TOL: Running and Hunger Lately

Happy Thursday!!! Linking up with Amanda per usual, thanks for hosting! I have been a day ahead all week in my thinking so glad that the end is almost near.

The only thing that forced me out of bed this morning to run is knowing tomorrow is a rest day. It is strategically placed on Fridays to get me up and out throughout the week. Just x more workouts until rest day is a lovely mentality.

Can we talk about the weather? That is a fun place to start. 

I have had some really lovely runs lately. Shorts weather makes me so so happy! I wore a long sleeve shirt on my run the other morning with shorts and it was too much. Spring hurry your ass up, I am ready! 

I am typically not a bad weather runner.  In fact, I am typically the first person on a treadmill when the weather isn't perfect. This morning though running through the misty rain was really invigorating! Had some muddy legs to show for my tempo effort as well.

I have also by and large stopped using my Garmin on runs to try and run by feel. Some times I go totally watchless and let my Garmin vivofit pick up the activity (which is always way off but it is something) and other times I use MapMyRun. Let me just say, I call BS on MapMyRun. The first run was an easy run (I usually TRY to stay above 10 min miles on easy days) and the second was a tempo but look at that suspect 6:53 mile in there. Just, no. Maybe high 7's but not that fast. 

It is what it is though. I will one of these days wear my Garmin and use the app just to see variance for real. If only my Garmin didn't take a million minutes to get satellite. Ain't no one got time for that in the morning darkness. 

My hunger has been all over the place. I am playing around with calories and macro's in an attempt to lean out a bit. I feel like it is a process to try and figure out what works best for your body. I just know that how I eat now is maintaining. I have been around the same weight for a while now. I didn't realize how much I was undereating carbs (according to "experts"). I also think I am undereating calories. Time will tell. 

I have also ditched the daily scale habit! I physically removed it so now I have to take it out to weigh myself and am only permitting myself a Friday weight check. My weight fluctuates by up to 5 pounds or so day to day. I am a rational human being and understand it happens but it does play on the way I see myself on a day it was above what it should be. I will never ditch the scale but I think this is a healthier balance. 

On the food topic these made me laugh: 

I say this all the time - I fight my former overweight self on the daily!

LOL to the last one but luckily my BF knows me well. I am talking about the next meal before I have had the current one. It's a problem. He is always bringing me food. I am a-okay with that. It is fun to laugh about how I eat more than him. Luckily he finds it all endearing (but not when I am hangry, there is nothing cute about that). 

And now, I need a snack. All this food talk has made me hungry again! Happy almost weekend!

Anyone else us MapMyRun? Thoughts on the accuracy?

Working On Nutrition

Happy Friday to me! 

I am taking off tomorrow and couldn't be happier. I have a few weeks of vaca accrued (because apparently I like to hoard it all and realized I am close to a month and continually accruing) and am going to begin taking some much needed longer weekends and mental health days.

But anyways, back to the point. 

This week I took a step that I have been meaning to for quite some time. I finally had an appointment with an RDN, I went to the awesome people at Nutrition Energy.

This is a three fold situation, so I walked in with these goals:

• MOST importantly - start to address if I have food intolerance's that make my Crohn's worse. I am not in remission yet (that is for another time...) but I want to start looking to food and how it might be effecting my GI system now that I am at about 80%. As I told my awesome RDN Chris, I am so used to not feeling well that I don't know if it is Crohn's at this point all the time or some food choices are exacerbating GI distress. 
• I want to lose some more weight. I have managed to get down about 12 pounds and hold steady but I want to drop more. I am not "overweight" but I know I have some fat to lose. Not number focused but want to focus on more muscle/less fat. Maybe abs? (<-- lol probably not, ever)
• Eventually turn it into performance based nutrition guidance. I know I am not doing a full this fall BUT I would like to conquer some half's and I want to fine tune training and nutrition. But this is down the road. 

And boy did he listen to EVERYTHING. After almost 2 hours together I walked out with a plan to begin. 

