The day I ran my 20-mile marathon training run I realized something: I was out of shape and it was weighing me down(literally). It wasn’t hard to figure out why I might have gained 15-20 pounds since November:
- It was the Holidays. Cookies, cake, and candy were always around.
- My dog dying in November led to major stress eating.
- I had gotten injured and stopped doing cardio altogether for 6 weeks, but don’t remember cutting down my actual portions during that time.
After that run I swore I’d get in better shape for the marathon; I knew I couldn’t undo 3 months of bad habits in 3 weeks but I put myself on a healthy track having the longer picture in mind. I was already interested in a plant-based diet and reading Matt’s e-book convinced me I should give it a shot with some slight twists.
First of all, this is not a low/high anything diet and didn’t focus on any numbers. Instead I focused on the type of foods that I ate. I also didn’t cut anything out completely, instead trying to limit myself to 1 serving of dessert a day.
Things I eat a lot of:
- Raw vegetables
- Greens
- Beans
- Fruit
- Nuts & Seeds
Things I eat in moderation:
- Fish
- Eggs
- Potatoes
- Healthy oils
- Sugar
- Cocoa powder(it’s really its own food group to me)
Things I eat very little of
- Red/white meat
- Soy
- Grains
- Dairy
As I got hungry through the day, I snacked on things like raw vegetables or nuts. I also got rid of a bad habit of a filling snack right before bed and instead learned how to fall asleep with a slight hunger.
As for protein, my philosophy was that eating enough real food throughout the day would lead to an appropriate amount. Beans, broccoli, and nuts may not be protein powerhouses on their own, but when you eat a lot of them it adds up over time. If I weren’t running ~30 miles per week and eating so much, I might need to add a bigger emphasis to protein. But this works for me at the moment.
So how has it worked? Well, I don’t own a scale but I definitely feel lighter. A week after I started I noticed my 6.5 mile loop being a whole minute faster, which felt like progress. Now, about 5 weeks later, my “comfortable pace” for long runs has dropped about 10-20 seconds/mile, which also encourages me to keep it up. And I strength train twice a week to make sure that I’m losing fat and building muscle, which I would recommend as part of any distance running program.
Disclaimer: I’m completely unqualified. For everything. It’s amazing I get out of bed and put my socks on both feet every morning. Do not assume that this is sound medical advise and that you can sue me. Besides, I have no money so the joke’s on you.
PS. Heather is having a raffle right now to raise money for Relay for Life and my outrageous triple chocolate brownies are one of the prizes. I suggest you pop on over and take a look at all the goodies over their and bid for a good cause.
Thanks for the info im glad to see the changes you made are helping! In my opinion plant based diets are amazing and I have never felt better!
Loving this. I’ve had the same problem, not necessarily with the weight gain but just with the sluggishness and lower fitness levels. So, I’ve taken a similar approach to you. I’ve avoided labels and instead make the bulk of my eats focussed around vegetables, grains and nuts (with a healthy space for chocolate and cheese, my two loves).
xxx
Love this! Such a great way to go about eating AND seeing if it’s working for you by paying attention to mileage/pace. Plus your disclaimer is amazing.
I made a similar move a couple years ago after I realized that my entire diet consisted of pre-packaged diets food that had no nutritional value (i.e. Zone bar for breakfast, Lean Cuisine for lunch, Snackwells for a snack…sound familiar to anyone?) I still eat meat, but not nearly the amount that I used to! Good luck!!!
I like this post, and I love your man-attitude to it all – I can imagine so many women would freak out at weight gain or go on a crash diet (general population), so your attitude = very refreshing. But the best bit about this post is the disclaimer at the bottom even more 😛 too funny!
Having a plan is key to improving any aspect of your life. Your health/weight/athletic ability is no exception, which you are smart enough to know.
You are also smart enough to know that cocoa powder is its own food group. Unsweetened chocolate is its own food group, too. So is bittersweet chocolate.
I love this post. I just love how you look at it. It’s not about losing pounds, it’s about how much faster and easier your runs are. LOVE it. BTW, where can I get those nuts?? 🙂
I was just talking about the whole protein issue yesterday. And when I ate my broccoli yesterday, I was thinking “this has a little protein in it and it all adds up”.
P.S. I love your disclaimer!
Plants and beans make me gassy, any ideas on how I can keep this classy?
You disclaimer totally made me laugh. 🙂 It’s very encouraging to read about how the plant-based diet is helping you get to your goals performance and health-wise. Thanks for sharing!
love the disclaimer AND that cocoa is it’s own food group. it is for me also. some great information here, and I especially perked up at your run pace getting faster. nice!
I think it’s great to hear this coming from a guy, because some guys I know who maybe need (or have needed) to lose weight, hesitate to do anything about it because they feel like it requires going on weight watchers or totally overhauling their life. Sometimes, of course, those things are necessary but I like that you know that you CAN get healthier simply by making changes to your diet and lifestyle that make sense and don’t require a ton of extra money or time.
oops, I meant “I like that you SHOW that you…”
Good for you, man! I am always psyched to hear that someone has adopted a more plant-based diet for good reason. You are a champ and 15-20 pounds is nothing on you anyway… I am sure you will be building muscle and losing any bit you wanted to in no time.
