Evolution of Eating

Our eating started out as a eat whatever you want, however much you want, whenever you want.  There have been several small steps to where we are now.

1.   We focused mainly on the glycemic index.  The reason why carbs have a bad rep, is because of the way they react in the body, and certain carbs make your blood sugar levels go way high, so then your body releases insulin and it quickly changes into fat so that it can be absorbed by the body.  Complex carbs that don't increase your blood sugar level so drastically are not going to affect your body the same way as simple carbs.  Most people forget that veggies are actually carbs.  Low glycemic foods also make you feel full longer.

2.   Calorie counting + low glycemic index.  I was shocked when I found out how many calories I was actually consuming, especially when going out places.  One tiny crisp bean burrito from Taco Time is about 350 calories, and I would easily eat three, and a taco.

3.   Planning snacks and Cooking once a week - It gets really hard to make smart choices when you get so hungry.  So I started planning out meals and snacks for the week, and cooking them all on Mondays.      One of the things I really like about this is that I actually look forward to dinner, instead of dreading going home after a long day of work to make dinner.  Different books say different things about eating through out the day, but most of them do recommend it.  At first I did the biggest loser thing with 3 meals at 300 calories each, and three 200 calorie snacks.  I then switched to what Chi Running recommends, and I'm in love with it!  You eat a large breakfast and dinner - like 400-500 calories each, and then eat small calorie snacks a few times during the day.

4.    The last thing has to due with the documentary "Forks over Knives".  The documentary explains that a diet with large amounts of animal food (butter, milk, meat, etc) and oil raises the chances of cancer and heart disease.  The documentary is very much about being a strict vegan that also doesn't consume any oil. While I agree with the main point, I still believe the most important thing about eating is to be balanced.  So that is my very long way of saying that we have switched to almond milk, and do eat butter, milk, and meat, but sparingly.  Can I tell you, that I feel great!  I have so much energy nowadays. Even on the days when I only get 4 hours of sleep, I still feel like I can get through the day.

So that is what we do.  We also have Friday night date night that we use as kind of a free night.  We eat whatever we want, and then get dessert.  One of the books that I read said that one of the keys to losing weight and keeping it off, is to find what works for you.  So while this is what works for us, I encourage everyone to find what works for them.

The Transition

So I have run several races since the very first half marathon, and even though I love running, there is something I love even more - swimming!  I'm I good at swimming? No, but I would literally swim for hours everyday if I could.  When you are running or biking, there comes a quiet peace and meditative quality.  Swimming magnifies that aspect 50 fold.

I also do not have a body made for running.  I had a gait analysis, and I am a pronator, big time.  Even with the right shoes, I still have knee and hip pain if I run for more than 5 or 6 miles...sometimes less. :(  Last year I made the mistake of pushing myself too hard.  It's kind of a long story, but basically I made a stupid mistake with my sock choice the day of the half marathon, got blisters the size of gumballs at mile 4, had bad form the rest of the race, and hurt my hip very badly. The worst part was that I only took about a week off and then went on to run my fastest 10k 3 weeks later.  Now, even though I think it was totally worth it. (I beat my pr!) I could not run the Nebo half in September because my hip was still giving me problems.

So, that was just a long way of saying that I'm going to try a tri! lol.  I'm a bit nervous for the bike part though.  I love riding bikes, but not when racing...scary.

Last thing for today.  I was going through my journal a little bit today, and found this from an old fortune cookie.  "You cannot love life until you live the life you love."

I'm sure some people out there are thinking that I'm obsessed with this stuffed, or that maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, or would she just shut up about running already.  The truth is that when Greg and I were eating whatever we wanted, and playing video games for hours and hours, I was still mostly happy. It feels good to do whatever you want.     But I did not love my life.  I did not feel good about my body, my career, and most days I just felt inadequate, and that this was not who I wanted to be. 

Running changed me in a way I cannot fully explain.  I can honestly say now that I love my life.  Nothing's perfect, and it's never going to be, but I'm no longer letting myself down.  I accomplish goals everyday when I say I'm going to run at a 6 pace for 15 mins, and I make it for 20.  I can tell you that I am amazing, and can do amazing things, and so can you!  I can also tell you that my body is amazing.  I put it through so much wear and tear, and after the first 3ish times of running 13 miles, I'm only sore for about a day after.  Long distance running is the only time that I have felt truly connected mind and body.  Once you are at mile 11, and you think you can't go any more, your body keeps going.  It won't let you down, and it knows what you can do.  It even knows that if you are truly determined you could keep going 100 miles like some of these ultra runners. lol. Anyway, I'm now, mostly, living the life I love.  Doing and eating what we wanted brought momentary happiness, but having self discipline, and participating in life has brought us pure joy. 

Story of the Shirts

My very first 5K was the Scottish Sprint right before the Scottish festival in 2010.  The truth was, I was completely freaked out.  I remember talking to my sister about how it was 3 whole miles. The longest distance I had ever run before that was the mile and a half in gym.  I was totally psyched out.  Greg was patient with me and stayed with me during the race.  Running hurt, so I walked a lot of it.  I did so bad, but I did it.  :)  It took us 45 minutes to finish a 5K, and there were only a handful of people behind us.  It felt good to get out, but I was a bit embarrassed.

