http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfQpfe6ZOfo
maintenance
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
What I Eat Over the Course of a Day
I'm always amazed at the number of people who ask me what it is I eat and drink in the course of a day. This is a really hard question for me to answer, because I don't eat the same things all the time, but here are some general guidelines I try to follow:
1. I always have at least one serving of complex carbs. This is usually 1/2 C of dry oatmeal, cooked, about an hour or so before I workout. Often I'll have more servings of complex carbs than this throughout the day, though.
2. I usually eat oatmeal or some kind of whole grain cereal and a lean protein (Most often an egg with 3/4 cup of egg whites) for breakfast.
3. I eat before I workout. When I don't I find myself short on both strength and endurance. This meal is usually the above breakfast.
4. On the way home from the gym I have a whey protein shake and a piece of fruit (usually a banana).
5. I try to eat at least one salad a day, either for lunch or dinner. My favorite is some kind of a southwestern salad so that I get some carbs from the corn. It always has a source of protein (usually shrimp or chicken breast), and I ask them to leave off any chips or croutons and go easy on the cheese. If the meat is grilled on a griddle I ask them to go easy on the butter. I get whatever dressing I like (usually creamy), but order it on the side and fork-dip for the non-flavorful bites. Very little is gone by the time the salad is finished.
6. I usually have two afternoon snacks, because it's a very hungry time of day for me. Almost always one is a small protein bar (I make sure it's really a PROTEIN bar with about the same grams of protein as carbs and low fat- otherwise I consider it a carb bar). If it's a big one (over 300 calories) I cut it in half. The other snack is usually low-fat string cheese and lean beef jerky OR a scoop of protein powder mixed into Greek yogurt.
7. I try to limit my fruits to 2 servings a day (I consider a banana 2 servings), and have at least 3 servings of veggies. More is better on the veggies.
8. The meal that is not a salad is usually a lean source of red meat (I have low iron), a whole-grain carb like brown rice, OR a baked sweet or regular potato, and a LOT of non-starchy veggies.
9. I don't drink my calories (unless it is a protein shake).
10. I drink at least a gallon of water a day (read my blog on The Importance of Water to see why).
11. If I drink anything in addition to the water, it is unsweetened tea. Sometimes I'll put a little Stevia or Splenda in it, but I've learned to usually drink it unsweetened. I just don't think the additional stuff does my body any good.
12. Before bed I have a scoop of Casein powder mixed with cold water into a pudding.
If you were counting, that's seven feedings on most days. I am always eating! :-)
I'll blog about supplements next blog, but that's what I ingest as a general rule most days, whether losing or maintaining. When I am in maintenance mode my portion sizes get larger. I hope this helps someone!
1. I always have at least one serving of complex carbs. This is usually 1/2 C of dry oatmeal, cooked, about an hour or so before I workout. Often I'll have more servings of complex carbs than this throughout the day, though.
2. I usually eat oatmeal or some kind of whole grain cereal and a lean protein (Most often an egg with 3/4 cup of egg whites) for breakfast.
3. I eat before I workout. When I don't I find myself short on both strength and endurance. This meal is usually the above breakfast.
4. On the way home from the gym I have a whey protein shake and a piece of fruit (usually a banana).
5. I try to eat at least one salad a day, either for lunch or dinner. My favorite is some kind of a southwestern salad so that I get some carbs from the corn. It always has a source of protein (usually shrimp or chicken breast), and I ask them to leave off any chips or croutons and go easy on the cheese. If the meat is grilled on a griddle I ask them to go easy on the butter. I get whatever dressing I like (usually creamy), but order it on the side and fork-dip for the non-flavorful bites. Very little is gone by the time the salad is finished.
6. I usually have two afternoon snacks, because it's a very hungry time of day for me. Almost always one is a small protein bar (I make sure it's really a PROTEIN bar with about the same grams of protein as carbs and low fat- otherwise I consider it a carb bar). If it's a big one (over 300 calories) I cut it in half. The other snack is usually low-fat string cheese and lean beef jerky OR a scoop of protein powder mixed into Greek yogurt.
7. I try to limit my fruits to 2 servings a day (I consider a banana 2 servings), and have at least 3 servings of veggies. More is better on the veggies.
8. The meal that is not a salad is usually a lean source of red meat (I have low iron), a whole-grain carb like brown rice, OR a baked sweet or regular potato, and a LOT of non-starchy veggies.