It is just going back to the basic and listening to my body. Really paying attention to how I feel after eating certain foods. For example he was super surprised I eat a quest bar most days because they tend to hurt the stomach. Well, me, my stomach usually "hurts" to some degree. Is it the quest bar? or is it the Crohn's? (please god don't make me give them up). 

As far as weight loss - he gave me guidelines and it is back to macros for me - at a 50/25/25 split. He also gave me in terms of "exchanges" (i.e. 1 slice of bread = 1 carb exchange) and those targets. That will take some time to get the hang of. The goal is to bring him back my food diary from 2 weekdays / 1 weekend day. And, basically will be practicing 90/10 as far as wholesome/wine (bc summer and bubbly/rose which will be that 10% ;)

On our next appointment in a couple weeks we are going to do Metabolic Rate Testing (RMR) which I am SUPER excited about. I really want to know where my metabolism is at plus I am a numbers person and want to know that daily number. 

So after a couple days what I have I learned?

Holy undereating carbs batman. As in maybe 30% of my "normal" diet is carbs. Things that probably also explain my late night hunger that leads to binges. 

Also undereating calories. Struggle bus realizing I was at 1300 on a "normal" day. He has me at 1900. 

No wonder I am probably plateauing. (okay no I am holding steady at this weight because I have def loosened the eating reigns a little; while most days yes I am undereating I make up for it on my 2-3 meals out - I am lucky I didn't gain back any pounds!)

So I am focusing on adding back in more of the good carbs, quinoa, bulgar, brown rice etc. Also going to try and stop my quest bar breakfast habit. I hate breakfast and eating early (which he also said don't force it, and always just eat when officially hungry) and the quest bar is my bargain for getting something in me. Case and point I have been up since 5:30 and 3 hours later have not eaten anything and am fine. 

So that is where I am at. I feel lucky that my insurance is pretty darn great - I get unlimited visits to work with him and I am taking advantage. 

Yes, being more on top of my nutrition will be a pain in the ass but hopefully I get better at eyeballing the macros after a couple weeks. But for now, back to my fitness pal! 

Final Weight Watchers Weigh In

Today was my final weigh in for weight watchers. I decided not to renew because, money, and after 3 months I think I have got my healthy habits on a roll.

I decided to rejoin after seeing a number on the scale that was leading to a frightening trend of getting back to a size I vowed to never see again.

The final result was in the 3 months I lost 12 pounds total.

I have reigned myself back in to practicing balance and sensibility. I am not nor will not eliminate food groups. I like wine, beer, burgers and fries way too much and ate all these (plus anything else I wanted) during my time on weight watchers. I still think it is a great program to help learn or in my case relearn moderation and balance.

I still struggle with binge eating boredom. I counter this for the most part by just not keeping snacky foods in the house. If I am dying for something it usually means going out to the store. And lately I have instead just gone for a long walk instead and by the time I am done I know that I don’t really want it.

I also still struggle with labeling food good/bad and having guilt feelings towards certain foods. While I do eat what I want, some times it takes days before I will indulge (current case froyo which loaded with toppings yes is a calorie bomb and I have trouble "justifying" it). 

Coming from being obese at one point, losing weight in the beginning unhealthily and disordered eating still haunts me on the daily. But, I try. 

So goals for now? In conjunction with shedding some weight the Crohn’s seems to be heading into remission which means it is a perfect time to begin building a base for fall racing.

I want to build muscle (which in turn will help shed fat) so for now am not necessarily focused on a number on the scale (although I think I probably could gain muscle shed fat and probably be 5 – 10 pounds less the stomach still has plenty to shed).

My goals are more fitness related vs. a goal weight. I want to be able to do things like pushups with ease. I want to at some point in my life be able to haul my body up in a pullup! I want 9 minute miles to be comfortable again. I am being patient with all those because the Crohn’s killed my body the past couple years but in due time.

Losing some weight was absolutely necessary and just a jump start to getting back to where I want physically.

The fact that skinny jeans are now comfortable again and I am looking better closer to summer (yes, vanity and Miami trip I am looking at you) is just a plus.  

