OK, so I am one of the worst dieters in the world. I can change habits for a few days, but then I'm back to my old ways. I tried South Beach and managed Phase I for 10 days. It worked and it didn't feel too bad when I was doing it. I dropped 9 lbs and it was the beginning of a 15 lb drop. But now four years later, the idea of even thinking about Phase I again is more than I can stand.
I have tried cutting calories. I have tried more exercise. I have tried not eating after a certain time. None of it sticks. Then I saw the Belly Fat Diet from Prevention Magazine. Four meals of 400 calories a day including a serving of a monounsaturated fat included (like sunflower seeds, olive oil, chocolate chips). A plan for those like me who want to make stuff on the fly and another plan for those who like to spend as much time in the kitchen as I do on the road.
It all sounded easy enough, but would 400 calories fill me up enough? I gotta tell you, I'm pretty impressed with this. I've lost 5 lbs in three weeks, which doesn't sound like much, but it would if you knew how much "cheating" I've been doing. And yet, despite the cheating, I'm dropping weight. (I usually don't cheat on diets, but this time I realized I have to slowly work changes into my life if I want to maintain them. So every 3rd day or so I don't follow the plan so well. And lately, it's been worse than that, but tomorrow we start new again.)
Typical day of eating with this plan:
Breakfast
1 cup corn flakes
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c sunflower seeds
skim milk
Mid morning
English muffin with 2 tbsp of natural peanut butter
Mid-afternoon
Slice of raisin toast with 1/4 c cottage cheese and walnuts
Dinner
Red peppers, broccoli, onion sauteed with olive oil, whole wheat penne pasta, tossed with ricotta cheese and some Italian blend cheese on top.
This may not sound like much, but I have to tell you, I'm not hungry and I feel really satisfied. So far very cool.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Good week
Saturday's run: Out the door at 8 a.m. This is the second week in a row, I have run on a Saturday morning. Usually, I am at yoga at 9 a.m. but I've been trying a later class so I can run first.
I know lots of people run on Saturday mornings but it's something else to actually see so many runners in my neighborhood. Team in Training goes down a street near my house. I see their water coolers/stations and occasionally I see two people here and there. But Saturday, as I was heading out on my run, a group of 15 of them came running head on toward me. What a sight for a solo runner to see a group. They looked like they were having a good time. After the big group there were groups of 2 and 3 together. And I passed them all again on the way back in. Really great to see so many people out and running.
I like the solace of running alone but must admit it might be fun to run with one or two others for longer runs -- if I could ever find someone who runs my somewhat turtle pace.
I wanted to do 4 miles but I wasn't sure how it would go since I had changed up my schedule to have time with my sister visiting from GA. I felt good until I actually started to run. I realized my body was more tired that I expected.
I've been reading John Bingham's "The Courage to Start," and I liked a passage I saw the other day that said basically sometimes our mind needs a run but our body isn't up to it and other times our body is full-go and our mind just isn't into it. He talks about using our runner's wisdom to know when to press on and when not to.
So, as I started out I knew ultimately the goal was 4 miles but given the week I'd had maybe 2 would be the limit. After about a half-mile I was questioning doing more than 1 mile. Still, I trudged on, working on some basic ChiRunning focuses (posture and armswing) to help me keep going and fall into a rhythm. After the first half mile, I felt a twinge in my ankle (where I almost had a stress fractured that stopped me cold for 4 weeks). So I paid attention to that very carefully. I decided to give myself another half mile. If it was better, great. If it wasn't, walk home.
I made a slight adjustment and everything was fine. At 1.5 miles I turned around just in case. I figured 3 miles would be good enough. But as I cruised to 2.5 I knew I had the other mile left in the tank. So I got my 4 in.
I was more tired than the last two runs, but I was feeling good overall. I felt like I was slogging y and expected to see splits in the 12:15 range but they actually faster than either of the last two runs (about 11:40). Surprise. Surprise.
Total for the week 3, 6, 4 = 13 miles
Total weight loss in 3 weeks = 5 lbs.
