Building Muscle - My Diet and Exercise Plan

Wednesday:
Breakfast - PB & banana on toast, skim milk
Snack - coffee with milk, almonds
Lunch - leftover chicken + avocado and corn salsa
Snack - Greek yogurt and granola
Dinner - chickpea pasta
Snack - Vita top + almond butter
Workout - 6km run

Rest day today... I'm almost finished my first week of full time work and I think I've done well in keeping up with my workouts and healthy eating. My only issue at the moment is that sitting at a desk all day is making me feel really stiff during my evening workouts. I might try a few pre-work morning workouts but I dunno... waking up before 6 am?? ick...
 
Thursday:
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - coffee w/ milk, almonds
Lunch - buffalo chicken panini from Mr. Sub
Snack - blueberries
Dinner - brown rice, spinach and tofu
Snack - banana and peanut butter
Rest day

Friday:
Breakfast - PB&B on toast
Snack - coffee w/ milk, almonds
Lunch - leftovers from Thursday's dinner
Snacks - almond butter on rye crackers, banana, Vita top
Dinner - chicken burrito w/ lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions, guacamole and salsa
Workout - 6 km run
 
I'm too lazy to log all of my food for Sat-Mon but it was a pretty typical weekend (i.e. mostly healthy with a few treats) and a very typical Monday. Here are my workouts:

Saturday: NROL4W 2A + 20 min. elliptical
I went to the gym with a friend of mine who just joined and hadn't worked out in like 4 years. She had no idea what to do with free weights so I wrote down the exercises from 1A and showed her how to do them. She pretty much complained the entire time... it must take a lot of patience to be a PT lol.

Sunday: 10 km run -- a month ago, 10 km seemed like such a big deal and now I consider it an 'easy' run. I think 10 km is now my 'happy' distance.

Monday: Body Pump -- went to a 6 a.m. class. Not fun. I think I'll stick to after-work evening workouts when I can.
 
Tuesday:
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - cafe misto, yogurt with granola
Lunch - steak with avocado and papaya and carrot salsa
Snack - snap peas and hummus
Dinner - pork chop casserole with egg noodles
Snack - Vita top
Workout - Body Attack

Wednesday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
Post-run - banana
Snack - cafe misto, almonds
Lunch - leftover porkchop casserole and egg noodles
Snack - yogurt and granola
Dinner - soba noodles and tofu
Snack - Vita top and almond butter
Workout - attempted a 6 km run before work but about halfway through I realized I wouldn't have enough time to get home, shower and get ready for work if I went the whole distance... so I only ended up doing 3 km... lame. I don't know how I miscalculated the timing so badly... my brain just does not function properly that early :S
 
Thursday:
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, banana
Snack - skim cafe misto, blueberries
Lunch - leftover soba noodles and tofu
Snack - greek yogurt and granola
Dinner - panko chicken and baked sweet potato fries
Snack - almond butter
Workout - Body Pump

Friday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast, skim milk
Snack - cafe misto (need to kick the pre-work Starbucks habit!!), fruit & nut bar
Lunch - leftovers from Thursday
Treat - cupcake with raspberry icing
Dinner - 1/2 "individual" pizza from Jack Astor's
Snack - almond butter and milk
Rest day
 
BurningItOff said:
I'm too lazy to log all of my food for Sat-Mon but it was a pretty typical weekend (i.e. mostly healthy with a few treats) and a very typical Monday. Here are my workouts:

Saturday: NROL4W 2A + 20 min. elliptical
I went to the gym with a friend of mine who just joined and hadn't worked out in like 4 years. She had no idea what to do with free weights so I wrote down the exercises from 1A and showed her how to do them. She pretty much complained the entire time... it must take a lot of patience to be a PT lol.

Sunday: 10 km run -- a month ago, 10 km seemed like such a big deal and now I consider it an 'easy' run. I think 10 km is now my 'happy' distance.

Monday: Body Pump -- went to a 6 a.m. class. Not fun. I think I'll stick to after-work evening workouts when I can.
Click to expand...

Patience is a virtue, but as an observation it's the guys who can tell you to harden the **** up, tell you that you fail at life, and yet somehow make you feel good about yourself all in the one breath that seem to really get the job the done when it comes to getting their clients to adhere to something. That's a talent that always leaves me in awe when I see it successfully played out in real life (which is a rare event). I know one PT who, if he has a client complaining because they don't want to do something, will just give them a choice - do this, or do something that's going to be even harder. A lot of it also depends on what attitudes and pre-conceived ideas the client is starting with, and what education you can give them to adjust their initial framework.

