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Am I eating too much for my training amount?


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I was wondering if you guys could give some input. I am currently doing a whole30, but also training to maybe make it to regionals in CrossFit. I train 5-6 days a week, with 1 full rest day.

I am wondering if I eat too much or too often....I feel like I train quite a bit, so I need a decent amount of food, but I also still have a little toning I want to achieve and I always want to be getting stronger. I could probably lose 5-10 lbs, but I'm not as concerned with the weight. Here's my eating schedule and typical meals.

I eat in the morning before work at 6:30-7 am. (2 eggs, 1/4 lb ground turkey, 1/2 avocado, pico, 1/2 banana)

Then I have my coffee with coconut milk around 8-9am.

I have lunch anytime from 11:30 to 1pm. (spinach salad, 1 full chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, olive oil/balsamic dressing)

I have a snack most week days around 3:30-4pm. (handful of nuts or can of wild caught tuna)

GYM - 5:30 pm

I have dinner on days I train around 8pm or a little later. (1/3 lb of either grass fed beef or chicken, 2 cups worth of veggies)

I've provided some examples below of training for me:

45min - 90 min of upper body or lower body lifting followed by.....

Metcon/Cardio (a few examples of metcons):

100 air squats - 2000m row - 100 double unders

OR

10 rounds: 500m row, 5 man makers

OR

a Hero WOD

OR

100m sprints x 10

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Your training is not the only thing that matters - your overall activity levels, sleep, age, gender, and most especially size count too. That said, I assume you are female and I think your food looks good with one glaring exception. You should eat a post-workout snack of protein at the gym. A can of tuna packed in water, a chicken breast, or 3 or 4 boiled egg whites would be good (basically, a meal-size portion of lean protein). You need the protein very soon after you finish your training. Your body's window of exceptional availability has closed by the time you get home for dinner. The post-workout protein is very important to your recovery.

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Yeah, I normally do the protein shake, not during whole30, but when I'm not on Whole30 its just easiest. I have a 30-45 minute drive home after the gym and bringing food to the gym that stays isn't always easy. And protein powder is cheaper honestly. Money isn't abundant unfortunately. Having 6 extra small protein meals a week for after working out = about $20 extra dollars per week. Unless there is a better way to do it. Maybe only 1/2 a chicken breast after a workout?

By the way, some quick stats:

I'm 24, 5'9 and 165lbs. and a size 8.

I sleep 8+ hours a night most nights (sleep is very important to me)

I work at a desk all day :( I try to get up and walk around every hour or so, but work is work.

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Okay, at 5'9, you gotta eat, especially with your workout schedule and ambitions. And it occurs to me that you may need more starchy carbs to keep your energy levels up. If you feel good now, you don't have to add them, but if you find yourself dragging during workouts at all, I'd try to fix it by adding a sweet potato per day, if not twice per day.

1/2 of a big chicken breast might work. Or a can of tuna packed in water. The reason for packed in water is that tuna packed in olive oil digests slower because of the added fat. Personally, I eat a can of sardines as my post-workout protein, but I buy the good ones that cost $3 a can.

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As a reasonable $$$$ alternative I wait for turkeys to go on sale and I bone out the breasts... Leaving the legs,thights for soup,curries, etc

I take the boned out breast, season and wrap in three layers of foil then roast for about 1 1/2 hours @ 375 depending on size.... Sounds like a pain in the butt, but you can get 5-8 meals of pure unadulterated breast meat from one breast. About $5.00 so less than a dollar per post WO meal. :).

You can always ask the butcher at most major chain supermarkets to bone it for you any they are happy to do for free or a small cost....

Oh yeah... You can do it bone in also...sometimes they have bone in half breasts

I refuse to pay $ 7-$12 per pound for deli turkey that is half water and gelatin +++++, and they all use and don't have to list on the ingredients ( transglutaminase enzyme) or what the industry calls " meat glue".

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Okay, this is all great advice! Thank you!

I actually just got home from the store and baked up chicken breasts and sweet potatoes and plan on taking half of a chicken breast and half of a sweet potato for my post-wod tomorrow.

I think I stayed away from starch for such a long time because I was so concerned with losing weight and didn't consider how much I train sometimes. Now that I'm down about 25 pounds and only have a few more to lose, I'm okay re-introducing more starch. I'll try to keep it to 1-2 sweet potatoes a day. If I don't have 1/2 a sweet potato with my lunch, I'll normally have 1/2 a ziplock bag of carrots. I know, not the same, but its an easy alternative for me in a bind.

I've never tried the boned out a breast before. I'll have to try this out! Thanks for the suggestion!

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