4HB day 2

Yesterday was day two of the 4 hour body so I'll start there with my update.

I began the day with two fried eggs and dry fried (and mashed) kidney beans. This was a simple and tasty brekkie, which I cooked with a little coconut oil and lightly seasoned with pepper. As per the instructions,of the 4HB I ate within 30 minutes of waking to stabilise blood sugar levels. I have found this to be the key for adhering to the plan as it seems to reduce cravings and hunger later in the day. When I did the 4HB previously it was also a key factor in eating enough daily calories. Where as before I may have only eaten 150kcals at breakfast I am now eating 2-300. Not a huge amount, but it will help to ensure less muscle wastage.

After running 6 miles in training I realised I hadn't prepped any lunch beforehand. Fortunately I'd bought veggie burgers for this situation, so after a quick double carrot hummus snack I tucked into two veggie burgers, with two fried eggs. Job done.

We had friends round for dinner last night, so I knocked up a veggie bake. This consisted of pre-cooked red lentils (seasoned with herb & garlic mix), a layer of passata, pre-steamed broccoli, carrot and roasted peppers, topped with pre-grilled aubergine (eggplant for all the aussies and yanks). It's pretty much ready to serve once it's pre-cooked, but the passata needs a warm through, so it went in the oven for 20 minutes. Simple!

I'm not specifically avoiding meat, but after eating a fair amount over Xmas it helps to cleanse the system. Catherine however is doing the 4HB "veggie style", which is a much trickier task (at least it would be for me!)

Catherine and I both find we have plenty of energy for training and are less lethargic. I ran my 5 mile tempo session 9 seconds per mile quicker than target pace (7:43/7:52).

There are two other key points to remember. Firstly to make sure you eat every four hours to maintain steady blood sugar levels. Secondly that you drink water regularly throughout the day to help your body metabolise fat for energy and to help your digestive system and gut to properly process your food.

There are other key points I'll highlight over the course of these posts, but to find out more just check out: http://fourhourbody.com