Lately, I have just been grabbing bars - Lunabars, balance bars, Powerbars. I have 3 boxes of them in my house. I eat bars in the middle of the night and right when I wake up. I'm trying to cut out that middle of the night thing with water, and most of the time it works. I view bars as a healthy snack depending on what kind of bar it is. The protein is usually something that I can use daily. I'll do powerbars as a recovery food, balance bars as a pre-breakfast, and luna bars as a snack. The last few days I've probably had 2 bars a day just to grab something to eat when I'm starving. And a smoothie. I feel like they have lots of vitamins and are good for my sweet tooth but they really shouldn't be a replacement for a meal which sometimes they are for me. What are your thoughts?
Current bars:
Luna: White Chocolate Macadamia, Cookies N Creme
PowerBar: Chocolate one - harvest
Balance Bar: Chocolate and Cookie Dough
Here is a bar giveaway btw- giveaway ends tomorrow
More about food....smoothies. I haven't really changed them up much. Mine have berries, 1/2 a banana, Aria protein powder, soy/skim milk or almond breeze (tried this after hearing from abby and A.B. that they tried it out - don't like how it is low in protein but do like the low-cal), and a handful of spinach. Bad thing is these smoothies cause some gas!! The other thing is, it is kind of annoying to have fresh berries and expensive right now, so I'm thinking frozen is my next thing when I run out of fresh berries.
I keep getting into a rut where I just eat the same fruits, same veggies, same meals. I never switch it up! Oatmeal for breakfast, same smoothie everyday, there is some change in the veggies for dinner but always the same rotation (spinach, sweet potatoes, mushrooms for the most part). How do you mix it up??
Today I went with Nick to Valley Forge again for that intense hill workout. I brought out an old friend! When I started running, I bought the Garmin 201. It is HUGE. I remember being frustrated with it never finding a signal. So it sat in a shoebox for the last 3ish years, maybe 4, and I brought it out today to see how long that loop was. It found its signal pretty quick and I enjoyed it. Instead of wearing it, I sat it on the stroller. For any locals, if you park in the visitors lot and run the loop - around the arch/not under it, and back to the top past the visitors center and back down to the lot - it is 5.5 miles (5.49). It took me forever!! Nick was awake for much of the run and sooo good!
5.5 miles/1:03:15/11:30 w/ BOB
Thanks for your personal running info. It sounds like most of you run 4-5 days a week, which is where I'm at. I'd like to swim and lift the other two, but so far I have been doing yoga and strength. I have to find a pool all over again (the other one was before work and near work).
I tried a lemon Lunabar the other day and I hated it! Maybe I should have tried another flavour!
ReplyDeleteIt may be possible that the two bars/day are causing the gassiness rather than the smoothies. ;)
ReplyDeleteI like bars, clif especially, but don't eat them except when I am out on a long bike ride. If I'm home, I think its better to eat whole (real) food for snacking. Bars are convenient, but they're still processed food, ya know?
That is a good idea to put the garmin on the bob especially since you said it was soo big!!
ReplyDeleteI don't really eat many bars - sometimes just the quaker chewy ones or something before practice.
I hate bars. I OD'd on them when I first started running. Now, I'd much rather have PB on toast or a banana. I actually did that today before my run. I DO eat granola bars...I believe they are no longer making my FAVORITE Chex Mix Turtle Bars. I literally ate 1 whole 35 bar box of them from Costco in 1 week!! Ahh!
ReplyDeletelove smoothies. not bars. they just seem too calorie-dense for me (unless i'm earning the calories on a super long bike ride or something...not in my near future though!) and i'd rather eat more volume.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a bar person. I'll grab them if I just can't find anything else but I'd rather have real food. Now smoothies, I love smoothies. But they have to be really cold and the perfect consistency. I hate it when they are too melted (I know, I'm high maintenance).
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to stop eating when I get up in the middle of the night to feed Zach. I have no will power in the middle of the night.
I have been into the Kashi line of bars lately. They are a good quick snack.
ReplyDeleteI don't really eat bars, but I am curious to try these Luna bars everyone talks about. Good idea mounting your 201 to the BOB! You are going to be sooo strong working out with BOB all the time.
ReplyDeleteI like your thinking. I have the same garmie and it gets terrible signal and is pretty much a POS. Which is why i havent got a new one. I'm afraid to spend the money on something if its gonna get crap signal and not be useful.
ReplyDeleteSeriously your gonna be super buff for this marathon after pushing lil Nick around! I bet your getting excited!! :)
I like the Genisoy bar crispy chocolate mint bars. I don't use them as a meal replacement, there isn't enough calories and I need to eat real food!
ReplyDeleteNice job on the run.
I'm not a big bar eater...a lot of them are too caloric for me. I'd rather eat a few things than one bar. I also read an article recently on runners world (I think that's where I saw it) which said to be careful with how many bars you eat because they really add up and average runners do not need to be eating a lot of them. Especially on normal days. After long runs, yes, but not needed all the time. I'll see if I can find the article.
ReplyDeleteI also get in the food rut. I eat the same thing day in and day out. I'm trying to change it up but I don't like switching up my foods.
I don't know, I'm a Cliff Bar kinda gal but those are for snacks not for meal replacement :-/
ReplyDeleteI would definitely buy frozen berries when fresh are not in season,it's a lot cheaper and they taste great.
ReplyDeleteCarly beat me to my suggestion which was Kashi. I run with a Luna team in the spring/summer and we get free sample bars from them, but most of them taste just OK. Would rather have toast an peanut butter or cheese and crackers or a banana. Kashi products are great! I really like they're 'crunchy' almond and pumpkin spice bars. They just brought out some new flavors of muesli bars in chocolate coconut (about 130 cals) and pumpkin pie (haven't tried yet). My husband is one a diet and now east Kashi Go Lean and they're crackers are really yummy and healthy too.
ReplyDeletei am addicted to clif zbars right now... they are a little smaller than the others, so have less calories. YUMMM they are good!
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time switching up my eating routine. Oatmeal or cereal in the morning, small lunch, then my usual dinner: some sort of meat (either chicken or fish), some sort of veggie, and some sort of carb (pasta, rice, etc.). It's boring, but at least it's healthy.
ReplyDeleteI don't like bar much since they are so processed. I have them when I travel, but never at home. Plus, I just like real food better. Makes me feel more full if I take the time to cook/prepare something. (Of course, I don't have an adorable little baby keeping me busy.)
ReplyDeleteI try not to ever have more than 1 bar a day, but that's just me. I think it's because I feel like I need more solid food...and a lot of them don't taste that great to me (ick powerbar). so they are a good snack.
ReplyDeleteagreed on the veggies. I tend to rotate through the same ones..but hey I'm eating them!