hawaii but they'd have to be pretty sweet to top the ones I had in Costa Rica. We stopped by a fruit stand on the drive from San Jose out to the coast and we didn't even intend to buy pineapples (as evidenced by my lack of pictures of the fruit).
In that picture, there are lots of fruits for the taking: mango, papaya, watermelon, pineapples and something called mamones or something. The guy in this next picture ran the fruit stand we stopped at and sliced open a mango for us to try.
Below the mango are the mamones. Now, the guy called them lychees (a lot of Costa Ricans we ran into spoke English, limited or full-on English) but I'm not sure if those are lychees or not. They are interesting. You had to slice them open and squeeze them to get the fruit out, but it came right off its skin.
Then you suck on them until you are left with the pit and little else. I chowed down several handfuls of those. They were interesting. Not my favorite fruit but definitely worthwhile.But those pineapples. They were an afterthought, to be honest. We bought a bunch of those mamones and some mangoes (which were fantastic; firm and very sweet) and as we were leaving I noticed the pineapples and said 'Why not?' so I asked the fruit stand owner if he could cut us up a pineapple and he did. Once I bit into it, I was in heaven. Pineapple heaven. I ate almost half a pineapple by myself over the next 30 minutes.
I don't know if I can purchase a pineapple here now without comparing it to that sweet slice of heaven I had in Costa Rica.
Check this out. This was breakfast one morning.
Pineapple (awesome), watermelon (very good), bananas (very good) and papaya (actually, not a fan) with some yogurt, honey and granola. I couldn't have asked for a tastier breakfast.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Chain reaction
Just got the new issue of The Mag this morning, and one of the things that jumped out at me in terms of nutrition was some of the restaurant information. Recently we had to eat out a couple of days in a row and while I don't like to do that too much, it's an unavoidable fact of life.
My biggest concern about eating out at chain restaurants is the lack of nutritional information on the menu. Some restaurants have some caloric information. For instance, we went to TGI Friday's on Saturday, and some select dishes were I believe under 600 calories. Of course, that list was limited to three entrees out of their entire menu, which was disappointing. I ordered one of those entrees, some sort of Asian-style chicken, even though I didn't feel like chicken.... or Asian-style food. It's like a no-win situation, though. I would rather have ordered that and known my calories were under a certain amount than order something else and not know just how many calories I consumed.
When I dropped my weight, I was vigilant about counting my calories. At first, my trainer had me on a meal plan that allowed for three straight days of 1,700 calories or so, and then every fourth day at 2,800. When I got under 220, he suggested I try to maintain my daily caloric intake to 1,800. It wasn't difficult in 2008 to keep it there but for some reason it's been more difficult, or should I say challenging, in 2009.
Anyway, it can be dangerous if I'm at a restaurant and order some random dish only to find out later that it had more than 1,000 calories.
Now, I usually consult calorieking.com which is an excellent resource, not just for restaurants but also for packaged foods and general nutritional information in your average run-of-the-mill foods. That's helpful to me when we go to places like Friday's, when we're just out and about and looking for somewhere to stop. But I can access it with my phone, and not everybody can. And even then, calorieking.com is not at all complete when it comes to chains. Just depends on whether the restaurant is willing to share their nutritional info since some restaurants have all their info there and others have hardly any.
Sticking to salads might seem like a good idea but that's a wolf in sheep's clothing. For instance, the Chicken Caesar Salad at Macaroni Grill has 870 calories, 2,270mg sodium and 67g fat. That's not at all a healthy alternative. That's almost half of my calories and way too many sodium and fat grams.
I've often thought it would be great if restaurants were required to post the nutritional info of all their entrees on their menus, so that way you could have that info handy. But that might not be beneficial to restaurants in the long run so it probably won't happen anytime soon. It doesn't help that The Mag said, accoprding to a study, 99.9 percent of people do not look at nutritional information at chain restuarants when available.
One of the dishes that The Mag warns us about this month is the Grilled Cheese BLT with Fries, from Applebee's. It has a whopping 1,770 calories. That's just preposterous.
The best way I've found to avoid getting caught in bad situations is to familiarize myself with restaurant menus and plan ahead as much as possible. If I know that we're going somewhere like Olive Garden or some other potentially disastrous place like that (great food, not a lot of healthy choices), I'll adjust my caloric intake accordingly. Also, I can research ahead of time and decide on a few things that would be good options.
