Not Quite Ready for Retirement....

It has been FOREVER since I've posted (my sincerest apologies to my mom who likes to read these and encourages me to write 🧡) Looking back....my last two posts (from the end of 2021) were within weeks  of my 4th Bodybuilding competition. These shared my feelings of accomplishment as well as documented a little of my return to a more "normal" plant-based life.

High level update:

• I continue to eat a plant-based diet, but stopped tracking everything I ate
• I did not take a break from lifting weights post-competition
• I went months without getting on the scale (I will talk about that more in a future post)
• We remodeled our kitchen, making it more enjoyable to cook and meal prep!

And although I announced that my competition in late 2021 would likely be my last, I decided in July to begin training for number five. Part of me was asking myself, " Why on EARTH do you want to go through all of that again?"

The short answer is that I felt like I wasn't where I wanted to be on competition day. It wasn't about "winning", but there were a couple of areas with which I wasn't fully satisfied. I've never been a hugely competitive person....but didn't like this feeling of having unfinished business. Friends and family have had mixed reactions to my decision- some think I'm crazy while others have more of "You go girl!" type of response. I can understand the sentiment coming from both camps!

Here is a quick look back of how I operated food-wise during my hiatus. First, I still ate almost exclusively plants (no meat and virtually no eggs or dairy). I definitely consumed more beans and grains and some (gasp!) processed foods that I avoided during the final competition prep.

A little side note for those of you new to the blog...I refer to myself as a plant-based eater. Not vegan- because I occasionally eat something that has a smidge of dairy in it....or something that has touched meat...aaaaaand I still own some leather shoes. I am also not "whole food plant based" (WFPB) as this denotes consuming no (or very minimal) processed food. I do eat a lot of whole foods, AND I like tortilla chips, pizza and bake some amazing vegan cookies. To summarize, I relaxed my way of eating....trying to still load up on veggies, fruit, beans, etc. but without tracking any calories or the percentage of carbohydrates, protein or fat I consumed EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I was also working to listen to cues from my body and eat when I was hungry vs. bored, tired, frustrated, etc. 

Current state: The days are flying by, and I'm about 6 weeks out from the competition...it's challenging. To clarify, the EATING part is more challenging. The workouts (5 days per week of weight training) are always difficult, but are my favorite part. The trickier part is getting my calorie requirements (which are lower) and my "macros" (the percentage of carbohydrates, fat and protein) to match the daily targets set by my coach. 

When I'm at home, it's MUCH easier to meet these current targets. I load up on non-starchy vegetables (greens, mushrooms, cauliflower, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, etc.) - then I add I may add in a small serving of beans, tofu, tempeh or seitan. I also drink several vegan protein shakes each day to ensure I hit my protein goals. In addition, I rarely cook with oil (whether I'm training or not). At 100 calories per Tablespoon, I can find a much better use for those calories!  Below is a quick overview of the concept of calorie density from Forks Over Knives. This can be helpful to anyone looking to improve their health while still being able to eat a sufficient amount of food every day. It's super useful during this training phase to ensure I obtain important nutrients while not feeling hungry!

I would say another current challenge is eating with people who I don't know well...work colleagues, casual acquaintances, etc. The whole plant-based thing is not super rare, but questions sometimes bubble up for those unfamiliar. (I don't mind answering those, by the way!). But couple plant-based eating with the current puzzle of achieving my food targets often means my choices are limited. My conversation with a server or what actually ends up on my plate may pique the curiosity of others...and it can be a bit awkward. In a non-training situation, I find that eating out is not difficult. I would find any veggie burger (including an Impossible Burger), rice, beans, potatoes, etc. Avocado tacos or a pizza (without meat or cheese) are also favorites! Post-competition I'll provide additional dining out tips for plant-based eaters.

In the short term, I'll be sharing some of the fun and challenging nuggets from my final 6 weeks of training. Then I will bring back helpful tips on how to add more plants to your diet that taste delicious, make you feel good and (also important) don't cost a fortune! Thanks for reading!