Weight Watchers Week 11

So truth time, I definitely did not track on Easter (although hosted and literally only ate one meal which was deeeelicious), and tracked quite a few days through dinner then didn't input my evenings. I also think dehydration is the reason why I had a weight loss this week. I had wine last night and my stomach is definitely not feeling it's best today. 

Weeks weight loss = 1.0 lbs

Total loss to date = 14.4 lbs 

The good news is this was the week I decided to return to the morning workout club! 

Holy crap I forgot how good it felt to not have your workout hanging over your head all day long! 

Minus today because #wine

As mentioned in my post earlier this week, this time around the Remicade didn't knock me out and I actually felt an energy boost, which has been nice. But let's also mention how of course this week the mornings were all freezing and rainy. What the hell spring? 30's in April, I think Mother Nature is a wee bit confused. 

Anyways. Trucking along. I need to get better this week. I have bikinis to wear in June in South Beach. (vanity can always motivate ;)

AND I am finally over jelly beans. I thought it would never happen. I had 4 the other day and was just like, eww, no. The unthinkable has happened! Yay! 

...but has been replaced by donut cravings. 

Just can't win. 

Weight Watchers Weeks 8, 9 & 10 (oops!)

Umm my bad it has been a few weeks. 

But, it was admittedly intentional. I am one of those people who weighs themselves multiple times a week - and my weight was fluctuating on the daily by up to 7 pounds. I started new medication. I had some reactions and decided to give myself some time to adjust and not officially record because I knew none of the numbers were realistic. Things seemed to have leveled out so back on that bandwagon again. Although I have another Remicade infusion on Monday so the same thing could happen again but we will see. 

Weeks weight loss = .8 lbs

Total loss to date = 13.4 lbs 

So there is that. My weight has mostly stayed the same. To be honest I am tracking BUT I have been having some really snacky episodes that I need to stop. Boredom eating at night has come back with a vengeance so I am going to be very conscious of that this coming week. 

I will update another time but so far, the Remicade has been a wonder drug for me. Things got SO much better pretty quick. It is almost 2 weeks and today has been a little rough but Monday I go again so hope that it gets back on track with me healing. 

Anyways that is all for now, and I seriously cannot wait for Easter to be over and done. I have eaten #allthejellybeans and hoping that the novelty wears off once they are out of the store from the holiday! 

Someone remind me to give them up for Lent next year!

Happy Easter, and Passover! 

Weight Watchers Week 7

I am going to be honest I don't think these numbers are right: 

Weeks weight loss = 1.6 lbs

Total loss to date = 12.6 lbs 

It has been a tough week on the IBD front - and I think I am dehydrated today. I actually anticipated a gain. 

I have been attempting to eat a "low residue" diet as suggested by my doctor - which to me just sucks. 

I love my greens and eating #allthevegetables but in an attempt to maybe help my digestion have been easing up on it. We all know those leafy greens and grains like quinoa (okay it isn't exactly a grain but I treat it like one) are great for helping you remain full and getting the fiber you need BUT that is kind of the exact opposite of what my system needs right now to try and heal itself. Those harder to digest foods just wreak havoc on my gut. 

That means I have been eating more starchy foods than I normally would (still eating proteins as normal). So figured more carbs = more water retention = higher weight. I feel like next week it will show in a gain on the scale but we shall see. 

I am more or less eating the same amount of points. Maybe more of my activity ones this week. And totally used up the weeklies - Monday night was another wine class this time with food. Two words: pork belly. Worth every damn delicious bite. I enjoy having them reset for the weekend. I kind of use them up for fun in the beginning of my week and then am totally on track during the work week. That works for me. 

I love feeling way more comfortable in all my pants now. Some being even a little too loose which is very nice. I don't think I will ever have the flattest of stomachs (never say never though, right?) but losing a couple inches makes me feel SO much better. The change is significant enough where people are noticing as well. 

