Day 21 - Let's Make Cheeseburger Quiche!

I went looking for a sports drink picture and found this one.  Cracks me up.  She really looks like she's been exerting herself and needs electrolyte and fluid replacement!  (PS - That's exactly how I look 3-4 hours into a long run or an ultra.  . . . NOT!)

Yesterday got the almond butter packets I ordered, and today I got the UCAN.  Tomorrow it's going to be 18 miles out at Headwaters, so it'll be a good run for experimenting.  The almond butter packet I sampled last night wasn't too bad, although I ended up with heartburn a bit later.  Maybe I should carry TUMS with me tomorrow, just in case.  Heartburn + running = Ugh.  And since I won't have any blue sports drink with me . . . .

The UCAN - You mix a packet with 16 oz of water and drink it 30-45 minutes for you exercise, then re-up every 90 minutes if you're going to be out there longer than 2 hours.  I plan to take an extra bottle of water with me, carry an extra packet, and gauge if I think I need to drink some more.  As always - we'll see!

Oh, regarding the cheeseburger Quiche - I found a recipe in the 'net yesterday, and it looks delicious!  I'll have to report back on this one.

Day 19 - Weigh In (drum roll, please . . .)

I love my kitties.  They keep me sane.  . . . sort of.

Well, shoot.  Why did I pick Wednesday for weigh-in day?  Can I randomly go back and pick another day after last Wednesday?  No.  That'd be cheating.

Not what I had hoped for, but today I weighed in at an even 144, so a drop of .7 of a lb.  Better than a sharp stick in the eye, right.  I wasn't expecting miracles . . . but a hint more - like weighing in at 143 - would've been nice.  Something to look forward to for next week, I guess.

Been having a great email conversation with an on-line running cohort, Andy, regarding low carb running.  For health reasons, he has had to drastically change his diet and has been an invaluable source of information.  We "talked" running food and electrolytes today.

Not sure if I mentioned in my last post, but I ordered a sample pack of UCAN and some packets of almond butter.  Hopefully, they come before Saturday's run for experimentation purposes.  Also per Andy's suggestion, will be trying cheese on the run.  Love me those Baby Bels.  Should be able to fit a few in the vest pocket.  Am also considering trying a hard boiled egg - the perfect food.

I mostly came in here to document my weigh-in, so not much more to tell, except that for lunch today I am quite enjoying my mash up of hard boiled eggs (2), avocado (whole thing), chopped red bell peppers, tomatoes, lemon juice, and a little bit of sour cream, and my carrots and Baby Bels.  Quite tasty, with mandarin oranges as a chaser.

Have a good one, folks ~

Day 18

Six days since I last wrote.  Haven't felt like writing, and now God has answered my prayers and provided me with a really big transcription job that is going to keep me very busy for the next couple of weeks after work and on the weekends.

Anyway - so what's happened since my last report.  Let's see . . .

Saturday, the 15th, I had a 16-mile run at the very benign McKay Tract . . . .and it freaking worked me.  I didn't take any electrolytes with me, and barely ate anything over the 3:40 I was out there and only had water.  I haven't bonked that hard in awhile, but I deserved it.  Lesson?  Even though you're working on becoming a "better butter burner," at some point in the run (like after the 2-hour mark), you need to start thinking about ingesting some calories and refueling.  Point well taken.  My legs were tired for Sunday's 10, but I felt better than I anticipated, so it's nice to know I'm recovering fairly well.  Also, last week was my first 40+ mileage week in quite awhile, so I deserved to be just a tad bit tired.

I've cheated a couple of times on the weighing thing, but since tomorrow is the official weigh-in date, everything else is just a fairly tale.  That being said, both Saturday and Sunday after my runs, I weighted in at 141.  Woot Woot!  Haven't seen that number in ages!  I don't anticipate my weight being that low tomorrow morning, but it sure was nice to see for a short time.

Sunday, I tried my hand at making black bean and hamburger meatballs.  Sauteed up half an onion and a bunch of garlic, then pureed that with the beans, then hand mixed it all together with the meat, adding an egg as a binder.  If I'd been smart, I would've added some shredded cheese.  Next time.

I didn't season everything enough, and there was sort of a different texture, but overall I was pleased with the results.  I made "spaghetti noodles" using thinly sliced zucchini, dumped those into some spaghetti sauce to simmer and soften up, and sauteed Brussel sprouts, mustard greens, onions, and garlic separately, then slapped it all together on a plate.  It was good!  The Hub - He took the meatballs and wrapped them in a tortilla with lettuce, ketchup, and mustard.  *sigh*

I've ordered a sample of a product call UCAN that an on-line ultra runner buddy, who is a low carb eater, is using, as well as some almond butter packets.  Hopefully I'll get it before this weekend's long runs so I can begin experimenting.

