Lunch: Mixed greens with savory tofu, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, carrot, walnuts, and green bell pepper dressed with honey and Dijon mustard.
Exercise: I grabbed the road bike and headed out on a loop that that takes me from my place on the west side of Cleveland to Hilliard, Bradley, Lake Boulevard, Wagar, and then back home via Hilliard. The loop is a solid 23.25 road route with plenty of traffic and lights, and I completed the loop in 1:52:57.1. I'd love to slice my time on this to about 1:40:00.
I was having some trouble with my left foot on this ride, and I found myself asking myself repeatedly why in the hell I choose to do long bike rides. Sixty minute rides are fantastic, but any more than that and I start genuinely hating life. I'm questioning my goal of riding my first century in early August.
Post-Workout Snack: This ride was a rough one, and I was pretty spent and shaky afterwards. I refueled with a smoothie of almond milk, Vega protein powder, banana, and frozen blackberries.
Dinner: More leftovers. This is Pad Thai based on the Brooklyn Pad Thai recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (recipe here). I filled the other half of my plate with steamed broccoli with just a touch of butter and salt.
Snack: Despite the fact that I ate plenty today, I was still hungry before bed and had more 2% cottage cheese with pineapple. That ride really took a lot out of me, and my appetite was raging!
A note about my leftover Pad Thai--I'm doing something unusual for me in my efforts to get my body healthy and fit,--I'm NOT counting calories. Usually, I weigh and measure and record every morsel that passes my lips, but now I'm just trying to eat clean and healthfully and ignore the numbers.
That said, this Pad Thai isn't the *cleanest* recipe in the world, but I'm ok with that. First, I had these leftovers in my fridge and I did not want to waste them. And second, foods like this will never disappear completely from my diet. Yes, I want to reduce processed and fried foods from my diet, but sometimes I will eat out, and sometimes I will want Pad Thai (or lasagna, or mashed potatoes, or what have you) and I'm going to permit myself to eat it so long as half of my plate is filled with veggies.
Generally, I'm trying to stick to an 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time, I will eat clean, unprocessed, whole foods that include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. The other 20% of the time I can permit myself to eat things like rice noodles, pasta, and, hell, even cake. This plan is liveable and I truly believe that it will help me reach my goals. Only time will tell!
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