The best part is that I am not overdoing anything. I am not training for races so I am not running a million miles. I am doing "normal" workouts, one rest day (some times two) a week. A nice mix of strength, cardio and yoga. ClassPass has me on studio overload (I have a couple posts about how much money I have saved and new favorites in the works). There is nothing that I am doing now that I cannot sustain in the future. I am eating treats (jelly bean addiction is going strong) indulging in alcohol when it is worth it - hopefully this weight will stay off (it took a couple years to gain the 8-10 pounds to get back to a high weight that spurred this reality check). 

All good things!

Happy Friday! And happy *slightly* warmer weather :) 

Weight Watchers Week 6

A month and a half in and going strong. 

At this point the meal planning, prep and allotting my points each day is pretty much second nature. 

It is all made easier by my "no spend Lent" so I have to be prepared each day with meals or else starve. And I do not like to starve. 

After a gain last week, on one hand I anticipated a loss but on the other thought that it wouldn't really amount to much since I skipped both Wednesday and Thursday workouts (because cold, snow, IBD, doctors appointments, winter cold and laziness - like my excuses?) which I figured wouldn't bode well the couple days prior to weigh in. Plus I just started prednisone and am interested to see how that interferes with the weight loss path. Low and behold I had a pretty good loss:

Weeks weight loss = 3.6 lbs

Total loss to date = 11.0 lbs 

With that, I lost another PP value and I am pretty close to when I was my lowest weight back in 2012. 

Just goes to show, yet again, that what you are putting in your body really matters more than the workouts. Yes obviously they help but you cannot eat crap and expect results. 

Considering I am not THAT overweight (in fact my BMI is "normal") and still having this kind of weight loss proves that a) its not rocket science and b) my body is not meant to be at the higher end if I am eating properly. 

As a calorie counter in between my time on WW I have to say that I enjoy this 150% more. I can post on that another time but worrying about macro targets and analyzing calorie intake on vegetables and stuff drove me batty. This system is much simpler. 

And my diet is by no means perfect. I still went out to a few dinners. I drank (looking at you wine class). I ate too many starburst jelly beans (they are my kryptonite at the moment) but that is balanced by lean proteins, a million and one veggies and some fruit (I try to keep my fruit at 1-2 servings a day and more veggies). 

And the best news is that most of my clothes from my leanest time are fitting pretty well now. Skinny jeans are comfortable once again - which is part of what drove me to get my shit together once and for all. My body was definitely more muscular when I was around this weight but I am working on it. 

My workouts are more weights/circuit focused than cardio based (thank you IBD and no long running sessions or really many running sessions at all) and it is fun to get some muscles back! I have some baby triceps coming and just might by bikini time have some baby abs. 

And the journey continues...

Weight Watchers Week 5

So let's just get down to it shall we?

Weeks weight loss = +1.0 lbs

Total loss to date = 7.4 lbs 

I am not surprised at all the gain. I knew that was going to happen 100%.

I had my period so that didn't help.

I also fell on some ice and was home from work both Monday and Tuesday. And had bought jelly beans for work so let’s just say that those jelly beans wound up eaten by me in my boredom and Netflix binge watching. By Wednesday I had pulled myself together but yeah I knew I had overdone it. Not rocket science and no surprises here with the scale reflecting it. Other than the jelly beans it was a pretty good week.

I know it about me that I just can’t have food around that I can mindlessly munch. Know your downfalls!

The other thing that has helped is my Lent resolution to not spend money – which means all meals are brought from home and no buying anything on a whim. A week and a half in and my wallet definitely already feels that positive impact!

Been pretty good with workouts per usual even though I am barely running. With the help of ClassPass I have been to so many new classes and shaking up my workouts – a lot of good things planned out as well in advance. A good mix of spin/run/yoga/strength classes.

So here is to no more jelly beans and staying on track. And happy that my weeklies have reset – this girl has been waiting for a glass of wine! 

Weight Watchers Week 4

Another week, another weigh in! 

Not the most exciting post but knowing I am going to post about it helps keep me accountable :) 

Weeks weight loss = 0.6 lbs

Total loss to date = 8.4 lbs 

I am not surprised at all by it being a little less - but regardless moving in the right direction. 

I was snacky all week long which makes sense as it is now that time of the month. I had a very difficult time reigning it in at night. I didn't really go over points but I utilized the majority of weekly and activity for the first time. 

