Nutrition Plan: Week 3

I just finished week 3 of my Eat All the Things nutrition plan and my body seems to really appreciate it!  I had a couple off “off plan” meals due to extenuating circumstances but I tried to follow it as close as I could.  Overall, other than this lingering cold that has been going on for two weeks, I feel great!  I feel like I have more energy for my runs and I am recovering more quickly.  I’ve gotten over the feelings of guilt when I eat as planned on a rest day and I’m not feeling as tied to the scale as I was the first couple of weeks.  I also being careful to refer to this as a nutrition plan and not a “diet”. When I’m on a diet, it all about what I can’t eat.  Everything is off limits.  The food is bland.  I can’t have chocolate.  Guess what!  On this nutrition plan, I can continue to have my Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Honey Mint every day with lunch and NOT FEEL GUILTY!  And that one is all I need.  I’m not even tempted by the bag of Oreo’s that I buy my son!  Previously, I would definitely sneak one three whenever I could. I think I’m finally getting the swing of the idea of giving my body high quality fuel and not a bunch of junk!

Hardly a deprivation diet

Even though I have a couple more weeks on my free plan, I went ahead and signed up for the 12 week special Max Muscle was offering (buy 6 weeks, get 6 weeks free).  Twelve weeks will get me through the Marine Corp Marathon and into the first few recovery weeks.  I’ll be curious to see how my body reacts when the mileage isn’t quite so insanely high.

The Numbers

Week 0 – 196 Starting body fat: 31.3%

Week 1 -194 / 30.3%  and gained .5 lbs of muscle

Week 2 – no data

Week 3 -191 / 29.3% but lost just a smidge of muscle

Week 1

Week One is done!  I am still struggling with knowing what/when to eat on my long run days but, overall, it has gone well.  It’s a bit odd to not be hungry all of the time and I have not done any mindless nibbling. I confirmed with my nutrition counselor today that the calories consumed and burned are viewed cumulatively for the week so I think I need to cut back a bit on non-run days so I have more for the long runs

My typical menu includes:

Breakfast – granola, banana, protein shake

Snack – 3 hard boiled eggs and almonds

Lunch – meat, rice, 2 cups of veggies.

I often go with a homemade lean hamburger patty and a mix of tomatoes and fermented sauerkraut

Snack – apple, almond butter, jerky

Dinner – meat, veggies, 1/3 c. beans

Fajita chicken and onions/peppers that I made for my husband. I just omitted the tortilla on mine

Late evening – protein shake

The Numbers

Starting weight: 196 Starting body fat: 31.3%

Week 1 194 / 30.3%  and gained .5 lbs of muscle

A new look at (my) nutrition

I’m still here, running, training, nursing a bum IT band, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.

What I want to talk about is my new nutrition plan.  For the past several years, I have been using MyFitnessPal to stay pretty close to 1700 calories, as adjusted for the day’s workout.  Though I have slowly lost a tiny bit of weight, it’s been pretty stagnant, even with my increased activities.  Honestly, I’m frustrated by my body’s inability to lose fat.  I see people who lose 50 pounds in a year (or less) and I want to scream!  I have always been a super slow loser and my body fights me for every ounce.

Two weeks ago, I won a four week personalized nutrition plan with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, Springfield as part of my Mom’s Run This Town chapter’s anniversary party.  I was a little leery of changing my diet in the middle of marathon training but Corry, the owner, and Zach, the consultant with whom I would be working, were emphatic that this is a good time to make the change.

My initial consultation with Zach lasted an hour.  He outlined the five “laws”  that they follow: consume protein first thing in the morning, consume 10g of protein every 3-4 hours, don’t eat carbs alone (always pair with protein), drink 1/2 oz. of water per pound of body weight, and stay within 500 calories of your daily expenditure. He then took a body comp reading and went over my typical diet.  Finally, he started plugging in numbers into his massive spreadsheet.  Bottom line – I need to eat more, by A LOT! Huh.

I am on my third day and I am mentally having a tough time with this.  This is a lot of food!  I am struggling with the desire to add additional workouts.  I’m also confused as to how to stay within 500 calories if my daily diet is an average of my exercise for the week.  For example, I did not work out yesterday but I ate the same as I did today when I will run 4 miles.  Yesterday I was within 500 calories but I will not be today unless I eat more.  I obviously need to ask more questions!

I’m going to follow the plan and their advice, to the letter, for a month and then reassess.  For the sake of transparency, I’m letting it all hang out here and will update each week.  I already told Zach that I have very low expectations but he is certain that I will see results.

The Numbers

Basal Metabolic Rate: 1,629

Previous Calorie base: 1,720

Average Caloric need, adjusted for average exercise amount: 2,348 (with 186 g of protein!!)

Starting weight: 196

Starting body fat: 31.3%