Monday, February 28, 2011

What I eat and what I weigh (click here)

OK-truthfully why did you click? Yeah-you'll have to PM me if you are genuinely interested in my weight-ha! On to the food post!

*Disclaimers*

I am not a dietician, I have eaten Fritos with cheese dip out of a can (I liked them), I break my own rules....

So, I have gotten a couple of emails in the past month about what I eat especially during training and so I’m going to address them quickly here. I’m not offering advice, simply answering the questions. I’m no expert on food although I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue and that is kinda food related…..So, although not an expert, more like a rookie, I AM quite interested in nutrition.

Since food and weight are often related, I will preface my “food” post by touching on my weight, not in numbers, very briefly. I’m at a pretty happy place with that-I rarely weigh myself these days but you wouldn’t mistake me for a heroin addict or a Calvin Klein model! Right now, I’m not a scrawny “knees and elbows” kinda girl! As much as I desired prominent hipbones and visible ribs at one point in my life and practically ruined myself in the process, my focus has changed and this is nothing I currently strive for. LEAN STRONG POWERFUL muscle definition –I want THAT!!!! I will always be working in this area (still trying to achieve EMZ and SUAR ab status-ha) but I do carry a fair amount of muscle, I’m in pretty good shape, and although I don’t know my body fat %(very curious here), I don’t have junk hangin’ out right now. I will gladly take some junk if it deposits itself in my chest. Although “content” with my body at this point, I have had some struggles throughout like most women whether they want to admit it or not. I definitely gained weight when I broke my hip and also in about the 5 weeks surrounding taper and recovery for both of my marathons. I would be totally lying to say it didn’t bother me at all…. For me, it’s keeping that in check, accepting that there are seasons and not letting it define me like it once did. If I decide to drop my weight here a little bit in the next few months which I might (researching ideal race weight which I I believe I am over) , it’s going to be performance reasons that drive it, not as much obsessive physical appearance reasons. I will also do it in an educated healthy manner:) I have plenty of corners I could cut:)

Seriously, I go off on tangents here. Back to the food. Exercise totally drives my desire to eat well and properly fuel my body. When I’m really in training or just involved in a good regular workout regimen , I am just very interested in giving my body the nutrition it needs. When I'm on crutches, I'm interested in donuts. Again, this is so different from a few years back. It was all about calories and fat grams. Now it’s WAY more about fuel and health. I don’t really ever view exercise as a way to lose weight at this point. I exercise regardless of my weight.

Currently, my diet operates kind of like a Monday-Friday work week. I am pretty specific about what kind of food goes into my mouth from Monday to Friday. I prep a lot of my food ahead of time because my weekdays are busy and I find it’s easier for me not to think about what to eat when I’m hungry. As a “general” rule, (*I’ve always been an occasional rule breaker) I steer clear of most processed foods, most white carbs, foods with a shelf life of over 14 years…. a lot of refined sugar, artificial sweeteners and anything that says Fat free (because it’s just gross) I'm human. Again, this is just a general rule-not the 10 commandments to me! I have eaten potatoes, white rice, deli meat, and Burker King and I'm still alive. Last Tuesday, DURING the week, I ate half a bag of flippin’ Doritos at a hockey meeting because they were sitting on the table, I was starving and didn’t get home to eat. Am I perfect-why yes! Did I have a heart attack over this-not really-a little ticked at myself but they were good, I was over it and headed to the gym. I can honestly remember a time that if I ate the Doritos, I would have scrapped the gym because since I blew my food intake, the whole day was a wash …... I can also remember a day that I would have died before even eating a Dorito. Anyway, moving on. The weekends aren’t a free for all food wise necessarily but if I want a Caribou coffee or popcorn I’m not going to beat myself up over it. It’s a good balance for ME.

I don’t count calories. I am planning to keep a food log with my running log starting today to evaluate later.

If I go out to eat (which isn’t too often) I really don’t look for low fat things on the menu. I eat what I want and enjoy it.

I take a multivitamin and Calcium. That's it.

I drink almost exclusively water and Cabernet

I am not vegan or vegetarian and have no plans to become one. I like chicken and occasionally cow! I totally respect those who choose this diet.


So, to actual food.

