Hungry Girl Part 2

Last year I wrote about how hungry I was during my half Ironman training!  I gained 10 pounds (no, it wasn't all muscle) getting ready for that race.  When Ironman training started I was a little nervous.  Would I gain 20 lbs?  I even worried that the wetsuit I purchased for Arizona wouldn't fit by the time the race came around.

As my training got underway the 10 pounds just seemed to melt away.  Getting a little sick helped speed up the process.  During the summer I was even able to shed a couple more pounds without trying.  For a while I didn't seem to have an appetite at all.  I was having to TRY to sneak in extra calories where I could.  One of my favorite ways of doing this was adding peanut butter to my smoothies...YUMMY!

Over the last couple of week my appetite seems to have caught up with my training.  I'm once again at the point where I can't seem to eat enough. On Saturday I drove through the drive though at Dickey's BBQ after my long ride.  I ordered my meal and asked for an extra roll (to eat in the car).  I absolutely LOVE their rolls. The simple carbs seem to hit the spot after a workout.  It must have been my lucky day because I was handed a separate bag with not one, but TWO extra rolls!  I ate both on the way home and figured I would eat the third one as a snack later in the day.  That idea went out the door because I ate it as soon as I got home. 

When you're burning thousands of calories during a workout your body will scream at you to replenish.  It's embarrassing and expensive to eat this much.  Today I had my usual English muffin, PB, banana, and honey breakfast sandwich between my run and bike ride.  This typically keeps me full for a while,but today I barely got 20 miles in on the bike before I was ready to start eating my own hand.  I was very thankful for the Cliff Bar I had with me....and so was my hand.  By the time I finished my 40 mile ride I was ravenous!  We went to Fuzzy's Taco Shop where I ordered 3 tacos.  I wanted more, but I was too embarrassed to go back for seconds.

Trying to satisfy my appetite is a lot like a dog chasing it's tail.  I'm just going to have to accept that it's not going to happen.  I'm trying to keep lots of fruits and other healthy snacks around my house.  It can be tricky to find healthy meals on the go.  Between work and training I don't always have time to cook.  Cedars Woodfire Grill and Simply Fit Meals are two places I can get quick healthy meals.  It can get expensive, but I figure it's better to spend the extra money and fill my body with real food as opposed to the junk in typical fast foods.  When I'm craving something sweet, like cookies or ice cream, I try a glass of chocolate milk.  It usually does the trick.

"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is?  The opportunity to play." ~~ Mike Singletary