Showing posts with label better workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label better workouts. Show all posts

Sunday, August 10, 2014

August 10th, 2014 Weekend Calorie Management Issues

August 10th, 2014 Weekend Calorie Management Issues

I've really enjoyed the extra sleep lately on the weekends. I slept a full quality eight hours last night and I've felt amazing all day as a result. When I'm feeling well rested, my workouts soar to new levels like it did today on the elliptical at the YMCA. I killed it today (I'm fairly certain that's a good thing).

One of the big challenges for me on the weekends is managing my calories properly. I sometimes don't eat my weekend brunch until sometime after noon. On days like this, I bump up the calories during brunch because an "official" lunch isn't happening. This strategy often leaves me short, regardless.

Dinner was at a restaurant with family in my hometown. My oldest daughter Amber, my grandson Noah and I made the trip. We dined with mom, aunt Kelli and uncle Tim. When I'm in a restaurant, I'm very cautious and on guard--so it's very difficult to allow myself to "bump" anything up. I have strict personal guidelines when I dine out. It was a Mexican restaurant (of course it was--when I dine out, it seems like it's Mexican 85% of the time). My personal rules are fairly simple:

If I decide to have chips (sometimes I don't depending on my calorie budget), I count out my chips on a napkin, separating them from the bowl--and I stick to it-- These are my chips. I can eat them as fast or slow as I desire, but I cannot reach for another once they're gone. I counted out twelve today. I stick with entrees I feel confident about--like fajitas, and I order them "special."

This is me ordering: "I'll take the smallest portion of chicken fajitas you have. Is there a lunch portion? Okay--let's do that. And please ask the kitchen staff how many ounces of chicken comes in an order. No cheese, no pico (I just don't like it), no flour tortillas. I want corn tortillas instead (and sometimes I ask for corn taco shells). No beans, no rice, and the sour cream and guac in separate containers, please. And an extra plate for assembly."

I'm not difficult at all! Sometimes I skip the guac too. On rare occasion, I might ask for the cheese on a separate plate, just to use a 1/2 serving. It would be incredibly easy to eat a thousand calories or more in a place like this--and I have, many times. But I don't do that anymore. I get in and out feeling confident about the meal, my calorie budget and the experience--and I never leave feeling deprived, hungry or left out of anything. It's all good! I also enjoy smiling great big when the server enthusiastically asks, "Did you save room for a sopapilla ice cream sandwich or fried ice cream?" I smile and say no and then I think, if this server only knew. How fun!

I checked my budget after dinner and it was still shy of a thousand fifty. I recently acquired some super nutrition Shakeology packets and I have bananas, all natural peanut butter and unsweetened all natural almond milk--Easy!! I'll just make a big Shakeology when I get home! It'll be my dessert, if you will!

I used a packet of vanilla Shakeology, two cups of the almond milk, a small banana, 16 grams of all-natural peanut butter and a dash of Pyure Brand Organic Stevia. I blended it real well and enjoyed the most amazing 367 calories of solid nutrition. Oh--and by the way--what does 16 grams of sugar free all natural peanut butter look like?
photo 950E522F-5C0A-4A9A-A6E1-B0FD9928D4FC_zpskagcb6mn.jpg
See where I scraped the paper towel? That took off 4 grams, arriving at exactly 16g. I scrape it off the paper towel and into or onto whatever I'm having.

The peanut butter calories are dense!! Good thing I'm measuring with a digital food scale. If not, I would be drastically underestimating calories in things like this. It's funny, when I'm handling peanut butter, it's as if I'm handling plutonium or something else considered very dangerous! I need a haz-mat suit!

I was still short even after 367 calories of dense nutrition. So I decided a pita pizza was in order. After that 205 calories in my #lastfoodofday, I finally registered above 1700 for the day, but still 150 calories shy of 1200 net calories after exercise calories burned. I'm okay with this today. 

And honestly, the answer isn't "calorie bumping" late--the answer is better planning and calorie management throughout the day. Eating late isn't something I should be doing because my body doesn't burn as much overnight. It's busy trying to repair via rest, not digest a recently consumed meal. Obviously I have some adjustments to make. But you know what? I'm very happy to be where I am. I don't binge and I don't have the urges to binge. That's HUGE.

My next weigh day is Wednesday and we'll see how this adjusted approach is working according to the scale. Regardless of the number I see on Wednesday, I'm feeling fantastic these days and I can tell I'm getting smaller and smaller. I feel it in my clothes and see it in the mirror!

Food Tweets today:














I've made it a priority to reply to each comment left on this blog. So many times in the past I haven't because I thought you might not come back to read the reply. I've enjoyed this new "feature," so to speak--because some interesting dialogue often comes from these interactions. It's like a blog post "after-party" where we hang around and discuss the issues and dynamics explored in the post and how they relate to you and your experience. If you have any questions or comments, simply leave them in the comment form below and as I can throughout each day, I'll reply. Might be several hours later, but I will reply!

Thank you for reading. I sincerely appreciate your amazing support,
Strength,
Sean
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