It's time, though, to dial it down this week for a recovery week. I'm not very good with those, but I also can feel my body needs it. I'm really hoping that my inner wisdom can overpower my Type A "more miles" mantra. Wish me luck.
I know lots of people run on Saturday mornings but it's something else to actually see so many runners in my neighborhood. Team in Training goes down a street near my house. I see their water coolers/stations and occasionally I see two people here and there. But Saturday, as I was heading out on my run, a group of 15 of them came running head on toward me. What a sight for a solo runner to see a group. They looked like they were having a good time. After the big group there were groups of 2 and 3 together. And I passed them all again on the way back in. Really great to see so many people out and running.
I like the solace of running alone but must admit it might be fun to run with one or two others for longer runs -- if I could ever find someone who runs my somewhat turtle pace.
I wanted to do 4 miles but I wasn't sure how it would go since I had changed up my schedule to have time with my sister visiting from GA. I felt good until I actually started to run. I realized my body was more tired that I expected.
I've been reading John Bingham's "The Courage to Start," and I liked a passage I saw the other day that said basically sometimes our mind needs a run but our body isn't up to it and other times our body is full-go and our mind just isn't into it. He talks about using our runner's wisdom to know when to press on and when not to.
So, as I started out I knew ultimately the goal was 4 miles but given the week I'd had maybe 2 would be the limit. After about a half-mile I was questioning doing more than 1 mile. Still, I trudged on, working on some basic ChiRunning focuses (posture and armswing) to help me keep going and fall into a rhythm. After the first half mile, I felt a twinge in my ankle (where I almost had a stress fractured that stopped me cold for 4 weeks). So I paid attention to that very carefully. I decided to give myself another half mile. If it was better, great. If it wasn't, walk home.
I made a slight adjustment and everything was fine. At 1.5 miles I turned around just in case. I figured 3 miles would be good enough. But as I cruised to 2.5 I knew I had the other mile left in the tank. So I got my 4 in.
I was more tired than the last two runs, but I was feeling good overall. I felt like I was slogging y and expected to see splits in the 12:15 range but they actually faster than either of the last two runs (about 11:40). Surprise. Surprise.
Total for the week 3, 6, 4 = 13 miles
Total weight loss in 3 weeks = 5 lbs.
It's time, though, to dial it down this week for a recovery week. I'm not very good with those, but I also can feel my body needs it. I'm really hoping that my inner wisdom can overpower my Type A "more miles" mantra. Wish me luck.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Celebrating 100th birthdays and good runs
My sister is coming to town this weekend for the 100th birthday of her husband's grandmother. Grandma is small in stature these days -- about 4'9" -- but large in our hearts. She's still quite sharp if not a little hard of hearing. Last time I was with her a couple of months ago, we were going through her high school yearbooks and she could remember all sorts of people. She even remembers when electricity came to her little Indiana town. What a doll. Happy birthday, Mary!
Since my little sis is coming to town that means breakfast as a family on Saturday at our favorite local restaurant. But that also means it'd be tough to get my long, slow, distance run in before we'd meet. More than likely breakfast will be at 9 or 10 a.m. And that would require a 6 a.m. wakeup call. Not gonna happen on a Saturday morning. I don't like to run in the dark. 8 a.m. is the crack of dawn for me on the weekend run.
So what to do? Even though I did a long run only 5 days ago, it was today or no breakfast with the family. So off I went. Hotter and more humid than last Saturday, but still a beautiful day. Stayed with my half-mile runs followed by 1 minute walk breaks. I wasn't as hydrated as I'd have liked and I hadn't eaten as well (carb-wise), but I did pretty well.
Last Saturday, I ran about 12 minute miles and today -- even though the intention was to stay at 12 minute miles, I ended up doing about 11:30 miles. I struggled the last two miles though at 12:19 and 12:09. All in all, a great run. Most important thing -- really the only important thing to me -- is I finished the run pain free. My heart rate seemed to stay down. I don't know for sure because I no longer take a monitor, but I felt good. And I really enjoyed myself except for one thing: water bottles.