Plus the the cold and long weekend made for less time being active and more time sitting on the couch ;) 

It does help that I keep NOTHING to really munch on in the house so when the will to boredom eat hits I don't have many choices! Minus all the roasted carrots. That is still going strong. I am waiting for my skin to begin to turn orange. 

I will say that I am curious to see how much I will lose before it becomes more "difficult". I am a few pounds from where I was in 2012 when I was feeling most confident but I was also more muscular then. I am really working on hitting the weights and starting to see some more muscle definition, so yay for that! 

And also yay for weeklies resetting for the weekend so I can have some wine. I have been waiting all week for wine because I will NOT drink if it comes down to my last few points for a snack versus food! 

And I have one of my favorite bottles of red waiting to be opened. 

Happy Friday all! 

Weight Watchers Week 3

THANK GOODNESS IT IS FRIDAY!

A Friday the 13th at that! 

This felt like a never ending week for me. 

It has been a crappy week on the Crohn's front - the medicine seems to have just stopped working and I am frustrated beyond belief again so my stomach was iffy throughout the week again. Enough so I had to stay home yesterday because I just couldn't get out the door in the morning. 

I have become obsessed with roasted carrots. As in I have eaten the entire bag that I roasted in a sitting, more than once this week. And then have guilt. Carrot guilt, is that possible? (It's more the eating to eat guilt but it's better than the crap I could be snacking on mindlessly, right?)

Weeks weight loss = 1.8 lbs

Total loss to date = 7.8 lbs 

To be honest I was kind of surprised to see it. I felt like my workouts suffered this week, a few meals out over the weekend, plus I had an early Valentine's day dinner Wednesday and maybe annihilated a bag of trail mix the other day :)

The first few weeks are always the biggest losses though it seems. 

But I stayed within my points by compensating veg heavy other meals which goes to show: it works. Time and again. Moderation, good decisions, all that jazz.

Not to mention the number on the scale right now, I haven't seen in ages. I managed to only get on the scale ONE time before my weigh in. I am very determined to break the scale habit - something I am working on every day and it is getting easier as each passes. 

With that another down, and just keep on going!

Weight Watchers Week 2

Week 2 is down!

I figured I would report on them so that I can be held accountable. Kind of like training recaps when leading up to a big race. 

I can honestly say that for the most part I am eating the same as I was prior to rejoining WW. The 2 biggest changes are that I have been even more cognizant of portion sizes and am replacing snacks with more veggies than fruits. I love not calculating fruit/veggie point values (I was calorie counting them, ugh).

I am also not snacking as much at night anymore. And have replaced my 4 + large coffees a day with a lot more green and herbal tea. I do tend to still back load my calories. I like to make sure I “save” for the night (in general though I am not that hungry in the morning ever a quest bar pretty much does it, I am not making myself go hungry) in case I get snacky but I don’t just eat because I have the points left so there have been nights with 1 or 2 remaining.

Some days I eat activity points some I don’t. I cashed in on my weeklies my first week but only used I think 15 last week - because, wine.

Which is good because after this weeks weigh in, I went down a points plus value to 27. Insert crying sad face.

Which obviously means that I had another loss!

Weeks weight loss = 2.2 lbs

Total loss to date = 6 lbs

I wasn’t expecting more than a pound loss but I will take it.

I should also note it has been a really rough week in terms of the IBD – I seem to have taken a step back this week which hasn’t been too fun and has curbed my desire to eat as well as effected my workouts since it’s been a struggle. So there’s that.

I know it’s not all about weight but I am happy that I am losing – in general these past few weeks as I am being more mindful I have noticed my pants are starting to fit better and less bloated than before (also helpful that I am getting the IBD treated now).

Happy to be back on WW I sang its praises previously when I lost about 30lbs on it – it works and teaches you about balance. Want to splurge, go ahead just balance it out. And isn’t that what it is all about?

Until next week! 

Time to Lose Some Weight

I haven’t gone into too much depth on the blog about it but I know I have glossed over it in discussing running; my weight.

