Some people think triathlon
is the center of my life. The truth is,
I think more about snacks than I do about triathlon!
I had a manager once who
used to say, “As long as we keep Mari fed and watered, she will be fine.” Well said!
That is the truth! I know I’m not
the only one who gets cranky when hungry and/or thirsty!
I started thinking a lot
more about snacks last summer when I started working with nutrition expert,
Lauren Lorenzo. She taught me a lot
about the timing of my calorie intake.
Basically, I needed to take in more calories around my workouts in order
to fuel myself for the workout and recover afterward.
Since the majority of my
workouts are done in the morning, I have a snack when I wake up because I am
already at a calorie deficit and a snack after my workout, then a large
breakfast after my shower. I continue to
snack throughout the day. This helps me stay
balanced with my hunger and satisfaction.
By time my hubby and I sit down for dinner, I am not starving to death
and it is much easier to have less calories at that time.
By the way, dinner is
about HALF what it used to be before I started working with Lauren. For many years, I would eat the same amount
of food for dinner as my 6’ 2”, 180 lbs hubby.
Not good! I’m 5’ 2” and 123ish
lbs (down from 134 lbs this summer).
There was no need for me to be eating that much!
Here are my top favorite
snacks:
- HomemadeGranola Protein Bars – Ingredients: Natural peanut butter, honey, powdered milk, whole wheat oatmeal, almonds, raisins, wheat bran, cinnamon, kosher salt
- Larabars – Ingredients in Cherry Pie: Dates, almonds, unsweetened cherries
- Apples – Varieties: Fuji or Honeycrisp
- Carrots
- Bananas
- Yogurt – Brands: Wallaby Organic, Chobani (OMG – Apple Cinnamon is my new favorite flavor!), Siggi’s (more expensive, but sometimes the Dekalb Farmers Market has it on sale when it is about to expire)
- Almonds
- Pretzels
- Popcorn – No butter, just salt and white cheddar cheese flavoring
Gone
are the days of sharing a six-pack of beer at night with hubby along with a big
plate of cheese and crackers! I have cut
so far back on alcohol I haven’t even taken advantage of the recent ability to
purchase it on Sundays. I’m even finding
myself volunteering to be the designated driver for my friends! There are a ton of calories in alcohol and
though I need calories, they are empty calories that do not help my ability to
keep my weight down and continue being a strong athlete and coach.
Hey,
I’m not going to tell you that this shift has been easy! I have to continue to plan every day about
what I’m going to eat. I have to make
sure the refrigerator and pantry are stocked with healthy stuff. I don’t leave the house without a snack so I
don’t go too long without eating. I have
to be disciplined about my portions. I
avoid getting seconds.
Do you know what
else I avoid? I avoid eating at
restaurants because I have less control over what I’m eating. Sorry, il bacio, Burrito Brothers and
Roasters! I know you were getting used
to seeing us more regularly!
The
reward has been feeling better all day, sleeping better at night and it’s a whole heck
of a lot easier to swim, bike and run without the extra eleven pounds I was
carrying!
You can meet Lauren Lorenzo tomorrow at 7:30pm. She will be at Podium Multisport to present “Nutrition for Athletes”.
The cost of the session is $25.
You can register here or come tomorrow and plan to pay at the door.
Happy
snacking and training!
