Anyway, I digress... Last week, I talked about how running has helped me lose weight. To be honest, I thought running would be enough where I would not have to worry about my diet and continue to cave to the sweet tooth goddess.
A few weeks ago, after a long run, I made the decision that I could benefit from losing 5-10 more pounds. It's simple logic: that's 5-10 pounds less that I have to carry 26.2 miles. After all, how hard can it be to lose another 5-10 pounds when I've lost about 30 in the past year? Answer: Very!
I have eliminated sandwiches for lunch, opting for a spinach salad with some fruit and feta. Not bad, but damn do I miss a good roast beef sandwich for lunch.
As I mentioned last week, my biggest vice are the sweets. In fact, during a recent visit to Milwaukee, my parents did me no favors by buying a box of ice cream cones. Maybe, with some luck, I will not hear them taunting me from the freezing.
Jody and I try to eat healthy for dinner. Yet, it is not uncommon to have a small pizza from the local grocery store or something with Italian sausage once every couple weeks. To our credit, we eat out only once every couple weeks, if that.
This is, however, the extent to my "diet." Maybe with some self-discipline, portion control, and staying away from the sweets, I will reach my goal. Obviously, I will continue running and adding miles each week, so the calories will burn (I torched 2700 of them on my 16-mile run this morning), but Chicago will happen regardless of what I weigh.
Next week, I will talk about what I eat before, during, after my long runs. Until then, I try to enjoy some wonderful rice cakes...
Yup. This.
ReplyDeleteI don't count really calories when I'm "dieting," because I'm not terribly good at it. I do track carbs (especially breads, potatoes, rice and pasta, which I would eat with a shovel if I could get away with it). I write down everything that I eat, and have found that just being mindful helps immensely. It's also instructive to learn how much you eat that you don't realize you're eating.
Good luck!
>I write down everything that I eat, and have found that just being mindful helps immensely.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If I was more serious about a diet, I would create an Excel sheet or Word document that simply documented my food intake without accounting for all the calories or "points" (as the case may be with WW). It is a great way to see those unseen trends of eating and being more aware of what we eat on a daily basis. There a million apps that also "help" one account for calories consumed versus calories burned, but I would be so wrapped up in using these tools and adding in the information that I would lose sight of the larger issue: simply reducing portions and minimizing the amount of carbs and sugars.
I know your anguish. Losing weight is the most exhausting business I know. But being successful is wonderfully satisfying; more than ice cream! But don't try to change everything at once. You need those carbs and healthy oils to keep you fueled for all the long-distance running. Don't cut back too much or too quickly or you will not have the energy for the marathon. Good luck with it!
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