It is absolutely freezing here today!
I didn’t even realize how much the temperature dropped until I looked at the outdoor thermometer at lunchtime.
It was –11C/12F most of today and now it is -13C/8.5F and dropping!!! Brrrr.
However, we’ve had a beautiful blue sky all day….the one thing I love about Canadian winters is the sunny skys we have in the wintertime. Eric and I saw a beautiful sunset yesterday too.
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Since I have started training for the half-marathon I have had to increase my food intake in order to maintain energy levels and allow my body to repair itself.
Many people are afraid to eat more in fear that they will gain weight, however if you are training intensely, you owe it to your body to fuel it accordingly.
What kinds of foods are good to add to your diet when training?
Here is what has been working for me:
- Nuts, nuts, and more nuts (Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc)
- Seeds, seeds, and more seeds (Flax seeds, seseme, etc)
- Lentils and beans
One of my favourite snacks is a huge apple smothered with Almond butter:
I had this today shortly after my lunch as I was still hungry! My body feels like an efficient fuel-burning machine when I am working out a lot.
People ask me what is the best thing they can do to help shed pounds. Exercise is definitely tied for 1st place (along with healthy eating) in my mind.
The beauty of exercise is that it allows you to be able to eat more food, thus feeling more satisfied mentally and physically. Many people are surprised to see how much food I eat over the course of a day. In fact, I eat bigger lunches and more snacks that my own husband who is 6’2″!
A case example: I have a friend who is overweight and only eats 1 Muffin while at work all day long. I open up my lunch bag and it is bursting to the rim with all kinds of foods.
Thsi is a great example of volume eating.
Do you want 1 muffin for 600 calories or a huge lunch filled with healthy foods?
I also can spread out my lunch spread over the course of the day and prevent blood sugar crashes.
Foods that tend to be in my lunch everyday:
- Nuts
- Eziekel Bread
- Guacomole, Tofurkey
- Veggies (carrots, peppers, etc)
- Larabars
- Apples
- Spelt cereal
- etc…
For 600 calories you could eat all of this:
- 1 Larabar
- 2 slices of Eziekel bread + 1 Tbsp Guacomole + 1 slice Tofurkey
- Apple
- Serving of baby carrots
- 1/2 cup Spelt cereal
Not too shabby compared to 1 measley muffin!
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Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.
~Gordon Parks
I feel bad now complaining about the 20F temperature here in NJ! It’s motivated me to get all hot and sweaty working out in the mornings! BRRRRRRRRR
It’s 16F here right now… i might be downright sweaty compared to you!!
I love volume eating!! People at work always ask how I can “eat so much” and still lose weight!
I have to admit that I have been a lurker from the beginning and love this blog. I never really thought I would post a comment but after reading this post I really felt the need to comment. I have always known volume eating is important with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, but this post really helped to reinforce that idea and gave such a great example. Being a college student its not always easy to eat nutritionally, but I constantly try to remind myself of this. Thanks for being such a great reminder!
I just wanted to say I’ve been a lurker on your blog but I do love it and how motivational you always are! I have been debating on training for a half marathon since my runs on average have been around 5 miles. Thanks for putting up the “fun facts” bc I have the mentality that if I am not running a 7.5 on the treadie for my milage, than I’m slacking so I didn’t know how well i was actually doing!
On another note, I know it is important to increase your food, so are you just planning to add on the extra calories you burn…like eat an extra 600 for the 6 miles you run? Also, should I slow my pace down and try to push past 6-7 miles to see how it goes or keep it where I am??
Love the video and your snack!! :-)
Hooray for volume eating!! Although I need to be careful with that, that I rarely have an appetite, and need to make sure that I consume adequate fuel/nutrition.
wow, you are a trooper! Good think that you have a new treadmill!
Just a question, I have been increasing my mileage that I’m running and wondering how to increase calories. I am trying to lose about 15 pounds so I don’t want to stall that but I also don’t want to be eating too little. How did you figure how many calories to eat?
-11?!? i couldn’t do it!!
love the calorie match up… it’s amazing how much more you can eat when it’s healthy!
enjoy your night!