Happy Friday!
In January I was very clear about my goals for the year. One of the top ones is to get to goal weight. I even started a weight loss tab to help keep myself accountable. I started out doing really well with intuitive eating and very slowly the scale went down.
Around August/September I recommitted to the cause and was making progress. I even got to 149.6 on Sept 2nd. That is a big deal for me!
But, that was also my “Monster Month of Marathon Training” (the month you do the most miles and get the appetite of a high school football player) and it didn’t stay down for long.
Some people gain weight training for a marathon. I did, I have a lot of friends that have. You don’t run a marathon to lose weight. You run a marathon for all the awesome reasons to run a marathon.
So, I gained back what I lost and am back to square one. I’m a little frustrated with it, but I’m also relieved that the marathon is behind me and I can refocus on strength training and working on my bad snacking habits.
It’s been hard to get back on track after the marathon because of the cruise and knowing I’m leaving on vacation for a week. But, I’m setting out a weekly plan for my return:
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3 hard runs, 1 fun run
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2 days of strength training, 1 day of yoga
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Tracking calories to stay under 2000 – I still follow Intuitive Eating, but my marathon appetite has really skewed normal portions and snacking. I want to make sure it’s not still 3,000 calories a day like it was for a while!
And I’ll be updating the weight loss page again when I get back every week.
Last week Roni said something I loved on her blog, “I have a weight loss goal, but it’s secondary to my lifestyle goal.”
I LOVE that! Even though it’s the end of October and I’m back to where I was in January I feel proud of myself for the thing I have accomplished this year. I’m back on track and happy with my progress.
This morning I woke up before the sun for a few miles. I have to be at work early and was shooting for 6 miles. Nope. That was a major fail. My legs felt tired and I barely got in 4 something.
Breakfast was a bagel with PB&Pumpkin Butter and Banana. Eggs on the side.
Ahhhh! I’m leaving for Panama tomorrow morning! I can’t believe it. I have a short work shift, then packing to do!
Question: What is your best healthy habit?
thanks for share!
Absolutely eat what you need to fuel your body for your race. BUT you can look at the type of fuel and make some changes there.
I follow the “Eat Clean” diet (though I think I’m supposed to call it a lifestyle, not a diet). No processed sugar, no white flour, no white rice. Little saturated fat. I eat ALL THE TIME but it’s healthy and I feel great and strong. It’s just about substituting the food that doesn’t offer your body any nutrients with what it really needs.
I do get one “cheat day” a week to have treats but after eating like this for awhile, I’ve realized how crappy I feel after I indulge in sugary treats. Hard to believe that used to be a regular part of my diet!
Anyway, just wanted to share a suggestion. Don’t limit overall intake so much as intake of “not good” stuff. I bet you’ll see and feel a difference
I love your running/calorie/lifestyle goals…you’re a woman after my own heart =)
What is the 56.4 in the scale?
My best healthy habit is committing to quit smoking and sticking to it. VERY proud.
A lot of the time the scale number doesn’t matter as much as body composition. With a training program your muscle mass increases, and since muscle weighs more than fat, it may show significant increases on the scale. As long as you are fuelling your body properly and with the right foods, the weight gain from muscle mass is certainly not a bad thing, in fact it will increase your overall metabolism!
It’s so strange that marathon training causes weight gain- it has done the exact same thing for me! Frustrating, really. You’d think it would help with weight management..
Have a great time in Panama; find a rare bird for me yes? And a picture with that awesome camera of yours 🙂
Best healthy habit…uh, I suppose providing others with healthy foods and meals? Haha…oh boy.
I will try! I’m sure we’re going to go on a bird tour of sorts in the rain foresty area. I’ll post them and let you identify 🙂
I ran Twin Cities marathon about 3 weeks ago and also experienced the appetite of a high school football player! I definitely put on some weight and am working to lose the extra pounds. However, I still feel hungry all the time! I have had sone success though. I have basically the same goal as you: I was eating around 3000 and am now aiming for around 1800-2000. It feels like so little food to me though hah…oh how the marathon warps your idea of portions!
I know!!! I can’t believe how little 1800 calories seems to me now – it’s like a crash diet.
barely 4 something?! Almost 5 miles and you were up before the sun! I say that’s a win. I love your positivity and I’m currently trying to swallow the “don’t run a marathon to lose weight” pill. :-/ healthy living seems to be your strength which is kick ass. <3
I love your positive outlook!! I think it’s friggin awesome that you run marathons! Inspiration for sure. I am dying to get into racing 😀 Having goals always helps me because I’m a planner. Having a plan helps me work towards my goal better.
I always start out with the best of intentions…really good at eating healthy balanced breakfasts…also on wednesdays I attend body pump religiously…other than that I have good weeks and bad weeks 🙂
That’s a great mid-week habit!
I may tattoo Roni’s quote across my abdomen! That is TRUTH she is speakin’! I love your honesty with us — and I think you look rockin’!
Thanks Sarah! And I want to see that tattoo 😉
I definitely gained more than a little weight training for my last marathon. I’m actually at my heaviest weight now, which kind of sucks :/
When does the appetite go away? My first marathon was October 1st and I still can’t get my eating under control!
I know! I think our bodies just get used to more food. You have to be extra mindful.
Please please give yourself more credit! You’re not back at square one (I know what it’s like to feel that way, but it’s just not true)! Everything between then & now has taught you something, even if you don’t realize it right away…you’re doing great! And just an FYI, you LOOK great! Seriously.
