Fitness/Diet Question
I need some exercise/eating advice and I know that lots of folks on my flist are dedicated to health and fitness improvement, so I thought I'd run my question by you all.
I'm working towards specific fitness goals, including both certain run distances and strength building workouts. Most of the research I've done emphasizes the fact that diet is 80% of the real work -- if you get that right, you can reach the goals you set. It also says that, to really gain strength and muscle, you need to increase your calories and make sure you're getting enough protein.
I've been tracking my overall calories and my protein for a while now. Both are way under what most sites recommend for my activity goals and basic BMR. So to combat that I'm trying to increase my calories and protein throughout the day.
It's hard to do consistently. My "normal" calories (when I'm not paying attention), leave me feeling full. My "goal" calories leave me feeling overfull. I have to really think about what I'm eating in order to get all that protein too (I'm mostly vegetarian, with some fish thrown in the mix -- I don't cook it at home, but I will order it if we go out).
I think I need to learn about some more calorie-dense foods - stuff that will help me hit my calorie and protein goals, without making me feel so overfull all the time. Weight gain or loss is not an issue -- I'm fine with gaining some weight, and really since I've become so active I don't think it'll be a problem.
And I really really need to work on this. I'm tired all the time and I don't have the energy to get through my runs or workouts sometimes. I am trying to get plenty of sleep, drinking plenty of water, and limiting my caffeine intake. I think it's really that I'm just not getting enough good calories. I just don't have the actual energy to do things.
TLDR:
Does anyone have any suggestions for calorie-dense foods I could try? I've been eating a lot of eggs and I'm kindof sick of them. I do drink a protein shake every morning post workout (with almond milk and frozen strawberries) -- I could see drinking another one in the afternoon maybe (they never make me feel full). Does anyone have any other suggestions for a mostly vegetarian? Any help appreciated.
LiveJournal runs on rubberbands and plastic-jug vodka. Cross-posted from http://sleepymaggie.dreamwidth.org/458447.html.
I'm working towards specific fitness goals, including both certain run distances and strength building workouts. Most of the research I've done emphasizes the fact that diet is 80% of the real work -- if you get that right, you can reach the goals you set. It also says that, to really gain strength and muscle, you need to increase your calories and make sure you're getting enough protein.
I've been tracking my overall calories and my protein for a while now. Both are way under what most sites recommend for my activity goals and basic BMR. So to combat that I'm trying to increase my calories and protein throughout the day.
It's hard to do consistently. My "normal" calories (when I'm not paying attention), leave me feeling full. My "goal" calories leave me feeling overfull. I have to really think about what I'm eating in order to get all that protein too (I'm mostly vegetarian, with some fish thrown in the mix -- I don't cook it at home, but I will order it if we go out).
I think I need to learn about some more calorie-dense foods - stuff that will help me hit my calorie and protein goals, without making me feel so overfull all the time. Weight gain or loss is not an issue -- I'm fine with gaining some weight, and really since I've become so active I don't think it'll be a problem.
And I really really need to work on this. I'm tired all the time and I don't have the energy to get through my runs or workouts sometimes. I am trying to get plenty of sleep, drinking plenty of water, and limiting my caffeine intake. I think it's really that I'm just not getting enough good calories. I just don't have the actual energy to do things.
TLDR:
Does anyone have any suggestions for calorie-dense foods I could try? I've been eating a lot of eggs and I'm kindof sick of them. I do drink a protein shake every morning post workout (with almond milk and frozen strawberries) -- I could see drinking another one in the afternoon maybe (they never make me feel full). Does anyone have any other suggestions for a mostly vegetarian? Any help appreciated.
LiveJournal runs on rubberbands and plastic-jug vodka. Cross-posted from http://sleepymaggie.dreamwidth.org/458447.html.