A Shift

At a work training session a few months ago, one of the ice breakers was to share with the group your favorite food.  Most answered “seafood” or “anything Italian”.  Me?  I had to be a smart ass and answer (honestly, I’m afraid):

Anything in a package.

Yup, there it is.  The absolute truth and no surprise to those who know me best. 

Even before I began running the kind of miles that enable me to eat whatever I want, I had always been able to eat whatever I wanted.  Frankly, I never placed much importance on food.  Only when I began running did I realize I needed to give a little bit of thought to what I put into my body.  Now it was considered fuel.

This is not to say that I don’t enjoy fresh fruit or vegetables.  But more honesty?  I’m lazy.  No thinking or planning needed for a quick buttering of peanut butter toast for breakfast.  Unless I bring leftovers to work for lunch, there’s a good chance I’ll be found grabbing a breakfast sandwich via McDonald’s drive-thru.  Even my GU comes in a package.  And how do I wash it all down?  I grab myself a Coke or some other sugary drink.  What a hot mess.

Something about today was different.  Having nothing to do with weight loss or diet fads, I tried having a bowl of fresh strawberries for breakfast.   Usually, I’m famished by 10:00, but today, I sailed right through until lunch time.  Scott and I had a lunch date, where he brought me a salad with grilled chicken.  I washed it down with a bottle of water.  By the end of lunch time, I was feeling like a rock star.

Then Marissa brought cupcakes into the office.  Sigh.

Fortunately, they were quite mini.  I did have one and enjoyed every mini bite of the mini cupcake.  And I washed it down with water.  Dinner consisting of spaghetti and meatballs (washed down with water) rounded out Day 1 of this fueling experiment. 

The reason for the experiment?  I’m tired of feeling gross.  Plain and simple.  If I don’t want to feel gross anymore, I need to change what I eat and drink.  I still see ultra race goodies in my future, but in its place (like during an ultra race) and not in the form of a daily diet.

I’ll always have a soft spot for packaged food, but more real food is likely to prevent me from gaining too large a soft spot….on me!

Wish me luck!!