OK, so this is something that I think is extremely female specific, due to the fact that we women just do not have hyper metabolisms like men, and therefore cannot eat anything we want at any time we want (the 30lbs I gained in 2010 all agree with me on this ).

So, what do you ladies eat/snack on while you are in-session? I have a bad habit of being ill-prepared and will just jump into a session without food. Luckily my bf stops me mid-click most of the time demanding I eat something first. lol.

I have found that Odwalla Bars, Kefir, baby carrots, Grape Nuts cereal w/honey are all good, quick snacks, along with fruits and nuts that are always around. I'm sure I could be even more prepared and make food ahead of time and pack it into 5 minute bites, but you are talking to someone who does not even do her own laundry and for years was not even allowed near her own stove in her own house. So, food prep = no bueno.

Would love to hear what you all have formulated over the years...

I am obsessed with veggie party trays, and usually keep one in my office mini-fridge. Also nuts, berries and "natural" microwaved popcorn (5 min breaks ftw).

At the beginning of last year I decided to get healthier, some health issues+poker lifestyle took their toll. I was wayyyy out of balance both diet wise as well as activity beyond sitting on my arse grinding poker and it showed in copious amounts lol

Pretty much I cut out almost 100% of processed foods, I only eat from the outskirts of the grocery store save a few items like cereal and pastas.
When I was playing mtts it was more of an issue than it is now since I play cash and can take a break whenever.

When I do eat while I play its always fresh foods, fruits, veggies, trailmix that we put together ourselves from the bulk food store and popcorn sneaks in as I'm a popcorn fiend, it's one of my vices that I won't give up.

I also often make extra at dinner for lunches the next day and about once a month make a great chili or soup and freeze them in individual servings, I'd be more than happy to send you the chili recipe, it's super duper simple and sooo yummy and healthy!

I lost 45lbs with the lifestyle changes. I have slipped a little on the activity side of things, winter tends to do that to me, but by simply keeping my diet modified to eating nonprocessed foods I haven't gained anything back again... that speaks volumes to me about the effect that eating whole foods as opposed to anything processed.

You will be surprised how big of an effect just eliminating a couple bad food choices has on your overall health/weight, one of the biggest being pop, if you drink it on a regular basis and eliminate it I guarantee you will see a signifigant difference just doing that. Find your worst offending food vice/habit and start there, its a great jumping off point to kick start other changes.

Hate to say it but snacking is the enemy of anyone looking to lose/maintain weight, especially women b/c our bodies burn so little to begin with. Good rule of thumb is 3 meals plus a snack per day, so I'd be looking to eat a good meal before you start playing, something with some protein and high quality carbs that will keep you full for a while. I'm with you on the no prep thing - if I can't microwave it, it's not gonna happen

Katie's suggestions are great but careful with the nuts, any more than a handful and the calories will add up quick. Also I'm sure the dressings/dips that come with party trays aren't the best but Newman's Own has wonderful light dressings, or if you really want to cut down, Walden Farms has all natural no-cal dressings (mostly vinegar and spices) that are awesome for being no-cal. Otherwise, fruit is always great and instant oatmeal with a few crushed walnuts is a personal favorite. I just ordered some protein powder to experiment with as well, so we'll see how that turns out

+1 Great job DC!!

Oh, also forgot I've recently become obsessed with edamame; haven't tried to prep it myself yet but that should make for a great snack.

Thanks Aimee

I'm waiting for them to come out with 5 Minute Abs.

btw I'll take that chili recipe, I don't eat meat but I'll just throw in some soy crumbles or w/e instead

Also, for anyone trying to give up soda, La Croix has canned sparkling water that gives me my fix for something bubbly with a little bit of flavor - it's just water and a tiny bit of natural flavoring but has worked out quite well so far. Still haven't given up soda 100% but getting there!

There ya go
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recip...?recipe=981607

Don't eat your greasy fries at the tables Tiffany for christ...