Congrats on the progress you're making while running. Your "easy" run is twice as far as I've ever ran - I remember I worked up to a 5k run back in 2008, and then discovered I was too bored to continue any further. I pretty much stopped running altogether after that point (partially due to an injury, partially due to boredom) and now I get a stitch crossing the road :)
 
Goldfish said:
Congrats on the progress you're making while running. Your "easy" run is twice as far as I've ever ran - I remember I worked up to a 5k run back in 2008, and then discovered I was too bored to continue any further. I pretty much stopped running altogether after that point (partially due to an injury, partially due to boredom) and now I get a stitch crossing the road :)
Click to expand...

Running definitely isn't for everyone... I hated it when I first started and only ran as a last resort when there were no classes at my gym or I didn't have time to do a full hour workout. I can't really pinpoint the moment I started to like it and there are still times when I hate it to be honest. But the good runs make it worth it.

Speaking of boredom and running -- I ran 15 km on Saturday and it went really well... except that the batteries in my mp3 player died around km 7 and I had to run in silence the rest of the distance. I have never been more bored in my life!!! I seriously don't get how people run without music. The funny thing is, everytime I started to feel tired, I would automatically start pressing "next" on my player -- I guess when I start to fatigue, my strategy is to flip through my songs until I find one that gets me pumped. No such luck on Saturday, LOL!

Saturday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
During run - Gatorade and 4 Sharkies chews (starting to experiment with this stuff now that I'm slowly approaching the full race distance)
Post run - slice of cinammon toast, almond butter and skim milk
Lunch - leftover soba noodles and tofu
Snack - apple
Dinner - 1/2 pizza (I was going through a major pizza phase this weekend), 2 Carlsberg lights
Dessert - 1/2 creme brulee
Workout - 15 km

Sunday:
Breakfast - cinnamon raisin bagel thins, apple
Post-workout - vita top
Lunch - leftover pizza
Snack - banana and peanut butter
---> This is the point in the day where I went to the Canadian National Exhibition (an annual fair where they sell the WORST food) followed by drinks with friends and a concert... get ready for some terrible eating
Snack - 2 deep fried butter balls (tried these out of curiousity -- they were actually pretty good)
Dinner - 1/2 serving poutine
Dessert - 1/2 Swiss waffle
Bar - 1 pint Bud light, shared a loaded nachos with 3 other ppl, had another pint at the concert and some roasted corn on the cob later in the evening
Workout - RPM

Monday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
Snack - coffee w/ milk, Laughing Cow cheese dipper
Lunch - 2 slices of pizza (a healthy kind with whole wheat crust, goat cheese and vegetables)
Snack - Greek yogurt and blueberries
Dinner - whole wheat spaghetti with homemade pesto sauce, broccoli and ricotta cheese
Post-workout - bagel thin with peanut butter and skim milk
Workout - Tempo Run (11 km)
 
Tuesday:
Breakfast - bagel thin with peanut butter, apple, hard boiled egg
Snack - skim cafe misto, yogurt and granola
Lunch - leftover w.w. spaghetti with pesto
Snack - laughing cow cheese dippers
Dinner - beef stir fry with brown rice
Post workout - vita top and skim milk
Workout - Body Pump

Wednesday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast, apple
Snack - coffee with milk, laughing cow cheese dippers
Lunch - leftover stir fry w/ rice
Snack - yogurt and blueberries
Dinner - bean pasta
Post-run - vita top and skim milk
Workout - Easy Run (6 km)
 
Thanks! Less than 20 days now!!

Thursday:
Breakfast -- bagel thin with peanut butter, two hard boiled eggs
Snack - coffee w/ milk, yogurt and granola
Lunch - WW spaghetti with pesto
Snack - Laughing Cow cheese dippers
Dinner - butternut squash and brown rice
Snack - Vita top
Workout - Body Pump

Friday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
Snack - skim cafe misto, yogurt and berries
Lunch - leftover squash and rice
Snack - cashews
Dinner - chicken burrito w/ salsa, vegetables and cheese
Rest Day

Saturday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
While running - Gatorade
Post-run - bagel thin w/ ricotta cheese
Snack - Vita Top
Lunch - 1/4 chicken, 1/2 sweet potato
Dessert - gelato
Snack - apple, small piece of banana bread
Dinner - chicken fajitas, coors light
Workout - 16 km

Sunday:
Breakfast - PB on toast, blueberries
Lunch - slice of bread w/ olive oil; 3 slices of pizza w/ feta and grilled vegetables
Snack - apple and almond butter
Dinner - plate of mixed vegetables and meat
Dessert - small piece of cavassa cake
Rest day

Time to switch up the workout routine a bit -- gonna start cutting back on some other activities so I can do 1 extra easy run per week and have an extra rest day each week.
 
