Happy Monday! First I want to say hello to my new readers and fellow Running Bloggers! My last post about my new running goals got so much comment love, and I really appreciate the kind words! I hope you stick around!
Last week I met with my dietitian, Danielle, to check my progress since our previous meeting in October. The last time we met, she gave me a more explicit meal plan to follow, since I was having having difficulty coming up with my own ideas.
This time, we went through a few of my food logs and they were pretty good, except I’m still struggling with eating 6 meats/meat substitutes each day. Fortunately, my weight is staying stable.
To help, we’ve modified my food logs by adding a space where I can tally up how many servings of each food group I’ve eaten per day. This will help me to be more flexible to make adjustments as the day goes on.
I’ve also been struggling with logging my meals an entire day because once I get home I’m lazy! To help, I’ve been placing my logs on the refrigerator where I can see it and so far that has definitely made a difference!
What I’m also excited about is that Danielle has given me suggestions on what to eat before and after a workout. Since I’m committing to my new goals of running and strength training, I want to make sure I’m eating properly!
Pre-Workout:
I’ve been advised to have a 2:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio before exercising, and to minimize protein sources that are high in fat. This is to avoid digestive issues that can lead to an uneasy stomach Snacks would be up to a half hour before exercise. Here are some of the suggested meals:
- Fresh fruit with Greek yogurt
- Fresh fruit with low fat cheese and whole grain crackers
- Low fat milk with animal crackers
- Large salad full of veggies, cottage cheese, turkey, garbanzo beans and a glass of milk
- High fiber, low sugar cereal with low fat milk and fresh fruit
- Scrambled eggs with whole wheat English muffin and 4 oz juice
Post-Workout:
As soon as possible, consume protein! This is to promote recovery and muscle repair. I should aim for 6-20 grams of protein, along with some carbohydrates. Suggested meals include:
- 8-12 oz Green yogurt with granola
- 8 oz chocolate milk
- Smoothie with Greek yogurt, milk, fresh/frozen fruit
- 3 oz turkey or chicken on whole wheat bread
- 2 tbsp peanut butter and whole wheat crackers
- Protein bar (<180kcal, >3g fiber, <5g sugar, <7g fat, <10% sat fat)
I went food shopping this weekend to pick up the essentials. I know in time this will become a much smoother process and eating well won’t seem as much as a chore. I’m so energized by this plan, and I really think this will help me eat properly…especially as it gets closer to Thanksgiving!
What are your go-to meals before and after a workout?
As far as 6 meals a day, I need to get better at eating 3!!! With work, it is so hard to get away from my desk, so I have to get better at packing my meals. What would your “packed meals” for one day look like?
I keep a lot of food at work. I just bought animal crackers that I eat with a Chobani Greek yogurt for my mid morning snack. I’ll also keep trail mix, peanut butter, and whole grain crackers on hand. For lunch: Peanut butter and jelly on light whole wheat bread, baby carrots and hummus. Another option is salad from Shoprite with hard boiled eggs a little chicken and lots of veggies. You can keep some fruit in the fridge like apples or grapes. And mozzarella cheese sticks come in handy! Hope this helps!
I typically run very early in the am so I don’t eat prior to running, immediately post run I have a protein shake that has 24 grams of protein (very low carbs and 120 calories) and mixes well with water. I love Greek yogurt, but most of the brands have a TON of sugar, so I buy the plain Fage 0% and sprinkle it with cinnamon and top with some almonds.
Good luck with your goals!!!
Sounds like you have a great plan, good luck to you. I hope you are able to accomplish all of your goals and more.
That sounds delicious! And I never gave high sugar in Greek yogurt much thought…I’ll have to keep that in mind!
Hopping over from Running Bloggers … so nice to meet you 🙂
My go to’s before running are a smoothie with fruit, usually banana and berries, Greek yogurt, almond milk and cashew butter (once you’ve tried cashew butter I swear you will NEVER go back to peanut butter) after a run it’s always NUUN followed by a vanilla whey protein, bagel and cream cheese.
Ooh cashew butter sounds delicious! I’ve never had NUUN but seems like everyone loves it! Thanks for dropping by Anita!
Wow, having a dietician would be awesome! I am so very bad with meals and pre planning. I have two young kids so it makes it really hard. Grab and go is a common thing at my house. I typically don’t do lunch I just eat the kids leftovers. I also have a real problem with sugar. I have done pretty good with cutting out a good amount of it but it is a daily struggle. Good luck with logging your meals.
Hi Lacy, I’m lucky that my insurance gives us 6 free sessions with a dietitian each year! I’ve been logging since July and it’s helped a lot, I’ve written a few posts about my progress. Good luck to you!
Have you tried using MyFitnessPal to log your foods? I can do it throughout the day and it’s so much easier for me to keep up with everything!
Hi Wendy, I do have an account with MyFitnessPal, and for awhile I was pretty good about logging, but I quickly got too lazy, especially when it was cumbersome to search for exactly what I was eating. For me, writing it out requires more effort, so hopefully I’ll actually do it!
I love to eat Greek yogurt with granola after a workout. Sounds like I am right on with that one! I like to have a banana with peanut butter before. Thanks for the great suggestions!
Amy
Miss Adventures in Running