I posted last week about the fact that at the end of the week I was worn out and tired. I put all the blame on the fact that I was not sleeping as much and I needed to adjust. I really did not take a look at one major source of my energy: my diet.
I eat fairly well or at least I thought that I was putting the proper food in my body. I spent the last few months adjusting my diet to enhance my metabolism and burn all of my lovely fat. During this time, I pinged Ariane frequently with all types of food questions. After four and a half months of doing this, I felt like I had this clean eating thing down. I did not think I needed to worry about what I was eating.
After my bootcamp class last Thursday I mentioned to Ariane that I always was hungry but I also felt like I was dragging. She asked me to send her my food diary of the foods I eat for the day. We all know that this was easy for me since it is the same thing each day. I was expecting her to come back with....yup you are eating well, its your sleep. Come on, I have been doing this for four months and I am a quick learner.
Well.....I got the opposite or semi opposite. First, my diet lacked protein. Though I drank a protein shake after my morning workout, ate cheese for morning snack, 16oz of yogurt each afternoon and ground turkey for lunch, I was missing a bunch of protein. My favorite breakfast of oatmeal, banana, peanut butter, and kefir contained too many carbs and little protein. This was why I was hungry all the time. Second, a lot of times I am on the go during dinner time so I eat a protein bar for dinner. This did not go over too well, I needed some real food. And the third which is the best, I ate two cups of air popped popcorn as a treat each day. This is the worst thing in my diet. All I got on this was 'get rid of the popcorn, there is nothing nutrious about it'
So this week I traded my oatmeal for eggs and spinach,made a fantastic kale and ground turkey lunch and cooked chicken breasts that I could eat for afternoon snack and dinner. Tuesday I felt full all day but I dragged all day again. I definently got enough sleep Monday night and started to doubt what I was doing. So that night I shot another email to Ariane.
Now I think of myself as a fairly smart person. I may not have the patience to take classes/training or study but I can hang with most people in conversation or work pace. But diet.....I am beginning to think I am a freaking idiot!
Her response, eggs/spinach were not enough breakfast and the changes I made removed the major fiber sources and carbs I needed. This is with me having 4cups of kale in my lunch! Ugh.....here we go again.
So Wednesday, back to the cutting board. I added a half a cup of oatmeal and two cups of chopped veg to my egg spinach breakfast, two cups of veg with my yogurt, and you guessed it, another two cups veg with my afternoon snack. The amazing thing, I had energy all day. It was a first time in a week that I felt myself. Same thing again Friday....same food same result. I did not have my Friday 5:00pm meltdown and had the energy to complete my final early morning, late night workout, and still grab a drink(well water for me) with a friend.
So....the point of my long story, it is so important to maintain the energy level I need to feed my body properly. I thought that working out all the time may allow me to not care as much since I would burn it off. How wrong could I have been. If I want to feel my best, I need to ensure what I put in my body will be giving me the energy I need. I even understand Ariane's popcorn comment, if I am going to eat, why waste it on non beneficial food. Adding one more area of focus to this challenge.
If you are interested, here is what I eat on a normal day. See mom...... I am actually eating enough :) Also, dont worry since Alexandria who thinks she is older than me (first born rights) is constantly checking to see what I eat. We had a 15 minutes conversation Sat. about my meals. I added the brocolli slaw for her.
420 Wakeup: Coffee and Almond Milk (I love this stuff)
After Workout: Kefir Protein Shake
Breakfast: 4 egg white with cup of spinach, half cup of oatmeal, plateful of free Bloomberg veggies (these vary each day)
Morning Snack: 16 oz Greek Yogurt with almonds/cashews and plate of veg
Lunch: My favorite meal that I make, I could each this morning, noon, and night: 4c Spicy Kale (look for an upcoming post with my obsession with this green), onions, tomato, and ground turkey.
Afternoon Snack: piece of chicken breast cut up, plate of veggies, and cup of coffee
Dinner: piece of chicken breast with broccoli slaw
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