Thursday's Breakfast

When I lived alone, I used to make protein shakes for breakfast almost every day. It was fast and easy and they tasted great. This morning I decided to make myself one for breakfast.

I used my handy Magic Bullet (love it). I chopped half the apple, skins and all, used a scoop of oatmeal and half a serving of the Aria protein shake powder, water and the entire banana. I added 2 frozen strawberries for a little flavor and blended it up! In the past, I also added yogurt to make it creamier. I didn't do that this morning and wished I'd had. I sliced the rest of the apple and used a teeny bit of Trader Joe's Peanut Butter too. Calories for breakfast were around 300.

UPDATE: It's 10:00am now and I'm still feeling full from my protein shake breakfast. In a little bit I will have my AM snack of Anjou pear.

The Secret to Losing Weight:
"Food is energy. If we want to lose weight, there are only two ways to do it. We have to decrease the energy flowing into our body OR increase the energy flowing out. [pg107, Mindful Eating]" It's as simple as that. It's so simple, yet we make it so hard!

I really love the book Mindful Eating. I'm half way through the book and can't stress how useful it is. This next part I'm going to discuss is shocking but so OBVIOUS.

Why is America fat? The answer is: CONVENIENCE! Back "in the old days" people had to work for their food. They had to work in the fields, pick the produce themselves, farm the land, etc. They expelled the calories they replaced. "Mindful Eating" has a fantastic chart on WHY WE ARE FAT:

MORE ENERGY IN
*More concentrated calories
*Cheap, calorie rich food
*Larger portion sizes
*Eating mindlessly (tv watching, in front of computer, driving)
*Grazing

LESS ENERGY OUT
*Less work to obtain food
*Labor (and calorie) saving devices
*Sedentary lifestyles
*No exercise (driving instead of walking, etc)
*No gym/recess at school

Basically, we aren't working for our calories anymore.

QUESTION: Are you lazy? Do you drive places where you could walk instead? Do you drive around parking lots forever trying to find a "good spot" close in, or just park and walk?

Ouch

Yesterday's bike ride was a great experience. Today, however, I woke up with a whole mess of angry body parts! I wasn't used to sitting on a bike seat for so long (like 4 hours yesterday) and the biking position has made my shoulders and neck a big mess of soreness. :(

Last night's Girl's Game Night was a success. The fondue party was great! I didn't care at all that fondue was high calories after that bike ride! I cut up anjou pears, granny smith apples, hard salami, wheat french bread, filone bread, broccoli, and yellow peppers. It was a lot of fun!

For breakfast this morning, I had an English muffin with Trader Joe's peanut butter and Trader Joe's apple cranberry butter as well as the last anjou pear. Calories for breakfast: 345. But I am off to the pool in a bit and will burn 350. And of course, sit in the hot tub forever soaking these tired muscles.

UPDATE: Swimming was fantastic. The second I got into the pool, my sore everything felt so much better. The hot tub was great too. :)

Peanut Butter

For two years, I stopped eating peanut butter. I know it must sound like I cut a lot of things out of my diet for 2 years while I was losing weight. I really didn't, I just cut out a few things I knew I couldn't eat in moderation. I had to retrain my brain to make good choices, learn portion sizes, and decide WHICH calories I wanted to eat.

Peanut butter is pretty high in calories. For 2 years, it was all about the numbers. Did I want to eat 200 calories in peanut butter? Or perhaps "spend" that 200 calories somewhere else? But in denying myself peanut butter, I was also denying my body good fat, protein, and fiber!

Peanut butter is an excellent fuel food. When I started my running routine, I started reading and researching what I should be eating. I wanted to have energy and stamina. Over and over again, I read peanut butter was the secret! It's so filling too! So eat a serving size (2 tablespoons) of peanut butter on some crackers, or fruit (apples and bananas are yummy) before working out and see the difference!

I prefer Skippy Natural peanut butter to the others out there I've tried. The Boy likes Jif and spreads it on tortilla chips (eeew). Recently I picked up the TJ's brand. Not sure if I like it yet--it's a little creamier than I'm used to.

Workout Food

My breakfast this morning (pre-workout) was a banana with peanut butter on it. Through trial and error I've discovered this is the best combination for pre-run/pre-gym food. It keeps me full for the whole workout, I don't get cramps from too much food, and I don't feel starvings immediately afterward.

I'm trying to drink more water, because that's definitely something I am lacking in. And I also had plain iced tea (no sugar added).

When I got home from the gym, I had chocolate milk for a snack. 100 calories. This may sounds a bit crazy but it's proven to help! http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/ "Downing chocolate milk after a tough workout can help replenish exhausted muscles and significantly aid exercise recovery, new research shows." And it's yummy!