Marathon Obsession

Summer, 2011

My last post was quite a while ago and a lot has happened since then. I will update you all in future posts, but for now, I want to talk about running.

Running has been one of my hobbies since I was a sophomore in high school. I lettered early, became captain of both cross country and track, and was voted by my peers to be the most inspirational runner on the team. In college, I would occasionally get out and run a bit, but running was essentially put on hold while I was studying.

Now, I run regularly. My friend runs with me occasionally (although we often degenerate into socializing instead, but that is half the fun of running with somebody). In the past few months, I have participated in a couple of races. I ran a 5k in 32.40.7 minutes, which improved my time from last year pretty significantly. I also ran a 10k with the flu, so I was just happy to finish.That 10k is the most challenging race I have ever participated in due to that flu.

Marathon training has become something of an obsession for me. I somehow ended up on the Napa Valley Marathon website and I felt this burning need to run it. The feeling that came over me was incredible; I got chills and this feeling of destiny. I try not to ignore fate, so I decided to begin training for a marathon.

Running a marathon is on my Kick-Ass Lifestyle list which is just one more good reason for me to pursue this dream! I hope my readers will enjoy following my marathon journey. Through my research, I have learned and re-discovered so much about running that I can't wait to share with you.

Ciao!

The Trouble with Travel

The trouble with travel is that everything changes, and routine is forgotten. How can someone expect to lose weight when nothing around them is familiar?

I have traveled a lot in my life; I am very lucky. Last year, I traveled to Italy, and came back close to 15lbs heavier. In 2 days, I am going on the very same trip again. This time I will be prepared to lose weight instead of gain it.

Trouble 1: Where is the scale?
Resolution: Bring a tape measure instead!

Unfortunately, a travel scale has not been invented yet. I have seriously considered packing my scale in my bag with me, but with all of the weight requirements that airlines have right now, it just isn't practical. Weight is not the only way to measure progress.

Instead of packing the scale, I am packing a tape measure. It is light, small and measures my progress even better than a scale. Instead of watching a seemingly arbitrary number drop, I can watch the inches around my waist and my thighs shrink. My trip is a long one, so this is a satisfactory way to travel and track.

Trouble 2: Iffy Internet with online weight-loss program
Resolution: Bring a notebook.

While online programs make tracking everything easier, you can still track with a pen and paper. I intend to bring a notebook and take it everywhere. If I eat anything, I will write it down and estimate how many calories it contained. Just the act of writing it down will help.

Tip: Since eating out is a common occurrence on vacations, add an extra 100 calories after every meal eaten out. This extra allowance will take into account the extra oils that are hidden in many restaurant meals. You can do this even when you aren't on vacation!

Trouble: No gym!
Resolution: Bring a pair of running shoes and buy equal sized water bottles.

You can't take the gym with you, but a pair of shoes is definitely do-able. If you just remember to get out and run for a couple of minutes, not only will you see more of your destination, you will end up with more energy and a couple extra calories burned.

The water bottles act as hydration, and as weights. If you fill up matching water bottles you can use them as impromptu dumbbells. If you need more weight than a 1 liter bottle, you can either bring emptied and squished 2 liter soda bottles to fill, or go find them where you are to use. In the end, just leave them there! (preferably in a recycling bin)

Trouble: I'm hungry but it isn't meal time!
Resolution: Find a local market, and bring some snacks along.

When you find a market, you find all of the local fruits and vegetables. A grocery store would be a good choice also. This way you can buy some fruits and have quick snacks that you know are healthy and don't require refrigeration!

I went out and bought 15 of my favorite energy bars and a handful of fruit leathers. This wasn't cheap, but since last year there was a major focus on gelato and pizza, I need something healthier to eat when I get hungry and everyone else wants calorie laden foods. Throwing one in my bag is easy enough and my snacks are only 100 calories each so are much better choices than the local "fast foods."

If you have any other ideas that would make weight-loss on a trip easier, write it in the comments!

When Should You Count Calories?

Yesterday, I went to the movies with my boyfriend and I hadn't eaten breakfast. We were late, so I ordered some Reese's Pieces and we ran to sit down. I knew it wasn't the healthiest breakfast, but how bad could it be? I estimated about 2 servings of probably 150 calories per serving. A bagel would have been about the same. Right?

I remembered to put the package in my bag when we left so that I could track correctly later. But I didn't track it until after I had eaten lunch and dinner. When I finally pulled out the package and looked at it, it was 5 servings of 200 calories. My 300 calorie breakfast was actually 1,000 calories. Let me tell you, I was SO MAD that I hadn't checked before I ate them.

I have the Spark App on my Blackberry, and I have several computers available to me. What was so difficult about checking to make sure it fit into my plan before I ate them? I could have had Aussie Cheese Fries from Outback, 10 bananas, or 20 cups of Strawberries instead. There are so many things that would have satisfied me more than those few handfuls of Reese's Pieces.

So when is the ideal time to log calories? For most people before they eat,( or even the day before) is the best plan. Logging your calories before is the best way to make sure you know the damage a food will do (or not do) before you eat it.

Everyone makes mistakes, so all I can do is check everything I eat today, and log it BEFORE I eat it. Guessing doesn't work for me. But next time I am in a similar situation, if I even get the candy, I will make sure I know what I am actually eating.

Have you ever been in a similar situation?

The Diet Game Plan

You have good intentions when it comes to your eating habits, so why is it so hard to resist when temptation comes calling? You know you shouldn't order those fries, or eat that cookie, so what is it that is going wrong?

For me, if I can't resist, its because I don't have a game plan. When I plan my meals a day ahead, or plan a whole week at once, all of a sudden, temptations aren't as tempting.

