Eating lots... and lots

Running makes me hungry, all the time. I used to have a super fast metabolism when I was in middle school. I would literally eat breakfast and be HUNGRY less than an hour later. I'd be ravenous by lunchtime, and I'd occasionally feel faint and lightheaded from low blood sugar. Needless to say, I ate a lot. A LOT a lot. Like one time at a school pizza party, I ate something like 12 slices of pizza. I even beat this boy in an eating match during a Chesapeake Bay field trip.. I out ate him by a taco, after scarfing down plates of lasagna, crabs, and a whole lot of other foods.

Unfortunately, my metabolism slowed down a lot since then, and I would probably be chubby if I continued to eat like that. Especially in college, I don't have much time to work out (or just don't have the energy), and I'd be pretty inactive, so my appetite is only a fraction of what it used to be.

However, lately, since I've been running a lot more, I feel like the empty pit I used to be back in middle school. I've been trying to eat more frequently, yet I get hungry again pretty quickly. On weekdays, I have breakfast, usually a protein shake or oatmeal, around 6:45am before going to work, and start feeling hungry around 9am. For a snack, I'll have a granola bar or banana (or both). Lunch is usually around noon, and I pack whatever I have around the house. I kind of need to go grocery shopping. Yesterday, I threw a can of chickpeas in a tupperware, topped it with chopped tomato, added salt and balsamic vinegar, and called it a salad. Today's chickpea salad is more composed.

Since I run after work, I have a small snack in the afternoon before going out around 4:30. By the time I get back and finish showering and wasting time on the internets, I make and eat dinner around 7-8pm. Depending on how late I go to bed, I sometimes have a late night snack, like a pita with PB and sliced banana.

So that's a day in the life of my eating. Not terribly exciting. I just try to eat frequently and whenever I start to feel hungry. I tried the calorie counting thing just to see if I was balancing calories in and calories out. I'd say my diet is pretty well-balanced. I definitely do not want to lose any weight, so I gotta make sure I eat enough calories as I increase my mileage.

Tonight, I'm going out to a Thai restaurant for dinner with a girlfriend. So excited! I love Thai food. Should I get curry or Pad Thai? Ahh I can't decide! We'll see how hungry I get, and what kind of mood I'm in ;)

Shall I get coconut curry?

Or Pad Thai?! Both look so good :P

I do love spicy foods!

Update: I ended up getting green curry with pork, bamboo, peppers, and eggplant, served with rice. It was supposed to be spicy with two peppers on the menu, but it was barely spicy for me. Oh well, whenever I get something at a restaurant that's supposed to be spicy, it usually isn't nearly as spicy as I want it to be.

I ate the entire plate, plus I split a veggie tempura appetizer with a friend. I was stuffed but it was all so good! Haha, I can eat until I explode. It's a bad habit of mine, to eat everything in front of me. Oh well. I swear, I'm a fattie on the inside.