What I eat A LOT of:

Egg whites-way more than I should probably eat in a week. I eat some yolks but I don’t like them unless they’re scrambled. We buy both chicken and eggs outside of the grocery store.
Black beans
Greek Yogurt
Tuna
Spinach-literally up to 3 bags a week. I do not need “Green” smoothies. I LOVE spinach and I will eat it right out of the bag like potato chips.
Broccoli-I rival Janae here. I buy 12 oz steam fresh bags and eat one almost every day.
Romaine lettuce
Tons of veggies in general. In the summer I have a huge garden, more like a plantation actually, and the kids and I LOVE growing stuff and eating it! One fact-I hate cooked carrots.
Almond Butter
Salmon, Walleye(an awesome white freshwater fish), tilapia, chicken breasts
Wild rice, brown rice, black rice
Quinoa
Sweet potatoes
Cottage cheese
Apples

Bananas
Tabasco, RED HOT sauce, Horseradish, Wasabi!!!!!!!!!
Flax Prairie Bread which I make every week and I also wear an apron around the house.
Of course these I have way more variety but these things are pretty much staples.


A typical week day:

Breakfast- I eat one of 2 things. Either a 6 (yes 6) egg white omelet (don’t judge me-I refuse to change) for breakfast with spinach, cheese(goat, mozzarella,or feta) garlic (because I work at a dentist and people like to smell garlic), and whatever other veggies I feel like throwing in. I dump at least half a bottle of Tabasco on this, throw down a piece of flax toast and chase it with a cup of coffee! My other option is generally old fashioned oats (raw) mixed with cinnamon, a scoop of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling people) and greek yogurt. I top it with bananas and dates. If I’m hungry I’ll eat a lot. Seriously, A LOT!

Lunch-most days I eat salad especially when I’m working because I can cut everything up and put it in the work fridge on Monday and then it saves me time packing a lunch every day. I eat my salad out of a huge popcorn bowl and my coworkers stare at me. They are all on Weightwatchers or Jenny Craig (not dissing these programs) and eat meal replacement bars all the time. They are done their bar in like 2 seconds, it takes me 20 minutes to get through that salad bowl!! Tons of spinach and Romaine and I throw black beans, tuna, cottage cheese, whatever else on top. I don’t know if I can adequately describe how big this bowl is. Sometimes, I eat wraps but either way a LOT of veggies are packed into this meal. I don’t stop eating if I’m still hungry but I also think I’ve learned to know when I’m full.

These are core meals. I snack on things every couple of hours but avoid most things in the form of a “bar” and and stick to mainly Whole foods. (Yes, I know they make whole food bars-I could eat 15 Lara bars) Almonds, apples, bananas etc., Swedish fish (OK not usually but I do really like them)

Supper-This is generally my favorite meal. I cook up rice ahead of time. I use this a lot and it’s really good. I bought it at Whole Foods but I see that even some Walmarts carry it.


I boil it with a bunch of dehydrated salt free seasonings. Then I separate it into baggies and freeze it so I can just pop one out in the morning. I take out the frying pan, pour in some EVOO, wine, fresh garlic, tons of fresh spinach, grape tomatoes, mushrooms whatever else and stir fry with a load of spices! Then I throw in chicken that I’ve already pregrilled on the Foreman or outdoor grill in the summer, stir fry in the ready rice and eventually mix in the bag of steam fresh veggies. Dump on top the fresh pico that I always have in my fridge and I’m in heaven. I make lots of substitutions here because I often use fish or quinoa to change things up but this is primarily my go to meal during the week. (one awesome substitution is mango added to the pico and salmon glazed in a pomegranate mango chipotle sauce over the rice veggie mix!!! TDF)

My go to weekend meal is brick oven pizza on hockey trips-ha! I could eat pizza for every meal. (My hubby is building a brick oven outside of our deck-this may not be good for me) Actually, I’m a money freak and I don’t eat out too much on the weekends nor do my kids. We buy most of our food at a grocery store and eat it in the hotel room. Speaking of my kids, they don’t always eat the same food as me although they are pretty good eaters. I won’t go into this but I don’t feed them chicken nuggets and fries for every meal. On the flipside, yes they have macaroni and McDonalds sometimes. My husband is gone a lot but he is a total nuts and berries type of guy. When he is home we eat the same food.

There you have it!

Running: I officially started a marathon training program today. I will post a bit more on this later. This is really the race I love and I’m just excited to be working toward shattering my PR (by 1 second) in this distance. On the plan for today. 10 easy miles @about 8:15. Reality 10.6@8:12. Very happy about that. I did NOT want to go faster than this and was able to keep myself in check. God, thankyou for the 30 some MPH gusts from the South that simulated Mount Everest for 3 miles. I know you want me to be a better runner so amidst the constant bad language I uttered under my breath, I thank YOU!

20 comments:

Dani- danielleislosingit said...

