Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Carving Out vs. Cutting Out


To clarify my recent post about the sugar deal I am “carving out” not “cutting out” sugars in my diet. What that means is that I have limited unnecessary sugars such as:



Hard Candy


Chocolate anything


Now I chose:


Whole Wheat Pasta vs. White Pasta


Whole Wheat Bread vs. White Bread


Beer and Wine (limiting to 2 per week)


Honey vs. white or brown sugar


Etc..etc.



Basically when I pasta (for example) I eat the correct portion and chose wheat. Anyone can justify eating mounds of pasta or carb loaded foods but in reality your body can only store so much fuel and the rest just stores as ... fat. Add in the tons of veggies I am eating each day and I just feel tuned into my bodies needs right now.



Now anytime you change things up your body will respond. My body loves junior mints, Hershey bars, chocolate covered anything but I will limit it to a true treat rather than a eat it when I feel like it food. So far I have had no sweet treats.



All of this came about when I bonked big time on a team ride a few weeks ago. I could have made a million excuses but in reality it normally boils down to food and hydration. A bottle of wine over two nights is not a smart pre-ride fuel. Sorry folks.



I am able to tell that my energy is level. I am not crashing in the afternoon and I feel … “clean”. One other thing I have noticed is that when I take in my main carbs at breakfast and lunch and go much lighter on them for dinner I sleep better not feeling so stuffed or heavy. My rides are even and the bonking has not returned. So whether all of this is 100% correct I know that my body is responding well so I am going to go with it.



Example of today’s food:


Coffee (this is the only sugar I use and it is down to two small spoons)


Oatmeal with cup of peaches


Carrots


Soup (loaded with veggies, brown rice and turkey) along with a large Spinach Salad


Rice Cake (2) with Almond butter spread (ground fresh with no added salt) (like peanut butter but made with almonds)


Chicken Breast grilled, large garden salad with homemade olive oil dressing


Chamomile Mint Tea with a dab of honey


LOTS OF WATER



Off to get ready for our ride with the Spinners Club Group. It’s going to be a HOT one.



Robin

12 comments:

Marlene said...

Thanks for the clarification/advice. I know I always feel soooo much better on a clean diet. I need some of your dedication! Glad to read that it's working so well for you.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh..ok, thanks for this! Almond butter sounds fantastic!!!!

teacherwoman said...

I think I was one of them that needed the clarification. lol.

I really need to get on board with this. baby steps, right?

Judi said...

i think diet is so important with endurance training, and your performance does suffer when you have bad nutrition. but cutting it out all together isn't going to work for me. i gotta have it a few times a week. but then again, i don't drink.

Chris said...

Way to go Robin. You are doin basically the exact same thing that I did. I was amazed at the amount of energy and the "clean" feeling that I had. (if that makes sense) It was pretty tough for me to not go to extremes but it paid off and I have been able to maintain for the past 6 months and now it is almost second nature. Nothing gets you going in the morning and throughout the day knowing that you are eating clean and giving your body waht it needs. I have more energy on less total calories.

You need to check out Justins Nut Butters from whole foods! His almond butter rocks

MJ said...

It is a good feeling... I managed to "cut" it out for two weeks but I think your plan is more sustainable...

Is it wrong that my mouth watered when I read "Junior Mints"? The juniors are a major weakness of mine...

Good luck!

Grey Beard said...

Great post, and very good comments. I eat lots of sugar, but only because its the main ingredient in Gatorade, and I burn that and a lot more fuel while riding, so no problem.

For 1 hr after the ride ends fast carbs like sugar, mashed potatoes, white bread, regular pasta, and anything else above 100 on the Mendosa Glycemic Index are needed to produce an insulin spike. It is an insulin spike, not protein, which prevents catabolic muscle destruction at the end of a ride.

After ~ 3-500 calories, transition to slow carbs, because the continued high levels of insulin fast ones will sustain are the signaling mechanism used to tell your body to store fat. Slow, sustained carbs, low on the Glycemic Index, keep insulin low and their sustained release of glucose gets stored as liver and muscle glycogen while you are sleeping.

Love that menu. Great post Robin!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

thanks for the clarification! I choose wheat over white for pasta and bread too, snacking and chocolate are my downfall too.

Stuart said...

Nice it's all about mindful eating!

Shannon said...

It looks like my diet. A clean eating woman is a healthy hott looking mama like yourself.

Chris Barber, SeriousRunning.com said...

Sounds like a great plan. It's almost impossible to cut certain foods out and much easier to stick to a plan if you are just cutting things out. I'm sure you'll stick with it!

René said...

Diet is so important, and sugar is a big deal, good for you. I know it is processed but Splenda has helped me when I have no willpower. A nice glass of kefir mixed w/juice also cuts the cravings.