I'm not sure what triathletes look forward to more on the weekend...training, eating or napping.
Perhaps the eating is a reward for the hard or long training session and the nap is well, because you are tired and you actually have a little time to rest your eyes. Well, even though a long distance training session on Sat and/or Sun validates eating a bit more food than normal throughout the day (not in one meal!), it is still important to focus on a heart-healthy diet....regardless of how hard or long you workout on the weekends.
Because we are often rushed to do a million things during the week, I am sure you would agree with me that eating oatmeal and a piece of fruit, alongside a glass of milk, after a 4 hr bike ride, is not your ideal Sat morning post-workout meal. Why? Because you likely eat oatmeal w/ fruit on a daily basis...so why eat the same thing on the weekend?
When your workouts change, so should your diet. Weight loss (and maintenance) is affected by both daily caloric intake, the foods you eat and nutrient timing. A lifelong healthy lifestyle should not be viewed a "burn x-calories, eat x-calories". When you fuel your body with nutritious food in a balanced diet, you are likely going to find yourself eating less calories as you would with an unbalanced diet rich in processed food. Without voluntarily restricting calories, you are going to find yourself with more energy due to more nutrients in your body to help support your active and healthy lifestyle.
Likewise, it is important to provide your body with an array of foods, offering plenty of vitamins, minerals and healthy nutrients to your body in an effort to boost metabolism, repair damaged tissues, maintain stable blood sugar and keep you satisfied and feeling strong.
My thoughts: If you have a schedule that works for you for training, don’t try to change it to accommodate your eating. Arrange your eating around your workouts so that in the case of working out differently on the weekends (compared to during the week) you can learn how to eat a little more or less, depending on your workout volume and intensity.
Here are some great weekend eats to fuel your lifestyle and training routine:
Post workout strawberry banana smoothie
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp 60%+ cocoa dark chocolate (shaved)
1 scoop whey protein (vanilla body fortress)
1/2 banana (frozen)
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
Dash of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg
3 large strawberries
Ice
1/4 - 1/2 cup Water
1. Blend all ingredients except water.
2. Slowly add water to meet your consistency needs. I usually have 5-6 ice cubes and add about 4-6 ounces of water to make a thick smoothie.
Post workout Oatmeal Blueberry pancakes
1/2 cup instant oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
Large handful blueberries
Small handful raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 egg
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
1 tbsp wheat germ
1. Mix together all ingredients except water.
2. Slowly add water until you have a batter that mixes well and drips slowly off your spoon.
3. On a medium pan w/ a little non-stick spray, place large spoonfuls of batter to form your pancakes. Flip after the bottom is slightly golden.
Sweet afternoon snack
Cantaloupe
1/2 ounce dark chocolate
4 ounces greek 0% plain yogurt (not pictured)
Comforting recovery dinner
Noodly soup
French onion soup (non-vegetarian due to beef in the ingredients list)
1 can french onion soup
1/2 - 1 cup whole wheat noodles
1 cup water
1. Pour soup and additional water in a large pot. Turn to medium heat.
2. Add noodles and cover until noodles are soft (may need to reduce heat to low after a few minutes to prevent bubbling of water)
Optional: whole grain baguette
*since this is Karel's dinner, I added a few pieces of a whole grain baguette that had been in our fridge for a while. He enjoyed the different textures of the bread and noodles with the soup. He LOVES french onion soup.
Zucchini apple tofu stir-fry
1 Zucchini (sliced)
1/2 container firm tofu (cubed)
Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onions (chopped/sliced)
2 spoonfuls marinara sauce
Small gala apple (chopped)
Handful spinach
Curry powder and pepper
1tsp olive oil
1. Add all ingredients except spinach and seasonings to pan w/ olive oil. Mix together.
2. Heat on medium heat until veggies are soft (stir occasionally). After veggies are almost soft, add spinach and stir.
3. When mixture is done cooking, add marinara sauce and seasoning (non-salt) and stir. **THANKS Laura for my homemade CURRY powder!!
4. Cover for 2-3 minutes and turn off heat.
*I Loved the sweetness of the apples with this dish. SOOO good.
