Sunday I had a really serious conversation with my nutritionist, Cyrus. As you may recall, he has me experimenting with a high-carb [70% carb, 15% fat, 15% protein], vegan diet for 14 days. At the start of week 2, I met with him and told him my main concern—I’m not eating the right foods for lunch to hold me over; especially when I’m out of the house all day at work. I just ended up being completely exhausted by late afternoon. I’m just not packing enough. His solution? Eat more. And eat starchy! Lose the greens at lunch; they’re just taking up valuable real estate in my stomach that I need for energizing carbs.
This past week, I’ve made a few adjustments to my meals, in particular, eating more. Lots more! Yesterday was the big test; I was working 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. with just two 1-hour breaks in between hitting all 3 jobs. I knew it was important to pack a lot and really take into account what Cyrus had to say. And let me tell you, I found a way to just. keep. eating.
[Breakfast]
I’ve tried a couple breakfasts from Cyrus’ plan but this one was my staple.
- 2 bananas
- 1/2 papaya
- 1 mango OR a bunch of blueberries
- 2 tbsp chia seeds + 2 tbsp hemp protein soaked 10+ mins in 1/2 cup almond milk
Adding in the protein powder definitely helped keep me full longer. And you’re welcome for snapping a picture pre-chia/protein mix.
[Morning Snack]
I went to barre after training my first client, but unfortunately could only stay for 30 minutes before heading onto my next job. That said, it was a killer 30 minutes! and I was famished. Chick peas. Because apparently that’s a normal snack? But clearly not enough to hold me over for too long.. Cashew Cookie Larabar to the rescue!
Larabars have been great because they’re just fruit and nuts. No extra sweeteners, grains, etc.
[Lunch]
Admittedly, I’m still getting used to such a high starchy carb load, but eating a ton of sweet potatoes? I can’t really complain.. Seriously. Just straight roasted sweet potatoes. Twas delicious.
[Afternoon Snack……sssss]
I had a hell of a time staying full. Must have been all of my running around! In between job 2 and 3, I snacked on an apple with 1 tbsp peanut butter. A couple hours later, my very last Gingerbread Larabar made an appearance. And finally, a blood orange. I told you, I was hungry!
[Dinner]
A long day required an easy dinner. Same as the night before—mushrooms and lentils with mustard dressing over mixed greens.
[Evening Snack]
I must’ve really worked up an appetite because even after all of that, my stomach was still growling before bed. I reached for a banana.. might as well end the day in a similar fashion to how it started!
Damn. That’s a lot of carbs! Haha they are quite tasty, though, so it’s hard to argue. Just a few days left to finish off my 2 week experiment!
Food for Thought
Which meal would be your favorite?
Have you ever considered or tried a high carb diet?
Barr & Table 
I recommend roasting your chickpeas. BBQ ones are delicious to snack on 🙂
Ooh I do love that!
Sweet potatoes are ammmaazzzinngg, so glad you are enjoying them, and yes, they definitely make carbs easy! My life is always carbs carbs carbs, so I can always help you 😉 I will be interested to see your reflection after these two weeks!
To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to make it for week 2! Haha I’m loving the sweet potatoes though 🙂
Some easy ways to make eating throughout the day easier: roast a bunch of sweet potato fries at the beginning of the week and pack them in ziploc bags for snacks with a low fat hummus dip. Grapes and apples! Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice bags with a little mashed avocado and some salt/pepper or some salsa (love TJ’s pico de gallo). Are you off oats now completely? If not, I love doing fruit for breakfast and oats for lunch! They’re just so filling. Although I’ve experimented with different macro breakdowns, I love the higher carb lifestyle! It is super tasty and, now that I’m used to it, it’s all I crave!
On his plan, there are no grains. Just simply fruits and veggies! I totally miss my oats though.. they’re definitely going to make a come back this weekend 😉
Lovely blog!! Great post, everything looks delicious!
I am curious why he has you on that plan so I will have to go read more posts! I posted a copycat recipe of those gingerbread larabars on my blog. They were my fav!!!
We actually work together at a wellness center and I’m working with him for cross promotional purposes mostly. It’s an experiment where I’m following a similar diet to the way he eats. He’s a type 1 diabetic and has a PhD in nutritional biochemistry. It’s a great way for me to be able to speak to different diets with my clients too!
i don’t know how i missed this vegan experiment. Catch me up! why vegan? FOr promotional reasons? Hope you are taking a b vitamin complex during this too. Just in case.
Uhhh whoops? I was actually just reading something about how vegans really need to take a ton of supplements (in link love post!) But vegan was the nutritionists idea.. He’s totally raw vegan. It’s been a very interesting experience!
That’s interesting that he is a Diabetic and still eats a high carb diet. I’m also a Diabetic, but my blood sugars go ape crap crazy if I eat more than 45 carbs in a meal. Everyone is different though and it’s facinating how different diets work for different people!
Fascinating, for sure! I know high carb is the complete opposite to what everyone has always heard, especially for diabetic. But like you said, everyone is different!
I’m really looking into it, because man, i LOVE carbs and my life would be awesome if I was able to eat more 😉
Very interesting. I used to eat a VERY high carb diet (bread was my boo, and I LOVED pasta, especially shell and elbow noodles), since I’m a cardio junky, but I found that I was ALWAYS hungry, even after eating a beastly huge bowl of noodles. Granted, I wasn’t gaining weight, but I wasn’t ripped either. These days, I stick to complex carbs (love me some sweet potatoes and oatmeal!), but I go heavy on protein—mostly in the form of egg whites, non-fat dairy (greek yogurt/cottage cheese), and peanut flour. I do fish (tuna and salmon on salads), but no other meat. I can’t wait to hear feedback from your routine. I’ve never knocked carbs. I love them. But since I’ve focused on boosting my protein intake, I can’t believe the results I’m seeing. I have abs. I didn’t believe they were there. I think the protein ate my leftover fat. Keep up the good work, and PLEASE keep sharing your progress and results! =)
That’s awesome the progress you’ve seen since changing your diet! I was very focused on protein before this and am interested to see how things even out when I introduce foods back into my diet.
I missed the Vegan experiment too! I’m gonna go back and read some previous posts:)
I’m vegan and definitely eat my fair share of carbs, but I also all about fiber and veggies. I have switched over to eating more huge fruit smoothies instead of oatmeal for breakfast and I love how light I feel afterwards!