There are articles GALORE about foods runners should absolutely incorporate into their diets. I read them all the time. In fact, here is a really great article I found in the Runner’s World archives.
I really do try hard to incorporate more eggs, nuts, whole grains, etc. into my diet. I REALLY do. But I am human, and sometimes I just want something bad for me. (And being pregnant certainly doesn’t do a thing to quell these cravings…) I run almost every day, and when I am not running, I am cycling, swimming, strength training, etc. Sometimes I just give in and eat my “bad” foods…even though I know I shouldn’t…because I feel like I deserve it. I know this is a bad way of thinking too and it is and attitude that I am also trying to adjust.
I am really trying to stop this though. Once upon a time, when I was training really hard, I thought about food solely as fuel. I was at the point where I did not even care what something tasted like, as long as it was the right fuel at the right time of the day. These days, I am at a different point in my life (though I look forward to training that hard again one day) and my relationship with food is a bit different.
So, today, I have decided to expose myself. (No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter!) On some level, I feel like if I share with you these “bad” foods I eat that I will manage to shame myself into staying away from them. Let’s see if it works.
Here are some things I love. Feel free to be shocked. Now that I see them all in one place, I know I am.
BAD, KATIE! BAD!
Please keep in mind that I’m not saying I eat these things often. However, I know I just should not eat them AT ALL. It makes me **shuddercringeshudder** to even take a peek at how many calories or bad ingredients are in these things. High fructose corn syrup? Sodium? FAT??
Certainly I am not the only one who indulges in “bad” foods, right?
What are some foods you eat that might shock your training buddies? What do you indulge in that you know you shouldn’t? I promise not to tell. 😉
katieRUNSthis 
Nutella and Doritos. I have a very unhealthy relationship with those 2 foods. BIG TIME.
Oooh, Nutella. I have a love/hate relationship with Nutella. It is touted as “healthy” and so many people think that because they sell it at Whole Foods that it is healthy. Its so not. BUT, it IS yummy! I’ll keep buying it!
I love pizza rolls too! I’d have to say my major weakness is pillsbury slice n bake sugar cookies…they always have those cute holiday themes which makes them even more tempting.
Apparently, everyone loves their cookie dough! You aren’t the first person to respond with this one! It is yummy…raw…I mean, not that I’d ever eat it that way. 😉
large fries at Chik-Fil-A and a large lemonade.. Yummm!!!!!!!!
Oooooh, I’m just getting on the CFA bandwagon. I know, I know, I’m late to the party on that one. I do love their bagels in the morning!
Pretzel M&Ms I’m addicted.
I haven’t tried those yet…for good reason! I know I would love them! I love good, cold M&M’s! They are so crispity crunchy!
I read a lot about eating better also, and one thing the “experts” say is to never completely cut out things you love…just reduce the amount you eat or you will binge on them at some point
I know, I know…but I sometimes have trouble with that whole “moderation” part. 🙂
Thanks for the sweet comment on my post at For Two Fitness!
I think of myself as a generally healthy eater, and tend to crave good-for-me foods, but then somehow yesterday I found myself with my giant mug of coffee eating raw sugar cookie dough out of one of those tube things you get from the grocery store.. .ahh well… everything in moderation, I suppose, including healthy eating! 🙂
Kim @ twinlane.blogspot.com
Where do I start? 😉
Copious amounts of beer, which I consider to be fuel for the ultrarunner.
I’m a sucker for cheese fries. I can’t live without pizza.
I read about all these things I should be eating as a runner and I laugh. If I ate a diet like that, I’d bonk during every long run I do.
Ha! Well, beer is out for me right now (for obvious reasons), but I was a BIG fan of the post-run Jack and Diet Coke. 🙂 And cheese fries! Have you had the ones from Walk-Ons or Outback Steakhouse!? Delicious!
My worst pitfall is Mexican food. And I’m ashamed to say I eat it at least twice a week. Bean, rice and cheese burrito and chips, salsa and guacamole. Oh and I top it off with a diet coke! Bad!!
I heart Mexican food…big time. And I may or may not have had a chile relleno for dinner last night. 🙂 I swear I could have a taco salad and Diet Coke for dinner EVERYDAY!
