A Little Help

RacoonQueen

Over the past few weeks I've been reviewing how 'bad' my diet is. Now, I'm fairly healthy but there is very little variety to my diet and the more I think of it the more I think I probably do undereat. I'm a long distance runner and would run a minimum of 25/30 miles a week rising to 50/60 depending on what I'm training for, I also cycle to and from work which is another 40/45 miles and I'm on my feet all day running round the hospital, bounding up and down stairs etc on top of other core work, weights etc... so obviously I burn off a fair lot of calories in an average day. I would like to lose a few pounds, well chip away at my bodyfat% and it's not working for me so one thing I do want to try and battle first and foremost is my diet.

An average day for me.

Breakfast: Bowl of branflakes(yes, yes I know they're not really good for you) probably about 40 -50g which I usually don't finish and soya milk which I have at about 6:30 with a cup of tea.

about 9am I'd usually have a small bottle of orange juice and a banana or two or an apple

12:30 for lunch I usually have a brown bread sandwich packed with lettuce and cherry tomatos and either grilled chicken breast which I cook myself at home or a couple of slices of ham, again cooked at home myself. With this I usually have a bottle of coke zero and maybe a packet of snack a jacks/a banana/an apple

3:30 again a piece of fruit

When I get home from work before I go for my run about 5/5:30 I have a cup of tea maybe a figroll or if I'm really hungry a sandwich which would be pretty much the exact same as the one I had for lunch(this is my issue I'm often eating the same 'meal' twice a day)

So say I go for my run at 6 - 6:30 I'd be getting home anytime between 7:30 and 8:30 depending on what I do when I'm out. Get home, have a shower and then if maybe throw together a salad, a salad, for me is lettuce, tomato and grilled chicken breast, sometimes I'll put in some mixed seeds I just put them all into a lunch box when I buy them to mix into salads and stuff but it's a while since I've eaten them they're right at the back of the press at the moment. Are you noticing the pattern here? Sometimes I'd have an omlette when I get in with one whole egg, one egg white, bacon and tomato and a slice or two of brown bread toasted or a 'BLT'...two slices of toast, loads of lettuce and loads of tomato. I do drink plenty of water throughout the day at least 2 litres while I'm in work and then I'd have more obviously before and after my run/workout...and probably 2 more cups of tea.

Even weekends when I have 'more time'(time, what is that anyway? ) I'd have similar foods. I have noticed myself eating more junk lately too, more chocolate, biscuits etc and I'm feeling fairly low on energy. My diet is mostly 'healthy' but it's very, very, very poor. I love pretty much all fruit, apples, oranges, grapfruit, grapes, kiwi...etc etc which would obviously be better alternatives as snacks than chocolate and biscuits, but what I really need is other things for lunch, the only alternative is the salad I mentioned above. I clearly love my lettuce and tomato and I'm quite fond of my brown bread aswell, I don't like mayo and never have dressings or anything on my salad. I need quick, easy light 'dinners' that I can have either before or after my run. Obviously at 8:30/9 I'm tired and don't feel like cooking or eating a big meal. I'm all for plenty of fresh fruit and veg I've just become very lazy towards food lately. From tomorrow I'm going to write down exactly what I eat, although, unless I change my ways drastically tomorrow it's going to be pretty much identical to what I put above.

Sorry for the long post.

foodaholic

well I know one quick way is a slow cooker u will notice posts from recipe forum, its a great way to cook food on minimal time. You basically put whatever meat and veg in add a little stock and turn it on. Its safe to leave plugged in while in work and 8 hrs later when your back from work a home cooked meal ready for u. It even has a heat option for u to 3 hrs if u want to eat after your run.

another option is to cook up some dinners at the weekend and divide them into portions and put them in freezer for when u need it. or what ive being doing lately is to cook a whole roast chicken and use the left overs to make pasta bake (which can be freezed in portions) or chicken and leek pie, chicken soup. or use lamb and have shephards pie ect....