Afternoon Snack

After a busy couple of weeks and a bout of writer's block, I am back -- with a snack.

Snack time for me is around 3:30 PM, and I generally try to eat something high in protein, but foods that fit within my overall caloric intake goals. On days that I don't run, that means about 200 calories; and on days that I do run, it could be 300-450 calories.

My old stand-by for non-running days is 1 oz. of Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese and half a serving of Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ Almonds. On days that I do run, I will switch it up to a full serving (28 pcs) of almonds and sometimes add in a piece of fruit.

1 oz. of pepper jack (110 cal.) and 1 serving of almonds (170 cal.)

That's it. It may not look like much, but it easily tides me over until dinner, yet doesn't fill me up to the point that I don't feel like running an hour after consuming it. If I don't have those exact items on hand I will just mix it up, but keep the same concept -- I'll substitute a different type of nut or cheese, or put peanut butter on whole-grain toast, or add some vegetables into the mix.

After consuming my afternoon snack on a non-running day, I will typically be at around 800 cumulative calories for the day, which leaves me with approx. 1000 for dinner. Some would say that only consuming 800 calories by that point in the day is bordering on deprivation, but if your body feels good enough to go out and walk/run 5+ miles, I would say that it is plenty. This, again, is where willpower comes in to play -- the easy way out is to say, "there's no way I could do that"; instead of telling your growling stomach that it will no longer be controlling you.

Once again, this is all what works for me. Some people need more protein and calories for breakfast than I do, and that is fine, as long as they keep in mind that those additional calories in the morning will need to be subtracted out of what they eat later in the day. If you eat 750 calories at breakfast, just remember that you will not be able to eat very much the rest of the day if you want to lose weight. There's no miracle food or formula here -- just burn more calories than you consume.