“At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It is also a free pass to friendship.”
~ Benjamin Cheever, Strides

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Training Update: Lessons learned


Week of January 21-27, 2013:
Current Weight: 157.0 (No change from last week)
Total Lost to date (since September 2011): 63.8 lbs
Waist: 32"
Hips: 42"

Still in reverse taper this past week, so a lighter week overall.  I also never do well when my runs are mostly on the treadmill, so I took an extra running rest day and an extra entire rest day to finish off this reverse taper.  So what did I actually do this past week?

Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: Strength training with Brandon, 60 min.  Slow pace between sets, low weight.  Ran 4 miles on the treadmill.
Wednesday:  Running rest day.  Rode 8.77 miles on my bike trainer.
Thursday:  Ran 2 miles on the treadmill.  Strength training with Brandon.  No leg work.
Friday:  Complete Rest day
Saturday:  Ran 6 miles on the snow on hills.
Sunday:  Unplanned complete rest day.

My trainer strongly hinted to my husband on Thursday night that a full rest day on Sunday would be a good idea for me.  In fact, his words were "if you see her getting ready to get on the trainer, hide the trainer."   So, when I felt a little tired on Sunday, I listened and took the entire day off.  I also ate my weight in sweets at Book club, but that's another story.
Lining up all of my purses is a workout too Mommy.
Another new update week, another post delayed until Tuesday....yesterday was Mark's birthday.  I decided to go all domestic.  I tried a new recipe for dinner with a new (to me) cooking method - using the broiler.  Yes, I called my best friend to ask her whether the broiler was at the top of the oven or the bottom of the oven.  But, then I figured it out on my own using the scientific put-your-hand-in-the-oven-and-see which-side-the-heat-is-coming-from method.  (the top, for anyone that doesn't know).  I made hoisin ginger glazed top sirloin steaks with a side of asparagus and rolls.  I also made a pear gorgonzola salad.  (I cheated and used a kit for that - it is delicious).
Steak!
For some reason, blogger thinks this picture should be vertical.
During the limited nap time Avery took (darn coughing that woke her up!), I baked a carrot cake.  The kind where you bake two rounds and put it together.  
Fresh from the oven.
Then, after some text messages about icing, I went truly domestic and went to the store to buy ingredients to make homemade icing.   In my defense, I did say no to the French maid outfit.  (A girl can only go so domestic in one day.)
And I used my mixer!  Unused no more!  :)
For those that don't know - I don't cook.  Except my homemade chili.  So much so that a good friend told me at book club, "I wouldn't ask your advice about cooking," and I laughed, agreeing with her 100%!
Granted...the cake didn't look super pretty...but I can just say that Avery helped, right?
I helped, she just didn't like my suggestion.
It was risky trying so many new stuff for a birthday present - but it all worked out.  The steaks were delicious, the cake was delicious enough that I had two pieces.  Mark said the icing was better than store bought.

And here is the problem.  For the last three days, I have had about 1000 calories worth of sweets each day.  And, 2 of those 3 days were rest days.  It is amazing that I did not gain weight this week.  When I started this process, I was great about moderating sweets. After all my Goofy miles, I allowed more and more sweet intake.  When I started, I'd eat one small candy bar and say "that's my candy for the day - delicious." The past three days? I'd eat a small candy bar and say "that was delicious, I should have another."  And another, and another.  I think my brain thought I said "eat more sweets" not "eat less sweets" as a week goal.  On the positive side though, I was better about protein!

This week - my goal is to cut out all that extra garbage.  Lesson learned, apparently, moderation isn't working right now.  Time to change it.  I want to start introducing menu planning and shopping based on that next week.  My trainer is coming up with some ideas along those lines and the science behind them.  (He's already learned how I think.)

I enjoyed my venture into domesticity, especially since the meal I cooked seemed fancy and was actually quite easy.  I'd love to start trying a new recipe each week.  Any awesome (and not too hard) recipe suggestions?

How was your training this week?

Have you ever had a wake up call with your diet/exercise plan?  What did it take for you?  (for me, it was charting my food and seeing the 1000 calorie change each day).

13 comments:

  1. I still can't believe you called me for cooking advice. That's really the blind leading the blind!

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  2. Lol, we sound just about equally at home in the kitchen! Hats off to you for your delicious meal and that home baked cake - haven't baked one myself in many years... :)

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  3. Like fish tacos? I have a super easy 'recipe' you cant screw up...

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  4. I've been struggling with the same problem with 'moderation' over the last few days too... My Achilles Heel has been nut butter though :( Yesterday I ate so much of it that I felt physically sick! And then I just end up getting mad at myself. I tried telling myself that nuts have protein but who am I kidding?
    Great work with the birthday domestication too :)
    Are you on Pinterest? It's great for finding new recipe ideas!

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  5. I'm having the same issue with sweets--it's like my birthday weekend reset me to "cravings" mode. Time to get back with the program--I need to have more fruit around because when I eat it I don't want the hard-core stuff so much.

    Your cake looks great! My husband won't let me bake him a birthday cake--he loves to indulge in the yucky grocery store bakery stuff--he'll almost the entire cake himself. He's also that way with apple pie at Thanksgiving. And then he doesn't want sweets for the whole rest of the year. Weird.

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    1. My husband isn't a big sweets person either - hence carrot cake instead of something more decadent.

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  6. I need to make a change with my food choices too. Sometimes I just get on a roll of not making the best choices. It happens. Way to go on the cooking front. I have always wanted to try to make homemade frosting, but haven't tried yet:) Was it easy?

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    1. Actually - the homemade icing really was pretty easy! Cream cheese, butter, whip it up, add sugar and vanilla extract. :)

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  7. I have no idea why, even with tv, music, all the entertainment in the world - I can't seem to do any type of good or long running on the treadmill either!

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  8. I can completely relate to the overdosing on sweets this week! Marathon training makes me crave carbs/sugar, and it's so hard to backtrack when I'm no longer running those kinds of miles. I was just thinking I should be tracking my food this week because I have eaten SO many leftover birthday cupcakes, chocolates, bites of ice cream... here's hoping we can both get back no track!

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  9. Yesterday I threatened to open up the can of frosting (never opened from Project Christmas cookie)and take a spoon to it! Must be the season or an after effect of having accomplished a big goal (Goofy for you; Stonecat for me)???

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    1. I like that explanation. Way better than any of the explanations I was coming up with!

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