It's been an interesting week...some really good happy things...some really not good unhappy things. First, the good...
Ran 5 miles at a 9:02 pace...amazing!! It's SO wonderful to run faster than I expect to...LOVE that surprise...love the accomplishment thinking "there's no way I can hold this pace" and then not only hold it but surpass it! My splits were 9:17, 9:12, 8:56, 8:55, 8:53...ya-hooo!
My weight had been creeping up (see below) so I had a careful day and my body responded very quickly and very well...weighed less than I wanted to or expected on my weigh-in last night. It's nice to know that my metabolism works so well...very thankful for that!
We had a few cooler mornings this week...enjoyed that and looking forward to a glorious fall season...and a winter with NO MARATHON TRAINING!!! After spending the last 8 winters training for marathons and then recovering from and adjusting to the after-marathon months, I'm SOOOOOOO looking forward to NOT doing that this winter!!!
Totally enjoyed the week spent with my Sweety Petey = )))
Now the not-so-good...
I've slowly gotten into the habit of not tracking my food until after I climb in to bed to read. I would keep track in my head during the day and was doing fine until some little subtle "switch" or something happened.
One day I didn't measure the portions on several foods...such as dipping crackers in hummus...I measured the crackers but not the hummus. Then I ate chips out of the bag instead of counting them out. One day I ate a little of this, a little of that (hi Lori!! hahaha) and discovered that I'd eaten over 40 points that day when I'm only supposed to have 32 points at the most.
But since I didn't track until going to bed, it was too late to stop BEFORE it happened. I also saw my weight creeping up ever so slowly...not a huge concern...but my body fat went up 3-4%...and I could tell it in how I felt!
TRULY, I could tell a difference in how my stomach looked and felt...I got on the scale expecting to see a 2-3 pound gain but didn't. THEN I saw the body fat gain...depressing.
The good news (see above) is that my weight responded quickly but my body fat is slower to respond.
Oh yeah...I also have had a few times where I've gotten over-hungry and did not have healthy food with me so I ate unhealthy...bakery cupcake with buttercream frosting, anyone?!
So I need to get back to tracking my food during the day so I can make adjustments BEFORE the day ends and I'm already in bed! Either I need to start writing things down again rather than tracking on my iPad and iPhone or maybe I need to just track on my phone since that's usually right handy.
Anyhow, I've learned a number of things...or been reminded of things I already knew...I MUST measure portions and track and weigh every night! I'm thankful that I didn't get so down on myself that I decided to skip weighing since I was afraid of the numbers on the scale. That at least kept me on track!
But now this evening, I've eaten a number of things that I didn't measure ahead of time so I've done it again = ( It's SO EASY to do that!!
This is most definitely something that I MUST get a handle on if I'm going to have long-term success at maintenance. You'd think after 14 weeks of maintaining that the habit would be so ingrained that I would just naturally do it but oh how quickly I slip back into old habits!
Maybe portioning the chips out into little baggies in the proper serving sizes would help me to practice mindful eating. Not having the food in the house helps but it's nice for Petey to have snacks when he's home...I just need to learn the best way for me to handle them!
Anyhow, I keep reminding myself that it's a process...a journey...with successes and failures along the way...always learning, adapting...each new day a chance to do it right!
