Monday 31 October 2011

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween all! I admit I am very Canadian in that I love Halloween, despite living in London where it is not a traditional holiday. Fortunately I live in the suburbs where there are plenty of children so Halloween is catching on. Ours may be the only house on the street with a Jack o’lantern on the doorstep, but it is by no means the only one in our neighbourhood with Halloween decorations. Of course Halloween also means candy and the biggest trick is to keep enough candy for the kids who are trick or treating, without eating too much before they get here. I was quite proud of myself yesterday that I kept the calorie count low despite having stocked up on mini chocolate bars the day before (and naturally we bought varieties we like, just in case there are leftovers!). Replacing the equivalent of one of my snacks with chocolate meant I was low on protein and high on fat for the day, but not excessively so.

I think only having two mini chocolate bars is a bigger accomplishment than most people acknowledge. You see, when you eat high fat, high sugar foods, it causes the levels of feel-good hormone serotonin to increase. This also lowers levels of stress hormones and can create a positive feedback loop – the more you eat the better you feel, so you eat more and feel even better. This makes it very difficult to stop after just one, especially if you are feeling a bit sad or stressed. This is particularly true for women, who naturally have lower levels of serotonin than men do, which is why women tend to go for the cake calm when stressed while men tend to hit the bottle. Research has also shown that there is a genetic connection between sugar addiction and alcoholism. In fact, a significant number of people who have obesity surgery are recovering alcoholics, who simply switched from alcohol to sugar. If alcoholism runs in the family, odds are several family members are overweight or obese.

So while I’d like to believe I can enjoy my chocolate in small serving sizes, the truth is it’s much easier said than done!

The Score:
Calories:
Protein:
Carbs:
Fat:
Alcohol:
Fibre:
1674.49
83.51g
198.05g
63.39g
0
21.07g
20%
47%
34%

Calories burned through exercise:
Rest Day


What I ate:
Time
Item
Amount
08:45
Vitamins - Centrum Advance A to Zinc, 400iu of Vitamin E, 1000iu Vitamin D3 and 500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 each
Cold water
200mL
Mattesson’s Turkey rashers
3 rashers
Gluten Free fruit muesli
70g
Alpro Soy milk
120mL
Sainsbury’s pressed apple juice
200mL
09:30
Black tea
500mL
11:00
Herbal fruit tea
250mL
12:45
John West Mackerel fillets with no added brine
50g
with Hellmann's light mayonnaise
13g
and Branston gherkin relish
10g
on Genius brown bread toast
2 slices
Raw Tomatoes
150g
Alpro Soya Original
200mL
500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 pill
14:00
Peppermint tea
200mL
16:30
Cashews
20g
Pear
114g
Mini Twirl chocolate bar
22g
Mini Crunchie chocolate bar
18g
20:15
Home-made chicken risotto
300g
22:00
Ellactiva Chocolate Calcium Chew
1 chew
500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 pill

Plus 500 to 1500mL of cold water sipped from a water bottle throughout the day.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Training Update

This week I feel I have been eating quite well, as the average nutrient balance was 22% protein to 50% carbohydrates to 27% fat (and 1% alcohol). Once again I was doing really well on my daily calorie intake until I got to Friday. If I just look at the first 6 days, I was averaging 1810 calories per day minus 300 calories of exercise per day, which is pretty much exactly what I am aiming for. However, once I add in the 2600 calories and no exercise from Friday, my average daily calories are 1922 with just 250 calories of exercise per day. Proof that statistics rarely tell the whole story!

As it is the end of the month, it’s time to update my training program. I’ve been gradually increasing the amount of exercise I do each week and in each session, except for this past week when I ended up taking an extra rest day. Starting on Monday I will have a new, more challenging weight routine to do 3 times a week and be aiming for 3 runs and one cross training session per week. I find the hardest workout so far is the one which combines a weight routine with cardio, like I did yesterday – no surprise really! However, if I’m to keep to 2 rest days per week, I’m going to have to do at 2 of these stacked workouts per week. I’ll have to keep a close eye on my pre and post workout nutrition, but if I find I’m not recovering well enough between workouts I may have up my calories intake or look at my nutrient balance. I still want to lose 10 lbs before Christmas, but not at the expense of my training!

The Score:
Calories:
Protein:
Carbs:
Fat:
Alcohol:
Fibre:
1908.62
98.47g
238.01g
55.65g
8.0g
30.89g
21%
50%
26%
3%
Calories burned through exercise:
651


What I ate:
Time
Item
Amount
09:30
Vitamins - Centrum Advance A to Zinc, 400iu of Vitamin E, 1000iu Vitamin D3 and 500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 each
Cold water
200mL
Whole Scrambled egg with 2 egg whites
3 eggs
Heinz Beanz, reduced sugar and salt
175g
Mushrooms
110g
in butter
5g
Raw tomato
85g
Sainsbury's pressed apple and cherry juice
200mL
10:30
Black tea
350mL
12:30
Herbal fruit tea
250mL
13:45
Sainsbury's extra lean beef escalopes
66g
New potatoes
101g
Carrots
67g
Beets
83g
all roasted and brushed with olive oil
10mL
Heinz Tomato Ketchup, reduced salt and sugar
15g
14:15
Sainsbury's Freefrom iced rich fruit cake slice
1 slice
16:45
Seedless Red Grapes
100g
Butterkist salted microwave popcorn
20g popped
Green tea
250mL
17:45
Workout - resistance training + 28 minute run
Sponser Isotonic sportdrink, fruit mix
about 58g
in water
750mL
20:30
Baked salmon
163g
Merchant Gourmet Red and White Quinoa
100g
Frozen Peas
90g
21:30
Graham's Port
50mL

Plus 500 to 1500mL of cold water sipped from a water bottle throughout the day.