When I know exactly when I am going to eat next and what I am going to be eating, politely refusing becomes so much easier. Instead of thinking "maybe I will skip dinner" to make up for your temptation, you can think "I can wait for my garden burger and salad" or whatever its going to be.

Getting rid of the meal limbo is like a coach planning out the week for his players. He isn't going to just come up with something on the spot; he makes sure that his players are well prepared by balancing different workouts each day. Be your own meal coach.

Occasionally things will come up and you will need to change your plan, but being flexible is okay. At least you are making a decision about what meal is best instead of playing the "omg what should I do" game.

Not only does planning ahead make it easier to resist temptation, it makes it easier to go grocery shopping, it makes it easier to stay within your calorie range and it makes it easier to eat out.

I will save eating out for another blog, but trust me when I say planning ahead is a lifesaver.

How to Eat Chips

Sometimes, you really need junk food. When finals time comes around, I give myself a break and let myself eat crap. I feel like crap, so I need an equal food. So here is how you do it.

1. Buy smallest package of chips that you can find in that will satisfy the craving.

If it is prepackaged in a manageable portion, you CAN'T overeat them. Instead of eating 6 or 8 portions, you will only consume 1 or 2.


2. Pour them into a bowl.

I believe that the packaging hides the quantity from us. If we can see the massive amounts of chips, then we won't want to eat as much.

3. Put a paper towel under the chips in the bowl.

So this isn't actually doing that much, but it is absorbing some oils. The oils in chips are what make them so high in calories. Absorbing any is going to lower the calorie count a little. Its the same idea as patting down a piece of pizza with a napkin.

Tip: Use 2 sheets so that you can cover the chips when you don't want another one. Out of sign out of mind.

4. Don't watch TV with this bowl of tastiness.

If you are studying, or working, or reading, you will at least have to look down to eat. Every time you look down you are a bit more conscious of what you are putting in your mouth and you can enjoy it more. TV zaps your brain, and allows you toeat mindlessly. You can go from bowl to mouth without even thinking.

5. Enjoy them.

The whole point of junk food is to enjoy. Savor the flavor of them. I usually get Jalapeno or Barbecue flavor, and I get Kettle style because I like the crunch. Know what makes you tick. Don't bother if it isn't exactly what is going to make you happy. This is why I don't eat baked chips. This isn't a habit, its a treat. Treat is as such.

Weight-loss to date: down to 151 lbs from 157 lbs
Current BMI: 26.7

The Stress Balance

As you probably know, I am a college student. This last week, ALL of my papers were due, ALL of my art projects were due, and sleep did not factor in. While I generally think that sleep is overrated, going days with minimum levels of sleep is, well, exhausting. My brain was fried, and my body was achy.

Your body basically has three reservoirs of energy: emotional, physical, and mental. When you are perfectly awake and balanced you should theoretically be completely satisfied in all three of these sectors. When you wear yourself out in only one of these areas, your life will start to feel out of sync.

For example, when you go through a breakup, you feel emotionally drained. You probably sit around moping, eating ice cream and watching sappy movies. You exhaust yourself emotionally, but physically and mentally you have too much energy. To balance this out, you should probably go exercise, or take a class. Keeping yourself "busy" is what gets you over the emotional troubles.

The same goes for stress related to school. I mentally wore myself out without physically wearing myself out. Even when I had time to exercise, it would not have been safe since my brain was so out of it. I really needed to catch up on my sleep and then get to the gym.

This upcoming week is finals. To stay mentally alert, I have decided that to stay healthy (since I have a habit of becoming ill just towards the end of finals), I am going to start out my days with the gym and a run. Emotionally, I will be fine since my wonderful boy friend is a constant source of strength for me.

My goals for this upcoming week are to:

• get enough sleep


• exercise daily


• study effectively


• Stay on track with my eating

Good luck to all who are graduating!

Weight-loss to date: down to 152.4lbs from 157lbs (2.5lbs gained from lowest point, but still down 4.5lbs)
Current BMI: 27

Celebrities and Body Image

I love fashion, and I love looking at celebrity fashions. The problem with that is the gap between my weight reality, and that of Vogue and Hollywood. How can real people tell what healthy looks like?

The Project:

Use celebrity images to educate yourself about what a "healthy" weight looks like.

The Steps:

1. Create a Word document and make a table with headers of "Name," "Height," "Weight," "BMI," and "Images." Use this table to keep track of the next few steps.

2. Use the internet to find as many celebrities as you can that are within 1 inch of your own height (and a couple who have bodies that you envy regardless of their height).

Example: I am 5'3", so I looked for models and celebrities who are between 5'2" and 5'4".

3. Try to find an accurate weight for each of these celebrities.

4. Use a BMI calculator using this data to find the BMI of each celebrity. I used http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.

5. Then put the celebrities in order of BMI from lowest to highest.

Tip: I copied the table into Excel, clicked "sort" by BMI and then copied it back into Word.

6. Use the highlight feature in red on celebrities with a BMI under 18.5, and over 25.

7. Go online and find images of each of these celebrities. I tried to find bikini pictures so I could see their bodies clearly. Paste the images into your document so you can refer to them later.

This exercise will start to give you a clear image of what an unhealthy weight looks like, at least on the low side of the scale. Since I idealize celebrity bodies more than I should, it gave me a clear division between which people look healthy, and which people look anorexic.

Now I can look through Vogue and recognize that I will NEVER look like a fashion model; I don't even want to anymore. My body isn't built to be that skinny or gazelle-like. The clothes still look beautiful, but the bodies look under weight and unhealthy. I have a Word document with images of healthy figures that are actually my size. I can aspire towards a more realistic goal, instead of an unhealthy, impossible goal.

As promised, I am posting an image I created using My Virtual Model.

Weight-loss to date: down to 151lbs from 157lbs
Current BMI: 26.7