Week 5 – Survived Thanksgiving (sort of)

My weight at the start of the Thanksgiving week was 155.2# and I had an average weight of 155.5#. I’m starting week 6 at 156.6#, which means any of the weight that I may have lost in the previous weeks has been negated by four days of eating and drinking. I know that some of that extra weight is going to be water weight - beer can be pretty bloating – but I still ate more than I should have. Though I am happy to report that on Thanksgiving I ate much less desserts than in the past – a single slice of very delicious carrot cake. But I think the reason I ate less desserts is because it was served right after dinner. Typically at my family’s Thanksgiving, there is some time between dinner and dessert to clean off the table and get the dishes washed, allowing for digestion and more room for dessert! For the most part, I did pretty well on the portion control for all the different side dishes that were served. Where I got into trouble was the turkey and mashed potatoes – I had 3 helpings! And using the excuse of not eating either of these items during the year is no excuse! The other contributions to the weight gain, of course, was the beer drinking on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (can you see where I need to cut out the calories!??!).

So this week I really need to focus on the diet and keep exercising (again); I have 24 more miles of running to make it to my goal of 800 miles for the year, which I'll reach some time in the next 2 weeks. Today will have to be an easy day (yoga). During the Thanksgiving weekend, I ran 4 straight days for a total of 19.6 miles! Running is the only thing that has kept the weight from increasing more than it has. And I really need to start limiting the beer intake! So one of my goals this week is no beer Monday through Thursday. Even though I only would have one 12 oz beer on a weeknight it is still calories that my body does not need.

Week 4 - Discipline!

Control. Discipline. The ability to make sure you do the things that need to be done to reach your goals - even when you really don’t want to.

You need discipline to put in the training needed to complete long races, especially if you want to run them well. You also need control and discipline to make the changes in your life to effectively lose weight. And these are two goals that I have right now (race well & lose weight). However, control and discipline is what I sometimes lack and need to work on. This is especially true when it comes to desserts and alcohol. Hmmm – may have to rewrite that last sentence – it makes me look like I might be an alcoholic! But I think most of you know what I am talking about. You are out hanging with friends, having a good time, and the beer or wine (or whatever your drink of choice is) is flowing. And despite telling yourself you won’t have more than 2 beers you end up having 4, or sometimes more. And lately this has been happening on Saturday evening for the past three weekends! And now the holidays are just around the corner so I really need to focus on that control and discipline!

Despite the amount of drinking and dessert eating I did on Saturday, the rest of the week was better: 5 days of beer, 4 days of dessert, and 4 days of fruit. The previous week it was 6, 6, and 2. So this week I need to stop having a beer in the evening during the week and try to up the fruit intake more. The veggie portions weren’t great for week 4 either as dinner was Tuscan garlic chicken (http://www.food.com/recipe/tuscan-garlic-chicken-pasta-362590). I make sure to use whole wheat pasta but you can see that the only vegetable is the arugula. Next time I should have some steamed broccoli to go with this meal. I did work out 6 days this week, which included some speed work on Friday and a long run on Sunday; so the intensity of the workouts was a little higher than last week.

Start of week (Monday) weight: 153.8#

Average weight this week: 153.3# which is a 0.6# loss from last week’s average.

But I ran 8.1 miles on Sunday and was hoping to make-up for the extra stuff on Saturday but alas that didn’t work as the following Monday’s weight was 155.2#.  I wonder what I would have weighed if I hadn’t had as many beers or desserts on Saturday! And with it being Thanksgiving this week, I’ll have to more focused on the diet for the next couple of days.

Thanksgiving Day is always a struggle for many of us. I’ve been following a blog of a personal trainer and he posted some helpful hints for Thanksgiving: http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-day-rules/

Specifically:

            Rule #1:  This is Thanksgiving dinner, not Thanksgiving Week, Month, and Year .

Rule #2: You don’t get bonus points for only having one meal. Drew is advocating the

6 small meals a day type of diet. The key thing here is to eat sensibly the morning of Thanksgiving and the rest of the days of the week. If you have only one meal on Thursday and skimp too much the rest of the week, your body adapts by decreasing its metabolism because it thinks its not going to be getting enough calories and nutrients and you end up storing more than if you just ate normally.

