Let's talk Nutrition and this Wheat Free stuff.

Let’s talk Nutrition

First of all, I am not a dietician or any type of expert on food.  But I have done quite a bit of personal research and thru trial and error, I have figured out what works for me.

Wheat Free

Since August 7^th, I have been on a wheat free streak. (Not really a diet per se.) No bread, crackers, cookies, brownies, pie, cake, pasta, pizza, etc.  All the good, sweet, chewy stuff.  “But why”?  people ask me  For me, it makes me feel better not to eat these things.  I am not allergic to wheat/gluten, but it does truly create a “wheat belly” in me when I do indulge in these treats.  (And yes, just because I don’t eat them, doesn’t mean I don’t like them, because I do.)

“So, what do you eat?”  Well, I do still like junk food, but when I do indulge, I try to eat the wheat free stuff.  Chocolate (especially dark chocolate), ice cream, reese cups, york peppermint patties and corn chips are some of my favorites.  But my main staples are real foods like fresh fruits & veggies, meats, cheeses, eggs, salad, rice, peanut butter, wheat free soups and almond milk.  

Hold the Sugar

The less sugar I eat, the better I feel.  With Halloween just around the corner, there is candy everywhere!  And I still have those days when I eat way too many reese cups and feel lethargic and just plain ole yucky all evening.  So I try to manage my sugar intake to a certain extent.  But, I am human and I will enjoy a little something sweet on a regular basis; maybe even a daily basis.

Substitutions

Being wheat free has made me broaden my horizons on foods that you’d consider traditional.  For example, when we have spaghetti, I omit the noodles and pour my sauce over steamed broccoli instead.  Other substitutions that I have found that I like are:  chips instead of crackers in my soup, rice in my chicken soup instead of noodles, peanut butter on an apple instead of a peanut butter sandwich, avocado with bacon and eggs instead of pancakes with bacon and eggs and Lara Bars instead of muffins or poptarts.

There are times when I just have to stand firm and not eat the wheaty temptation.  My family still likes wheat and I don’t think they plan on cutting it out anytime soon.  So a trip to Krispy Kreme becomes a true test of willpower.  You know how hard it is to take the kids to eat donuts while not eating one myself and then taking some home to the hubby?  It can be done!

Counting Calories

I’ve counted points with Weight Watchers and had much success back in 2006.  I’ve driven myself crazy constantly counting calories and carbs.  I’ve weighed foods, measured ingredients and even counted out crackers and potato chips.  All of that made me not really enjoy the eating experience because I was constantly obsessed with how much I couldn’t eat. . . . . . .   Today, I still have to prepare for what I will eat each day, but more in the sense of:  grab an apple and banana and a can of soup to eat today.

What about the Scale?

Weight Watchers gets you in the habit of weighing on a weekly basis.  But I would obsess and weigh everyday; sometimes more than once a day.  And it never really made me happy.  So, after a suggestion from a fellow athlete, I decided to forgo the scale.  No more weighting myself!  I’ve decided to eat sensibly and go by the way my clothes fit.  I’ve worn the same size for the past 5 or 6 years.  If my clothes, start getting tight, I know that I need to back off the food a bit.

So What Now?

It’s been 2 ½ weeks since Ironman Augusta 70.3 and I am already more deconditioned than I want to be.  Funny thing is, I think I’m still eating a lot like I did when I was in full blown training mode.  Time to buckle down with my eating.  Think I’ll start with my water intake.  Sweat tea is really good, but water is better for me.  Plus, I don’t want to have to buy bigger workout clothes.

P.S.

Augusta fueling plan (for my further reference)

Prerace

Night before

Ribeye Steak (who says you have to eat pasta?)

French fries

Salad

Sweat tea

Late Snack

            Dark chocolate covered almonds

Race Morning

            5am breakfast – banana, cup of dk choc covered almonds (600 cals)

            8am (40 mins til race time) – ½ PB Lara Bar (100 cals)

            9:15 (in T1) – Lara Bar (220 calories)

            10:00 (on bike) – 80 calorie apple sauce pouch & 1 salt tablet

            10:30 (on bike) – Lara Bar (220 calories)

            11:00 (on bike) – apple sauce & salt tablet (80 calories)

            11:45 (on bike) – Lara Bar (220 calories)

            12:30 (on bike) – apple sauce & salt tablet (80 calories)

            1:00 (in T2) – Lara Bar & salt tablet (220 calories)

            1:30 (on run) – salt tablet & Gatorade or water at every aid station

            2:00 (on run) – salt tablet & ½ Lara Bar (100 calories)

            2:30 (on run) – Salt tablet

            3:00 (on run) – Potato chips (YUM!, salty!) (100 calories)

My water bottles were filled ¾ Lemon Lime Gatorade and ¼ water on the bike.  I sipped heavily on them during the entire bike ride.  I also ate oranges and drank at least a sip of water at every opportunity on the run.  There were aid stations at every mile marker. 

Approximate total calorie intake: 2,020.

Pre-race:  700

On Bike:  680 plus 64 oz Gatorade

On Run: 300.