Oh come on. I really wanted to see how much you weigh!

Just kidding, I think its important information to share (the food i mean) because in my experience your diet matters even more than exercise.

I am new to your blog, and notice that even in your pic from your first race you have an amazing body. What kinds of exercise were you into before you started running?

Carlee said...

I also love almost every veggie except cooked carrots. When I was in high school my friends made fun of me because my go to food was salad out of the bag (spinach being a personal fav)

Amanda@runninghood said...

ha! I just love you and your posts Jenn! You're a freakin' HORSE when you eat!! Ha ha, just kidding. I eat a TON Too. All my life I've been a HUGE eater and I don't stop until I'm full. I love what you eat! My husband packs the same kind of salad every day...we used to make them together and now that I'm home I don't eat as well as i used to because it is just so easy to just stuff things in my mouth when I'm feeding the kids. But we go through a TON of spinach and I've started eating Kale in my smoothies/protein drinks. Are protein drinks okay for you? I'm curious about this...something doesn't seem right about getting protein from a powder in a can. Hmmmm....

I love reading about what you eat. No wonder you have legs of steel and a rock star bod!

I was thinking about weight earlier this week and how people have ideal race weight. Funny, so many other runners who are built like me and also 5'4 weight at least 5-10 lbs. less. I'm 120ish and that seems like a good weight for me. I can't imagine being the 105/110 that some of these 5'4 runners are. Must be all my ripped muscles...yeah, that's it. ha! How much do you weight and how tall are you? PM me Yo!

Happy Monday Jenn!

Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run. said...

Well, I LOVE food, so I REALLY loved your post!! Seriously, there needs to be a restaurant for runners that makes all this stuff. I would totally go there. You gave some great ideas--I especially love the idea of making the rice in bulk and freezing it in batches. Would've never thought of that. Awesome. And, I love that wild rice mix! Good stuff. So, how long would you say it takes you to make your b'fasts? I'm always struggling to get my kids and myself b'fast in the morning and get everyone out the door in time...Congratulations on the start of your marathon training! Sounds like you'll be well fueled! ( :

Stephanie said...

I love talking about food. It seems like you have a healthy relationship with food! It looks like we eat a lot of the same things. LOVE that you guys garden!

Caroline said...

The fake link! that is brilliant!!
Ah food...not a good subject I struggle to get enough calories in. I do eat a lof of fruits and veggies..I used to eat a lot of spinach but I had to cut down a bit, because it is harder to digest for me. I have a huge rose garden and I have decided to transform it into a garden instead!

XLMIC said...

I am always struck by the genius of 'making ahead and freezing'! And I do it for awhile and LOVE it. Then I slack :( You have inspired me to begin the cycle again :) For all my talk of meatloaf hotdish, I eat very similarly. It really FEELS best to me…'clean' eating. Great post!

Unknown said...

I also loved your post! You look awesome! Dinner time is where my daily struggles come into play. I have five kids and I feel like I always eat more at night because, well I am not sure! I think sometimes it is just the night time chaos! I feel totally inspired after reading this post though! I have started a training/food journal so I helping that will keep my evenings in check!

Happy Feet 26.2 said...

Thanks for posting. I'm an egg/ egg white person too. oats - raw, but I mix banana, blueberries, yogurt, cinnamon, cocoa and a few raisins or craisins and a little honey - yes it's caloric. If I eat it at lunch time, I mix in some peanut butter.
I'm going to try your version.

(I want to switch to Greek but it's SO expensive and I eat a lot of yogurt - for most healthy food things, I say pay now or pay
later, but I haven't overcome the price on the Greek yogurt yet)

I eat a lot of spinach too. I buy the large container of organic spinach at Sams. I LOVE adding avocado to everything - salads, sandwiches, etc.

Pizza is what I live for....well pizza and dessert - urgh!

I totally train for RACE TIMES and health. My family history is UGLY so I RUN, but my focus is on improvement - NOT on weight loss from training, although that would be great too. For me to drop lbs. I MUST focus on the food side, not the exercise part. I have to drop some of the EXCESS carbs that I tend to consume.

I personally NEVER go on crazy FAD diets. I don't believe in them. I try to do something that is "doable" from now on. For me that's the key.

:) sorry that I have written a blog under your comments. Apparently, I should blog about this topic too. Ha! good stuff - thanks!

Shawn said...

I miss my northeren Manitoba pickerel (walleye) right out of the lake and into the pan. I too eat a ton of spinach, fruits and chicken...red meat when I feel like it.

Running and living said...

We have a lot in common!