I usually carry a bottle of Dasani or Aquafina when I run because it's easy to carry. But I'd really like to free my hands up, so I went back to one of the many running belts I own. Today's was one that sits horizontally along the small of my back. It was OK but I couldn't feel my pelvis rotate with the belt on, which is part of the ChiRunning technique. And the belt itself was an issue. When it felt tight enough, it restricted my diaphram and breathing; when I loosened it, it just wobbled too much. Not really much of a problem in the big picture.
Since my little sis is coming to town that means breakfast as a family on Saturday at our favorite local restaurant. But that also means it'd be tough to get my long, slow, distance run in before we'd meet. More than likely breakfast will be at 9 or 10 a.m. And that would require a 6 a.m. wakeup call. Not gonna happen on a Saturday morning. I don't like to run in the dark. 8 a.m. is the crack of dawn for me on the weekend run.
So what to do? Even though I did a long run only 5 days ago, it was today or no breakfast with the family. So off I went. Hotter and more humid than last Saturday, but still a beautiful day. Stayed with my half-mile runs followed by 1 minute walk breaks. I wasn't as hydrated as I'd have liked and I hadn't eaten as well (carb-wise), but I did pretty well.
Last Saturday, I ran about 12 minute miles and today -- even though the intention was to stay at 12 minute miles, I ended up doing about 11:30 miles. I struggled the last two miles though at 12:19 and 12:09. All in all, a great run. Most important thing -- really the only important thing to me -- is I finished the run pain free. My heart rate seemed to stay down. I don't know for sure because I no longer take a monitor, but I felt good. And I really enjoyed myself except for one thing: water bottles.
I usually carry a bottle of Dasani or Aquafina when I run because it's easy to carry. But I'd really like to free my hands up, so I went back to one of the many running belts I own. Today's was one that sits horizontally along the small of my back. It was OK but I couldn't feel my pelvis rotate with the belt on, which is part of the ChiRunning technique. And the belt itself was an issue. When it felt tight enough, it restricted my diaphram and breathing; when I loosened it, it just wobbled too much. Not really much of a problem in the big picture.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Was it the Diet Coke, carbs or calories?
Yesterday's run almost didn't happen. I was all fired up after Saturday's great long, slow run. I had a job interview in the early afternoon (have decided I'm not interested). On the drive home, I realized I hadn't had time to eat lunch, so no food for 6+ hours. I'm not one who can run on an empty stomach. So I came home, made a tuna melt and watched a movie with the hubs.
About 4:45 I thought a 10-minute nap might be nice. And it was -- for 45 minutes. Still, I dressed, did my Chi-looseners and headed out the door. After a quarter-mile walk during which I wasn't feelin it, I started to jog. About 8 steps later, I knew it wasn't in the cards. I'd lost my window so to speak. I walked it home and thought I was done for the night.
I needed a Diet Coke in the worst way. So I made dinner (pasta salad with chicken, grapes, nuts and oranges) and needed to wait for the pasta to cool. So I headed to McDonald's for a large Diet (just love those fountain Cokes). Came home, ate dinner and about 10 Ritz crackers and settled in for the night. But a funny thing happened, I started to feel better within the hour. Did I just need some caffeine? Some carbs? Calories?
About 7:45 I decided to head out and see if I could run a bit. Even a mile would be OK. I reminded myself to take the walk breaks every half mile if I needed them. So off I went feeling stronger than I expected. All of the sudden I was thinking maybe I'll stop after a three-quarters a mile. Maybe I'll stop after 1 mile. Hey, maybe 1.5 miles. Wow, I feel good, I think I can go the 2 miles I had planned to run. About 1.5 miles into the run I started to have another conversation with myself -- like the angel and the devil on each shoulder.
"Oh, I think we can do 3 miles."
"We are NOT running any further than 2 miles. You want to build back up slowly. You haven't taken any walk breaks like you're supposed to to allow your heart rate to settle."
"You're right. But another mile is no big deal."
