Adaptation

Good news/bad news friends. Good news is that my ankle has almost no pain anymore and my range of motion is almost completely back. Bad news is it's still swollen and looks awful.

Today is usually an off day from the gym and I was contemplating going anyway, since I missed yesterday, but I decided not to. I decided another day of rest for my ankle was better than risking further injury. I will, however, be going tomorrow. I'm going to use the elliptical instead of the treadmill and also avoid the stair climber. I'm going to stick with activities that put less pressure on my ankle.

Yesterday's eating went pretty well. I did snack too much in the afternoon on the chorizo that went into our dinner. I made chicken and chorizo jambalaya. It was delicious. I didn't too badly overall, but still feel like there's room for improvement in my eating habits, so I'm going to try a different approach.

My gym, unfortunately doesn't open until 8am. I'm a complete morning workout person and if it doesn't happen in the morning, it's not going to happen. I've learned this about myself and accepted it. Before going to the gym I usually eat 1 slice of bread with meat or cheese or peanut butter and jelly. When I come home from the gym I have a "snack." Usually yogurt with granola and fruit. I think the problem I've been having with hunger is that I'm not eating enough in the morning.

My new approach on gym days is going to be having a slice of bread with something on it, but eating more after the gym. My usual breakfast consists of less than 150 calories and the snack after the gym usually no more than 200. In my opinion that's not enough for the morning time. Maybe it is for some people, but the one thing I've learned on this journey is that everyone is different. People's bodies are not the same and everyones responds to hunger, calorie restriction and exercise differently.

My plan is to start having breakfast after the gym instead of just a snack. I'll eat more calories which means I'll eat more protein and fiber. Everything I need to sustain myself and hopefully rid myself of my afternoon hunger struggles. I'm not saying this will work, but I think it's worth a try. I will also be having a much later lunch, around 1:30 instead of 12:00 and then try and avoid the afternoon snacking altogether and eat dinner between 5:30 and 6 like usual.

I also have a plan for non-gym days like today. Today I had a very big breakfast.

I had a slice of whole wheat bread with lean ham, cut up banana and strawberries, a hard boiled egg, and a cup of coffee. It was delicious and very filling. I ate right around 8:15 and wasn't hungry until after 11. I did have a rice cake to ease my hunger, which is just now coming back at 12:15. It's lunchtime anyway so that's fine. 

So I'm adapting. I'm going to try something new and hope it works. I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym tomorrow even if I will have to take it a little easy for the next few days!