"Work hard, play hard" = Facepalm

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jlewis2896
jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So lately I have been the queen of inconsistency with my nutrition. And by lately, I mean for ALWAYS. :)

I have this horrible "work hard, play hard" attitude. I am marathon training, so I can burn some serious calories in a week, but then I feel like it justifies me to go out and eat 2100 exercise calories back in the form of ice cream, brats, and greasy diner food. I feel like if I am going to invest so much time and energy into my workouts, the rest of the day should be mine for the taking. Right???.............

Someone figuratively punch me in the face, here. I need a good, hard, yelling-at so that I get over this!

Logically, I know that I need to eat well to fuel my body and my recovery. I know that it's a lot easier to eat 2000 calories than it is to burn it off. I know that I will regret making poor nutritional choices later on. But apparently, my brain does not choose logic when making edible decisions.

Can anyone offer some sage words of advice?

Replies

  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 528 Member
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    You ARE training hard - so you do have to be careful not to deprive yourself. There is nothing wrong with A serving of ice cream OR A serving of brats... I just completed my first triathlon yesterday. Training was hard, it made me hungry, I ate, then I felt like I need to work out more, which made me hungry... etc. Vicous circle! You DO need a little extra... but not in the form of greasy dinner food (yum!). Be sure that you aren't making yourself feel deprived.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    When doing sports training, it helps to think of your food as the fuel you are giving yourself to perform the given activity.

    In that respect, which is going to help you more for performance: A Big Mac and Large Fries? Or Grilled Chicken with Spinach, Avocado, and Red Pepper with Quinoa?

    Quality of the meal far outweighs the calorie quantity when fuelling yourself and not all calories are created equal.

    If you make a concious choice to focus on your performance, then it's easier to make the same concious choices in respect to WHAT you eat to assist you in performing at your peak.

    Cheers!
  • fitzgeraldc
    fitzgeraldc Posts: 18
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    Why don't you try to find some delicious healthy food? There are so many great choices that tase wonderful and are healthy. Then you can skip the junk food, but you won't feel like you are being deprived.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    Thanks people! All great advice. I think I need to maybe commit to cooking and trying out new recipes to keep eating healthy fun for me. I seem to get stuck in a rut with my meal choices.
  • TankGirl71
    TankGirl71 Posts: 241 Member
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    Does your stomach feel like crap after you eat all that stuff? Are you gaining weight or maintaining? Does that stuff fuel your workouts well? I guess you need to ask yourself all that before you beat yourself up.

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