Ok, so we are over half way on the Whole 30 program. I have to confess that this weekend was a little difficult for me. Not because of temptations for anything (like ice cream or a glass of wine:-), but just due to bad planning. We were out in the Gorge this weekend, hiking and staying at Skamania Lodge. My energy got really low after hiking all day on Saturday and then sitting in the jaccuzzi and sauna Sat evening. On Sunday, I was drained. For breakfast, I did the best I could from the menu, which ended up being an omlette with bacon (no cheese and fruit instead of hashbrowns) all was good until we went to the driving range to hit a few balls. My energy dropped a lot and I had to get something to eat. With the few choices I had from the snack shack at the golf course, I ended up with beef jerkey and dried fruit in a trail mix both containing sugar. Neither was very satisfying or helped my energy low. So, my lesson learned was that I need to plan better. The difference for me I later realized was that I did not have nearly the amount of vegetables (or protein) all weekend that I'd been eating the last two weeks. Usually I carry lots of raw veggies with me (carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)and munch on those throughout the day, which keeps my energy even and always provides the pick up I need when I start to feel tired.
So, the key is planning ahead! Especially when you don't know what food options you are going to have. Here is a link to what Dallas and Melissa keep in their cooler for their road trip.
Food for the cooler
Patti way to make the best choices with what you had over the weekend. I would love to do that hike with you someday, the picture you posted looked awesome. I too struggled this weekend but mine was more in the way of temptations we where home in Walla Walla for the 4th, which means we had family BBQ's, great wine and lots of desserts to choose from... Even though I wanted to indulge in all the good stuff, I stuck to the cooler of food I had prepared to keep me on track. So I do have to agree if we all go prepared then it is much easier to stay on the path.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work! Looks like I better have an extra sweet potato for tomorrows workout!
Kaci
Today is day 2 for me. Had a lot of blood sugar issues. I think I am having artificial sugar withdrawls. Got a bit shaky working out this morning and again before lunch. I think it is the artificial sugar leaving my body. Everything I have read says that artificial sugar reacts in your body just like the real stuff.
ReplyDeleteQuestion about eating before I work out, I have been working out at the morning session. I have been having about 2 ounces of protein before I workout then eat breakfast after workout, 4oz sweet potato, 4oz protein, and a fruit. Does this sound about right?
Thanks, Renee
Renee, I am so glad you have started the whole30! Give it a week and I am sure the artificial sugar withdrawals will be much less or gone. You could have some cherries or berries when you feel like you need a little pick me up( i.e. need sugar/artificial).
ReplyDeleteAs for what you are eating before you workout maybe you need to add 1/2 of a sweet potato or 1/2 a banana. Patti made these suggestions to me when I was feeling like my nutrition was lacking on my runs and it seems to have helped. But what you are eating after sounds like you have it down pack. I personally am not measuring any of my food just eating until I feel satisfied.
Make it a great workout
Kaci
ps hope you had a great time in Hawaii, I miss seeing you in the evening class! Keep up the hard work.
Kaci,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. I think I will add a 1/2 of sweet potato or banana before I work out. I really like working out in the morning, as long as I have enough sleep! I miss everyone in the evening!
Maui was so relaxing. I am now just feeling like I am getting back to a normal home schedule.
Thanks for the help,
Renee
Hey Ladies,
ReplyDeleteAbout the pre-workout eating. I'll review my notes from the seminar, but I do remember them talking about just eating lean protein before the workout (I think a little fat would be ok too). For example a whole egg or two would give you some protein and fat. Post workout is when you would include the complex carb (sweet potato) or some simple carbs - (banana or other fruit) with a lean protein source (without the fat), like egg whites. The rationale if I remember correctly is that during exercise, your body is going to utilize whatever food it has available first to use during the workout before dipping into energy stores (in your fat cells) and protein provides a better source of energy for demanding activity such as an intense workout. The post work out carbs with a lean protein will help deliver the needed protein to repair muscles after they have been "beaten and torn" during the workout. The reason for less fat after the workout (i.e. egg whites instead of the whole egg) is because the consumption of fat slows down the delivery process of getting the protein to the muscles for tissue repair, but carbs speed up that delivery process. So they did suggest eating the lean protein with some carbs post workout within about 30 minutes following workout.
A pre-workout sweet potato or banana is fine for endurance type workouts such as a long run (like Kace and I did) that lasts over an hour and a half because you will use all of that up and then some in an endurance run. For our regular workouts, if you can get through it with strong performance (enough energy) in the 30 to 40 minutes that it generally takes with just some protein pre-workout, I would suggest doing that. Also, no matter what you do about your nutrition, if you're not getting enough sleep, your workouts will suffer no matter what. Often we think nutrition is the issue when we are struggling, but lack of sleep is a huge problem as well as lack of hydration. I know because i have problems with both of those and can sure tell the difference when I didn't sleep enough the night before or consume enough water the day before.
Keep up the good work, Renee! I'm sure your sugar withdrawals will subside. Like Kaci said, wean yourself off of it with some fruit as needed. Berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberries) are usually the best option. Be careful though not to eat too much fruit. For some people who have strong addictions to sugar, eating fruit can be a problem because it can trigger their brain to keep wanting more and more sugar and never really feeling satisfied. If you find yourself like that, then you have to stay away from the fruit as well and go with vegetables instead. That's obviously harder because veggies aren't providing the sweetness factor, but over time, if you feed yourself more veggies instead of sugar even though they are not sweet, you tastes will change eventually and the cravings will go away.
Hey Renee and Kaci,
ReplyDeleteI added you as publishers to this blog (you should get an email) so that if you want to write a blog post you can. May be easier then writing comments sometimes and/or if you find any interesting articles on nutrition you want to share and discuss you can do that or if you just want to start a discussion in general.