Everyone has to eat. Our bodies need fuel for our hearts to beat, our lungs to breathe, and even more when we are physically active. Athletes in particular have a hard time with hunger. Many times, I hear from people who do not want to eat. They are trying to lose or maintain their weight and see food as an enemy or something to be avoided rather than a tool to achieve their goals. True physical hunger is our body’s way of saying, “I need fuel!”

One of the best ways to use food as a tool is to manage your hunger. Many people wake up in the morning and think “I’m going to be good today and eat less so I can lose weight.” Then, they have an apple for breakfast, a tiny salad with no dressing for lunch, almost fall asleep all afternoon, then when they get home they eat everything in the fridge or stop and get several hamburgers, fries, and a shake. This isn’t helping accomplish the goal of weight loss.

Rather than fighting or not honoring your body’s hunger, why not learn to eat to fuel yourself. Yes, you can do this and lose or maintain your weight at the same time. I do not like to give one fueling schedule for everyone because all of our bodies are different. I do encourage everyone to have something for breakfast – even if it is small like a serving of yogurt. The rest of the day, pay attention to when your body is telling you it needs fuel. This is different from emotional or “head” hunger where you are eating because you are bored/angry/tired or think you are hungry but are using eating as a way to entertain yourself or avoid doing something you need to do.

Here is a typical fueling schedule (notice I’m using “fuel” vs. “eating” because we are eating to fuel our bodies) for someone who works out in the morning:
- 5AM up and small snack before workout
- 8AM breakfast
- 10AM small snack
- Noon lunch
- 2:30 small snack
- 6:30 dinner

If you workout in the afternoon, you can skip the early snack, and maybe have one before you workout because your dinner will probably be later. It is important to eat before your workout so you have enough fuel to have a great workout. You may have heard in the past that by not eating before you workout you burn more fat, which is what most people want to burn. But, if you do not eat and workout and burn a few calories, compared to eating a something and having the fuel to give the workout your all so you burn more calories, eating before is the best thing to do.

Or, you may be someone whose body is good with three meals a day and no snacks. That works, too. I would still have a snack before your workout to see if it allows you a better workout. But, if not then don’t include it.

Now that you have planned a fueling schedule, you need to plan what you are going to eat so you don’t end up at the vending machine or coffee bar with a candy bar or pastry in your hand. Look for things that are easy to pack and go. Yogurt, fruit and a piece of part-skim string cheese, a graham cracker with peanut butter are all good snack choices. Also, think about what you are going to have for your main meals so when the time comes to eat, you know what you are going to do and follow through with your plan.

Remember, hunger is your body’s way of telling your mind that it is low on fuel. You need to fuel your body to perform at its best and so that you can reach your goals. Knowing when and what you are going to eat can help you reach your goals.
Have a great weekend!

A few weeks ago, I admitted being a recovering food-pusher. A food-pusher is someone who pushes food on you. Someone who makes you feel guilty if you do not eat the food they have prepared. And, the food involved is usually food that challenges your ability to choose not to eat it (read “bad” although I do not like to label food “good” or “bad”). I do not like it when people push food on me, so I have to work really hard not to push food on others.

I realized recently that there may be a solution to my food-pusher tendencies. A lot of times, we turn into food-pushers at special occasions – birthdays, holidays, holiday parties, graduations, etc. When I attend these kinds of events, my stress level rises because I know there are going to be less than optimal choices there, usually a lot, that I’m going to be tempted to eat. Even though I mentally prepare and use the tricks I’ve talked about, it is still stressful.

I do not want my guests to stress about food choices at events I am responsible for. I can still indulge my love of cooking and baking, but offer better choices. For example, rather than making super indulgent chocolate cookies, I can make Ellie Krieger’s Triple Chocolate Cookies. They are a little over 100 calories per cookie which is half or more calories of normal cookies. And, you don’t miss those calories. To support this new way of thinking, I have started looking for more healthful options for recipes I would normally serve. There are lots of resources out there for finding such recipes. One of my favorites is Cooking Light (both the magazine and the website). I find when I do offer “better choices” I tell my guests which of the items are the “better” choices are. I can see them relax because they do not have to worry about the extra calories that may sabotage their health and weight control/weight loss efforts.

As you think about the next event you are planning, or taking a dish to, (remember, the holidays are fast approaching) look for better food options to serve your guests. Search the web for lower calorie, lower fat recipes. Be sure and try them out before serving them to guests, though. You can still have some indulgences, but for each indulgence try to have at least one indulgent but better choice. For example, I could have the Triple Chocolate Cookies, and some other cookies that are more indulgent calorie-wise. You, and I, can still show our guests we care by cooking for them and, even more, we care about their health because we are providing options to support their health and weight goals.

Have a great weekend!

I cannot believe it is already September. Although I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures of fall, it seems like beginning in October, the rest of the year is like that first downhill of a roller coaster ride. It goes fast. And, if you are not ready for it, it can be terrifying. I find myself feeling like I’m holding on with white knuckles until everything calms down in January. That is why September is the month to get yourself ready for the rest of the year so you can set yourself up for success.

I start my planning by printing out a blank calendar (one month per page) and fill in the important dates from now until January 1. Then, I’ll lay them out side by to get an over-all feel for the last three months of the year. This allows me to identify areas where I may get into trouble food-wise or time-wise. If I know that in one week, I have three birthday parties, I can plan in advance to get the gifts, get them wrapped, and ready. Same thing with holiday parties. I can identify weeks where I will have problems cooking so I can make alternative plans (cooking and freezing before or planning where I’ll pick things up). It also reminds me of parties I’m giving and allows me to start planning for them.

The idea is to know what is coming up so that you can plan for action. So that you can make decisions about what you are going to do when you are not under pressure.

I can hear that cranking noise that you hear as the cars are pulled up that first hill. . . can you? I’m not scared of that downhill though. In fact, I’m looking forward to this ride!

1) Do you want to nail your race day nutrition? I’m now offering race day nutrition planning. Email me at penny@eatingforperformance.com to find out more.

2) Based on the responses to the Ironman nutrition distance coaching survey, I’m working on a monthly nutrition coaching package for those competing in Ironman Texas in May, 011.  I’ll keep everyone posted about when it will be available and what it includes.