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Monday:
Breakfast - PB & B on toast, milk
Post run - almond butter on rye, apple
Lunch - leftover pizza
Dessert - dark chocolate cake
Dinner - paprika rubbed chicken with carrot, fennel, dried apricots and couscous
Snack - Vita Top
Workout - 13 km with 4 x 1600 m speed intervals

Tuesday:
Breakfast - almond butter on rye, apple
Snack - yogurt and blueberries
Lunch - leftovers from Mon's dinner
Snack - Laughing Cow cheese dippers
Dinner - whole wheat spaghetti with pesto and ricotta cheese
Post-run - vita top
Workout - 5 km easy run

Wednesday:
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - yogurt and granola
Lunch - leftover spaghetti
Snack - Laughing Cow cheese dippers
Dinner - chicken pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tzatziki and cheese
Snack - Vita Top w/ almond butter
Workout - Body Pump

Thursday:
Breakfast - PB & banana on toast, apple
Snack - yogurt and blueberries
Lunch - leftover spaghetti
Snack - Laughing Cow cheese dippers
Dinner - hamburger and garden salad; bud light
Rest Day
 
Friday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
Snack - skim cafe misto, Laughing Cow cheese dippers
Lunch - 1/2 goat roti
Dinner - other 1/2 goat roti
Post-run - vita top
Snack - popcorn
Workout - 5 km run

Saturday:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
During run - Gatorade, 1/2 packet of Sharkies
Post run - almond butter on rye bread
Lunch - grilled vegetables sandwich with asiago cheese and mayo
Dinner - soba noodles with tofu and vegetables, glass of wine
Late night - went to a bar and had a beer and half an order of sweet potato fries
Workout - 17 km

Sunday:
Breakfast - peanut butter on whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Post workout - almond butter on rye bread
Lunch - 6 pieces sashimi, avocado roll, edamame
Snack - 2 polpetta (kind of like meatballs only a bit bigger); yogurt and blueberries
Dinner - 1/2 personal pizza from jack astor's
Workout - RPM

This week, I'm planning to do Body Pump earlier in the week (Tuesday), take a rest day the day before my long run (I normally do this but my schedule got messed up this week) and do my tempo run (11 km) tonight. That means Wed and Thurs will be easy runs and Friday will be a rest day, giving me 3 days of recovery before my long run on Sat (they were a little sore during the last long run). The following week, I'm going to cut back on everything and take two full days off before the race.
 
You've done a real good job preparing for this race. Congrats on the 17k run last week. I look forward to seeing how you go on your long run this week, and how you go in the race :)
 
Thanks!! I'll definitely post an update on Saturday and of course after the race :)

Mon:
Breakfast - PB & Banana on toast
Snack - yogurt and granola
Lunch - soba noodles with tofu and vegetables
Snack - laughing cow cheese dippers
Dinner - same as lunch (yay for cooking in bulk!)
Post-workout - almond butter on rye bread
Workout - 11 km run

Tues:
Breakfast - peanut butter and banana on toast
Snack - yogurt and granola
Lunch - other half of sunday's pizza
Snack - laughing cow cheese dippers
Dinner - bean pasta
Post-workout - Vita top
Workout - Body Pump

Wed:
Pre-run - 1/2 banana
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - yogurt and granola
Lunch - chicken breast in a pita with letuce, tomato and a bit of mayo
Dessert - ice cream cone
Snack - laughing cow cheese dippers
Dinner - Spaghetti squash with navy beans, cheese and cherry tomatoes
Planned snack - vita top
Workout - 5 km which, for some reason, I voluntarily ran at 6 in the morning. Without music. It was actually kind of nice.
 
