For a little ,more than a year I maintained my new weight consistently weighing in between 196 and 202 I had become very active always running or riding my bike or going to the gym. In the lead up to the half marathon I perhaps had gotten too lazy with my diet and began to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted... I was burning enough calories to get away with it.
After the half marathon, my knees (mostly the left one) hurt anytime I run, and my running has suffered for it. Add to that the 3 weeks I spent in a hotel eating out and it is easy to see why my pants are suddenly a bit snugger. It didn't really hit home for me though until one of my customers commented on Friday that I "was putting a few pounds on."
I got on the scale and I have gained 10 pounds in the last 2 months. I must get a handle on this...NOW!
I have some plans for the exercise, I am going to begin a new round of Insanity Tomorrow morning. Also I have signed up to run my next half marathon on October 14.
My bigger concern is my diet, or lack there of... I can't stop eating... I feel like I am starving.... I must find the discipline I once had and get control of myself.
I would appreciate any help I can get... I can't let myself have a relapse... I need anyone reading this to help hold me accountable for my food choices....
I totally hear you. There are times when I seem to have a ravenous appetite - real or emotional I dunno, the stomach growls and isn't satisfied though - and other times I feel total control. I've asked some of my girlfriends if they have advise - they are tops in the field of being healthy and well so hopefully they will have some words of wisdom. Good luck!! And kudos to you for realizing there's a problem before it's too far gone and taking immediate steps to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteHi Eric ~
ReplyDeleteHave you tried a food journal? By writing down everything you eat and drink you can really take a look and do some tweaking. I suspect when you were training for your event, you had increased your activity so much that burning enough calories came easier. Now that your activity has slowed it can be tough to scale back on calories to match your activity level. Without knowing what you're eating or how often and how much you're exercising it's hard to really assess completely - but I do find that a journal can become a great source of accountability. :)
Hi Eric!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all.....thank you, Kris, for leading me here. I loved this post, Eric.
I currently go to a holistic nutrition school. I have learned so much. There is so much to be said about the mind-body connection.
Some things:
1. I agree with Joyce. I journal, journal, journal the heck out of my "food" life. It has taken me to amazing places. It helped me identify food intolerances and also to pin point exactly why/when I was hungry.
2. Exercise and food. Remember, just because we work out a ton, doesn't give us the free-for-all, and that's a tough concept to grasp. I, like you, used to be a long distance runner. Man...the runner's high. Nothing like it. The problem? My body broke down, I was constantly injured and I "over-ate" with junk to compensate for all that I thought I was burning.
3. Food intolerance. Do you have any? Now that I know I'm intolerant to multiple things, when I eat them, my body becomes even more hungry because my body doesn't recognize that I was getting nutrients...causing me to feel starved. Could that be a part of it?
Okay, I could write a novel to you. I wish you all the best!!!!
Eric - you and I are in very similar situations right now. I have maintained my weight loss (125 pounds) for the most part for a year other than a few spikes around the holidays. I have been dealing the last few months with lack of motivation and letting my diet slip. It's definitely not easy.
ReplyDeleteSomethings that have been helping me...
1. my fitness pal, its a website and they offer a free app for your mobile phone. I find it to be VERY convenient and has been motivating me to keep closer track of what goes in my mouth. More convenient for me than an actual journal. They even allow the option of scanning bar codes to input food.
2. Drinking water also helps me, it allows me to feel full when I may otherwise be hungry. Plus, it helps flush out any extra water weight.
3. Timing of food and exercise. I find working out first thing in the morning to be really helpful, its a great start to the day - when I work out I am more motivated to eat healthy the rest of the day. And, my biggest struggle that I have to remind myself to eat more in the morning. Otherwise, I will typically only eat about 600 calories until dinner time and then I am over hungry and munch all night. (For reference I should be eating 1600 calories when I don't work out to lose 1 lb a week)
I'm not sure how much help I can offer but I'll give a few suggestions. If any help, then great.
ReplyDeleteFirst, try drinking more fluids. Not a crazy amount but maybe an extra glass or two of water a day. It should help curb some of your appetite.
Second, eat more, but make it the right stuff. Eating a giant salad for lunch has helped me drop a few pounds. Yes, I put some junky stuff on there like croutons or cheese but I also put healthy stuff on there like corn or beans. But I make sure I have a giant heap of lettuce. So in my mind I feel like I'm eating a huge meal when it's really not that big, it's just a bunch of lettuce.
Third, track what you eat. Shamefully I haven't done this lately but it was the single best thing I've done to help me drop weight. I used an app called Calorie Counter on my smart phone and could scan barcodes and enter meals as I ate them.
Finally, in all things moderation; including moderation. Don't feel bad eating out. Don't feel bad eating some delicious cake. Just don't make it a habit. Just like too much or too little salt is bad for you, too much or too little "cheat food" is bad for you.