Runners that need some nutritional accountability
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I did good today. I ate right. Wasn’t so hard after a short trip to the store and when dh lingered at the donuts I reminded him that he was probably really just hungry. He passed them up. No junk brought home.
@midwesterner85 I have a curious question, regarding “keto” you may better understand. (If anyone knows, please share).
I’m very inactive.
Yesterday I had 4 donuts and Mexican take out (rice and beans)- lots of carbs. With only coffee consumed today, about 2pm I checked my urine with the keto strips and it was actually above trace. I think you mentioned before something about those strips not being reliable? Still curious, I checked again after 9pm and it was again positive.
I did good today with the carbs, 81g. (Less than 100 is ideal for me) I don’t think it possible that my sedentary body burned though 4 donuts of stored glycogen.
Is there a reason it could be positive with all those carbs? Thanks for your thoughts.
ETA There is so much stuff on the internet, i can’t find anything.
Yes, normally I would say that the urine strips are not very accurate. But I think trace is reasonable based on what you are saying.
Keep in mind the following fundamental concepts:
1. Our brain / central nervous systems use about 120g-130g of glucose every day. This is true for everyone regardless of size or activity level. Obviously activity causes glucose to be used by muscles, more so at higher intensities. The idea of becoming fat adapted is to increase the level of exercise intensity before skeletal muscles need to use glucose.
2. While we need 120g-130g of glucose daily, even when sedentary, glucose can come from multiple sources such as glycogen and gluconeogenesis. This is why someone who normally eats 300g of carbs daily would not expect to suddenly have ketones if s/he eats only 50g of carbs one day. That person has plenty of glycogen to make up for the temporary low carb day. Between glycogen and gluconeogenesis, the "standard" round number of carbs consumed to be in ketosis is often 50g or 20g of net carbs daily. But that is simply a round number less than our needs in order to account for other sources of glucose.
3. In a more prolonged absence of carbs, glycogen stores draw lower. It is at this point where our bodies start to produce ketones at higher levels to fuel our brain. Unlike skeletal muscles, our brains can only use either glucose or ketones for energy. For every 1.0 mmol/l of blood ketones, our brains use about 10% less glucose.
Trace ketones on urine sticks don't tell me much about your level of blood ketones. Since I assume you are not sedentary, and you are consistently eating a level of carbs to require supplemental glucose (either from glycogen or gluconeogenesis), it is entirely possible that you would normally have a small amount of ketones in your system simply because of the level of glucose you are making available to your brain... considering all factors.
My assumption is that, for you:
food + glycogen + gluconeogenesis - muscle demands for glucose < 120g glucose daily2 -
Thanks @midwesterner85 definitely adds insight! You're awesome btw!1
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I've been doing pretty good lately.
I'm not buying sweets at the store. So there's nothing in the house to binge.
Even though I don't drink a ton I'm cutting back on alcohol. I want to drop some damn weight, not just the same 3 pounds! I had a drink last night and that was it for the week. Even when we went to the yard house I skipped the cherry limeade because I'm sure its a calorie bomb.3 -
I’m off the OJ. I had a thing for OJ. Packaged in those single serving containers, just tempting me to grab 2 and stuff them in my gimp bag. Mmm. Hmm. I think I like the OJ more than the narcotics.
I replaced it with hot V8. It has enough fiber in it I won’t drink it but once a day. So, we’ll wean away from juices.
I’ve done good today. Coffee. Baby bell cheese, 2 tostadas, 1 bottle of water, and that tiny v8 can. Oh I had a few bites of a rotisserie chicken dh bought to share with his “boy”. It’s that dumb kitten. (I really do like him. He’s a good little turd now that we got him unwormy/less runny and he’s starting to look more like a cat and isn’t lodged in my *kitten* all day and night. Seriously, the thing gets in the shower with me.)
Fun fact. We have an older male that has had intermittent issues with inappropriate marking. So I took him to the vet today. Not great hope since he’s older and set in his ways, but ya know they gave him a depo-provera shot to even him out. He's dd’s childhood cat of 14 years, only reason we haven’t pursued other options for him. Depo? Anyway, if you have a bad cat or know of one, there maybe hope. *cough* uhm glue factory, what? Nah I didn’t say nuthin. Oh aren’t “bad” animals awful. He’s chilled out considerably thus far.
What have y’all eaten today? What’s for dinner?2 -
Dinner is leftovers. Chicken with Zatarain's yellow rice.2
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I had a pretty good day. Usual breakfast but I wasn't hungry at all for lunch. Guessing because it is just so dang hot. We went to agility and it was over 90. DH got Panera salads while we were at class and had it at home waiting for me when we got home. So good and so appreciated! Hobbes and I are both wiped out between running in the heat this morning and in the even greater heat this evening.
