BRIENMALONE's CalorieKing blog
Friday, Jan 18 2008 - Ahhh... back to normal
View BRIENMALONE's food & exercise for this day
After a 2500 calorie maintenance day I'm back to my old self. I've felt really lethargic this week... at first I thought that it was because I ate 3100 calories on Saturday, then burned 1100 on Sunday, but I think it has more to do with the missed high calorie day on Tuesday. When I didn't bring my calories all the way back up, I didn't want to get out of bed. After my maintenance day on Thursday, I felt FANTASTIC!
Springing out of Bed?
When the clock hit 6am, I actually sprang out of bed. Man, that felt good. I had a great night's sleep and I was ready to go in the morning. This was SUCH a nice change from every other day this week *laugh*. Cardio was no problem - I knocked out my 650 calories only checking my watch once or twice during my 50 minute session. This is the way it is SUPPOSED to feel.
I'll be watching my energy levels over the next few days to see if they change at all. As long as I keep my food and exercise together, everything should be (and feel) great!
Plan Adjustment
In spite of a rocky start on Saturday, this week turned out really well. There are some things to fix, however. I mentioned yesterday that I really need to revisit my menu plan because I finish dinner (meal 5) needing to eat 250-300 more calories.
To that end, there are several bits of wisdom from Tom Venuto that I want to post in here because they bear repeating:
Rule: Taper Your Calories: Larger Meals in the Morning
Trying to increase my morning calories might help me with the shortage I have at the end of the day. As it is, I'm doing this exactly backwards. Here is a typical day for me caloriewise:
Meal 1: 520
Meal 2: 220
Meal 3: 720
Meal 4: 250
Meal 5: 790(!)
Rule: Protein with Every Meal
When I first heard this, I wondered how in the world I would be able to eat a hunk of lean, healthy meat every 2 hours. Fat Free Cottage Cheese to the rescue. Fat free cottage cheese is one of the most fantastic non-meat sources for protein. I eat copious amounts of the stuff at least twice per day. I was very surprised to find out that you can't get this food in every part of the country. Glad it is at my local grocery!
Rule: Taper Carbohydrates in the Evening
This is one that I didn't know about until recently. You should put the majority of your carbs into your morning meal and taper them off toward the evening. According to Tom, this "enhances fat loss without the negative effects of very low carbohydrate diets (like Atkins)."
Rule: Starchy Carbs in the Morning, Fibrous in the Evening
Cut the starchy carbs after 3pm so you have starch in meals 1-3 and fiber in 4-6. (This is an advanced technique - I don't need to worry about this right now.)
Rule: Don't Eat Late At Night
When losing weight, it is better to avoid eating late in the evening. We have dinner around 6:30-7pm so I end up making up the remaining calories around 9:30 or 10pm. That just won't do!
4 Cups Worth of Lunch
You would not believe the quantity of food I have to eat at lunch time to get to 720 calories. That is one full can of Progresso soup, two good sized potatoes and an entire can of tuna.
Cushion in the Evening?
I guess I'm just a little nervous about adding to my morning meal. Part of me likes the cushion of having to eat more food in the evenings. I would rather reach dinner with 300 calories left to eat than hit dinner with no room left.
So, what's for afters?
My wife makes dinner - usually a healthy 500 calorie meal - which leaves me with 200-300 left over. At that point I start feeling a bit lost for what to do. I could chug a whey protein shake... that's about 260 calories. Usually I grab a piece of fruit, then start eyeing junk food. I'm trying to get away from the mindset that extra calories at the end of the day does not equal treat time.
Whole Foods
I guess I'll try eating more for breakfast... I could add a nice bowl of plain oatmeal with fruit. Well - wait. I'm kind of pushing the upper edge of my carbs at 55-57%
I should consult my macronutrient ratios to see which I should eat: oatmeal (carbs), cottage cheese (protein) or a serving of nuts (fats). I don't know if I can handle another dose of cottage cheese during the day (I already eat a pound of the stuff per day). At the same time, I am so close to eating only whole foods that I don't want to start "needing" a protein shake every day... I'll figure it out tonight.
Exercise Frequency
One last thing, then I'll wrap it up. I did fairly well with my exercise this week - I got the right number of calories in (well, as near as...), but I only made it 4 days. I think if I have a more "normal" week, I'll be able to make it 5 days.
Wow - I really didn't expect to write quite so much today.
bla bla bla!
Last Word For The Evening
Guys... this is what controlling your diet is all about. My father in law paid us a surprise visit (we love having him out). My wife prepared some yummy flame broiled cheese burgers, french fries, and as an added treat, baked some brownies.
So... I had the burger, but I ditched the 380 calorie buns for 2 slices of high fiber whole grain bread (160 calories). No cheese and no mayo. Mustard and pickles have almost no calories so I had some of those plus a few slices of tomato. While the family mowed down oily fries, I ate a baked potato with salt and pepper. And a little 2% milk to wash it down.
For dessert, they had those yummy brownies with milk. I had 3/4 cup of lowfat strawberry yogurt.
Their meal: 1300 calories + 320 calories for dessert = 1620 calories
My meal: 679 calories + 128 calories for dessert = 807 calories ... almost exactly half.
--B
And I wrapped up the day within 9 calories of my target. This was an AWESOME day.
Springing out of Bed?
