So I packed on 2.5 just this week. Im running like crazy but eating even more crazy. Why am I doing this!?!?!? So now I know, I cant listen to my body. If it says Im hungry, well Im really not. I am not undoing all the good I have done. I worked so hard for 6 months to get where I am now. Im not turning it around and putting it all back on in 1 month. So it ends today. Food is only specifically for fuel, in proportions found appropriate by doctors. Im taking out all other factors. I have learned this lesson too many times before. I cant eat what feels right and not gain an enormous amount of weight. So Im taking my own objectivitity out of it.
Today Ive got a 4 mile run scheduled. Quite honestly Im so depressed over packing 6 lbs back on in such a short time that I dont feel like doing a darn thing but I know that that only makes the problem worse. So I want to push myself just to go out anyway. But on top of that I havent had more than 5 hrs of sleep each night this week and its catching up to me. Im exhausted. I want to take a nap and then run but I know if I do that the chances of actually heading out for a run are diminished. What I need to do is go for my run as soon as I get home, shower, eat, and then go to bed at like 8!
New goal. 5lbs off by my anniversary, August 26. No excuses.
So today I was trying to research a little on running and appetites because mine has been so off kilter. I found a site that had a bunch of peoples comments (not EP) and a girl was talking about running to lose weight and someone responeded to her that running is not an effecient way to lose weight. This person said it would take over 30 miles to lose 1 lb and that shed be better off doing some other type of exercise. I was flabbergasted! Now, I know the math. 3500 calories = 1 lb. I thought running 1 mile burned round abouts 100 calories meaning about 35 miles to burn 1lb of fat. So Im not blown away by the actual calories/pounds statement but the general idea that running isnt good for weightloss. This person gave a calculation of weight X miles ran X (.75) is about what you burn. That was good news to me because it mean I was burning more than 100 calories per mile. Anyway, 30 miles to lose 1 lb seemed hopeless to me. Then I got to thinking, there is hardly any other exercise that I do that can burn about 125 calories every 10 minutes. The machines at the gym can read more or less calories but I really dont feel they are that accurate anyway. Is running an inefficient exercise for weightloss? Would I be better off at the gym on a machine?
Regardless, more exercise and better eatting will show results. I am enjoying my runs so Im going to stick with them. Hopefully I can straighten out my eatting habits and find a diet/exercise balance so I can see the results I want.
Food. Food. Food. Thats about all thats going on in my head right now. My sister ran the half marathon last year and she was telling me how her appetite went crazy as she got into longer runs and that she GAINED 8 pounds while everyone else was dropping rediculous weight from training. So here I am eatting everything in sight. Tomorrows weigh in cant be anything but bad. Yesterday I had done ok. Normal breakfast, ok lunch, went for a 5 mile run, good dinner, 2 chocolate chip cookies for a treat but I didnt over do it and have 5 like I sometimes do. The neighbors called and I went over to swim for a bit. Then I came home to unwind and watch a little tv before bed. A great day right? Wrong! That is when I decided to put an entire pizza in the oven (a big one) and eat half of it. So not just a healthy snack to make up for any additional needs my body may have with all this running but an entire second dinner. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Why am I doing this? I have worked so hard to get to where I am. I need to get a grip because Im already starting to pack the lbs back on.
Today is a day of rest exercisewise. I'll be going to a Tastefully Simple party, which is tons of food, however the stuff that they usually bring to sample are not the items that I love the most, except the beer bread. So I shouldnt do too bad. I'll have to purchase wisely though so I dont have all kinds of wonderful treats around the house that'll Ill just eat myself.
Focus, Julie! This isnt supposed to be easy. I have to be willing to do the hard work. That means not eatting all the junk food just because it sounds good! There, I said it. Maybe now I'll do it
I had to make myself get out there and run last night. But I did it and although it wasnt easy, it didnt kill me either. It was just a 3 mile night but 3 miles through the hills seems sooo much harder than 6 on a flat trail. Plus I dont know what my problem has been but ever since Sunday Ive been in a sour mood, just grumpy and grouchy, like if someone said the wrong thing to me I might bust out crying or get really mad. Im no where near TOM so its not PMS. Maybe Im just grumpy because I know Im eatting poorly.