I love Zatarains rice especially with kielbasa... hmm may need to be dinner one of these nights.3 -
I caved last night. Hit a slump and at 930pm sent dh for OJ. Ugh. Least he brought home a gallon of "made from concentrate", thats not as good or convenient as the single serve ones. So perhaps ill not wanna mess with it. I also ate pizza last night. Just hit a slump- food seemed to be the obvious choice. I think its a back to lower carbs tired adjustment period again.
I had a coworker txt me this am and i snapped at him hes just stirring work *kitten* up. And I dont care. Then i found cute kitten photos (of cats past) when i was looking for something and i was happy again.2 -
Still on the juice. With the Exception of the OJ, I'm back to eating like i was pre-surgery. Dh has gained about 10 pounds and is looking to cut his carbs back and asked me to make some egg bites. So i did.
That was pretty much the longest tiime I've spent in the kitchen and it was hard, just stand there on one leg forever. Yuck. They are a great grab and go snack or something until you make a rational decision on what to eat next.
I still want to sit in bed and eat a whole cheesecake while studying. Maybe I'm wanting to indulge in some stress eating. Get OJ. No cheesecake.
What did you eat today? What did you not eat today?1 -
We are eating up what we have in the fridge or frozen before we head out on Sunday. Don't want to grocery shop when we are going to be gone for a week. I made a quesadilla with leftover rotisserie chicken for lunch and some quick quac - basically avocado, jarred salsa and cilantro. So good, hit the spot! For dinner we had pork chops, thick ones from Costco and DH bbq'd them with some fresh asparagus and baked sweet potato! Now we are watching Anthony Bourdain in Antarctica and having a bit of ice cream. Seemed appropriate and I still had the calories for it 😁 Pretty sure Tony would approve!3
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Hey folks,
1. I'm coming to the conclusion that I shouldn't have a jar of peanut butter in my desk at work.
2. I'm slipping back into the cereal eating habit. I need to stop that crap.
3. Night time snacking continues to be my downfall.
4. My wife buys frozen cookie dough already in individual cookie portions. They are evil.
5. Not running is not helping. With some cross training cardio tonight, I hope to start getting back on track.
6. No drop in weight for a few weeks now. I think my goal was 206 by April 15th. I'm up a couple to 211 now. The two pounds isn't a big deal, but end of my downward trend is.
7. My breakfasts & lunches continue to be great, so that's something.
8. I'm trying to cook wild game more frequently. I found some venison roasts from 2017 in the freezer, and with three bird hunter we have a LOT of pheasant in the freezer. My goal is to cook one dish with wild game every week (not counting the 75 lbs of venison hot dogs and venison meat sticks we have for snacking)2 -
@shanaber, yes, I'm not running due to my Achilles. I'm going to start cross training tonight though.
I think I get enough protein. Usually 30 to 40 percent of my calories, where MFP claims it should be 20 percent. My fat is higher than they indicate as well. I'm not eating at night out of hunger, I'm eating it out of boredom or habit or something else. Sometimes I catch myself and acknowledge that I'm not hungry and get out of the kitchen. Often I just eat meat at supper. I do need to start tracking the evening eating better, since I really don't much now.1 -
Eating at maintenance while injured, at least for the next few days. Grrr I’m so mad about being injured! @7lenny7 thanks for your well wishes, I wish you were never injured, but it’s nice having someone to talk to who has experience with Achilles issues. I’m hoping to not screw up my ankle permanently by taking care of this properly from the get go. Been using a heel cup around the house. Still some swelling and stiffness, but the tendon no longer hurts when pinched.
Today I needed to eat my feelings, but I did it with a modicum of restraint and stayed under my maintenance calories. That included fast food (half a small fry, a hamburger patty only with loads of pickles) and my new deluxe treat for myself: Greek yogurt with almond butter, vanilla, and cacao powder whipped together into a stiff foam then mixed with frozen cherries, raspberries, and blueberries so that it froze on the outside of the berries. 250 calories, quite reasonable as far as blood sugar is concerned, and full of good nutritious stuff. I hardly ever eat refined sugar so this is plenty sweet for me, but someone with more typical taste buds might add a little maple syrup or honey.2 -
I made more egg bites even though she is out of town. Did likes them and she on this starvation diet kick. I can not talk any sense into her.
For the egg bites, i mixed the ricotta in with the egg rather than leaving the egg whole, added a jalapeno and of course bacon and kerrygold Dubliner cheese. I ate 5, which is 2.5 eggs. So good.
I'm hanging out at Walmart pick up... Waiting. I think they need to hire some more people. My pick up time was 4. It's 520. I've been here since 450. Any minute now...1 -
@Elise4270 - I am not a big egg eater but those sound delicious! Do you make them in the IP? I have been promising DH that I will make some for him but have not gotten it done, yet... Now it will have to wait until we get home from our road trip but he can always get them at Starbucks on the road.