Great post.
Yea, I'm right there with you on the processed foods thing...but not just to avoid calories - I get really bad migraines daily (yes, daily...lonnng story) and avoid processed foods for the most part as preventative.

I think that the poker lifestyle is pretty sedentary in general, whether you play live or online. I saw an interview with Lauren Kling where she said she does like 2 min of workout on her 5 min breaks! (Does she have to be SO perfect?!) I have not found the time to do it during my breaks, but am thinking I may need to start since I cannot force myself to do it outside of my sessions.

Been in love with La Croix for the past decade!!!! Totally saves me!

Lol, she's one of my least favorite personalities in poker. She's just so mean and has such a huge ego from binking ONE tourney, Uggghh..I thought maybe she just got edited to look bad on tv, but I had the pleasure of playing with her twice now, and ESPN captured her true personality.

You are what you eat, right? Fries are cheap, greasy and lack substance.

P.s. tiffany michele inspires the very top of my anger range. Sorry to briefly derail nutrition talk. Proceed. Lol.

I was also big into popcorn till I nearly choked on an underpopped kernel deep in my Sunday grind I was probably eating way too fast! If you're a sweets person, I think it's good to have some on hand that don't break the calorie bank. My faves are Skinny Cow Ice cream bars and Mocha Nut Kashi granola bars.

As for exercise, I'm getting more into weight training lately and LOVE it. It makes me feel strong, helps my posture way more than comparable cardio work would, and you end up burning as many calories with weight training through the day because of the muscles you build up. I feel it's a perfect fit for the sedentary lifestyle of a writer/online poker player. Probably key to combine it with some cardio or at least a lot of walking, which is easy for me since I live in the city...

Pilates (Lauren Kling is a big fan of it) or yoga may also be good for similar reasons though I feel I get more value for my time with weight training.

Today's soup, turkey, smells yummy!

YES! I totally support food photos in this thread. I'll post some from the hummus competition I'm hosting this weekend! Does hummus count as a healthy food?

I do weight training as well. I warm up with a bit of cardio on the treadmill and then use the weight machines. I try to go every other day or so and work on a different section of the body (arms and abs one day, legs and back the next, etc) It's a good way to burn lots of calories and tone up targeted areas.

Although, I do have to say, as a general advice to anyone who wants to start this, is to get someone (personal trainer, boyfriend, brother, etc) to show you the moves so your form is correct otherwise you might end up hurting yourself.

Yoga is nice, but there are so many different types. There's the relax-y meditative-y kind, the hot sweaty kind (bikram), the cardio kind and on and on. I just do a few moves to stretch and then try to sit still and meditate for a bit. Not sure if that's really called yoga though, lol.

Generally, yes, but like anything else you can add things that make it unhealthy Would love to hear the winning recipe!

+1 to the comments on weight training. So many women overlook it b/c they think they'll get bulky but you'd have to be trying REALLY hard and eating a ton for that to happen. You can even do as a circuit (don't let yourself rest between sets) and get a good cardio boost at the same time. Listen to thatpokergirl, though - I've hurt myself when first starting out by doing too much too fast and not slowly building up to it!

Okay, now THIS is a woman-only poker topic!

p90x ftw!

It'd be nice if some men would take heed to this thread to have a healthier lifestyle.

I don't really like sitting next to a guy at live games who can literally take up two chairs.

It actually is not.
How many tweets and FB status updates do I see daily of well known live and online players talking about going to the gym, or having a brutal session with their trainer, or bikram yoga sessions ftw, or running 7 miles in a day or becoming vegetarian...All of this in efforts to maximize their results and brain power at the tables.

I think it's safe to say that those of us who are thinking about this stuff and about ways to take care of our minds and bodies are a lot better off poker-wise than someone like this who makes a statement like that.

I think Dom was prob referring into the fitting into your jeans part of the title...guys just buy bigger jeans afaik, or switch to sweatpants.

If he's bothering you, though, I'll rough him up

Wait, you mean Dom is NOT trying to fit into women's jeans?
Oh, ok. nvm.