Day Five: Soft Solids (2)

I've poached a lot of eggs before, but the one I made this morning was quite possibly the best. A perfect little pouch, the yolk cooked just right. Oh, so good. I ate it with a toasted slice of high protein quinoa bread. In total, today's breakfast had almost as much protein as the smoothies I've been drinking, and it was much more enjoyable.

Throughout each day, I've been logging my meals and snacks and the amount of protein and calories in each. The past three days, I've barely met the daily minimum protein requirement, and come up short on total calories. Today I tried to eat a bit more, meals and snacks still spread out in small portions, with more focus on protein consumption. For example, instead of a chocolate milk snack, I ate yogurt fortified with protein powder. The consistency was a little strange, but it tasted alright.

Here is everything I ate today:

• Breakfast: 1 Poached egg, 1 slice of quinoa toast
• Snack: 4 oz. Low-fat vanilla yogurt with protein powder
• Lunch: 8 oz. Lentil soup
• Snack: 8 oz. Chocolate milk
• Snack: 1 tbsp Peanut butter
• Dinner: 8 oz. Veggie chili
• Snack: 1 Skim milk string cheese

With a few extra calories behind me, I felt up for a run. I only went out for about 30 minutes, but it felt really good (I ran on Tuesday night as well). Lately, I've been logging about 20 – 26 miles per week, in preparation for the NYC Half Marathon this Sunday. 

Most of my friends and family have expressed concern about my decision to conduct this experiment the week before the race, and I'll admit, at first I was concerned too. Now I actually think the experiment is working in my favor. The limited calorie intake has forced me to taper miles, allowing for much needed rest, and I've lost several pounds. I actually feel lighter, maybe even faster. Sunday should be a good race for me.

Race day also marks the end of the diet. I am very much looking forward to a large, non-bariatric post-race breakfast :-)

Rachel