I grew up overweight and it escalated in college and after. It took me a few years post college but eventually I pulled it together and lost a huge chunk of weight ~70 pounds or so (not necessarily by healthy means). Then I moved to Hoboken and eventually put some back on yay drinking #allthenights.

The summer before I was turning 30 (birthday is January 28^th, I just turned yet another year older!) I saw some unflattering pictures and knew I wanted to get my shit together once and for all. This time around it wasn't just losing weight it was to stop partying and grow up a bit. I was tired of 2am ridiculous nights multiple times a week. Changing lifestyle completely was necessary to grow. 

Enter weight watchers. With the help of WW I got to a weight and body that I was pretty happy with and eventually transitioned to counting calories. However, since the end of 2012 I have put on about 10 pounds or so that I just cannot seem to get off. Clothes aren’t fitting as well, and just as importantly to me I have not run as well as I did that fall race season since putting on the weight.

It doesn’t make me unhappy per say but it annoys me. So last week I decided to bite the bullet and rejoin weight watchers. I have continued to track calories daily but am thinking maybe I need to go back to the points system and shake things up again. Doesn’t hurt to try right? Also my body has just been a mess with the IBD flare and as the medication is kicking in am hoping it is a good time to work on shedding the weight. 

My goal weight is actually 10 pounds or so below what I was a couple years ago which I don’t think is that crazy. The weight I got to last time around was just below the cut off for an "overweight" BMI - so I think I will possibly always be on the higher side of the "appropriate"weight for my height due to muscle but plan on having my body fat tested as well soon to focus more on that in the long haul. 

I am back to lifting pretty consistently and trying to build muscle so may not get there weight wise but I DEFINITELY have a layer of fat that needs to go. This isn’t me being judgey of myself, this is the truth. I am not comfortable in my skinny jeans! I will admit that I have negative body issue thoughts that creep in -  I don't know if I will ever fully negate those coming from being an overweight child to obese in my early adult hood - I definitely have a skewed image of what I look like at times.

Doesn’t hurt that I have back to back bachelorette weekends in the beginning of June to be bikini ready for either for some motivation.  Nothing like thoughts of lots of beach pictures hanging over your head to work on a goal. I am vain I can readily admit. 

So with my first weigh in I am down -3.8 pounds. Note I was DEFINITELY up on the initial weigh in due to having my period so I know I am less bloated for one but hoping for a consistent weight loss throughout. 

So here we go! And of course I picked the most fun week to begin tracking. Snow days, my Birthday plus the Super Bowl, figured challenge myself as much as possible off the bat, right? 

AdvoCare Cleanse Phase Recap

I cannot believe that the first part of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge is already complete! Time sure does fly when you are having fun...errr something like that. 

I have to say, so far, so good. So thank you Becky for getting me involved! 

First up the initial 10 day results:

Pounds lost = 5.8

Inches lost = 5.25

Now to be fair, no I KNOW I did not lose 5.8 pounds in 10 days. The initial weigh in definitely dealt with bloating and a body a little out of wack from long runs and salt intake over that weekend. So I am sure the first weigh in number is slightly inflated. However, I can attest I am wearing skinny jeans today and they are feeling mighty comfy compared to a couple of weeks ago when I was feeling less than stellar. 

Regardless it is nice to see the progress! I can't wait to see what happens in the max phase, bring it on! 

So let's talk a little bit about what happens during the cleanse portion and what a typical day looks like : 

Days 1-3:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + 3 Catalyst, wait 20 minutes
• Fiber Drink mixed with 8 oz water + 16 oz water, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills
• Before Bed: Herbal Cleanse tablets

Days 4-7:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + Probiotic Restore + 3 Catalyst, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills
• Before Bed: Herbal Cleanse tablets

Days 8-10:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + Probiotic Restore + 3 Catalyst, wait 20 minutes
• Fiber Drink mixed with 8 oz water +  16oz of water, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills

On mornings when I worked out I would wake up, drink the Spark and take the catalyst prior to it. Once finished I would then continue the regime (because taking a fiber drink prior to running when you already have an iffy stomach does NOT sound good!).