But I have to say the worst thing about eating out is that I'm usually the only one eating light. Usually those around me have something that looks really good, like burgers or some unhealthy breakfast dish or something, and I'm there with something I may or may not have really felt like. It's hard to not to keep picking at my daughters' fries since I know they won't finish them all. I carry gum sometimes and sometimes I'll just pop some in my mouth when I'm done, to keep from picking at my daughters' plates. Yeah, sometimes discipline can be a challenge.
I prefer to eat by my own hand, by cooking my own food. That's easily the best way to control your caloric intake. Take the power away from restaurants and control your own caloric intake. Last night, for instance, I made a chicken dish with peppers, onions and balsamic vinegar with sides of red onion rice and a Greek salad, and all of it was tasty.
So Friday's had the power over the weekend and I had the power yesterday. I just try to keep more of the power and control myself. It's all I can do.
My biggest concern about eating out at chain restaurants is the lack of nutritional information on the menu. Some restaurants have some caloric information. For instance, we went to TGI Friday's on Saturday, and some select dishes were I believe under 600 calories. Of course, that list was limited to three entrees out of their entire menu, which was disappointing. I ordered one of those entrees, some sort of Asian-style chicken, even though I didn't feel like chicken.... or Asian-style food. It's like a no-win situation, though. I would rather have ordered that and known my calories were under a certain amount than order something else and not know just how many calories I consumed.
When I dropped my weight, I was vigilant about counting my calories. At first, my trainer had me on a meal plan that allowed for three straight days of 1,700 calories or so, and then every fourth day at 2,800. When I got under 220, he suggested I try to maintain my daily caloric intake to 1,800. It wasn't difficult in 2008 to keep it there but for some reason it's been more difficult, or should I say challenging, in 2009.
Anyway, it can be dangerous if I'm at a restaurant and order some random dish only to find out later that it had more than 1,000 calories.
Now, I usually consult calorieking.com which is an excellent resource, not just for restaurants but also for packaged foods and general nutritional information in your average run-of-the-mill foods. That's helpful to me when we go to places like Friday's, when we're just out and about and looking for somewhere to stop. But I can access it with my phone, and not everybody can. And even then, calorieking.com is not at all complete when it comes to chains. Just depends on whether the restaurant is willing to share their nutritional info since some restaurants have all their info there and others have hardly any.
Sticking to salads might seem like a good idea but that's a wolf in sheep's clothing. For instance, the Chicken Caesar Salad at Macaroni Grill has 870 calories, 2,270mg sodium and 67g fat. That's not at all a healthy alternative. That's almost half of my calories and way too many sodium and fat grams.
I've often thought it would be great if restaurants were required to post the nutritional info of all their entrees on their menus, so that way you could have that info handy. But that might not be beneficial to restaurants in the long run so it probably won't happen anytime soon. It doesn't help that The Mag said, accoprding to a study, 99.9 percent of people do not look at nutritional information at chain restuarants when available.
One of the dishes that The Mag warns us about this month is the Grilled Cheese BLT with Fries, from Applebee's. It has a whopping 1,770 calories. That's just preposterous.
The best way I've found to avoid getting caught in bad situations is to familiarize myself with restaurant menus and plan ahead as much as possible. If I know that we're going somewhere like Olive Garden or some other potentially disastrous place like that (great food, not a lot of healthy choices), I'll adjust my caloric intake accordingly. Also, I can research ahead of time and decide on a few things that would be good options.
But I have to say the worst thing about eating out is that I'm usually the only one eating light. Usually those around me have something that looks really good, like burgers or some unhealthy breakfast dish or something, and I'm there with something I may or may not have really felt like. It's hard to not to keep picking at my daughters' fries since I know they won't finish them all. I carry gum sometimes and sometimes I'll just pop some in my mouth when I'm done, to keep from picking at my daughters' plates. Yeah, sometimes discipline can be a challenge.
I prefer to eat by my own hand, by cooking my own food. That's easily the best way to control your caloric intake. Take the power away from restaurants and control your own caloric intake. Last night, for instance, I made a chicken dish with peppers, onions and balsamic vinegar with sides of red onion rice and a Greek salad, and all of it was tasty.
So Friday's had the power over the weekend and I had the power yesterday. I just try to keep more of the power and control myself. It's all I can do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)