What to eat?

I am becoming more and more interested in nutrition as I continue to train and exercise. I know that my diet is not optimal. I pretty much eat what I want when I want to eat it. I do manage some restraint and try to eat somewhat healthy when we are eating at home. However, when I am eating out, well, all bets are off.

The problem is that there are so many different ideas for how one should eat. Hubby and I are lifetime members of Weight Watchers. I can't argue with the success I have had on their program. I lost over 60 pounds by lowering portion size and eating items with low point values (all foods are given point values in the WW system we used and you are given a certain amount of total points to eat on a given day). After I reached my goal weight, I naively figured I would just stick to the plan without having to count anymore. Well, it didn't work, and I would guess I am about 25 over my goal weight now.

But is WW the right plan for me now? Then, I wasn't really into fitness like I am now. I certainly was not running or participating in triathlons. There just seem to be so many options out there. I have several different cookbooks that are supposedly for athletes:
The Athlete's Plate
The Runner's Cookbook
Food for Fitness

They are all great books, and I have enjoyed recipes from all of them.

CrossFit is big on The Paleo Diet. Paleo Diets are supposed to be made up of things that our hunter gatherer ancestors could eat - lean meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I like the idea of this diet, but the recipes I found in the cookbook all seem pretty complicated to make. Our gym is trying to rollout a new nutrition program based on this idea. I hope to be able to attend their upcoming Q&A session to find out more.

This week I also received an e-mail from a yoga/spinning studio I have attended that was promoting a raw food diet. I was immediately intrigued by this idea and have added the blog associated with this e-mail to my favorites list. I do want to find out more. The woman at the studio took a raw food challenge with her friend (the blog author) for 30 days and said she felt fantastic.

I don't know. Maybe my ideal diet is something in the middle. A portion controlled veggie, fruit, nuts, and sushi diet-with beer.

Talking to a Nutritionist

Part of the welcome package at my new gym includes a 30 minute meeting with a nutritionist. I have never been to one before, so I gladly took advantage of the opportunity.

It was a really great session. We talked about my normal daily diet and my exercise levels, then talked about ways to change my diet to make it more nutritionally sound. I got some great pointers. She told me to add milk to my morning routine. For some weird reason, I eat my cereal dry. She pointed out that adding milk, a protein, would help me feel fuller through the morning. Since I was not getting enough dairy in my diet, it was the perfect fit.

Another great tip is to add protein to the afternoon snack. I usually eat fruit or veggies in the afternoon, but am still hungry by the time I leave work. She pointed out that I should have peanut butter, hummus, cheese, or some nuts (except macadamias) with my snack to feel more full.

We also went over portion control and being sure to have veggies and/or salads with dinner.

It was a really great session. I felt like I learned lots of good tips. I am so glad that our gym is really a wellness center and that we get these extra benefits to help us feel the best we can. I have my last session, the health evaluation, coming up soon.