Main idea: identify what you really want and find a way to incorporate it into healthy meal plans.
Sounds...like it's been done? I don't really care. Like the ambitious diet bloggers, I'm going to go right ahead and share.
I start by breaking the week down into weekdays and weekends--because the change in schedule, workouts, and social situations often varies drastically and it would be unwise to ignore that when making a diet plan.
Weekdays
As an athlete, these tend to be my practice days--which means four fairly intense practices and one less intense day. Because of this, I need to do a good job incorporating mixtures of carbs, lean protein, and fruits & veggies...sound familiar? That's what I'm good at--knowing what I need. What I'm bad at? Knowing how much to eat and not forbidding myself indulgences that ultimately catch up with me.
Plan: eat an average of 1800 calories a day--more on hard training days and less on others. Plan ahead of time so that calories are spread between three core meals: breakfast (350-400 cals), lunch (450-550 cals), dinner (500-550 cals). That leaves approximately 300 flexible calories for throughout the day.
Indulge: for every week, identify one indulgent food and one indulgent activity to be used whenever I want during that time frame! That way, if I'm feeling like all I want is to scratch that "being bad" itch, I can start to identify if it's something that comes from a food craving or from just a desire for that bit of excitement.
Weekends:
These tend to be my competition days, when nutritional consciousness is most important! The night before competition, I like to eat a larger dinner (600-650 cals) with plenty of protein and avoid snacking until it's time for a pre-game breakfast (350-400 cals). An hr before game time, I'll have a pre-game snack (100-150 cals). Post-game, refueling is important, so complex carbs and protein are go-tos (500-600 cals). Then, a late dinner (500 cals) will keep me going until the next day.
Problem areas: the post-game meal is generally a family & friend fueled affair filled with snack platters, sandwiches, past, and dessert--which kicks in the "little bit of everything" habit that turns into "a lot of everything." To avoid this, I'm going to limit myself to two shifts at the dessert table and increase my fluid intake during tailgates. Plate number one is dedicated solely to nutrition--hit all the bases with the healthiest options available. With this plate, I'll also try to drink a full 16 oz of water. A second (smaller) plate gets dedicated to treats or second helpings. The caveat to this plate--if there's only huge helpings of something, only take half or ask someone to share it!
Sunday Sundaes:
One of my biggest problems arrives on Sun, when our dining halls serve up an elaborate sundae bar. In the past, I've been known to succumb to seconds...and thirds. I'm hoping that the promise of a mid-week indulgence will help alleviate this. The goal I'm setting is to have no more than one sundae on non-tailgate days and (try) to avoid the dining hall on tailgate days, instead making plans for a late dinner by packing a meal or stealing something from the sandwich platter earlier in the day.
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Alcohol:
Weekends come with parties, which come with drinking, which come with drunk junk (eating foods you'd never eat sober). I'm going into my senior year of college, so I'm not going to set unrealistic goals for my alcohol intake. But, when it comes to drunk junk, here's my strategy to learn cold--
1. At a late night breakfast place order an egg white omelet or scramble. Low cal, high protein--might actually help get rid of that hangover.
2. At a CVS find a nonfat yogurt and fresh fruit salad or some sugar-free jellos. If it's savory that's on call, go for pretzel thins or popcorn. Low cals and nutrient packed options!
3. At a chinese place, order a side of steamed veggies or a soup dish that comes with lots of veggies and cellophane or rice noodles.
4. At a burrito place, get their vegetarian option in a bowl (no tortillas!) With no rice and extra veggies...or, if it's social eating, order nachos with someone drunker than you and let them eat most of it.
And that's it! stay tuned for a verdict of whether or not this actually gets anywhere!
Sounds...like it's been done? I don't really care. Like the ambitious diet bloggers, I'm going to go right ahead and share.
I start by breaking the week down into weekdays and weekends--because the change in schedule, workouts, and social situations often varies drastically and it would be unwise to ignore that when making a diet plan.
Weekdays
As an athlete, these tend to be my practice days--which means four fairly intense practices and one less intense day. Because of this, I need to do a good job incorporating mixtures of carbs, lean protein, and fruits & veggies...sound familiar? That's what I'm good at--knowing what I need. What I'm bad at? Knowing how much to eat and not forbidding myself indulgences that ultimately catch up with me.
Plan: eat an average of 1800 calories a day--more on hard training days and less on others. Plan ahead of time so that calories are spread between three core meals: breakfast (350-400 cals), lunch (450-550 cals), dinner (500-550 cals). That leaves approximately 300 flexible calories for throughout the day.
Indulge: for every week, identify one indulgent food and one indulgent activity to be used whenever I want during that time frame! That way, if I'm feeling like all I want is to scratch that "being bad" itch, I can start to identify if it's something that comes from a food craving or from just a desire for that bit of excitement.
Weekends:
These tend to be my competition days, when nutritional consciousness is most important! The night before competition, I like to eat a larger dinner (600-650 cals) with plenty of protein and avoid snacking until it's time for a pre-game breakfast (350-400 cals). An hr before game time, I'll have a pre-game snack (100-150 cals). Post-game, refueling is important, so complex carbs and protein are go-tos (500-600 cals). Then, a late dinner (500 cals) will keep me going until the next day.
Problem areas: the post-game meal is generally a family & friend fueled affair filled with snack platters, sandwiches, past, and dessert--which kicks in the "little bit of everything" habit that turns into "a lot of everything." To avoid this, I'm going to limit myself to two shifts at the dessert table and increase my fluid intake during tailgates. Plate number one is dedicated solely to nutrition--hit all the bases with the healthiest options available. With this plate, I'll also try to drink a full 16 oz of water. A second (smaller) plate gets dedicated to treats or second helpings. The caveat to this plate--if there's only huge helpings of something, only take half or ask someone to share it!
Sunday Sundaes:
One of my biggest problems arrives on Sun, when our dining halls serve up an elaborate sundae bar. In the past, I've been known to succumb to seconds...and thirds. I'm hoping that the promise of a mid-week indulgence will help alleviate this. The goal I'm setting is to have no more than one sundae on non-tailgate days and (try) to avoid the dining hall on tailgate days, instead making plans for a late dinner by packing a meal or stealing something from the sandwich platter earlier in the day.
.jpg)
Alcohol:
Weekends come with parties, which come with drinking, which come with drunk junk (eating foods you'd never eat sober). I'm going into my senior year of college, so I'm not going to set unrealistic goals for my alcohol intake. But, when it comes to drunk junk, here's my strategy to learn cold--
1. At a late night breakfast place order an egg white omelet or scramble. Low cal, high protein--might actually help get rid of that hangover.
2. At a CVS find a nonfat yogurt and fresh fruit salad or some sugar-free jellos. If it's savory that's on call, go for pretzel thins or popcorn. Low cals and nutrient packed options!
3. At a chinese place, order a side of steamed veggies or a soup dish that comes with lots of veggies and cellophane or rice noodles.
4. At a burrito place, get their vegetarian option in a bowl (no tortillas!) With no rice and extra veggies...or, if it's social eating, order nachos with someone drunker than you and let them eat most of it.
And that's it! stay tuned for a verdict of whether or not this actually gets anywhere!
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