27 August 2009
Upgrade You: Lia
Ready for another addition of Upgrade You? That’s what I thought. This time, I’m upgrading Lia (nice name!).
Lia lives in NYC (meaning she walks a lot!) with her boyfriend, and is starving by 6pm. She’s not big on breakfast and she can’t stand yogurt. She’s a carb addict (aren’t we all?) who tries not to allow her addiction to influence every meal. She wants to get a better grip on her hunger and generally eat a more balanced diet. My upgrades are in bold below:
Breakfast: 2 servings of fruit
This is Lia’s first mistake, and she’s setting herself up for failure pretty quickly. Fruit is basically sugar and a bit of fiber (and yes, many important nutrients). Your body will burn off the calories from fruit fairly quickly, leaving you with a grumbly tummy by 9am. I know Lia’s not big on breakfast, but she needs to try to gradually up her intake at that meal. Within an hour or so of waking, she needs to try to consume at least 300 calories and for staying power, she needs some of those calories to be protein.
Lia’s got an aversion to yogurt, and that’s fine, so she should look to get her protein elsewhere. She said she’s open to oatmeal, and I think oatmeal with fruit would be a good transitional breakfast for her. To start, she could have a small serving of regular oatmeal mixed with plenty of fresh fruit. This would feel a lot like a normal breakfast to her, but not set her up for failure the rest of the day. It’s pretty much a given that if you don’t eat enough at breakfast, you WILL be starving by the end of the day. That’s why it’s not surprising that Lia’s famished by 6pm.
Snack: small handful of almonds
This snack is alright, but for those hungry days, I’d obviously recommend adding something more voluminous like fruit, or better yet, raw veggies.
Lunch: something like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat bread or beans mixed with veggies/salad
I like her mix of whole grain carbs and vegetables. She should just make sure she includes a serving of unsaturated fat, like olive oil or avocado, to stave off some of that 6pm hunger.
Snack: small handful of almonds
Again, I’m a fan of nuts as a snack, but they aren’t exactly “filling” in the traditional sense. That’s why I tend to eat them with foods that contain water (like fruits and veggies).
Dinner: Either a bowl of whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce (canned tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, crushed red pepper); whole wheat tortilla with half can of Amy’s refried black beans (low sodium), half avocado, tomato, lime, garlic; peanut butter sandwich; slices of thin crust pizza; brown rice with veggies, ginger, garlic and soy sauce
Most of these options sound okay to me, especially the taco meal with black beans. However, there just aren’t enough vegetables. Pasta with no protein or veggies (besides the sauce) is just not going to be all that satisfying. I also think many of her dinner options are super light on the produce. Lia could include veggies like broccoli, spinach, zucchini, eggplant, etc. in her tomato sauce, have a salad with her taco (add jicama, tobasco, and cheddat cheese to make it a little Mexican-themed!), and eat slices of raw carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and celery with her PB sandwich.
When hunger strikes, ask yourself this: Am I eating enough (especially important for those of us who workout more intensely)? Am I eating enough high volume foods (like produce)? Am I eating enough healthy fat (I usually include a serving in at least two meals)? Am I eating enough protein? Once you’ve answered those questions, you can zero in on where the hunger is coming from.
Also, keep in mind that hunger is cumulative. If you go to bed hungry one day, chances are, you’ll wake up hungry the next day AND be a little hungrier throughout the day. That’s why it’s important to honor your hunger and make sure you’re not letting it build up over the course of the day and/or week.
Snack: one small square of 72% dark chocolate and sometimes a little fruit
Nothing to upgrade here! I love a small sweet treat after dinner and fruit + dark chocolate is definitely the way to go.
