That path being the weight loss path. Hardly the road less traveled; like many people, I have had to work hard at maintaining a relatively healthy weight. Unfortunately, as I get older, that weight seems to be getting, well, more healthy that I’d like it to be. I guess I assumed that, as a runner, I could get away with eating pretty much anything I wanted. And for years, that behavior worked. But over the last couple of years (and especially this last year), I find that despite putting in 20+ miles per week (over 30/week during marathon training) and even adding in circuit training twice a week has not helped me maintain my weight. In fact, I have managed to gain 5lbs over the same time last year, although I just finished training (and completing) a marathon!
Of course, the issue of gaining weight during marathon training is hardly novel. Just google “weight gain during marathon training” and you’ll find a plethora of articles and forums, all documenting this frustrating, seemingly paradox phenomenon. Was I more hungry as I ran all those miles? Heck yes. Did I see that my weight was going up? Well, yes (I did boycott my scale during a brief period over the last year, probably because I didn’t want to deal with the numbers I was seeing). When I’d run 12 miles and gain a pound, the only thought that crossed my mind was SUCK IT SCALE! Don’t believe me? Go run 12 miles and see how you feel about a little piece of technology stating that you’re only getting fatter. SUCK IT!
But the reality is, I’ve been eating to much. Never at once…instead, I have become the ultimate grazer, conveniently forgetting the half a cookie I ate when I ran downstairs to grab my purse, or the 3rd slice of pizza I grabbed as we were clearing the table. Never wanting to go to bed hungry, I admit to snacking before bedtime, usually on something salty and greasy.
Even when I was 5lbs lighter, I was still about 5lbs overweight. Making me 10lbs overweight. As the dust began to settle on our recent marathon, I starting thinking about this; what if this trend continues? I doubt I’ll be running another marathon next year, meaning I’ll be putting in less mileage. What if I end up 15lbs (or more) overweight by the fall of 2012??
So I decided it was time to get serious. Come hell or high water, I need to slam these last 10lbs into the ground once and for all. But I’m not interested in following a diet plan; my past experience with weight loss has shown me that I am a portion-control type. Or lately, a portion-out-of-control type. So I really just want to count my calories (keeping an eye on my carb-protein-fat ratio). For that, most diet plans HIGHLY suggest keeping a food journal.
Well let’s face it. I’m a weekly blogger at best; keeping a daily written journal is highly likely to result in blank pages. So I went searching for an electronic solutions. And I was very pleased to quickly discover a website: MyFitnessPal. It really is everything I was looking for; a site that tracks my calories (intake and burned through exercise). It has a food nutrition “wiki” that blows my mind; it has, so far, contained all but one food item that I consum (that item being Casa Noble Tequila). But every other restaurant, every other product, has been there. When something isn’t there, it allows users to enter it and share with others. And it allows others to “verify” accuracy, so if something has been verified by a number of others, you know it’s probably right on. It also allowed me to enter the ingredients to a couple of my recipes, calculating the calories and other nutritional info for me. WOW!
There are other weight loss tools that are helpful, especially as you set up your profile and set your goals. Answering a few questions posed by the tools, I was able to determine my ideal weight (which is actually 12lbs lighter than my current weight, not 10lbs), my BMR, the calories I typically burn, and it came up with a plan to allow me to lose the weight in about 12 weeks. Sign me up!
PLUS I can enter my workouts, and it adds those calories burned to the calories I have left to eat, so I know how much more I can eat thanks to my work outs. (And it is MUCH less than I thought it was, which explains my upward creeping weight.)
The final beauty part is that I can do all of this from my iPhone, which is at my side virtually all of the time. It’s easy to use, so I have no excuses. I’m on day 4, and I’ve lost 2lbs (I’m not eating enough, and falling below my calorie intake goal, which I need to fix so I don’t screw up my metabolism).
And for more accountability, I can share my progress through Facebook updates (Twitter too, but I don’t tweet), and a badge on this website (as shown below and to the right of the screen).
So here’s to conquering those last few pounds. There are also running benefits to losing these last few pounds, but I’ll share that another time. Cheers!