Tonight I've got a 5 mile run scheduled. I packed my clothes so I can stop right on the way home and do it. Theres a chance of storms in the forecast. Im hoping those hold off because I havent been to the gym to try running longer than 20 minutes or so on the treadmill. Im afraid Id get too bored or worry too much about my pace. Either way I need to get it in because Ive got a Tastefully Simple party to go to Wednesday and I wont be exercising that day.
What is my deal!?!?!? I have been sooo hungry for weeks! It started with PMS the week before TOM. I thought once TOM came around the starvation mode would disappear. No such luck. I am still hungry and it doesnt just feel like cravings (although Im having tons of those too) I feel really hungry most of the time. Still I didnt feel like I ate too horriblely over the weekend, aside from a lot of pizza friday night. I ate reasonably the rest of the weekend. I tried to run Friday, even though it was raining, until I made it almost one lap in the neighborhood and heard the loudest crack of thunder and bright flash of lightening. The dog and I made a beline for the house and called it quits. So only 1 mile that day. I got up an did my 6 mile run Saturday even though we were expected early at our friends house to help move. It felt so great! The last mile my legs felt kinda heavy but I was so happy that I was actually able to go six miles! Also I did it keeping up with my usual pace Then all day we were moving...lifting, carrying, walking, squatting. So between that and my run I think I burnt a ton of calories. It would have been great if I didnt want to eat everything in sight. So week one of my official half marathon training completed! Im excited to take on week two!
I did great with exercise AND food almost all day. I ate a good breakfast and lunch. I went running on my way home from work. I did my 4 miles plus my warm up and cool down walk in 46 minutes so I know my run definately had to be under 40 mins this time. Still need that watch though. I went home and had a nice dinner. Then I had a few errands to run but managed to resist the glorious aroma of Aunt Annies pretzels at the mall. By the time I got home I was really hungry again. No big deal, I had room for a healthy snack. Well I started making frozen pudding shots for Saturday night and while I had the vodka and kahlua out I decided a white russian would be a perfect night cap. Well it was sooo good I needed two. They are not the lightest drink I could have chosen plus two drinks was all I needed to lose my will power for a healthy snack and make a grilled cheese instead. So at the end of the day I hadnt done the best foodwise but seeing as I made it 90% through the day doing well Im going to consider it an improvement and just keep working for that last 10%.
Today Im planning a 3 mile hilly run in my neighborhood. However DH will be home and since I see him so little I usually tend to skip anything else just to be with him. I need to realize that a 3 mile run is 30 mins and that is barely even a noticable amount of time to be away. So I should just do it
RRRRRRR! I keep forgetting to log on at home so I can post some updated pictures I will try and remember tonight.
IT'S FRIDAY!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Well I did it. I got on the scale. Up 2 1/2 lbs My eatting was actually a little better yesterday, not good, but better than aweful. I also didnt run last night. I went home and fell asleep on the couch. I feel guilty because I was planning on running but not too terrible because I had originally been planning to make yesterday a day of rest because I was supposed to go to book club and shopping with my sister. My sister and I rescheduled and I never read the book so I skipped book club and figured Id run instead. Ive got my clothes packed so I can stop at the trail right on my way home without going all the way to the house and back.
I am kind of amazed at how much I am actually enjoying my runs alone. Ive always been one of those 'the more the merrier' kind of people. Exercise is always more fun if you have someone else to talk to. I dont know if I just got burnt out or if I felt obligated to run a certain pace or distance or what when I was running with my cousin but I hated it. Now its totally different. I went out for my four mile flat run yesterday and was quite content the whole way. I ran the 4 miles plus a warm up and cool down walk in 48 minutes. I figure my walk (my best guess is about a half mile total) probably took about 7-8 minutes so my run was around 40, meaning a 10 min mile. I really need to get a watch so I can get a more accurate idea of my pace. Not that Im going to put too much pressure on myself to hit a certain pace (Ive doen that before and ended up hating the runs and being disappointed in myself) but for curiousity Id like to know where I am.
