People are often shocked to see how much I eat. At every meal, my plate is overflowing. Dinner and lunch see my lunch tray stacked high with salads and vegetables galore, covering a mound of whatever protein, fat, and sometimes starches, are available. (Then my chilli powder comes out and does its magic! Food doesn’t taste the same without it, really.)
It may be surprising to you how huge my breakfast is. No measly bowls of cornflakes or air-filled toast for me! I’m talking super-nutrient-dense food, with plenty of vitamins and minerals as well as protein and fat.
What did I eat for breakfast today, then, you ask? Well, an omelette made with:
– 150 grams canned tuna in garlic olive oil (not drained!)
– 2 eggs
– 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
– 1 spring onion, sliced
– ground black pepper
I mixed these ingredients together the night before and refrigerated them. The next morning, they went into the microwave until hot and cooked, and I added a splash of soy sauce and more black pepper.
Ah, but that was not all!
For most people, the omelette alone would have been filling enough. But how was I to last another 6 hours until lunch? No, I simply could not have my stomach rumbling during classes. What horror to even ponder the thought! And so, the avocado smoothie bowl came out, made with:
– 6 ice cubes
– 6 ice cubes made of milk
– 1/2 small avocado
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 2 Tablespoons unsweetened yoghurt
– around 1 cup milk
I blended these together into a frosty mush and poured into a bowl, which I placed in the freezer while enjoying my omelette. Then the teaspoon came out, and a sprinkling of extra cinnamon; the smoothie bowl was devoured.
Finally, I was full.
Why do I eat such atrocious amounts? So I can fuel my metabolic fire! If you eat three large, nutritious meals a day, your body will work in its correct manner, fueling its glycogen stores and becoming hungry again every 4 hours or so. You can eat until you’re satisfied, and listen to your body’s hunger signals.
However, snacking throughout the day tends to leave me unsatisfied, craving sweets, and quite simply, hangry. Am I alone? I think not. Plus, I tend to overeat when snacking, because the thought of eating so little each time seems to rationalise things. The reality is that each snack adds up, and I might as well have had a proper plate of vegetables, protein, and fats.
So think about it – if I’d had only the omelette for breakfast, and the smoothie for morning tea, I would have seemed quite normal, right? Almost? But given the (awful) analogy of two marshmallows – you could eat both now, or eat one now and one later – I would always enjoy the two now. If I ate fructose, that is!
So, yes, I eat a lot. Of course, this has always attracted comments like, “You have a very good appetite!”, “Fizzi, how do you keep it off?”, or – my personal favourite, considering I’m 5′ 2″ and 50 kg – “You’re a hulk”. Well, let it be!