Click!

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about food and my diet since I wrote Friday’s post. Thank you to everyone for your input, by the way. I think I finally know how to go about this. It turns out I actually do know how to do this sugar free thing, for just me. I do the same thing I did before, meaning I make one large meal and split it up over the course of the week. Glop is sugar free! 8)

Because Glop was frequently unappetizing, I’m working on finding other ways to cook besides just throwing everything into a pot. Right now, I’m throwing everything into a 9” cake pan. This week’s main meal is a gluten free pizza crust, topped with onion and green pepper sautéed in garlic butter, chicken tenderloin, chopped tomato and spinach, topped with black beans, a dusting of paprika and a pinch of parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the powder).

The iced tea is now a combination of green, white, and regular tea. The citrus is in the water, instead of the tea. I’ve decided I’m not willing to fight my caffeine addiction at this time, and that my caffeine will continue to come from coffee. That choice means I will still use sweetened creamer. My creamer is now sweetened with evaporated cane juice as opposed to sugar, and I am using it much more sparingly than I have in the past.

Even though it’s only been a few days, and I haven’t been completely sugar free, I’m feeling the effects of my reduced sugar intake. Friday night, I put away dinner half eaten because I was done. I became full at breakfast today, too. That simply did not happen in my world prior to last week. I knew I didn’t get the “full” feeling, but I didn’t realize it was due to my sugar intake.

I am eating healthier and drinking more water. I’m also not obsessing about my next meal, or about getting a little hungry. I’m thinking about what I’m eating, and how I can eat better. This is a good thing. I can see this lasting longer than 30 days.

What I haven’t figured out yet is how to fuel my long runs. I had 7 miles on the calendar Saturday, and they did not go very well. The first 4 miles went fine enough for me to decide I would run 8 instead of 7. Then right around the 4 mile mark I crashed, and I’m not sure why. I’d thrown a banana and a handful of frozen berries into the blender with a splash of water, a spoonful of almond butter, and a dash of salt (it tasted better than it sounds). That was my “Gu” and I took a swallow every mile, just like I would have if it really were Gu.

Part of the problem may have been my reduced caffeine intake. It may also have had something to do with a new stride, which left my thighs and hip flexors sore in a muscle-building sort of way (my knees normally hurt after a long run, and they did not after Saturday’s). It may just be that I haven’t really run much since blowing my feet up the weekend before last. I missed last week’s long run, and have only been doing 3 and 4 milers for the past 2 weeks.

I’ve put the same 8 miler on the calendar for next weekend. I haven’t decided how I’m going to fuel it, but am tempted to return to Gu. I only use it on long runs, and so far it’s the only thing I know that works. I might be more willing to try changing up my fuel strategy after the race on the 19th. I don’t have another race until August, so there’s time to experiment.

Open to suggestions here…