So thoughts on the cleanse phase, the good and the bad:

Pros: 

• Honestly, I FEEL FABULOUS. I feel lighter. I am not bloated. My clothes are back to feeling normal. 
• This has not by any means effected my training. Still taking Body Pump 2-3 times a week, running about 30 miles and never felt off during this period.
• The realization that I honestly do not really CRAVE the sugar and fatty food. I forgot how much I love fueling my body to perform vs. for quick satiation. I gave myself such a pass and ate what I wanted for the better part of 3 months and had a few pounds to show for it. Not cute. 
• Listening to my natural body hunger cues. I honestly usually didn't want to snack. I would eat a couple almonds or half a banana to have the bare minimum but it was nice to wake up HUNGRY. Cause, you know, I stopped snacking before bed which I have a bad habit of doing out of boredom. I am remembering what hunger feels like. A good thing!
• My runs have been better. Better fueling = better performance. Easy as that.
• TMI moment BUT I am finally pretty "regular" in the bathroom. That fiber drink will help as will eating up all the fruits and veggies. I'm even going multiple times per day. Sorry for sharing but from the girl who can never go (unless in the middle of a run/race) this is GOOD NEWS. Test will be the half marathon Saturday for just how well I hold up. 
• Money saved. Yes there is the initial investment. However, I am meal planning, bringing my breakfast/snack/lunch mostly cooking dinner and not drinking at happy hours or drinking coffee. Umm hi my bank account is super thrilled! 
• Realizing - I don't necessarily really need to drink alcohol when out. I have been to a handful of social events and was totally FINE with water! 

Cons:

• Well I could lie, but the truth is there was some sips of wine on 2 separate occasions. What is date night without wine? I actually have no regrets for either. It did not derail my food choices or my workouts or the rest - and we are talking about not much, I didn't go on a bender. For once I did not beat myself up and just moved on.
• The supplements. Oy. I barely remember to take my multivitamin and vitamin D (that this vitamin deficient girl is supposed to take, oops). So yes I did find it cumbersome. The good news is I am more used to it so that is helpful as is the daily checklist to aide in remembering.
• I think less coffee somehow made me a tad sensitive to caffeine. A couple times post spark and catalyst I felt very very energized more than I have EVER felt with coffee.
• I miss coffee. The taste. But I have also learned that I do not NEED coffee. No caffeine withdrawals (probably thanks to Spark) and also my wallet thanks me for those 2-3 trips a day. 
• The fiber drink - as helpful as it is to get things moving...it was NOT my favorite. However I must be a sick person because I am contemplating using it a few times a week to help me. It is just the worst texture. Ugh. 

For a look at what I am eating take a peak at this post.

So here we are now in the Max phase! I'm feeling good and excited to see the progress once I am finished! Hoping that I continue to lean out. I will be in Miami the last few days of the challenge which I think is actually a good thing! Who wants to be bloated in a bikini? Plus I am visiting my sis who is a trainer/group fitness instructor and soon to be FLYBARRE!!! instructor. There will be running, flywheeling and barring and her class while I am down there. I will totally earn my lounge chair pool side bum status ;-)

Today Lauren who runs the great facebook group for those on the challenge and beyond; had a great blog post with tips for getting the most out of the 24 day challenge. Take a look over there, she is a wealth of knowledge - and ahem has amazing results! 

So there we have it. Any questions please feel free to contact me! 

I should mention I am so impressed with the products that I have purchased a few from the performance line to test out (what was I saying earlier about not liking to take supplements...) and am stoked to see how they work with my marathon training. I am already thinking beyond the challenge portion - this has all put me back in line with my goals. 

Happy Friday all!!

Dessert Me!

Lately I have totally been struggling with my night time eating.

My day eats are pretty perfect. A solid breakfast, usually a big salad of greens + protein for lunch and then a decent snack before leaving.

Then I get home and all bets are off. I am sure it is a combination of waking up even earlier lately because I now have to be in an hour earlier...so alarm is going off any time from 4:15-4:45 to workout. Then at work for usually 12 hours without much time for a break. I am super busy so my mind is just in over drive.

