Breakfast, lunch & dinner

It's not every day that I sit down and find an article or two that will pertain to health and well being. Many people think that every single thing I eat is healthy. You obviously haven't spent a day with me. Spend a week with me and you'll be very surprised!
With travels, flexible scheduling with my work and some late nights accompanied by long days that don't involved "hard work", but are just time consuming, you don't have a lot of time to figure out a way to get the healthiest meals everyone would like to get. Another thing with the healthy foods - they just don't taste as good as the meals you could eat non stop when you're hungry. Cravings usually never occur for some spinach or broccoli. Although, I'm becoming a lot more fond of the broccoli, especially in soup! Two of my favorites: Cream of Broccoli & Cream of Wild Rice. Delicious!! Makes me hungry just thinking about them.
As I sit here, right next to me protein bars (cinnamon bun flavor I might add) that are not only good for you, but they taste good too! Not quite as sweet as the normal cinnabuns you'd indulge in from a convenience store or restaurant, but none the less, they taste almost the same. Barely any sugar and 21 grams in one bar alone can be a healthy snack without anything else added to it. In fact, I have one of these, or one of a similar type bar for breakfast along with maybe something else, depending on how I'm feeling. Mix that in with the multi-vitamin so I don't throw up from not having any food in the system for the vitamins to work their magic, it makes for a great start to the day. These along with protein shakes, the ones I get are either chocolate, vanilla or strawberry flavor, all taste as they're described. I like to have half a protein shake before a workout, the other half after when I get home. I never realized how good they actually work. I didn't find out that they work good for workouts, I just wanted to try it. Recently, I read part of an article this about breakfast:

"Eat a snack containing carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes or so before your workout and one of your protein-rich meals immediately after. Your body breaks down muscle during and after exercise to use as fuel, and it rebuilds muscle using calories that you've consumed. The longer you wait after exercise to eat, the more your body will break down its own muscle and the less it will build new muscle.

Eating before a workout speeds muscle growth, according to Dutch and British researchers. In one study, subjects who ate a protein- and carbohydrate-rich snack right before and right after their workouts fueled their muscles twice as effectively as those who waited at least 5 hours to eat. By feeding your body with protein and carbohydrates within an hour or two of exercise, you provide your muscles with enough energy to build strength and burn fat more effectively.

Research also shows that eating before and after a workout inhibits the storage of fat, inhibit muscle breakdown, reduce inflammation, and recover more quickly."

I found it off of an article posted on Twitter from Women's Health Magazine. It's not just good advice for women, but men as well. I check both the Men's & Women's Health Magazine posts and headlines to see what can be sent off to people just like you reading this to help in some way shape or form in your health goals. It's amazing what you can find out when you take some time to read.
Now of course these are studies done through research by scientists and professionals (for the most part) but some of it may not work the exact way they specify. I just like to read a bunch of different articles that have similar posts to see how close they are related. Usually you'll find that they are pretty accurate. Our bodies are all made different and they can respond in a completely opposite way than someone the same age and sex as you.
I had some people write to me recently after I sent a post on twitter.com/freedom_team about how I have lost 12 pounds now and am shooting to drop another nine before the first marathon event, which happens to be the Fargo Marathon 2011. I started out 2011 at 181 pounds. The biggest I've ever been actually. When I graduated high school I was around 130 "soaking wet". That was ten years ago. I'm just glad I actually gained weight, both muscle mass and some fat. I filled out finally. Took a few years even out of high school for it to happen, but it did.
The year I ran the full marathon in 2008, I started out training at 178. By race day, I was down to 157. That's 21 pounds in about a three month span. I realized that the weight isn't going to shed until after the first few weeks, then it's like a snow ball effect, only different. The snow falls off instead of packing on as it rolls down the hill. That was the best shape I'd been in for a long time, until now. I'm feeling in better shape than I was at that time, and that's just in the first four weeks of training. There's plenty of it left, which is awesome. I'm looking forward to the rest of the journey in 2011.
Going back to the messages sent - one of my friends had asked me how I lost so much weight in such a short period of time. I honestly didn't know, and still don't know right now how to answer that question. The only way I could was that I've been in training now, more disciplined workouts, harder workouts, intervals, long runs, cut back on pop/soda big time, cut back on most sweets (gotta have my Snickers and Twix still!), and added more protein to my meals. I guess that is quite a few things....so maybe I did know how to answer it. I didn't realize I told her that much until I look at it in writing. But to anyone not training for a half or full marathon, or any type of run for that matter - the discipline has to be in your exercise and nutrition. Less portions but more meals/healthy snacks throughout the day to keep your energy level up, some sort of physical activity for at least twenty minutes a day at least five days a week and I feel that reading is another form of "diet" that will help you stay motivated for one, in turn accoplishing your goals. If you don't know what to read, remember John & John (Maxwell & Wooden), that will cure any negativity you encounter throughout the day!
Have fun & good luck in your training!