I didn't eat enough today... We are trying to finish up what is in the fridge and did a really good job but I should have had a cookie or fig newton or something and now it is too late. I am packing a bunch of healthy snacks for the road. Almonds, tangerines, mini triscuits and home made pumpkin mini muffins. Opps - those are all pretty much carbs, guess that is what I am craving after my long run today.2 -
@shanaber the egg bites were made in a silicon muffin “tin” in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes. I need to make them regularly. Dh, dd and I grab them so frequently. And they are the kind of snack that quells any hunger and are so indulgent. Everything for me is fat, but I bet if one wanted to cut it back with cottage cheese or low fat ricotta, turkey bacon and the egg substitute would put a dent in the calories and fat. If I make them one egg per tray, they are about 200 calories each. If I mix the ricotta I have to cut the egg back because they get fluffy. And those seem to be about 125-150 each. Still not horrible for a quick bite of real food.
I’ve been up since 245, (it’s 440) My baby cat is coming in more finally. She stayed in last night for just under 6 hours. Usually it’s 20 minutes. But we had storms come through, maybe she decided she’d come in out of the cold, wind and rain for a warm nap in the towels and eat. I suppose the shed all alone in a storm isn’t idea comfort when she knows inside. So I woke up to let her out, and now am awake. Baby monster is guarding the garage and won’t come in so I keep thinking he’ll get cold and he doesn’t yet know how to let himself in. Suppose if I shut the door, it’ll give him the chance to learn. It’s 45F. It sound like the storms have passed.
Today’s food?
I’m not sure. Dh was suppose to be out of town all weekend and he surprisingly came home yesterday evening. I’d stocked up on frozen pesto pizza, noosa, and oj anticipating snacks all weekend. He said he thought I might be lonely, home all the time with limited adult interaction, awww 🥰. Sure dd’s an adult, but I’m still parenting her. Least I can send him to the store for the things I forget. Walmart pick up and online shopping is nice *i did wait an hour yesterday for my pick up order*, but I have got to read the descriptions better. Dd wanted carrots so I thought I ordered a pound, I ordered a 5 pound bag. And I got the cuts cat food, not pâté. Eh, they’ll eat it and like it. So what can I do with carrots? I might have to learn to grab them for a snack. I make a mean carrot cake, but I think that’s only 2-3 carrots and so much icing. Mmm.
I suppose it’s back to studying muscles. I’m half way learned for Wednesday’s practical. I forgot how horrible the last few weeks of the semester was. Test, Test, Test and Tests. Oh don’t forget that paper. Did you know that you learn to learn? Huh? Makes since. Maybe those that are geniuses just learn to file and recall sooner and more efficiently than the rest of us. I always wanted to not remember anything as a kid. Anytime I was asked a question, “i don’t know”-keeping the highways open. I thought that it’d clog up my brain and when I got older, I’d be dumb because I had too much un-useful information clogging it up. Like a trash bin that was overflowing. But the idk response was put to a stop when negative reinforcement was added. So, I’m horrible about answering and not being able to side-step questions. I may get swatted if I don’t answer. Ugh, I’m so trainable.1 -
@Elise4270 Maybe you could add blanched carrots to your cat's food, if they are going to go to waste otherwise. I really am not a cat person, so don't know if they like carrots or not. But, I know they are one of my dogs favorite treats. Otherwise, they do make a nice, quick, crunchy snack.0
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@elise4270 - Glad you are safe from the storms. Wonder if the storms cause the critters to come out and gives Monster cat something to chase... We used to get more mice in our basement when it was storming but maybe they were smart enough to know to come in out of the cold and rain...
Carrots... I wonder if you could make carrot bread or muffins like you would zucchini? I like to make mini muffins and freeze them so I can pull a couple out for breakfast. You could also make juice - I'm not a fan but lots of people like carrot juice. Or just cut them up and snack on them. They do last for quite a while.
Learning - it is fascinating how we learn and are conditioned to do or not do certain things... either with positive or negative conditioning. You definitely have to learn to learn and some learn it well and some never figure it out.1 -
I'm not sure if my cats like carrots. I had one cat that was seriously offended by them, but loved peas. My dogs will run of with a cooked carrot and the drop it like "yuck. What's this?" But they do eventually get eaten.
I like carrot juice. But way too much of a mess. I like the muffin idea, although the carbs could be an issue. But I really like the muffin idea... Thinking mini carrot cakes muffins with no icing. Mmm.1 -
@Elise4270 - This is the muffin recipe I used. I don't put any icing or anything on them but I do eat them with a bit of cream cheese. Also I made mini muffins instead of big ones...