Thurs:
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - yogurt and granola
Lunch - leftover spaghetti squash
Snack - laughing cow cheese dippers
Dinner - paprika rubbed chicken with carrotos, dried apricots and whole wheat couscous
Post-workout - Vita Top
Workout - 5km treadmill run

Friday:
Breakfast - peanut butter on toast
Snack - coffee; yogurt and berries
Lunch - leftover chicken/couscous
Snack - popcorn
Dinner - pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs; slice of garlic bread
Dessert - 4 mini eclairs
Rest day

Saturday:
Breakfast - PB on toast
Run - gatorade; 1/2 packet of sharkies
Post-run - vita top with ricotta cheese
Lunch - bibimbap (rice bowl with beef, vegetables and egg)
Snack - cheese and crackers
Dinner - two slices of bread w/ olive oil, scallops and mini potatoes; 8oz white wine
Dessert - bread pudding
Drinks - 2 Heinekens
Workout - 18 km(!)

Sun:
Breakfast - PB on slice of toast, scrambled eggs, yogurt and granola
Lunch - leftover spaghetti squash
Snack - apple and almond butter
Snack #2 - vegetables and hummus; hard boiled egg
Dinner - Amy's paneer tikka
REST

Despite some not so great weather (cold and very windy), Saturday's run was amazing. I ran faster than my usual pace without even trying to - I hit the 10 km mark within one hour (usually takes me about 1:05) and finished the full route in just under 2 hours. I felt fine after too - not too sore or hungry, so I'm going to follow the exact same pre-, post- and mid-run fuelling strategies.

My only concern is that I didn't exactly recover under ideal conditions - it was a friend's birthday so we went for dinner then out to a club. I don't think drinking, dancing in heels and getting 3 hours of sleep was necessarily the best way to recover from a long run but at least I kept the drinking to a reasonable level (no hangover the next day). I felt okay yesterday - a little tired but okay. I also ate really well and got a good 9 hours of sleep last night.

Plan for this week - eat well and avoid junk food/alcohol, take it easy on the exercise (I'm thinking two runs and two yoga classes and that's it), get lots of sleep and wear flats to work.
 
So far the week has gone according to plan:

Monday:
Breakfast - almond butter and toast, apple
Snack - coffee with milk, Greek yogurt and granola
Lunch - chicken stuffed with spinach and brie, steamed spinach
Snack - vegetables and hummus
Dinner - panko chicken with baked sweet potato fries
Snack - peanut butter and banana
Workout - BodyFlow

Tuesday
Breakfast - almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - coffee w/ milk, yogurt and granola
Lunch - chicken with spinach and brie, chickpea salad
Snack - vegetables and hummus
Dinner - butternut squash and brown rice
Snack - peanut butter on melba toast
Workout - 5 km run

Wednesday
Breakfast - Peanut butter and banana on toast, milk
Snack - skim cafe misto, yogurt and granola
Lunch - butternut squash and brown rice
Snack - vegetables and melba toast with hummus
Dinner - beef stir fry with brown rice
Snack - Apple with almond butter
REST

Thursday
Breakfast - 1/2 banana, almond butter on toast, apple
Snack - Greek yogurt and granola, coffee with milk
Lunch - beef stir fry with brown rice
Snack - blueberries
Dinner - butternut squash with brown rice
Snack - peanut butter on crackers
Workout - 8 km

Two more days!!!
 
Looks like tomorrow's the big day. I'm excited for you! How excited? This excited:

l.jpg
 
Thanks for the well wishes (and the motivational picture lol). Yesterday went really well... the first five kilometres were tough (which is usually the case with all of my long runs so this wasn't exactly a surprise). Kilometres 6 - 12 felt great, then I started to get tired. I got a nice second wind at around 18 km and picked up my pace, which I maintained until the end... overall time was 2:14:07, which is better than I expected (I had predicted finishing in about 2:20). I'm pretty sore today so I'm planning to take the day off before getting back into my regular routine -- looking forward to just working out for fun and not having any particular goal in mind for the next little while.
 
Quick review of this week (not tracking food anymore but it's pretty much the same as usual):
Monday - rest
Tuesday - Body Pump
Wednesday - 5 km
Thursday - Body Pump
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Body Pump

The plan for now is to get back to lifting 3x a week. Next week, I'd like to mix it up a bit and get in at least one free weights workout (maybe start NROL4W stage 3). BP three times a week gets a little tedious as I re-discovered this week. I'd also like to do some more interval training based cardio classes and run a couple times too... my problem right now is I have too many activities I enjoy doing -- which I guess is better than not having any!
 
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