Rule #3:  Stick to a realistic definition of a “portion”.

Rule #4: One dessert.  Wait let me be more specific.  One portion of one dessert! Yeah this will be a tough one for me. This year I won’t be spending Thanksgiving with my family so I don’t know what dessert will be available – and how many different kinds there will be. Typically my family has apple pie, pumpkin pie, cookies, and brownies. And I usually have at least one of each, except the pumpkin pie, and probably 2-3 cookies. And this year will be just as tempting as my friend Jessi is baking a chocolate cake and I heard there will be carrot cake – two of my favorites!

Rule #5: Enjoy yourself! This is NOT a fad diet. This is a lifestyle.

Hopefully I’ll be able to go for a run Thursday morning. I need to start the day right before all the food and wine that will be consumed later that day! But still keeping in mind portion control!

Week 3 - back to normal!

I finally have electricity and am back home and on a more regular schedule. While I was without power, I stayed at friends’ houses who had early morning schedules, which meant that I was going to bed at a reasonable hour and waking up at my normal time. I’ve been keeping to that routine so far and hope to keep it up. Now that I’m home, I’m also working out more! And felt it for the first 3 days of the week. So here’s an over view of the good and the bad this past week:

The Good:

- Worked out 5 of 7 days! I should have run long on Sunday but ran 4.9 miles on Friday and 6 miles on Saturday so it will do. And I was in no condition to run on Sunday but I think a walk would have done me some good.

- Ate fruit on 2 of 7 days. This is actual fruit. I drink oj every morning that I have breakfast at home. I definitely need to eat more fruit!

- Dinner was salmon (about 5 oz), asparagus, and skim milk (Mon – Thurs).

- Afternoon snacks, if I’m hungry, have been celery with humus.

- I was in bed before midnight most week nights. I felt good every day last week and better sleep certainly contributed to that. It will also allow me to workout more and more intensely.

The Bad:

Some sort of desert 6 out of 7 days AND a beer every night of the week except Sunday. And waaayyy too much beer on Saturday.

Weight

- Monday morning: 156.6#

- Avg weight Mon – Fri: 154.1#

- I didn’t measure my weight on Sunday morning as I nursed a hang over all day. And since I only had one meal on Sunday, Monday morning's weight was pretty good (153.8#).

So I’ve been getting a few more fruits & vegetables in the diet – yeah! And was consistent with the workouts. But still eating desserts and drinking beer – boo!

So some progress on the diet and exercise. I’ll want to step up the intensity of some of the workouts. This will be including longer runs for training for my next 50 km race in March and hopefully some speed work as I need to get my pace down so that I can run my longer races faster.

The pounds aren’t really dropping yet but I have noticed in pictures and the mirror that I seem to be getting a little bit leaner. Hopefully, the pounds will drop soon.

Week 2 - no electricity and not much exercise

Well I certainly didn’t meet my workout goals this week. Sunday morning a transformer blew and I’ve been without power ever since! This is now day 6. Luckily I have been able to stay with friends so I had a warm place to sleep and a hot shower. I’ve had to eat out a lot, and ate with friends so the diet would not have been typical. I’ve been able to see what others eat for dinner at home and now have a couple of ideas of what other foods I can eat - spaghetti squash! I should also look at other recipe resources as I’d like to eat much more vegetables than I usually do. The one good thing about sleeping at other people’s houses is that you end up following their sleep schedule. And my friends get up quite early to work out so they go to bed early! Hopefully I’ll continue with that trend when I am finally back in my own home and bed. It would allow me to workout consistently and more intensely. Also, I’ve read that lack of sleep contributes to weight gain and the inability to lose weight. Something about hormones. I should look into that so I have a better understanding. At least I’ve noticed that my weight has stayed the same. No gain is better than gaining if I’m not able to lose a few pounds this week.