Perhaps the eating is a reward for the hard or long training session and the nap is well, because you are tired and you actually have a little time to rest your eyes. Well, even though a long distance training session on Sat and/or Sun validates eating a bit more food than normal throughout the day (not in one meal!), it is still important to focus on a heart-healthy diet....regardless of how hard or long you workout on the weekends.
Because we are often rushed to do a million things during the week, I am sure you would agree with me that eating oatmeal and a piece of fruit, alongside a glass of milk, after a 4 hr bike ride, is not your ideal Sat morning post-workout meal. Why? Because you likely eat oatmeal w/ fruit on a daily basis...so why eat the same thing on the weekend?
When your workouts change, so should your diet. Weight loss (and maintenance) is affected by both daily caloric intake, the foods you eat and nutrient timing. A lifelong healthy lifestyle should not be viewed a "burn x-calories, eat x-calories". When you fuel your body with nutritious food in a balanced diet, you are likely going to find yourself eating less calories as you would with an unbalanced diet rich in processed food. Without voluntarily restricting calories, you are going to find yourself with more energy due to more nutrients in your body to help support your active and healthy lifestyle.
Likewise, it is important to provide your body with an array of foods, offering plenty of vitamins, minerals and healthy nutrients to your body in an effort to boost metabolism, repair damaged tissues, maintain stable blood sugar and keep you satisfied and feeling strong.
My thoughts: If you have a schedule that works for you for training, don’t try to change it to accommodate your eating. Arrange your eating around your workouts so that in the case of working out differently on the weekends (compared to during the week) you can learn how to eat a little more or less, depending on your workout volume and intensity.
Here are some great weekend eats to fuel your lifestyle and training routine:
Post workout strawberry banana smoothie
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp 60%+ cocoa dark chocolate (shaved)
1 scoop whey protein (vanilla body fortress)
1/2 banana (frozen)
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
Dash of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg
3 large strawberries
Ice
1/4 - 1/2 cup Water
1. Blend all ingredients except water.
2. Slowly add water to meet your consistency needs. I usually have 5-6 ice cubes and add about 4-6 ounces of water to make a thick smoothie.
Post workout Oatmeal Blueberry pancakes
1/2 cup instant oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
Large handful blueberries
Small handful raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 egg
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
1 tbsp wheat germ
1. Mix together all ingredients except water.
2. Slowly add water until you have a batter that mixes well and drips slowly off your spoon.
3. On a medium pan w/ a little non-stick spray, place large spoonfuls of batter to form your pancakes. Flip after the bottom is slightly golden.
Sweet afternoon snack
Cantaloupe
1/2 ounce dark chocolate
4 ounces greek 0% plain yogurt (not pictured)
Comforting recovery dinner
Noodly soup
French onion soup (non-vegetarian due to beef in the ingredients list)
1 can french onion soup
1/2 - 1 cup whole wheat noodles
1 cup water
1. Pour soup and additional water in a large pot. Turn to medium heat.
2. Add noodles and cover until noodles are soft (may need to reduce heat to low after a few minutes to prevent bubbling of water)
Optional: whole grain baguette
*since this is Karel's dinner, I added a few pieces of a whole grain baguette that had been in our fridge for a while. He enjoyed the different textures of the bread and noodles with the soup. He LOVES french onion soup.
Zucchini apple tofu stir-fry
1 Zucchini (sliced)
1/2 container firm tofu (cubed)
Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onions (chopped/sliced)
2 spoonfuls marinara sauce
Small gala apple (chopped)
Handful spinach
Curry powder and pepper
1tsp olive oil
1. Add all ingredients except spinach and seasonings to pan w/ olive oil. Mix together.
2. Heat on medium heat until veggies are soft (stir occasionally). After veggies are almost soft, add spinach and stir.
3. When mixture is done cooking, add marinara sauce and seasoning (non-salt) and stir. **THANKS Laura for my homemade CURRY powder!!
4. Cover for 2-3 minutes and turn off heat.
*I Loved the sweetness of the apples with this dish. SOOO good.
