Protein is My Friend |
I have found that with my increased activity level with all of m workouts my body is calling out for more food more often. As a result I find myself eating more smaller meals throughout the day…this has been a good coping strategy for me. Nevertheless, I still find myself craving more…especially on workout days.
My solution? More good protein. I have found that by increasing the amount of lean protein in my diet I am better equipped to take on those starvation moments. I now even start and finish my morning workout with a smoothie. Mid-morning I generally turn to a protein bar of some sort to tide me over til lunch. I have noticed that the calorie and carbohydrate levels of the bars can very drastically so I am very careful about which ones I choose. (As an aside, the Fiber 1 bars are loaded with fiber and a ton of protein too.)
Lunch generally entails a lean chicken breast, tofu or tuna along with some fibrous carbs to help fill me up and get me to my mid-afternoon snack when I usually am hitting a wall. The temptation has been there to go for some junk at this time, especially now that Girl Scout cookies are in season, but I usually take a detour and head for a bar again to get me thru until dinner when it is good lean protein again.
As you know, nighttimes are tough for me, being the dessert queen that I am. So I have resorted to trying to eat my dessert (when I have one) earlier in the evening rather than let it sit and percolate in my stomach all night from having had I too late. I again will resort to more of a desserty yogurt or a low-fat ice cream sandwich which also happens to be lo cal.
It seems like this approach is something that I can live with which, I guess, is the true measure of overall success for this program. We will see. Stay tuned.