When the clock hit 6am, I actually sprang out of bed. Man, that felt good. I had a great night's sleep and I was ready to go in the morning. This was SUCH a nice change from every other day this week *laugh*. Cardio was no problem - I knocked out my 650 calories only checking my watch once or twice during my 50 minute session. This is the way it is SUPPOSED to feel.
I'll be watching my energy levels over the next few days to see if they change at all. As long as I keep my food and exercise together, everything should be (and feel) great!
Plan Adjustment
In spite of a rocky start on Saturday, this week turned out really well. There are some things to fix, however. I mentioned yesterday that I really need to revisit my menu plan because I finish dinner (meal 5) needing to eat 250-300 more calories.
To that end, there are several bits of wisdom from Tom Venuto that I want to post in here because they bear repeating:
Rule: Taper Your Calories: Larger Meals in the Morning
Trying to increase my morning calories might help me with the shortage I have at the end of the day. As it is, I'm doing this exactly backwards. Here is a typical day for me caloriewise:
Meal 1: 520
Meal 2: 220
Meal 3: 720
Meal 4: 250
Meal 5: 790(!)
Rule: Protein with Every Meal
When I first heard this, I wondered how in the world I would be able to eat a hunk of lean, healthy meat every 2 hours. Fat Free Cottage Cheese to the rescue. Fat free cottage cheese is one of the most fantastic non-meat sources for protein. I eat copious amounts of the stuff at least twice per day. I was very surprised to find out that you can't get this food in every part of the country. Glad it is at my local grocery!
Rule: Taper Carbohydrates in the Evening
This is one that I didn't know about until recently. You should put the majority of your carbs into your morning meal and taper them off toward the evening. According to Tom, this "enhances fat loss without the negative effects of very low carbohydrate diets (like Atkins)."
Rule: Starchy Carbs in the Morning, Fibrous in the Evening
Cut the starchy carbs after 3pm so you have starch in meals 1-3 and fiber in 4-6. (This is an advanced technique - I don't need to worry about this right now.)
Rule: Don't Eat Late At Night
When losing weight, it is better to avoid eating late in the evening. We have dinner around 6:30-7pm so I end up making up the remaining calories around 9:30 or 10pm. That just won't do!
4 Cups Worth of Lunch
You would not believe the quantity of food I have to eat at lunch time to get to 720 calories. That is one full can of Progresso soup, two good sized potatoes and an entire can of tuna.
Cushion in the Evening?
I guess I'm just a little nervous about adding to my morning meal. Part of me likes the cushion of having to eat more food in the evenings. I would rather reach dinner with 300 calories left to eat than hit dinner with no room left.
So, what's for afters?
My wife makes dinner - usually a healthy 500 calorie meal - which leaves me with 200-300 left over. At that point I start feeling a bit lost for what to do. I could chug a whey protein shake... that's about 260 calories. Usually I grab a piece of fruit, then start eyeing junk food. I'm trying to get away from the mindset that extra calories at the end of the day does not equal treat time.
Whole Foods
I guess I'll try eating more for breakfast... I could add a nice bowl of plain oatmeal with fruit. Well - wait. I'm kind of pushing the upper edge of my carbs at 55-57%
I should consult my macronutrient ratios to see which I should eat: oatmeal (carbs), cottage cheese (protein) or a serving of nuts (fats). I don't know if I can handle another dose of cottage cheese during the day (I already eat a pound of the stuff per day). At the same time, I am so close to eating only whole foods that I don't want to start "needing" a protein shake every day... I'll figure it out tonight.
Exercise Frequency
One last thing, then I'll wrap it up. I did fairly well with my exercise this week - I got the right number of calories in (well, as near as...), but I only made it 4 days. I think if I have a more "normal" week, I'll be able to make it 5 days.
Wow - I really didn't expect to write quite so much today.
bla bla bla!Last Word For The Evening
Guys... this is what controlling your diet is all about. My father in law paid us a surprise visit (we love having him out). My wife prepared some yummy flame broiled cheese burgers, french fries, and as an added treat, baked some brownies.
So... I had the burger, but I ditched the 380 calorie buns for 2 slices of high fiber whole grain bread (160 calories). No cheese and no mayo. Mustard and pickles have almost no calories so I had some of those plus a few slices of tomato. While the family mowed down oily fries, I ate a baked potato with salt and pepper. And a little 2% milk to wash it down.
For dessert, they had those yummy brownies with milk. I had 3/4 cup of lowfat strawberry yogurt.
Their meal: 1300 calories + 320 calories for dessert = 1620 calories
My meal: 679 calories + 128 calories for dessert = 807 calories ... almost exactly half.
--B
And I wrapped up the day within 9 calories of my target. This was an AWESOME day.
2 comments so far.
2.
a decade ago
Great job making the changes you needed to come in 9 calories under budget. That's awesome. Good info.
I went out and had some ceviche (sea bass marinated in lime juice with tomato's, onion and cilantro) DH tasted it and LOVED it...wanted to trade with me. A step in the right direction! But I didn't trade of course.
by CALVARA1
1.
a decade ago
Brien: Been following your blog since I joined CK at the beginning of the month. Love to read your writings, love the way you plan the workouts and the food. In the past I was a competitive bodybuilder and competitive powerlifter, but over the last 7 years I've turned into a doughy-shaped grandma. Reading your stuff reminds of the work involved and how satisfying it is to be successfull and fit! After my knee (ACL) surgery at the end of 2006, I've found it hard to maintain fitness or care about my diet. CK has been a great start. And your writing is a piece of the encouragement I need. Thanks!
by OTTER