9. I don't drink my calories (unless it is a protein shake).
10. I drink at least a gallon of water a day (read my blog on The Importance of Water to see why).
11. If I drink anything in addition to the water, it is unsweetened tea. Sometimes I'll put a little Stevia or Splenda in it, but I've learned to usually drink it unsweetened. I just don't think the additional stuff does my body any good.
12. Before bed I have a scoop of Casein powder mixed with cold water into a pudding.
If you were counting, that's seven feedings on most days. I am always eating! :-)
I'll blog about supplements next blog, but that's what I ingest as a general rule most days, whether losing or maintaining. When I am in maintenance mode my portion sizes get larger. I hope this helps someone!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Importance of Water
One of the keys to losing and now maintaining my weight has been drinking copious amounts of water (rarely less than 1 and sometimes up to 2 gallons a day). I promised someone a while back who was surprised I considered it so important that I would post a blog on the subject. I'm finally making good on that promise.
Here are a few of the many benefits of drinking plenty of water (not zero-calorie beverages: WATER!)
- Let's start with the most motivating one: Water helps waste move through the body in a mighty way. This means that a bunch of crud won't be hanging around inside you and you're more likely to weigh less on the scale in the mornings (after you've peed), because the content of your intestines will weigh less. Full intestines can cause several pounds of scale weight gain if you are.... er..... stopped up. So drinking water helps to give you a truer scale weight.
-Water helps to break down the nutrients in your food better, thus increasing your metabolism. Not only that, if you are getting the nutrients you need the chances of cravings is reduced.
- Water helps regulate blood sugar, which helps insulin levels to stay steady, also reducing your likelihood to overindulge in sweet stuff.
- Water helps to give your stomach a full feel so that you are less likely to overeat.
- Plenty of water in your system helps your body to keep you cool during workouts, therefore allowing you to work out harder and get more bang for your exercise buck.
- Water is the primary ingredient in the synovial fluid around the joints, which allows them to move freely and gives them cushioning during your workouts.
There are a TON of other ways that water benefits the body, but these are ones that specifically relate to weight loss and fitness.
Can you drink too much water? Yes- There is such a thing as water toxicity. But to get that you have to drink stupid amounts of water. The kidneys can process quite a lot of water an hour (over a quart) easily. You'd pretty much have to TRY to drink too much water to get water toxicity. Stay away from water-chugging contests and you'll probably be fine. :-)
And lastly, do I pee a lot? YES! But you don't pee out all that you drink- water goes out of you in other ways, like sweat and respiration, too. And I will say that my bladder size has increased since increasing my water intake. So while I still visit the bathroom more often than most other adults I know, I'm not seeing the inside of the ladies room as often as I did this time last year.
Here are a few of the many benefits of drinking plenty of water (not zero-calorie beverages: WATER!)
- Let's start with the most motivating one: Water helps waste move through the body in a mighty way. This means that a bunch of crud won't be hanging around inside you and you're more likely to weigh less on the scale in the mornings (after you've peed), because the content of your intestines will weigh less. Full intestines can cause several pounds of scale weight gain if you are.... er..... stopped up. So drinking water helps to give you a truer scale weight.
-Water helps to break down the nutrients in your food better, thus increasing your metabolism. Not only that, if you are getting the nutrients you need the chances of cravings is reduced.
- Water helps regulate blood sugar, which helps insulin levels to stay steady, also reducing your likelihood to overindulge in sweet stuff.
- Water helps to give your stomach a full feel so that you are less likely to overeat.
- Plenty of water in your system helps your body to keep you cool during workouts, therefore allowing you to work out harder and get more bang for your exercise buck.
- Water is the primary ingredient in the synovial fluid around the joints, which allows them to move freely and gives them cushioning during your workouts.
There are a TON of other ways that water benefits the body, but these are ones that specifically relate to weight loss and fitness.
Can you drink too much water? Yes- There is such a thing as water toxicity. But to get that you have to drink stupid amounts of water. The kidneys can process quite a lot of water an hour (over a quart) easily. You'd pretty much have to TRY to drink too much water to get water toxicity. Stay away from water-chugging contests and you'll probably be fine. :-)
And lastly, do I pee a lot? YES! But you don't pee out all that you drink- water goes out of you in other ways, like sweat and respiration, too. And I will say that my bladder size has increased since increasing my water intake. So while I still visit the bathroom more often than most other adults I know, I'm not seeing the inside of the ladies room as often as I did this time last year.
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