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Back from Idaho and five pounds lighter! Or 3.5 pounds lighter, depending on if you want to believe my scale or my Wii. I’ll take the scale, along with a victory lap! I need to remember that taking a break from my intense focus on exercise and nutrition once in a while can do a body good. As you know, I totally let go of everything and just maintained for about a month. I gained a little weight, but nothing outside of what I feel is normal fluctuations. I topped out at a PMSy 198 and came home from vacation to weigh in at 193! I credit the break in my exercise and decreased calories for this. I ate more calories, for about two months, without gaining significant weight which makes me think I may have forced a minor metabolism shift. I also stopped working out in earnest for about a month, only taking a few walks and hikes, but I didn’t do intensive running, dancing or anything else. While in Idaho last week I went for two runs, one, long bike ride, I paddleboarded twice, got 17,000 steps at Silverwood and made my step count every day except one. I was busy! Last week was a little like starting over and my body responded by losing some weight! I’ll take it!
{My Wii and my room scale read slightly different, yes. 🙂 AND a Derpy run pic of them days- haven’t done one in a while 😜}
It was a little tricky to eat while on vacation. My parents are generous and definitely keep and open pantry, fridge and freezer, but it’s hard to eat like I eat at someone else’s house! I usually eat all day long:
- I rise and shine with coffee and a granola bar
- 8:30ish Morningstar vegetarian sausage for a protein boost
- 10:00ish fruit or vegetable snack
- 12:00 lunch- usually chik nuggets from Morningstar and an apple, I also try to chug a lot of water at this time
- 2:00ish string cheese or yogurt or almonds
- 4:00ish -carb snack! Pop chips, cheese and crackers or something like that
- 6:00- dinner! We eat a protein with 2-3 vegetable sides, sometimes a carb in the way of potatoes, brown rice, whole grain pasta, croutons or a bun but not always
- 7:00-9:00- I get my treat. If I’ve used self control all day I usually eat ice cream or something like that. If I don’t allow the treat, I circle my kitchen island like a shark, eating this and that until I’m stuffed full of crap! If I’ve already eaten my dessert for the day I try to be intentional and choose blueberries, grapes, an apple or orange, cantaloupe or some other kind of sweet fruit.
- I never limit fruits or vegetables, ever. They are always allowed.
So on vacation, when I was hitting the fridge again and again, or at 8:30 at night, and I felt like it looked like I was eating a ton of food but really I was just doing my million tiny meals all through the day routine. Plus, when I get self conscious or hear feedback about how much/often I’m eating, I always remind myself that I don’t eat animal protein and therefore don’t get the animal fat or the big calorie hit from eating animals like other people do. My plate always looks heavily loaded at mealtimes because I both burn a lot of calories and consume calories in a different way from the average American. I’ve heard many comments on my plate through the years, from friends and family, about how full my plate is, but when I look at mine it’s usually loaded with lots of veggies and fruit and maybe a bit of pasta or potato. However, in public settings there are rarely vegetarian protein sources so my food is processed by my body at a much different rate than someone who eats hearty ribs or a steak in place of my baked potato or green salad. When I really get anxious about the whole thing I have to remember my results. Obviously I know what I’m doing otherwise I wouldn’t have maintained a 150 pound weight loss and gained a solid running habit.
{My new BFF. It’s weird how much I love this dog already but oh-my-goodness I’m over the moon about my little Freddie Sparkles. I never thought I’d be that girl!}
This morning I woke up and went for a run. It was lovely and overcast, just in the 70’s, perfect for a run. I’ve decided to go on three 5k’s this week, a hike through St. Ed’s with the fam once and, hopefully, take one Zumba class. I recently found out that there’s a person in my school district who gives free classes to district employees, and she’s doing it all summer too! I’m hoping that I can make a few. I do love to Zumba. 😋 Anyhow, I was pleased to see that the warmer and farther I got, the faster I got. I had predicted that after three runs I should be in decent condition again, post running break, and I’m happy to say I was right. I’m looking forward to pushing a little more mileage in next week, as Gigi and I start training for the half- marathons! Yes, that’s plural. My friend, or should I say “friend”, Jessica, has twisted my arm and said I just have to do the Snohomish River Run again with her. (She didn’t have to twist too hard. I love the race and the medal looks really cool this year, plus, I like her and perhaps this is just a thing we will have together for a while. 😊)