Eating to support active lifestyle

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

I am trying to start doing more physical activity after 18 intense mos during the pandemic when work went crazy.

I am not doing huge amounts, just starting, but also have very full on job plus 3 small DC plus tip house to sort. I am looking to eat not so much to lose weight as to give energy and vitality and keep me active.

What are your top tips for powering through with diet?

Enough protein and a large variety of fruit and veg.

It's very 'marmite' but eating very low carb has changed my life - genuinely. My peri menopause symptoms are being kept at bay and my energy levels are through the roof!

My go to breakfast for a physically active day is raspberries - frozen ones heated in the microwave, add porridge oats to soak up the liquid and mix with plain yoghurt or quark, if its not sweet enough add some honey or use fruit/ vanilla favour yoghurt.

Lunch would be something light like a banana/ carrot/ cucumber.... and whole grain bread with butter.

Dinner just normal as per usual!

Everything is always topped up with plenty of water to drink.

Maybe not so important if you only starting out, but I know it's important I get my carbs. I know people will argue that you don't need them but my performance definitely declines if I don't have carbs at at least 2 meals a day.

Other than that, it's the same as any other healthy eating plan. Eat a wide variety of good quality, not processed or refined foods.

Just to add I run half marathon distance so run 3 x a week plus yoga and once my body adapted to fat burn it was astonishing how much better my stamina was.

More protein.

I struggle so much with low carb then I fall off try wagon big time and eat some cookies. Maybe I'm just not eating enough. I have been veggie in the past and not a big meat fan.

Today went

2 eggs scrambled
Strawberries and blueberries
Tea

School run > walk with dog and toddler > general house cleaning > toddler wrangling >

Chicken thigh, cheddar cheese wedge, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, raw carrot

shopping ( very hard work mentally with a 2 year old)

5 cookies 😳 cuppa

Chargrilled Vegetable pizza ( Tesco own brand)

@happyfroday

I struggle so much with low carb then I fall off try wagon big time and eat some cookies. Maybe I'm just not eating enough. I have been veggie in the past and not a big meat fan.

Today went

2 eggs scrambled
Strawberries and blueberries
Tea

School run > walk with dog and toddler > general house cleaning > toddler wrangling >

Chicken thigh, cheddar cheese wedge, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, raw carrot

shopping ( very hard work mentally with a 2 year old)

5 cookies 😳 cuppa

Chargrilled Vegetable pizza ( Tesco own brand)

That doesn't seem like much food to me even if you'd had bread or potatoes with breakfast and lunch!

Sleep well.
Keep caffeine consumption low so you can fall & stay asleep.

Thanks! This is really helpful. So for context, a typical weekday would be -

Breakfast 730 of banana, natural yoghurt, seeds

2ish cups of tea with milk, water during morning

Lunch 1pm - vegan batch cooked dish eg bean chili, dhal or similar
Nuts for a snack

Further tea, water in pm

Dinner 6pm - oatcakes, cheese, some fruit, square dark chocolate or nuts

Nothing except water or maybe mint tea for c12h

At the weekends Iet go more and have eg bagel for breakfast or sometimes pizza with DH

Thinking in the week I need more actual veg?

I try to do protein (I eat meat and fish) and vegetables. I tried really strict low carbing - weighing stuff, following the Atkins thing of only 50g of carbs each day for a fortnight ...

I kissed vegetables! Whodathunkit?

So now, if I want to cut/shred, I do 10 days of not eating white carbs - no processed sugar, flour, pasta, potatoes, bread, snacks of buscuits or chocolate.

I eat as much broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, peppers, tomatoes, avocados as I can handle. I eat a [roper breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 tomatoes, a cup of frozen spinach, into an omelette of sorts, topped with about 30g of cheddar cheese for salty flavour.

For puddings and snacks, I eat Fage 5% Greek yoghurt with about 100g of Iceland's frozen banana and strawberry smoothie mis. It is like eating ice cream - so creamy and set from the bananas.

So it becomes a way of eating: protein and lots of vegetables. And most of it super easy to cook from scratch: I batch cook chicken breasts in a very low slow oven on the weekend, and then finish them each day on the grill so I get that lovely caramelised outer texture. I have them chopped into a salad with avocado & lettuce & grilled peppers. The avocado gives a creamy dressing to everything else.

Or I just grill salmon, or steam/grill white fish. Dead easy.

missed not kissed vegetables - kissing broccoli would be weird.

I buy most of my green vegetables frozen from Iceland. I don't eat peas though, as they are really high calories for not very filling - broccoli & sprouts are my go-to easy cook (just steam), fill me up vegetables.

Just seen your daily diet - not enough protein. Tricky if you're vegan though ...

Hi OP, I am vegan too. I found that upping my protein was best for fuelling my workouts. It is hard to get as much protein as a vegan, but not impossible. I find a daily protein shake helps. Other high protein foods include seitan, tofu, tempeh, nuts/ nut butters, pulses and legumes.

You also don’t seem to be eating many vegetables at all. My daily menu tends to look like this:
Breakfast: decaf coffee, slice seeded toast with peanut butter, protein shake
Lunch: usually our main meal, half plate veg/ salad with things such as lentil spag Bol, stir fry, stew, seitan steak with potatoes and veg, homemade veg/ bean burger
Dinner: salad with baked tofu, red pepper hummus and maybe a small portion of potatoes/ nuts etc if hungry. Olive oil dressing
Afternoon snack: soya Greek style yoghurt, maybe with a few nuts/ seeds
I tend to eat more during the day as it fuels my workouts. My evenings are sedentary so I eat lighter then.

Meant to say, I don’t really lie fruit so tend not to have it very often. But I easily get my recommended portions of veg per day.

*like! …. Really wish there was an edit option on MN!

Thanks all, just coming back to this! Think you are right on both protein and veg. I am not vegan but often eat vegan lunches to up fibre and veg.

Will work on that....

Sounds like a good plan! Sorry I misread your post when I assumed you are vegan

If you want to live a active lifestyle, then you should take healthy and natural food items. Another thing, You should avoid junk food items from your daily life.