I love fries and Swedish Fish! My favorite food however is ICE CREAM! It can be pretty much any flavor and I still LOVE it!
I’m not a huge craver of ice cream. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it, but I can easily swap for sherbet or frozen yogurt. But candy? There’s just no swapping.
Oh….the list is long. Mashed potatoes swimming in butter, macaroni & cheese (homemade or the box!), french fries, chips, chips, chips and an oreo (or reeses or butterfinger) blast from sonic – with a side of tater tots please!
Mashed potatoes! YES! As a child, this was my all around FAVORITE food. And it didn’t help that my grandmother made the best ones EVER…butter, sour cream, salt…the whole nine yards!
I’m a total fast food addict! While most of the time I’m pretty good, other times I can’t drive in front of a McDonald’s or a Sonic without hitting the drive-thru.
Please tell me why deep-fried salty anything is so hard to resist?? I mean, I know that fast food companies engineer their foods to appeal to that very part of our brains that say “EAT ME NOW!”, but dang, its just sooooooooo good.
And don’t even get me started about an extra-long chili cheese coney…with tots, of course.
I tell everyone that I run because I love to eat. That’s one of the reasons why. I don’t eat a lot of bad foods but when I do, I would say my favorites are: Twizzlers and candy in general, but I have to eat Twizzlers at least once a week.
Girl, I feel you!! Twizzlers are a staple in our house…BUT not because of me. My husband LOVES them and I think if I would let him, he would buy the 8lb boxes of them from Wal-Mart! Ha! I can’t let him do that because I’d be chowing down on them too!
Chocolate in many different forms and bacon (bad Jew). I don’t know what I’d do if I attempted to remove all chocolate from my diet, it wouldn’t be pretty.
You eat bacon!? Ooooooh, I’m tellin’ on you! 🙂 I like chocolate too, but, in general, I’m a gummy/Starburst/Twizzler/chewy candy kind of girl. 🙂
Pizza is my big weakness. I can eat pizza everyday. I do love Guinness. But hey, it is good for you!
And I am very good about not eating most Fast food (McDonalds/BK/taco hell/popeyes etc).
And I consider a small amount of dark chocolate good for you (and you can’t convince me it is not!)
I freaking love pizza. I mean, LOVE pizza. However, Baby Key has been able to keep this craving away from me lately. The tomato sauce on all types of pizza from the good stuff (Mellow Mushroom) to the cheap stuff (Totino’s party pizzas) gives me BAD heartburn. I guess he doesn’t like it. 🙂
Chocolate is good for the soul. 🙂
Ahh I love eating bad food too! I only really do it on the weekends and I figure I am active enough..if I start gaining weight maybe I will care but for now I feel fine!
Great post Katie! We’re all human. Yikes. Okay here we go.
I love diet ginger ale. I know it’s not THAT bad for you but it seems like every single day I read a new article about how bad diet soda is for you. I’ll give it up – eventually.
And I LOVE chardonnay.
And cupcake frosting.
And I agree with you on the gummy bears. So great. But I did find me some “natural” gummy bears with no HFCS which has since strengthened my addiction, woops.
I decided this week that I am going to have to stop my weekly Mexican food binge. Every Tuesday night, I go out to eat with my dad and some friends, and I don’t have to pay. Of course I see this as an opportunity to enjoy anything on the menu, and the portions are large. Through years of training, I have conditioned my body to be able to finish whatever is placed in front of me, even if it is an entire day’s worth of food (possibly more) in one meal.
Tuesday post-workout and pre-dinner I was 197. Wednesday morning post-workout I was 200! Bad decision! Must stop making bad decisions!
It’s no secret that I have an obsession with Milano’s. Sugar is fuel, right? ha
Yes..FUEL! We’ll got with that. That sounds good. Sugar = fuel. 🙂 I just made every health nut I know cringe!
French fries, mashed potatoes and wine. Luckily I’ve found Pop Chips and Baked Lentil Chips to satisfy the crunchies.
*sigh* I have this seriously unhealthy relationship with white potatoes! Why can’t sweet potatoes taste as good as white potatoes?? It just isn’t fair! 🙂
oatmeal raisin cookies from work when I finish the late shift. always. I make sure to account for it in my daily calories and only eat half so I guess it’s not too terrible! At least you have being pregnant to use as an excuse!