This weekend I’ll be traveling to Albany NY with a friend to visit another friend. Marie is having a wine and appetizer party. Hopefully I’ll get a run in this week before I travel. So far this year I’ve been able to run at least once a week. I’d like to continue that trend. And since I have run just over 700 miles this year (a new PR!) I’d like to get to 800. I won’t be able to run as far as my sister – she’s run 1000 miles this year! But maybe I’ll try to make that a goal for next year. All those extra miles should help with my running goals!

Week 1: October 24-30, 2011

Weight: 154 #
Monday - first day post-marathon; legs sore - especially front of left ankle. Going to try and do some yoga today (need to cut out the word try and just do it!).
   Breakfast (9:15 AM): 1/2 of a large bagel - half smeared w/butter, half w/blackberry preserves, 8 oz oj, 2 cups coffee with sugar and skim milk, 1 scrambled egg
   Snack (11:40 AM): granny smith apple with 1 tblsp chunky peanut butter
   Lunch (1:30 PM): 9.5 oz minestrone (100 cal), 5 saltines (60 cal) with butter, 8 oz skim chocolate milk
   Snack (3:00 PM): 1/4 french toast muffin (200 cal)

The 800 calorie muffin I won at the 5k race on 10/22. I've cut it into fourths; though I know I should toss it.

   Workout (4:45 PM): 25 min yoga. I know I need to do more strenuous workouts but its the first day after a marathon and I'm having issues with both ankles.
   Dinner (6:15 PM): One scoop of bean & vegetable chili (from Runner's World), 8 oz, skim milk
   Snack (2:00 AM): 2 pretzel rods, can of diet coke, 0.5 oz dark chocolate with hazelnuts

   Bed: Much too late to write down. This is something that really needs to change as I do it way too often.
   Trying to drink lots of water. Seem dehydrated (dry lips) - perhaps due to Sunday's race or might be getting sick (I hope not!)

Tuesday: Awake at 6:10 AM.
   Breakfast (7:30 AM): Eaten while driving to campus. Large Dunkin Donuts coffee w/2 Splenda and skim milk, untoasted cinnamon raisin bagel
   Lectured for 3 hours
   Lunch (1:00 PM): PB&J on whole wheat bread (2 slices), diet coke, Stonyfield raspberry yogurt (130 cal), 15 roasted/unsalted cashews
   Snack (4:45 PM): Starbuck's grande skim mocha (no whip cream), reduced fat cinnamon swirl cake
   Watched a movie at the NY Academy of Sciences - "No Dinosaurs in Heaven" about evolution, science teaching, and creationism.
    Dinner (9:30 PM - while watching the Biggest Loser): 1 scoop of bean & veggi chili, 8 oz skim milk
   Fell asleep on the couch before 11 PM, in bed at 1:30 AM
    Didn't work out today. I was too tired from being up so late so decided to stay on campus to work before heading into the city later.

Wednesday: Awake at 7:30 AM
   Breakfast (8:45 AM): 1/2 c homemade granola w/3 tsp apple sauce and skim milk, 8 oz oj, 2 cups of coffee with sugar & skim milk
   Lunch (1:00 PM): 9.5 oz minestrone (100 cal), 7 saltines with butter, 8 oz skim chocolate milk
   Snack (3:00 PM): Stonyfield strawberry yogurt (110 cal), 6 roasted & unsalted cashews
   Snack (4:30 PM): chunky peanut butter - eaten with a spoon from the jar so I don't know how much I ate
   Dinner (9:00 PM): scoop of bean & veggie chili, 12 oz beer
   Bed at 12:15 AM

Thursday: Awake at 6:15 AM
   Breakfast (7:40 AM): Breakfast (7:30 AM): Eaten while driving to campus. Large Dunkin Donuts coffee w/2 Splenda and skim milk, coffee cake muffin (probably one of the worst muffins by Dunkin Donuts you can eat - ~650 calories!)
   Lectured 3 hrs
   Lunch (12:15 PM): PB&J on whole wheat bread (2 slices), diet coke, Stonyfield lemon yogurt, 15 roasted/unsalted cashews
   Should have gone to the gym but was tired.
   Snack (4:00 PM): 12 oz beer
   Dinner (9:00 PM): scoop of bean & veggie chili, 8 oz skim milk
   Fell asleep on couch; bed at 4:15 AM