Thanks Julia 🙂 I’m not discounting my progress, just being honest about my goals.
Wow, LOVE Roni’s quote. I have wasted way too many days of my life in the past putting a weight goal above my lifestyle. Thanks for sharing it!
you have great toenails.
For now, they’ll fall off soon because of the marathon.
What a great quote! That’s exactly what I’ve come to realize. My lifestyle goal is so much more important to me than my weight loss goal at this point.
I am the best at drinking water. It’s the one healthy habit I know I’m good at!
Roni’s quote sums up my attitude as well now anyway. I have a life to maintain, within that life exists the fact that I’d like to lose some more weight, but a lot of other things exit in my life as well and that simply cannot be my main focus. Sure, the losses seem to take longer – but it’s a good tradeoff.
My new healthy habit is moderation, you can have whatever you want – just not all at the same time 🙂
I gained a bit of weight when I was training for the Hood to Coast relay. About 8 or so pounds. Once I stopped it came off!
Have a fantastic trip!
I’m good at drinking water, sometimes too much and then I have to convince everyone that I’m not pregnant again 🙂
That’s one of the few things I’m good at too 🙂
My best healthy habit is: eat all the candy/brownies/cookies in one day so they don’t “tempt” me any other day … no, no- wait, I mean eat small portions … or something else healthy.
I’m still trying to lose weight from the first marathon. It’s really easy to see a bag of candy corn and think “I ran 10 miles yesterday”; I guess I did that a few too many times. Whoops.
I’m still trying to lose the baby weight. From when I was a baby.
lmao!
I’d love to weigh 150 .. Sigh .. In time I suppose. Breakfast looks delicious 🙂
I have the same weight gain problem, even when I was doing 100 mile weeks. Yeah, don’t ask – I’m not quite at that mileage now!
I always wonder why/how elite marathon runners are so ripped and thin, yet so many ‘amateur’ or even lower club level runners gain weight while training. Surely it can’t all be down to genes?
xxx
You have SUCH a great approach to this. AQnd wow. I missed that quote from Roni but it is spot on! Love that!
This happened to me while training for my earlier marathons, but thankfully it’s under control now. I think what has worked for me is eating to go with my energy needs. I tend to eat more heavily in the morning (after I typically run) and then go downhill from there, since I don’t need as much to keep me going at night, and at the rate I eat during the day, I don’t get too hungry.
You think you could fit me into one of your bags for the trip to Panama? I’m a lot of fun on vacations, I promise!
I think I need to start writing down what I eat because I often find myself with my hand in the giant bag of gummy bears without even realizing. No bueno.
Have a great vacay! And good job getting things back on track, marathon appetite is NO joke and it has defintely taken some readjusting for me since my run a couple weeks ago. Training is SO not for losing weight, but feeling strong and pushing yourself towards that finish line. What a nutty addiction we have 😉
I’m a huge after dinner snacker. I’ve really been working on it lately and trying not to do it. It’s a struggle and sometimes I break down and do have something, but it’s not every night anymore. I haven’t seen the scale move yet, but I have been feeling not as sluggish in the morning or feeling as weighed down at the end of the night.
Train for a 50 mile race. I guarantee you won’t gain weight. Well, maybe it’s possible…if you tried very, very hard.
Seriously though, one of my post race goals is gaining back some weight. I guess this is better than gaining weight, but either way, it’s a pain in the ass.
I’m pretty positive I would still gain weight. My body enjoys being fat, it’s my natural state 😉
You know, I wouldn’t even tolerate my worst enemy talking about me in the way you talk about yourself.
Just a thought. 😛
For me, planning out my workouts and meals helps me stay healthy. If I have workout goals and water & veggie consumption goals I’m even more likely to stay on track. I get a little bit too crazy if I start counting calories so I try to stick with intuitive eating. However, if I don’t plan my meals, then I may end up “intuitively” eating a brownie for breakfast. Like I did today. 🙂
LOVE that quote from Roni!! I feel the same way 🙂
I just want to say that this post made me feel a little better about myself this morning, and I needed that. Thanks.
P.S. I’d round up that run mileage and call it “5”.
Have a good day Elizabeth 🙂
p.s. I wrote an article about ways to prevent weight gain while training for a marathon. http://yvonneinla.blogspot.com/2010/10/tips-to-eating-healthy-for-marathon.html . You seem very aware of your habits but maybe you’ll find a tip or two you like here 🙂
Best healthy habit: eating frequently so that I don’t become so ravenous that I make food choices I regret. I eat a little something whenever I’m hungry…most of the time, the something is healthy, though not always…and it still works to lose/maintain weight!
Have an awesome time in Panama! My cousins decided to spend New Year’s there one year only to find out that everyone closes up shop at 10pm to celebrate at home with their families. LOL.
Best of hard work with the weight loss issue. I’ve hit a plateau with that progress. I think either because I am eating more calories than what I am burning or I am {hoping} building muscle mass. Which might be true. Jillian is kicking my toosh.
I noticed the intense hunger after working out. So, I try making sure I balance the carbs with fruits & veggies. Ya, basically what Lindsey said. 😉
Balancing my daily eats to make sure I am eating lots of veggies and fruits! Also making sure I eat protein in the morning and drink lots of water (which I am not doing so good at right now!).