But I am really feeling these night time binges and I am not amused.

So I had to sit back and remember what has worked for me in the past as far as keeping it under control.

And that was when I remembered about this oldie but goodie which is a favorite of mine. And oh so filling and oh so big! And boy am I a "volume" eater.

Enter this lovely Chocolate Protein Muffin!

Fresh out - and steaming!

Now this is a pretty basic recipe with a LOT of wiggle room to alter it to what you are looking for or have in your kitchen.

2 T of flour - I like coconut but use whole wheat when I out
1/2 - 1 T protein powder (works without though!)
2 egg whites
1/4 pumpkin (today I used sweet potato puree! also mashed banana, apple sauce)
1 T cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
a few drops liquid stevia (or other sweetener)

Today I also added cinnamon and vanilla extract for a little more sweetness.

Also as you can see to the batter I diced up a couple of strawberries and threw in some blueberries.

Mix all ingredients together and then pour in a bowl that you have sprayed with cooking spray so that it slides right on out.

Microwave for about 3 minutes (today took about 4 probably because of the berries).

Slide that baby on out of the dish, and if like me you want to top it with something. Today I added just plain chobani, but I will make a protein fluff, heat up some almond butter or pb2 or you know, chocolate syrup for extra chocolately goodness!

Like I said this recipe is HIGHLY customizeable! You can do it without the cocoa if you don't want chocolate, I have added a dollop of almond butter to the batter for some oozy goodness, put chocolate chips in there...the possibilities are endless based on what you have to work with.

And not to mention, this baby is HUGE. My bowl that I used is probably about 3 inches in diameter so that is a good size.

If you try it out let me know what you think! Healthy dessert in a few minutes...there is nothing bad about that!

Random Friday Things

Happy Friday! 

For all those living in the North East - enjoy the snow. The pandemonium is slightly absurd I'm ready for a good old snow fight. However for your entertainment please read this.

I would also like to thank Saturday's spin class for this gem that has been added to my playlist (and on repeat) love love love some Pitbull!

So as we enter the weekend, I  must say my training has been awesome this week. I figured I would listen to my body and if I started to feel any post marathon twinges from diving head first back into my usual mileage that I would back off. But low and behold I'm feeling fantastic. Training went a little something like this:

Monday - morning upper body weights / night 6 miles progression ending just under HM pace

Tuesday - 8 x 400 intervals (recovered at 400 still working on that stamina thing with speed) + some core work

Wednesday - 6 mile tempo run + upper body - held on to HM pace for a couple miles...hoping that in a few weeks things are back up to speed (haha get it? I'm a dork)

Thursday - 5 miles + legs - was going to keep it steady but started increasing pace every 1/2 mile or so and finished just over HM pace

Friday -  spinning this morning! + core work 

All in all my feelings are that I definitely lost strength and speed during marathon training BUT I think that they can come back pretty quickly. Also still surprised that I am not feeling post marathon lethargy/soreness. Go body go!

Along those lines a couple of my new years "resolutions" if you will were to STOP tracking my food and stop weighing myself. Happy to report I have not touched MyFitnessPal once and got a lovely surprise this morning. I hopped on the scale to kind of do a check in and see where I was at...and low and behold whatever weight I put on marathon training, has come off and I am within a couple pounds of where I was in the fall. 

That makes me happy. I have kind of been eating a lot especially leading up to the marathon and post on vacation. I got home last week and immediately back to clean eating and eating intuitively and happy to report am on the right track. 

I was driving myself a tad nuts as I had previously addressed regarding both the scale and food tracking. Coming from a former fat person (don't take offense, I was genuinely fat - about 80 pounds over where I am right now at my heaviest) and having slimmed down, I KNOW what to eat. I can still ballpark where I am at with my calories if I want to since I did it for SO long but I really didn't need to be tracking every morsel. And as today showed I clearly know what to do and what to eat to cut down the pounds (without being deprived thank you very much).

So here is to a happy snowy Friday! And that pretty much no one showed up to work today. Slackers.