Friday: Awake at 8:15 AM
   Breakfast (9:15 AM): Breakfast (8:45 AM): 1/2 c homemade granola w/3 tsp apple sauce and skim milk, 8 oz oj, 2 cups of coffee with sugar & skim milk
    Lunch (1:30 PM): slice of mushroom pizza, diet coke, 1 oz dark chocolate with hazelnuts
   Workout (4:00 PM): 3 mile run in 34 min; some stretching
   Snack: string cheese; three 5 oz tastings of beer, chips, 2 cookies
   Dinner: 2 pints of beer; pasta with shrimp and moz cheese, 1 pc garlic bread. This is where I need to do a lot of work - need to make better choices when eating out (would have had a salad but none looked appetizing). Didn't see in the description of the pasta that there would be lots of mozzarella cheese.
   In bed before midnight

Saturday: Awake at 8:00 AM
   Breakfast (9:25 AM): 1/2 of a large bagel - half smeared w/butter, half w/blackberry preserves, 8 oz oj, 2 cups coffee with sugar and skim milk, 1 scrambled egg
  Lunch (2:00 PM): or should it be snack? 1 small gala apple
  Workout: if I ran 1/2 mile in the snow and ice cold water in the woods I would have been lucky
   Dinner: 2 beers, chicken & mozzarella sandwich on chiabatta, mashed potatoes (quite good, I forgot how much I liked mashed potatoes!), 3 french fries
   Snack: diet coke
Fell asleep on the couch while watching football. In bed at 12:00 AM

Sunday: Awake at 8:00 AM
   Power went out at 9 AM so rest of meals have been eaten away from home
   Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1.5 fat breakfast sausage, 1 pc wheat toast with butter & jam, home fries, 6 oz oj, 4 c coffee with skim milk and sugar
   Snack: Starbuck's grande skim mocha (no whip cream), reduced fat cinnamon swirl cake
   Dinner: filet mignon sandwich on garlic bread with mozzarella, roasted red peppers, & romaine, onion rings, 4 pints of beer (only planned on 2 pints but two patrons brought me beer).
   Bed at 11:30 PM. Slept on a friend's couch

Hopefully next week will be better - but the first couple of days likely won't be as the electric company doesn't expect to have electricity restored until Wednesday!

exercise this week?

During my first week of trying to lose weight I haven't been very good about exercise. And I can only put part of the blame on recovering from a marathon. So far this week I've done 25 min of yoga on Monday and a 3 mile run on Friday. Had hoped to get a nice run in the woods on Saturday - in costume - but there was a freak storm that hit the East Coast. First it rained and then it snowed. A lot! Just getting to Great Swamp was quite an adventure. And getting home after dinner was even more adventurous! Lots of downed trees and power lines.

So what have been my excuses? Tired - a few nights of staying up late makes it difficult to work out. Wednesday was pure laziness. I should have gone to yoga at a local studio - I want this guy to succeed since his studio is close to me and his rates are really good! Thursday I had my gym gear to go to the gym and ride the stationary bike but by the time I left the office, I was tired and unmotivated. And frankly I am still recovering from the marathon. I wish I could have some of the energy and recovery capabilities of my friend Jessi. On Saturday she ran in the morning and in the afternoon. I won't bother posting her mileage - she runs ultra-marathons and does IronMen races - so the number of miles she ran less than a week after winning the marathon are insane. Plus she's 17 years younger than me so she can recover faster. But the one thing she does is she gets out there nearly every day and works out for 1 hour or more.

So here are my exercise goals for next week: (1) work out nearly every day; and (2) when I do work out, do so for 1 hour.

A marathon

I'm still logging my diet, sleep, and exercise. This definitely won't be a good week yet each morning my weight is a little lower than the previous day. Not sure why (you'll see why with my next post on Monday morning). Perhaps residual increase in metabolism post-marathon? Muscles recovering and using energy after all the running I've done? Don't know but I'll take it if the loss is maintained!

In the meantime, here's a link to my other blog and my race report for the marathon that I ran on Sunday: D-L Marathon.