Nutrition. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to improve on for awhile, and now it’s time for me to put up or shut up. My nutrition is not horrible, but it’s not great either. I blame Dan since it’s gotten worse since I’ve been married (just kidding, I don’t blame you Dan. Well, not completely anyway).
I’ve always boasted that I have a stomach of steel, meaning I can eat pretty much anything without it affecting my next run/race. But, lately, I had been wondering if cleaning up my diet could actually improve my running? I’ve heard from a lot of people that it will, so I’m intrigued. I have a marathon coming up in a little over a month, and so I’ve decided to go on a cleanse until then and try to access how it affects my running.
Folks, I wanted to clarify that I'm not on that crazy "Master Cleanse" where you can only drink lemonade or salt water shit for 2 weeks.
I am eating on my cleanse!
Basically, the cleanse will involve giving up a few items that do not really provide me with any nutritional benefits:
- Mexican Food. We eat a lot of Mexican food. I mean a lot. Like at least twice per week, sometimes more. Okay, most of the time more than 2x per week. And, I’ve gotten into the bad habit of eating nachos like every.single.time.
- Ice Cream. I am the type of person who likes to eat dessert every single night. Lately, this dessert has been in the form of ice cream. Specifically Happy Tracks ice cream made by Bluebell. No bueno. I will attempt to substitute the ice cream for fruit. Yeah, doesn’t sound near as good to me either.
- Beer. Tastes good, but empty calories. Bye, bye.
- Candy. I am not a chocolate person, but I do love me some candy. Swedish fish, Starburst, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers are regular staples in my diet. Empty calories and way too much sugar.
In addition, I am going to try my damnedest to eat more natural, non-processed foods. I am also going to try not to eat out (we eat out a TON). This presents a challenge for two reasons: 1) I hate to cook and 2) I can’t cook. We’ll see how it goes.
So there you have it my friends. That is my cleanse.
And I'm sticking to it. Even if it causes me to be super grumpy and I start seeing Sour Patch Kids, Queso and Blue Bell Ice Cream in my dreams.
Erin, I've been in your shoes (maybe not the Mexican food and eating out, but definitely the "too many junk calories" category). In my case, I gained 25-30 lbs. after I gave up running for a while. It was the simple steps you mentioned, along with running, that got things back down under control.
ReplyDeleteWith my recent injury, I was paranoid about the possibility of gaining weight again. I started using the Livestrong Daily Plate application (online, on my iPad, and on my Blackberry) to track calories. It was really insightful and I recommend it if you really want to get serious about adjusting your diet. I've managed to lose another 7 or so pounds during the three months that I've been running less due to injury. It's amazing what data will do to help dispel illusions.
Thanks for the recommendation, Greg! I will definitely check out that website. It would be very helpful to see in writing where all of the junk calories are coming from (and hold me more accountable)
ReplyDeleteERIN!!!! I swear, sometimes I think I am hearing myself through your reading :). I am in the same boat and often wonder if I got a bit more strict with my diet, how much will it help me. I still eat tons of fruits and veggies...brown rice, lean meats, etc..it is just that I like to splurge at least twice per week :). Hang in there!
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