A few weeks later Greg saw an advertisement for another 5K.  It was to honor a little boy who had been killed by a car.  I was very hesitant, remembering the experience of the Scottish Sprint, but decided to go for it.  I actually did a much better job that time, but still ended up walking to the car as fast as I could after I was finished so that I could cry.  Poor Greg, lol.  He stayed so positive throughout the whole thing, and I just bawled like a baby.  

It wasn't until March of the next year, and a good pair of running shoes later, that I finally had a good experience running a race.  Greg and I did the Rex Lee Run in March of 2011, and it was wonderful.  There really was just this positive excitement in the air around us, and ssooo many people there.  The funds for this run go to cancer research.  During the run, there were many people with pictures of loved ones who had passed on there shirts.  It just seemed different somehow. And then we were hooked.  We started talking about how amazing it would be if we could run a 10k, or even a half marathon one day.  

So what did we do?  We started training longer, ran a 10k in the freedom run, and began training for the Utah Valley Half marathon.  Now, it's a super long story, but basically Greg got to run his first half marathon, but registration was full for me.  So I signed up for the 5k, got the t shirt below, and ran my own half to my parent's house and back, and I loved it!  I ran my first official half marathon in September.  It was the Nebo Half, and it was all down hill.  Downhill is wonderful for biking, but not running!  I have never been more sore in my whole life.  My time was 2 hours and 20 minutes, my best time to date.  

I learned something from each of these runs.  1st: If you think you can't, and that it's too far, then it will be.  2nd: It's okay to cry, but be proud of the steps you took. 3rd: Have heart, and care about people.  4th: I am stronger than I thought I was. 5th: Make the best of your situation 6th: Anything is possible if you are determined enough. 7th: Buy good running shoes, or you will be sorry.  :)  

There comes a time when every inch of your body is screaming in pain, begging you to stop and rest.  Much like the craziness of real life.  There is just such great power gained when you use your will to over come, and convince your body and mind to work together.  

And in the end, it's all for something great - the knowledge that I did it, and got something great in return.  

This is now my weight loss extravaganza page/ Training of a Triathlete blog.  

I was just looking over some of the way old posts on this page, and it was very enlightening.  We are doing so much better then we were back then, but it was the start of our weight loss process.  Funny note - We found out that what we thought was about a mile was really only about 0.6 of a mile, so the numbers are a little off. lol.  

To start off let me introduce you to this Kathy.  This is me at my very highest weight. (I stole this pic from a friend on facebook, hope that's ok.) At this time we were literally eating whatever, and how much we wanted.  Pizza for dinner followed by a giant bowl of ice cream with reeses, and oreos on top almost every night.    

I realized that I had to do something a week or two before this pic was taken.  My clothes were not fitting well anymore. So I went to target, and had to buy size 18.  It just hit me that if I got any bigger, I would have to buy in the plus size category.  I was not ok with that.  

 

Feb 21-27

Ok, we hit a bit of a bump over the weekend that has lasted until today.  We are going today, but we have been slackers.  This is what we did last week:

Monday:       3 miles
Tuesday:       1.5 miles
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday:      3 miles
Friday:          3 miles
Saturday:      Rest

10.5 miles total for the week
Weight in:     +36 

Haha, so I guess we didn't do too bad, but I had a major issue with my new shoes.  I took them back on Saturday, and got a size larger, and a different style with lower arches.  I have very flat feet, and my new shoes were making my knees and ankles really happy, but my feet were very upset.  Haha, anyway, we are going to try to do better this week.  We are also thinking about doing the Rex Lee 5k on March 12. 

Feb 7-13

We have been so good about not eating sugar.  We did take a little dip this week.  We had Hogi Yogi on Wednesday, shakes on Saturday, and some chocolate cake on Sunday.  It was Valentine's week, I blame it on that.  I love running with Greg.  It really pushes me to do better.  My knee was really hurting on Friday and Saturday, so i bought some new running shoes.  I'm hoping that they will do the trick.  It was raining on Monday, so we didn't run that day, but we did ok the rest of the week.  I love that three miles has become so easy.  Yea!  Anyway here is the break-down.

Monday: Raining, we did nothing
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 miles, then we went dancing afterward!
Saturday: 4.5 miles

Weigh in: +36!!!!!  I lost almost a pound and a half in one week.  I'm so excited.  I hope I meet my goal, and I hope that the shoes help my knees.  We also bought a knee brace, so I'm really hoping that I will be able to do the half-marathon!!

January 31 - February 6

Greg and I did pretty well this week, and I'm so excited that Greg has been getting off of work early enough to come with me.  We haven't had any chocolate in a week!  Yeah for us!  I was also extrememly proud that I ran three miles without stopping on Saturday (technically, I did walk twice, but it was because there was a snow-covered bridge and stairs that I was worried about and it was only for a few feet.  So I'm not counting that. lol)  Anyway, this is what we did last week. 

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: 2 miles
Saturday:  3 miles

Weigh in: +37.4 lbs