"Stop, it we are not running any more than 2 miles."
And on and on it went until I stopped for a drink after 2 miles. By that time, my two buddies had reached a compromise -- another half mile but it as a cool down. And before the first quarter-mile was finished, the two were at it again. I ended up with 3 miles and felt great the entire time.
Go figure.
About 4:45 I thought a 10-minute nap might be nice. And it was -- for 45 minutes. Still, I dressed, did my Chi-looseners and headed out the door. After a quarter-mile walk during which I wasn't feelin it, I started to jog. About 8 steps later, I knew it wasn't in the cards. I'd lost my window so to speak. I walked it home and thought I was done for the night.
I needed a Diet Coke in the worst way. So I made dinner (pasta salad with chicken, grapes, nuts and oranges) and needed to wait for the pasta to cool. So I headed to McDonald's for a large Diet (just love those fountain Cokes). Came home, ate dinner and about 10 Ritz crackers and settled in for the night. But a funny thing happened, I started to feel better within the hour. Did I just need some caffeine? Some carbs? Calories?
About 7:45 I decided to head out and see if I could run a bit. Even a mile would be OK. I reminded myself to take the walk breaks every half mile if I needed them. So off I went feeling stronger than I expected. All of the sudden I was thinking maybe I'll stop after a three-quarters a mile. Maybe I'll stop after 1 mile. Hey, maybe 1.5 miles. Wow, I feel good, I think I can go the 2 miles I had planned to run. About 1.5 miles into the run I started to have another conversation with myself -- like the angel and the devil on each shoulder.
"Oh, I think we can do 3 miles."
"We are NOT running any further than 2 miles. You want to build back up slowly. You haven't taken any walk breaks like you're supposed to to allow your heart rate to settle."
"You're right. But another mile is no big deal."
"Stop, it we are not running any more than 2 miles."
And on and on it went until I stopped for a drink after 2 miles. By that time, my two buddies had reached a compromise -- another half mile but it as a cool down. And before the first quarter-mile was finished, the two were at it again. I ended up with 3 miles and felt great the entire time.
Go figure.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hello endorphins
Finally, a really good run.
Could it be the better nutrition (the Belly Fat Diet -- a post for another time)?
Could it be the better hydration -- 80+ounces of water the day before?
Could it be the willingness to take walk breaks every half mile (so basically 5/1 min)?
Could it be all of the above?
Whatever. It doesn't matter, I'm just glad to have had a wonderful long (for me right now), slow, distance run. I didn't feel tired until the last half mile. My heart rate stayed lower (based on how I felt) up to the last half mile (which was uphill) and I just felt so good.
Hello, endorphins. Nice to feel you again.
It's been a long road and a diagnosis for the heart rate problem -- inappropriate sinus tachycardia -- although I don't have all the symptoms. More on that in a future post. Suffice to say, walk breaks help. Even though I don't like them, my body does. Today may be proof of that.
So I'm happy. Great run. Feeling good 12 hours later. No pains. No fatigue. Just sweet, sweet endorphins.
(6 miles [building back up]: 72 minutes)
Could it be the better nutrition (the Belly Fat Diet -- a post for another time)?
Could it be the better hydration -- 80+ounces of water the day before?
Could it be the willingness to take walk breaks every half mile (so basically 5/1 min)?
Could it be all of the above?
Whatever. It doesn't matter, I'm just glad to have had a wonderful long (for me right now), slow, distance run. I didn't feel tired until the last half mile. My heart rate stayed lower (based on how I felt) up to the last half mile (which was uphill) and I just felt so good.
Hello, endorphins. Nice to feel you again.
It's been a long road and a diagnosis for the heart rate problem -- inappropriate sinus tachycardia -- although I don't have all the symptoms. More on that in a future post. Suffice to say, walk breaks help. Even though I don't like them, my body does. Today may be proof of that.
So I'm happy. Great run. Feeling good 12 hours later. No pains. No fatigue. Just sweet, sweet endorphins.
(6 miles [building back up]: 72 minutes)
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