Essential Fueling

    As I rev up my training I am running into a problem I almost hate to admit. I know this may raise the ire of a number of people, but I am having some trouble eating enough. I am not even doing "Big Weeks" or "Peak Weeks" yet, and already I am hungry all the time. I am shoveling in food at a goodly pace, and, oddly enough, my weight is actually dropping a little. A solid pointer in some of my studies has been to pretty much eat as much as I want of whole, wholesome foods. I have eliminated processed foods from my diet, with the occasional rare exception, and fill my gullet with leafy greens, fruit, whole grains, lean protein, legumes. I do all my own cooking so I know exactly what I am putting into every dish. Even my coffee is organic, very lightly sweetened with evaporated organic cane syrup.
    I eat hearty meals, and snack regularly. Breakfast is usually a handful of raw walnuts or almonds, organic granola with hemp seed, brown rice, flax seed, pumpkin seed, rolled oats and just a touch of cane juice, topped with unsweetened almond milk, and a banana. Lunch is often 3 eggs, an orange, and a slice of whole grain, gluten free pumpkin bread chock full of pumpkin seed, nuts, flax and oatmeal, topped with peanut butter. Or leftovers, as I had today, black bean and whole grain cassoulet with brown rice, barley and quinoa, and an orange and slice of pumpkin bread. A favorite dinner is 2 or 3 chicken breast tenderloins and a mass of fresh spinach topped with fresh guacamole, and a pumpkin/blueberry/cherry smoothie. Snacks are usually fruit and raw nuts, maybe a small bowl of granola.
    So, as you see, I eat a lot. And frequently. But I am careful of what goes into my maw, opting for whole foods, and organic when I can get it. I eat a lot of fruit, usually 5 to 7 pieces a day. Dinner I load up on the veggies, my current favorite is sauteed mixed greens with kale, spinach, chard, collards and mustard greens. I have become the queen of the smoothie, daring to try wild, and tasty concoctions. My latest has been cooked pumpkin pureed into organic 100% blueberry and black cherry juice (no sugar added), toss in a ripe banana and it is better than any milkshake.
    I have eliminated so much sugar from my diet that I know it has been key in getting and keeping my weight down. Yes, I do indulge in a small handful of organic, dark chocolate chips almost every evening, but that is largely the extent of my sweets intake. Since my body made me eliminate dairy, it really does limit my ability to splurge on heavier foods, especially anything with cream cheese or cream. Yes, this does make me a little sad, but it really has been for the best.
    So I come back to the need to be able to adequately fuel my body for my upcoming training regimen. I imagine I may very well lose a few more pounds before I step into the water for my early season triathlon sprint, and will definitely be lighter come September when I am hitting the water at my first half-Ironman. Fueling is essential. A bit difficult at times, but essential.