I’m not sure what’s worse- being injured or cutting calories while injured.
As someone who loves food, it’s a total tossup.
As I mentioned last week, I’m currently nursing a stress fracture I got while training for my upcoming marathon in June.
Fortunately, I can still do some physical activity, like spin and strengthen workouts, but running is out- likely for another month.
While I let my little shinbone heal, I have to come to grips with the fact that I don’t need nearly as many calories as I did when I was doing spin plus a 6-mile run on most mornings.
So what can you do when you are sidelined from your favorite workout because of an injury or something like a pesky cold?
My advice is to step back and look at what you’re eating with fresh eyes. Cutting calories while injured is key.
That regular smoothie in the morning might need a little refresh. Or maybe you should change up your dessert for your brief time off?
While these changes aren’t ideal, the reality is the weight will start to creep up if you have to cut back on physical activity for an extended amount of time and you don’t change your eating habits.
So where do you cut? Well, here is what I’m doing:
Breakfast
Every weekday morning I have a beet smoothie (don’t laugh, it’s actually good). The smoothie has a lot of great things in it, but it is high in calories when you aren’t highly active.
One smoothie is:
½ cup of almond milk
½ cup of coconut water
½ a beet
½ cup of frozen mixed berries
1 scoop of collagen protein peptides
½ a banana
½ tablespoon of almond butter
So while I’m waiting for this shin to heal, I’ve cut out the almond butter and the banana. No big deal.
Not a smoothie drinker? Maybe you cut down on your portion of morning fruit, or even skip the cream in your coffee.
Remember- this is TEMPORARY!
Lunch
I have a kale salad with lots of veggies, chickpeas, parmesan cheese, and farro (it’s grain), topped with a homemade miso dressing. I make a big batch of it on Sunday night and break it out into 5 portions for the week.
Easy cuts for me- skip the farro, cut the cheese from a cup to a ½ cup, and cut down on the oil olive that goes into the dressing. Painless, simple cuts.
Don’t do salads? Maybe you only use one piece of bread for your sandwich and eat it open faced. Or have a burrito bowl instead of a burrito.
Snacks
I love my snacks, so there isn’t a lot of cutting there. Midmorning I still enjoy an apple with Justin’s Almond Butter (although I’m measuring the almond butter, instead of a generous dollop as I did in the past) and in the late afternoon I have a Siggi’s Yogurt with some fruit or Purely Elizabeth Granola.
And I do have to say those “I’m home from work, I’ll just have a scoop- or three- of almond butter” indulges are on hold- for now.
Dinner
Dinner is my favorite meal, so no cutting there, but I do try to keep it healthy. I’ve stepped up my roasted veggie portions and scaled back on things like cheese.
And Finally, Dessert.
You can cut here if you’d like, but it’s really not happening for me. Some days, it’s a couple Girl Scout Cookies, some days it’s a scoop of ice cream. Pick your splurge, and mine is always dessert.
Cutting calories while injured isn’t necessarily easy or fun, but it is worth it in the long run.
The reality is most of us only burn about 300 calories during our workouts, so if you’re aiming to maintain while you are down, a few alternations should do the trick.
So stay positive, go light on almond butter, and carry on. In no time, you’ll be back to your favorite activity and back to your favorite coffee creamer, too!