So exercise is coming right along. Food however is holding steady at poor I havent been doing aweful but just not good and Im sure its keeping me from losing and judging by my clothes, its probably making me gain. I WILL get on the scale this Thursday to see the damage, like it or not. I tend to lose sight of reality, what it really takes to lose and maintain when I dont get on the scale, like I can convince myself that I can eat crap food and not gain. So its back to weekly weigh ins no matter what.
Looking forward to another run tonight. I havent decided if itll be a short run in my hilly neighborhood with my dog or a long one on the trail. My training schedule I found online says a 4 mile run so I should hit the trail but my pup is just so much more relaxed and content when I take her for a run a few times a week. Either way, as long as the rain holds off, I'll be out there and if it rains I can always go back to the gym to do some spead work on the treadmill.
Well I didnt do great. I stopped counting calories after dinner but continued to eat another piece of pudding pie, bagel chips, and nachos. STILL, that is much better than I have been doing AND I ran 3 miles over hills and it wasnt too hard at all. Today I have 4 miles on a flat trail. I actually cant wait to get out and do it. Its supposed to be very hot and humid but the trail I go to for flat runs is nice and shaded so itll be as cool as it can get today. My new neighbors stopped by last night to start cleaning the empty house next door before they move everything in this weekend and they called me to head up to the clubhouse for a pizza, which I LOVE. I was strong! I said I already ate but Id love to join them for the company. I had a Coke Zero and chitchatted and that was it. Small victories! If I can keep making a few good choices each day, I'll be back on track soon enough!
What a week I had last week. In 48 hours I had gotten a total of 5 1/2 hours of sleep and workd 25hrs. I hit the couch at 4pm Thursday after work and slept in and out for 3 1/2 hours and then went to bed that night for 5 more hours. I had planned on running Friday after work since I thought I had gotten cought up on sleep. My sister asked me to stop by for a drink and that just was too tempting after a stressful week. So I went to her place and after 3 drinks I was no where near motivated enough to run. I slept some more Friday night and so Saturday I finally felt rested. I did get up and run that morning. We went to a wedding that night and a golf outting yesterday. Fun Fun Fun I havent been eatting the best but not aweful, yet I fell like Ive gained 10lbs. My close all feel too tight. Well today starts the official 12 week training schedule for the half marathon so its definately down to business time for me now. I think knowing that Ive got to stick to it in order to do the run will keep me on track. TOM is over so I should be able to focus on an eatting plan if I really put forth the effort. Im going to try counting my calories and keep it at 2000 this time. I dont want to go too low because of all the running I plan to do but I need to get a little control back in the food department.
Then all day we were moving...lifting, carrying, walking, squatting. So between that and my run I think I burnt a ton of calories. It would have been great if I didnt want to eat everything in sight. So week one of my official half marathon training completed! Im excited to take on week two!
I will try and remember tonight.
My eatting was actually a little better yesterday, not good, but better than aweful. I also didnt run last night. I went home and fell asleep on the couch. I feel guilty because I was planning on running but not too terrible because I had originally been planning to make yesterday a day of rest because I was supposed to go to book club and shopping with my sister. My sister and I rescheduled and I never read the book so I skipped book club and figured Id run instead. Ive got my clothes packed so I can stop at the trail right on my way home without going all the way to the house and back. 
I havent been doing aweful but just not good and Im sure its keeping me from losing and judging by my clothes, its probably making me gain. I WILL get on the scale this Thursday to see the damage, like it or not. I tend to lose sight of reality, what it really takes to lose and maintain when I dont get on the scale, like I can convince myself that I can eat crap food and not gain. So its back to weekly weigh ins no matter what.
so itll be as cool as it can get today. My new neighbors stopped by last night to start cleaning the empty house next door before they move everything in this weekend and they called me to head up to the clubhouse for a pizza, which I LOVE. I was strong! I said I already ate but Id love to join them for the company. I had a Coke Zero and chitchatted and that was it. Small victories! If I can keep making a few good choices each day, I'll be back on track soon enough!