I eat a ton of spinach. Egg whites with veggies = one of my fav meals. Love cottage cheese, hate greek yogurt. I used to eat a ton of garlic untill someone in my spin class told me that I am sweating garlic (a friend), and then at home my husband gently told me that our sex life would benefit from me stopping the garlic. LOL. Now I take garlic supplements

You are a much healthy eater than me. I drink a can of diet coke every day (this used to be a bad addiction in college and grad school). I also eat bread, mostly rye, but will eat white bread on occasion. I eat chocolate every single day, but am v good about proportions.

I am not exercising for weight any more. I would probably be faster in marathons had I lost weight, but my face becomes too gaunt when I am thinner, and I honestly like having a bit of a butt (given the lack of boobs, it makes me feel feminine). If I stop getting faster, I might consider giving up my butt for a PR, but right now I have no interest in that!

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS POST SO SO MUCH!!! I am going to copy your frozen rice idea! Brilliant. I want to be broccoli eating best friends! Loved the great ideas of new foods to eat so that I can HAVE YOUR BOD and woman judging by the rest of your body (I haven't seen your abs yet) I GUARANTEE you have the most killer abs. Isn't it amazing to look back at why we ate and how we fueled ourselves and realize how much better we are doing!! What are you going to read to figure out about racing weight? You are such a good example to your kids and that is why they are such good eaters and I am glad you don't deny them a hamburger every now and then!! I hope you are having an amazing day and sorry for the novel!

Raina said...

Jenn! I clicked and was amazed to find out exactly what you weigh! I can't believe we weight excactly the same!!!!
Just kidding...but there are some striking similarites between our food choices...well...your regular eating and my LUNCH food.

You are probably more conscious about what you eat than I am. And I am stuck in a rut of feeding my kids crap because they want it and it's easy. Way too many hotdogs. :( OK....I am not going to beat myself up, but I know I need to do better there. They eat hotdogs and I open a can of tuna and throw it on lettuce and call it salad.
Yesterday I gave them garbanzo beans and they were asking "Mom...what are these? These are great! Can we have more?" Eek.

You have me interested in writing about race weight now. I know you can attain it by what you are doing. You are going to have an AMAZING RACE at Gma's!!!! So EXCITED!!!

I'm going to email you later today, Lord willing!!!
Love ya!

Julie said...

You look like a freaking model to me:) This was a great post...good to see that another runner likes Fritos and cheese dip.

Is hockey coming to an end for you or do the kids do spring hockey? Kay's boyfriend's hockey team is in playoffs right now. I think he is looking forward to baseball:)

Take care Jenn! Hugs:)

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

I was thinking about you today....in a non creepy way, and was wishing we lived closer and got to run together and watch your kid's hockey games together....someday:)

Heather said...

This is great! I love seeing what others are eating and getting ideas. I love the idea of making the rice ahead of time, it takes so long to make...I'm gonna try this. Does it hold up well once it's frozen then heated up? The salmon glazed in a pomegranate mango chipotle sauce over the rice veggie mix sounds delish!!

Lindsay said...

I clicked cause I figured there had to be some random ramblings. I'm not really interested in what you weigh - I can guess... 88. ;)

I didn't see Hotdish on that list?

You can freeze rice? I have so much to learn.

Unknown said...

I love all of your foods! Your blog is amazing! I am so glad I found it!

Jill said...

I loved reading this post, truly you never cease to amaze me with everything you do, and now with FOOD :).

I have to say, I eat pretty much like you do, but only seem to do so whenever I am training. I just cannot seem to wrap my brain around the fact I need to do this all. the. time. And then WHAM, my weight is up (but I contribute a lot of that to the fact I am not doing intervals or tempos, which burns so much fat! - like when you were off with your S.F., bleeek!!).

I have thought a lot about my food intake (along with sleep) and sure that much of what I am currently eating is causing so much of my feeble state of mind right now. I feel like crap so I eat like crap so I eat like crap - ugh!!! Why can't I eat like I'm training? Why can't I wt train like I have a big race coming up? I guess because my mind KNOWS I'm injured? Man it's such an ugly, vicious cycle. Maybe I need an apron???? :)

I like the shorts post better, it's something I can out-do you on (hahah! Did you get my pic of my mega sorts??).

Ok, I'm inspired. You're the bestest best!!!

trisha*n said...

Just found your blog and i LOVE it :) And by the way...i have 4 major foods in my life: eggs, almond butter, broccoli, and apples. I can down a bag of broccoli and apples in a week, easy! Not so great for the college student budget :) Can't wait to read more on the blog!