Cracking up over your disclaimer – brilliant!
This amuses me because I’ve actually recently reintroduced quite a bit more meat back into my diet and have been feeling better and dropped a couple pounds. Funny how different stuff works for different folks! 🙂
Great insight, Evan. Thanks for sharing.
Can I ask why you put soy on the “things I eat very little of” list? Is that a personal preference or are you deciding not to eat it often for another reason? Just curious because the soy debate is a big one!
At first I cut out soy to see if I’m at all allergic to it. After having it in small doses like soy lecithin as an ingredient, I found out I wasn’t, which is good, but I liked how keeping it out encouraged me to eat more whole foods. And I really don’t “miss” tofu all that much because I always had to add spices or a sauce to make it taste good to begin with and you can do that with any ingredients.
I’m gonna have to start doing this now that my marathon training is over. I too am in the bad habit of eating a big snack before bed, but it totally throws off my eating the next day.
I love that learning to fall asleep a bit hungry part. I realize that I have a snack at night when I’m not really hungry, for fear that I might get hungry. Well, that’s nonsense. Instead, I’ve been drinking flavored waters (without gross aspartame!) before bed and they seem to do the trick. And if I’m so hungry I can’t sleep, I can just go to the kitchen and get a snack–hasn’t happened yet, though! 🙂
I just wanted to say, your disclaimer is the best!! Lol.
Evan thanks for sharing your insights and what you’re doing and what’s working for you.
“I knew I couldn’t undo 3 months of bad habits in 3 weeks”– the same can be said for pregnancy. Not that this will ever be the case for you but I hate it when women want to be back in their jeans in like 2 weeks. Hello, it took 9 mos to put it on and will take a decent amt of time for most women, to get it all off!
Good for you! Your disclaimer made me laugh, too.
I went to Italy for the summer and came back with a 10 pound “souvenir.” But since then, watching portions and exercising regularly has made me run 30 seconds faster. Woohoo!
Keep it up, Evan!
Good for you getting fit and enjoying more veggies while doing it :)! You will find it makes a huge difference when racing once you eat this way for a while!
And I think you’re perfect just the way you are 🙂
That being said, I was thinking about going back to true meatlessness for my next marathon training. It definitely doesn’t hurt.
Amen to all of this. You don’t have to go veg, but there’s an overwhelming amount of research that supports the argument for a diet high in plant foods.
Have you ever tried cocoa powder in warm almond milk? I’m drinking some now. It’s awesomesauce.
Gorgeous, gorgeous photos, and I love your philosophy!!
Ok, so long time lurker first time commenting! 1) I just wanted to say I love your blog and your philosophy in this post rocks.
2) I think you should absolutely, without a doubt skip class and partake in Marathon Monday madness. Just sayin’ I cannot wait myself!
haha. you’re funny. i have no money either, so don’t bother coming after me.
anyways, i think it’s great you are focusing on a plant-based diet! really, i think that should be everyone’s focus. more veg. more fruit. more natural foods. it really is amazing when i eat clean (after one too many brews) how good i do feel – physically and mentally. keep on with yo bad self and i am sure those lbs will drop in no time – or not drop, you may just convert it all to pure manly muscle 🙂
I absolutely agree that cocoa powder is its own food group! 😀 I’m glad the changes you made are working for you! 🙂
Using your speed is a great gauge that I never would have thought of. Thanks for the thoughtful post, and I promise never to sue you!
what a fantastic post!
I love that you’re not nit picky or dogmatic about it just following your instincts and using a few simple, healthy principles. Very Mark Bittman like. 🙂
My daughter, Jenny (just above), recommended your post to me, because I’d written asking her for advice on post-cardio workout meals (for me, the workouts are usually long, often hilly, bike rides) while at the same time trying to lose 10 lbs over the next three months.
I love how you’re getting into shape. I gained 10-15 lbs over the past two years, and it’s all settled as a muffin-top, which I could mostly hide during the cold weather but that even then felt uncomfortable.
Like you, I’m cutting way back on the dairy and grains and getting into serious amounts of fruits and veggies. (I’ve been eating healthy–just too much.)
I love your idea of learning to fall asleep with a slight hunger. And not using a scale but basing your progress on how you feel. And I love your disclaimer.
Thanks so much for the inspiring post!
I just have to tell that I totally laughed out loud at your disclaimer. 🙂
Do you eat tempeh – or cut that out with soy as well.
I like meat and eggs and have no intention of kicking it out. But all your food sounds good!
I don’t see it so much as a plant-based diet as being your former issue as it is more just eating healthy in general though.
The “less-dessert” diet 😉
From what I’ve heard tempeh is generally regarded as a healthier soy option. But even when I ate soy I never cared for the taste/texture of tempeh so I had no problem cutting it out, too.
best.disclaimer.ever 🙂
Glad I ran across this post! I have recently starting eating a plant based diet and really enjoy it!
My bad habit is eating a big snack before bed. Hearing how you cut back on your before-bed snackage and learned to sleep with slight hunger is motivating for me! Thanks!