Saturday 29 October 2011

Adding up the Calories

I had a lovely day in the centre of London yesterday. Did a bit of shopping in Covent Garden then went for lunch with a friend at a sushi restaurant, before spending the afternoon at the London Zoo. It turned into a very high calorie day with no workout, but I did spend at least 4 hours walking around rather than sat in front of my computer, so I’m not too concerned.

However, it’s worth noting where all those calories were coming from because it’s not always obvious. For example, the glass of port was only 80 calories, so not really a problem. While it is true that the chocolate bar and pavlova dessert added a good 500 calories to yesterday’s total, many of you may be surprised to learn that the 10 pieces of sushi I had for lunch were over 600 calories. Sushi has a reputation for being quite healthy as it is low in fat, and any fat it does contain is the good kind found in fish. The problem is that low fat does NOT mean low in calories, and white rice soaked in sweet vinegar is a carbohydrate bomb. Great if you are carb loading for a race the next day, not so much if you have no plans to workout. As well, I did feel the need for an isotonic sport drink as soon as I got home, as I’d only had one 750mL bottle of water all afternoon and was feeling very tired and a bit light headed, so that added 200 calories I would normally avoid.

So nothing that would really be a problem by itself, it’s the combination of everything that I need to be more aware of.

The Score:
Calories:
Protein:
Carbs:
Fat:
Alcohol:
Fibre:
2594.91
89.77g
373.69g
84.83g
8.0g
29.15g
13%
57%
29%
2%
Calories burned through exercise:
Rest Day


What I ate:
Time
Item
Amount
07:45
Vitamins - Centrum Advance A to Zinc, 400iu of Vitamin E, 1000iu Vitamin D3 and 500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 each
Cold water
200mL
Whole Scrambled egg with 2 egg whites
3 eggs
Mesa Sunrise cereal
60g
Alpro Soy milk
120mL
Sainsbury's pressed apple and cherry juice
200mL
08:30
Black tea
350mL
10:45
Seedless Red Grapes
100g
Cashews
20g
13:30
Nigiri sushi
8 pieces
Tuna Avocado roll
2 pieces
Fresh pineapple
1 slice
Green Tea
350mL
14:30
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3 cups
17:15
Sainsbury's fruit and seed mix
40g
19:00
Sponser Isotonic sportdrink, fruit mix
about 58g
in water
750mL
19:30
Lee's Hippy Farm Beans (Leon's recipe book)
300g
Homemade guacamole
45g
20:30
Cook Lemon and lime pavlova
85g
21:00
Graham's Port
50mL

Plus 500 to 1500mL of cold water sipped from a water bottle throughout the day.

Friday 28 October 2011

The Cost of Going Gluten Free

I have noticed that the higher the quality of the food, the more likely it is to be gluten free. Take gravy granules. Normal Bisto gravy granules do have wheat in them, but their premium range, Bisto Best, is gluten free. I know at the supermarket level that wheat is often used as a cheap and easy filler in condiments and sauces, whereas the more expensive ranges simply use more of the actual ingredients. This is even more true in restaurants. At your local pub the chips are deep fried in the same oil as the battered fish and breaded chicken fingers, while the gravy was probably made that morning and everyone gets served out of the same pot. However, in a more expensive place the kitchen tends to use separate workstations for different foods (less chance of contamination) and any sauces or ‘jus’ are made fresh for each customer, so it is easy to modify so it is gluten free.

The problem is that it can easily lead to far higher food bills. My husband and I cook a lot for ourselves and try to eat few ready meals, which does keep costs down, but more importantly I try to stay away from ‘replacement’ products. I find that the most expensive part of following a gluten free diet is the gluten free bread, pasta, cakes, pizzas, etc. My husband can get his favourite pack of fig rolls for less than 50p but a gluten free version is at least £1.50, and my favourite fruit cake slices are more than 50p per slice! So in my case, eating healthily also equates to much lower food bills.

The Score:
Calories:
Protein:
Carbs:
Fat:
Alcohol:
Fibre:
1741.45
105.56g
232.77g
43.56g
0
28.49g
24%
53%
23%

Calories burned through exercise:
363


What I ate:
Time
Item
Amount
07:45
Vitamins - Centrum Advance A to Zinc, 400iu of Vitamin E, 1000iu Vitamin D3 and 500mg Glucosamine sulphate
1 each
Cold water
200mL
Mattesson’s Turkey rashers
3 rashers
Gluten Free fruit muesli
70g
Alpro Soy milk
120mL
Sainsbury's pressed apple and cherry juice
200mL
08:30
Black tea
500mL
10:45
Sainsbury's Freefrom iced rich fruit cake slice
1 slice
13:30
Lee's Hippy Farm Beans (Leon's recipe book)
300g
Homemade guacamole
100g
Alpro Soya Original
200mL
14:15
Green Tea
250mL
15:30
Workout - resistance training
Tri-Berry Nuun electrolyte tablet in water
750mL
17:00
Total Greek yoghurt
125g
Sainsbury's frozen mixed blueberries and strawberries
100g
Sponser vanilla Recovery Shake
20g (1 scoop)
mixed with skim milk
150mL
20:30
Baked chicken breast
88g
Boiled and mashed potatoes with butter and skim milk
250g
Steamed broccoli
66g
Steamed cauliflower
100g
Colman's Bramley apple sauce
1 tbsp
Bisto Best Chicken gravy granules
about 5g

Plus 500 to 1500mL of cold water sipped from a water bottle throughout the day.