Six days until my race.  What does that mean?  Other than the fact that I am going crazy from inactivity, it means carb loading time.  Carb loading does not give me a free pass to stuff my face, it means shifting the focus of my meals to be carb heavy, as opposed to focusing more on protein.  I also decrease my fiber intake the closer I get to race day to minimize stomach issues.  Some of the foods I use to carb load are those that I eat in my regular diet, but I will have a larger portion. 

• Instead of 1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa, I’ll have 1 cup.
• Instead of a small baked or sweet potato, I’ll have a large one.
• Instead of a gluten-free wrap, I’ll make a sandwich on a gluten-free bagel or French roll.

This can be difficult to do for me because of my eating disorder history & struggles.  Those demons like to rear their ugly head at times like this and for this reason, I am glad that I had Aaron hide the scale last week.  I was freaking out because of some weight gain and I have found that I am much more relaxed not having that ugly metal box dictating my mornings.  I do feel a little uneasy at times, like my brain isn’t sure how to manage not knowing, but I have to trust myself.  I have to trust my body.  My body knows what it needs and I just need to listen and not let my brain take over & dictate what I eat.  My clothes fit and I feel good, so that should be enough.  My family & friends have also been an amazing source of support during this time and I can’t thank them enough. 

Last night we went to the House of Japan for dinner – lots of rice for me!  I also had some shrimp & veggies cooked without soy sauce (they use Kikkoman, which contains gluten).  The rest of the week looks like this:

Monday – Rotisserie chicken, baked potato, steamed broccoli

Tuesday – Grilled salmon, quinoa, green beans & salad

Wednesday- Tacos with refried beans, corn & salad

Thursday – Edamame stir fry with brown rice & salad

Friday – Dinner out (either gluten-free pizza or pasta)

Saturday – Gluten-free pizza and small salad

Baking pumpkin bread this week for some extra carbs – will make a great breakfast topped with almond butter!   Oh, and of course there will be jelly beans & pumpkin ice cream this week, too.   

Kim