running and baking: can they go together?

[HectorsHouse]

I have two new hobbies - running, and baking.

But as I made my first batch of chocolate chip cookies I realised there are two rough equations:

time running = reduced bodily fat.

time baking = time to eat left-over dough + eating the results = more bodily fat.

hmm. :/

Also, when I bake a loaf of bread it tends to get eaten within a day or two, just because it's fresh. Between the two of us that's a lot of bread!!

maybe my running just cancels the extra calories... I am eating alot more these days, partly cause of running!! But one of the reasons I started was to get rid of fat!

are there any baked goods which would be beneficial not just to taste buds but running also?

[swanscot Graduate]

I like baking too, but I'm fortunate in that I have a houseful of adults here (between 4 and 7 depending on which sons and girlfriends are about) to eat my baking. I tend to stick to the less fancy/more filling bakes: carrot cake, gingerbread, banana cake, fruit cake - all vegan varieties, as one son is vegan.

I'll take a slice or chunk of fruit cake with me when going hillwalking. The other thing I make frequently is flapjack. Yes, it's very high in sugar (with brown sugar AND syrup), but I add dried fruit and maybe nuts and, again, carry it for an energy boost when hiking.

Malt loaf is traditionally eaten by sports people - we got one of the Sorren mini loafs in our goodie bags after the Marathon/10K/5K events a few weeks ago.

[mattaitch Graduate]

Don't forget that baking takes calories too, especially if you are hand mixing and kneading (which is half the fun). MyFitnessPal reckons ~180 calories an hour for food preparation/cooking, which turned out to be half of one of my quad choc chip cookies

Bread gets a lot of bad press, but why not try making smaller, fancier breads and off-set them by making healthy vegetable soups to go with them?

I was talking to a colleague in training for a marathon and he was moaning about the amount of bread, pasta and other carbs he was having to eat! So I reckon if you are doing a decent number of miles a week, use them to fund your addiction.

Say I run 5 miles, that's ~800 calories, that allows me to have 4 or slices of toast or 1 cookie (4 inch diameter, 4 types of chocolate) and still have burned off an extra 400 calories.

[alliec Graduate]

Mmm cake ??I've found myself this week with mega mum hire At least home baked cakeness is better than shop brought

[pingle Graduate]

I got a fantastic muffin recipe book. amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss... These recipes are low fat and low sugar and can be made as healthy or indulgent as you like. Best of all they're delicous and freeze well if you don't want to eat the lot! The book also has tips for people who need gluten free etc and you can put in lots of fresh fruit, oats and other healthy stuff. Have fun! I have not worked out how far I need to run to work of a muffin though!

[HectorsHouse Graduate]

All good suggestions.

Might try a malt loaf. Was really tempted to use my bread for a banana/toast sandwich but my newest loaf is too good for that! (I finished off the hovis instead...).

mattaitch, true! especially with a heavy and thick dough! my bread dough is never that heavy, so kneading isn't really too difficult... maybe I'm not trying enough.

Pingle! YES! We have that book! I love how vague the recipes actually are about quantities, and how she explains that, as each oven is different, you need to experiment!