My appetite has been A DREAM without running. You have no idea! As a runner, I have gotten so used to being that person who NEEDS TO EAT AND EAT NOW. I don’t feel that way right now which is making this little break from running so very enjoyable. It’s nice to be a normal hungry person. You know, like someone who feels their hunger approaching but can survive without eating for a bit? Someone who can eat and feel satisfied, rather than wonder what’s next AND can go a bunch of hours satisfied without even a stomach rumble.
Did I ever expect this sudden little running break to sort of feel as though it’s changing my life and perspective on my workout routine? Not at all! It’s starting to seem like dropping the dumb shampoo bottle on my foot last week was meant to happen. As if it was a little way to jolt me into shaking up my routine and help me to see that perhaps it was time for a change. Obviously I will know more about what I mean here when I start running again but I really think that I’m going to be running less. My foot feels fine and looks a million times better but I may wait until I go back to the doctor for the re-check just to ensure that it’s safe to run. The thought of causing a stress fracture scares me.
Anyway! Time to talk food. 🙂
Breakfast still means oatmeal which I always fail to photograph. It’s still looking just like this! A little bit of oatmeal with blueberries, cinnamon, and peanut butter before a Pure Barre workout followed by more of the same after I take a shower. I do add diced apples and Skoop Protein Powder to my post-workout bowl lately though.
I’ve been eating a ton of colorful bowls loaded with veggies and plant-based proteins for lunch…and dinner.
This bowl in particular contains quinoa, lentils and avocado seasoned with the everything but the bagel sesame seasoning from Trader Joe’s. This seasoning, especially when combined with avocado, just makes for an amazing flavor/texture combination without much work.
So this meal looks like a mishmosh of food but it was actually really good. It’s basically another veggie bowl with quinoa involved BUT it also includes a mashed up Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger. I was feeling a need for texture and the veggie burger served the purpose. This bowl was made more Italian style by cooking it with Italian seasonings, tomato paste, and parmesan cheese. I can’t recall if I added tomato sauce too. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
Here’s a giant salad using that crispy and crunchy salad mix from Trader Joe’s which I mentioned in Monday’s post. I doctored it further with spinach, avocado, chick peas, and roasted green beans. This salad mix will be a regular purchase I think for a bit, I do really like it!
Oh! And I made wild salmon for dinner again. I made a basic maple dijon marinade but Lauren sent me a recipe for an even better looking marinade that I hope to try next week! When I do, I will certainly give you the details.
My all-time favorite snack which I got away from for a while is now really back in my rotation. Granny Smith apples with peanut butter and chocolate chips.
[bctt tweet=”I feel like a normal hungry person plus recent eats on the blog today! #hungry #runner #WIAW #recenteats #traderjoes #oatmeal #veggies #salad” username=”cookiechrunicle”]
Would you call yourself a normal hungry person or a runner’s version of a hungry person?
How quickly does your appetite respond to running more/running less/rest days?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 
Roasted green beans sound delicious! I’m going to have to try that next time I have green beans. I think most days I’m normal person hungry but randomly I’ll be runner hungry.
I think runner hungry is probably my normal, and then there’s marathon training hungry! When I didn’t run after the marathon or my surgery, I noticed a huge dip in my appetite and had to remind myself to eat sometimes. Your pictures are reminding me that I need to make salmon soon!
It’s so funny that you wrote about this, because it’s not like you quite realize that you are a crazy hungry person when you’re running, but man did I notice it when I took a break after my last marathon!! And I agree, it’s so nice not to feel so ravenous all of the time. Ha. Funny but so true!! I ran 4 days in a row last week and I could definitely feel that crazy hunger creeping back.
Exactly! I had no real idea how hungry running was really making me.
I find that on days I run less, I am more hungry! But yes, please share the new marinade recipe next week if you think its worthy of it! I love the marinade I’ve been using, but new flavors are always nice!
So the day after a run, even if it’s a rest day or Pure Barre day, I would sometimes notice a stronger appetite but if I go two days without running, I do return to normal appetite levels which is a such a pleasure!
Hmm… I would say that I’m more of the normal hungry person, but there are some days when I am a ‘runners’ hungry. I think that it’s helped me to not run as much as my body’s healed from restriction for a few years and learn what normal hungry feels like without a ton of exercise.
Also I love your mishmashes of food; they look sooo good.
I think that makes a ton of sense – less exercise definitely helps to feel the normal hunger cues without a doubt.
I feel like over the past year my appetite has really balanced out, probably thanks to running so much less. I still get pretty hungry if I do a long run, but during the week I think I have a normal appetite. I still need snacks but I’ve always been someone who likes to eat every few hours. When do you go bak to the doctor to get it checked again?
I’m going back to the doctor on Monday but I may run tomorrow, just a few miles. He had said I could by this point but I will see. I like how my appetite has balanced out now too! It’s a huge factor for me going forward in terms of deciding to probably run less.
It’s nice to see apples back in the rotation.
Also I think the mishmosh bowl sounds pretty fabulous; maybe it’s the parmesan cheese. 🙂
I loved my mishmash bowl 🙂
I am right there with you, Meredith! Lately I’ve made my workouts a little less intense, choosing Pilates and lighter cardio over HIIT and weights. While my appetite used to be THROUGH THE ROOF, it’s now much more manageable. Like I still get pretty hungry and like to have snacks on hand, but it’s definitely much less aggressive haha. I always thought it was so weird how my mom and I would have the same breakfast and she would be totally fine 4 hours later and I was like ready to eat her LOL
Totally relate here! I like how much more manageable my appetite is which is something I am going to factor in as I return to running in the next week. And I know exactly what you mean about your mom being full and we wouldn’t be!