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Easy, one bowl, maple-sweetened, pumpkin muffins made with whole wheat flour, oats, coconut oil and spices! These healthy muffins are as light, fluffy and delicious as their coffee shop counterparts. Recipe yields 12 muffins.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins**, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down (you have been warned!). You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.
6. These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).
NOTES
Recipe adapted from my honey-sweetened pumpkin bread.
*OIL OPTIONS: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
**CHANGE IT UP: You could really go crazy with add-ins here. Fold in up to 3/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped dried cranberries or crystallized ginger and/or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. Liz topped these muffins with my maple glaze from my pumpkin scones recipe, which sounds like delicious.
From - https://cookieandkate.com/2014/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/
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@elise4270 - my intent with that muffin recipe that I forgot to add was that you could replace the pumpkin with shredded carrots... I guess that would have helped to explain 😁
I have had a couple of pretty terrible eating days on the road. Not bad choices just not enough protein and too much carbs. DH keeps telling me it is ok because we are on 'vacation' but I don't want to come home having erased all the hard work I have done and the downward trends I have been seeing. I did get a short run in this morning, lots of steps and moving besides the 4 hours in the car. Tomorrow should be lots of walking too with not as much driving.3 -
I hate eating on vacation (love being on vacation), it just stresses me out. In a moment of extreme hunger last night I even got angry with dh. He likes the free breakfasts at the hotel but I rarely find anything I want to eat. Yesterday they didn't even have yogurt. Then he didn't want to stop for lunch so I ate tangerines (yes I brought from home), pb pretzels and some graham sticks with pb from the hotel (so much fat!). Roswell doesn't have a lot of healthy choices for dinner and we wanted take out. I really just wanted grilled chicken and the choices were Chilis or Applebees and he found nothing he liked on the menus... so he went to Subway. 2nd time this trip we have had subs for dinner and I really am not a fan. I finally went to Target and got some greek yogurt and grape nuts to put on top for breakfast and some cheese for a snack. Hoping there are healthier choices for dinner in Santa Fe for the next few days. Also no running yesterday or today, but we will be walking a lot today in Los Alamos. Hoping for a good run tomorrow in Santa Fe - there are trails near the hotel!
Sorry for the rant - I just needed to vent!6 -
Rant away @shanaber! Sounds frustrating. I hope you can scout some healthier places to eat. Im lucky there, dh is a good restaurant picker and like the same stuff I do.
If it makes you feel any better, I've been stress eating. I had an entire bag of terra chips today and nothing else. 1050 calories all vegetables.. fried. Guess they are fried... Probably fried.
I'm making some egg things again tonight or tomorrow. Dh is bringing home 3 doz guinea eggs. So I better get crackin'! Haha!
Tomorrow will be better with food.1 -
@shanaber I'm impressed that you try to eat healthy on the road. I usually just give up and eat whatever. Maybe that's why my weight is like a yo-yo.1
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I don't try to eat healthy on trips but I do try to minimize the damage.
I'm planning on plenty of beer, wine and food in Oregon next week.
Tonight I scrambled a couple of eggs with onions and peppers, steamed a pound of asparagus and am about to have some avocado toast. I may have to eat a tin of tuna as well for protein1 -
Well today was better... At least I had my yogurt for breakfast so I wasn't a raving hungry monster all day. lunch was on the road and snacky things. we went out to a local gastropub in Santa Fe and I had a deliciously huge burger and ate almost all of it. I asked for avocado on it and they gave me an entire half of a perfect avocado! Of course we had to have. local craft beer that was really tasty.
One of the managers was a runner so he was giving me tips about how to get to the trails from our hotel and then we proceeded to talk about races we have run and want to run. DH was great and just let us ramble. He and his wife want to run a summer solstice race in Finland when it is light all night. They are talking about doing it in 2020 - could be fun but maybe hot? I don't know what the weather is like in Finland in the summer.6 -
@shanaber That sounds like a great evening. Hope you enjoy your trail runs.
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Dh is tilliing a spot for a garden today. Ideas to put in it?
I said easy crap I don't have to tend. I'm still behind on the flower beds.
Okra (no one wants it, bit it'll grow all summer long and never complain).
Corn gets wormy
Squash gets buggie
Tomatoes- just a pain
Carrots? Oh ya, easy
Radishes- perhaps
Peppers? Think those can be left to be?
Watermellons!
We're shopping later for plants... I have no time... I need to study. *Sigh*.0 -
@Elise4270 Sounds like you have good weather today. It's raining here all day. Supposed to tomorrow too. Anyway, tomatoes may be a pain, but they are so much better out of your garden than they are from the store. I like to plant zucchini too. I don't think mine ever get buggie. Peppers are good. Lettuce and spinach maybe. Onions don't need much tending.0
