What I eat in a week

For some strange reason—perhaps because several individuals notice that I consume as much food as a large barnyard animal—I am often asked what my diet consists of. So, on Sunday, I made the decision to write down everything I eat during a one week period. Like my flip turns, I found it incredibly difficult and the result was unsuccessful. Writing down everything you consume during the course of a day is very, VERY difficult. Don't believe me? Try it for just one day. It is not that I do not know what I eat during the course of a day, but trying to figure out the relative portion size and calories for say, two pieces of lasagna is nearly impossible. I mean, how thick was the lasagna? How large did I cut the pieces? How much mozzarella cheese did my wife grate on to the top when she made it? How much ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella did she put inside? I can measure two cups of my favorite breakfast cereal in a bowl, but what I do for lasagna? Do I weigh my food on a scale? I need to think of a good plan to count, or even estimate my daily caloric intake. I am also going to start logging my workouts and weigh myself throughout the course of one week.

I did take some things away from trying to keep track of my food. I was very conscious about all my decisions throughout the day. I found myself agonizing over whether a chocolate fiber granola bar or a Honey Crisp apple would make me look like a healthier eater. It also made consider my fluid intake—or lack thereof—throughout the day. Tuesday, I had coffee in the morning and then not much else until my camel-like intake of water later late in the evening. So, here is what I definitely ate on Monday:

Monday:

Breakfast : 2 cups of Kelloggs Frosted Mini Wheats, 1 cup of skim milk.

post Breakfast snack: "everything" bagel with cream cheese

Lunch: peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat, banana

Snack: 1/4 cup of teriyaki beef jerkey, cup of mixed salted assorted nuts—whoa sodium intake!

Dinner: approximately 2 cups of potato's and 2 cups of veal in tomato sauce, 1 cup of green beans, 3 cups pasta fagioli soup, one ciabatta panini.

Evening "snack:" 2 1/2 cup of cheerios, 2 cups skim milk

Monday Workout: Weight Training (chest), core, 2.25 mile run

Weigh In: 182

Workouts: My workouts this past week still consist heavily of swimming and core and strength training with some bike mixed in. I am swimming nearly a mile every day, sometimes 1.25 miles. I never though I would actually enjoy swimming this much, but when that is all you can do, you better grow to like it quickly.

The Running News: I ran 2.25 miles on Tuesday. My right knee got a little tight around mile 2 and instead of pushing it, I decided to play it safe and leave well enough alone. The good news is that I did not have any pain that evening or the following day. I think all the stretching and time off is really finally paying dividends—even though it is sometimes difficult to lay off because I feel like I'm slacking.

Friends in the News: Good luck to my friend Vanessa Taylor (Medievalist Running in Circles), who will be running the Marine Core Marathon on Sunday 25 October in our Nation's capitol. She will be running for a bid to race in the Boston Marathon. Vanessa graciously trained a group of my fellow triathletes this summer to prepare us for the half-Ironman. She is a super runner and an even more wonderful human being.