Day 12 - Weigh In

Not much progress on the weight loss front.  Okay - NO progress on the weight loss front and even up .70 lbs.  I need to measure myself, but I'm not holding out too much hope for a difference in that department in only one week.  I think, for whatever reason, I've been sort of compensating for the "loss" of the grains, etc., and have been overeating a bit.  I need to watch that and work harder at sticking with eating when I'm hungry, not just because I always eat at noon, or I always eat at 5:30 or I'm bored, or whatever.

I'm still feeling a bit sluggish in the running department, although yesterday's speed workout went pretty good.  8 miles with 8 x 1 fartleks scattered throughout the mileage (for you non-runners, that would be 8 bursts of speed, each being 1 minute in length).  They were too fast (all in the 8:00-8:15 average pace range), but I didn't feel horrible, just a bit whipped at the end of it all.  (FYI - I don't like speed work.  It's a necessary evil, but I don't like it.)  I was pleasantly surprised, however, that my legs weren't feeling too bad during my strength training session this morning.  I'm hoping that one of the positives of the changes I'm making is faster recovery.

For lunch and dinner, I've been sticking with salads full of goodies or leftover pork, chicken, or fish with some type of veggie, or eggs (e.g, last night's dinner was a slice of leftover roast pork, spinach sauteed with onions and garlic, a fried egg, and a few slices of avocado.  It was really good!), as well as my usual breakfast of fruit and yogurt.  The salads are getting a bit tiresome, but Shorty's making a pot of chili beans I'm looking forward to.

Weight - 144.7 (bleck - that's a gain of almost a whole pound)

Day 10

First - If whoever is reading this is from Humboldt County . . . How'd ya like that shaker last night?  Our household was in bed when it hit.  Four of the cats scrambled to under the bed, one road it out on the back of the couch (good job, Goofy!), I stood in the bathroom doorway, Shorty went out to the living room to hold the TV in place, and Dad (who spent the night) didn't even get up, although it woke him up.

This past weekend was my first long run weekend with the dietary and HR training changes, and things went better than I anticipated.  I was so freaking hungry when I got up in the a.m. that I ate a small amount of fruit and yogurt with almonds and raisins, and then had a small amount of raisins and mixed nuts for the run on Saturday.  I ate some of it because my stomach was growling, but tried to keep the food intake limited.  "Why?" you ask.  Good question.  As I said before, this whole change is to get the body to use its fat stores for fuel, and heaven knows I have plenty of that on reserve.  If you feed yourself constantly during a run (especially carbs), you are defeating the purpose.  And like I said before, that's is a very simplified answer.  The full on answer is too much to put here.  Google "Metabolic Efficiency Training" and "Bob Seebohar" for more information.

So it was plain water in the hydration bladder, some electrolytes, a small amount of raisins and nuts, and work on keeping the HR between 132 and 142 with a goal of an average of 137.

I ran out at Headwaters (as it offered me more chance of actually running, as opposed to the Community Forest whether you're either going up or your going down), and by and large things went really well.  My legs were feeling a bit heavy at the end, but overall I felt good - not trashed and depleted like I usually do after a long run, and that's obviously due to keeping the HR low.  Finished the 14 miles in around 3:45 or so, so all in all not bad.

Sunday's run was wet, wet, wet, and, again, slow.  By the end, my legs were definitely feeling it more than the day before (and are today, as well, when going up stairs), and I felt fairly depleted the rest of the day.  We pretty much watched movies all day (it was pouring rain), so I ate when I was hungry and did my best not to sit and munch on stuff just because.

Breakfast/Brunch was 2 scrambled eggs with loads of spinach, some ham, a little bit of cream cheese melted in, avocado, and a small glass of milk.

Munched on Cutie mandarin oranges, had something else, but I can't remember what.

Dinner was a nice salad with hard boiled egg, avo, and my homemade dressing, some pork loin, Brussel sprouts sauteed in a little bit of olive and butter with garlic and onions, and red chard sauteed separately but the same fashion.  A short while after dinner, I actually had the bowl out for some fruit and yogurt, but asked, "Are you really hungry?"  The answer was no, so back it went.  Victory!

I won't be officially weighing in 'til Wednesday, but it's been hard to not pull out the scale.  Did it once this weekend and was happy with what I saw.  Won't do it again until Wednesday.

I am definitely feeling a difference.  The highs and lows throughout the day are decreasing, which is nice, and the full on munchies are decreasing.  Although Karen, who posted a comment the other day, posted on Facebook pictures of pizza and chocolate chip cookies, which just about killed me! ;-)

Oh - and my biggest "find" was to mix Zoi plain Greek yogurt (full fat) with some low-fat Lucerne vanilla yogurt, add in my fruit and raisin/almond mix . . .  Oh My!  I've nixed the idea of Greek yogurt for quite some time now because the ones I have tried, I haven't liked (flavor or texture), and those brands are so much more expensive than my cheapy Lucerne - especially considering the amount of yogurt I go through.  However, I do like the Zoi/Lucerne mixture, and the Zoi is "only" $.88 more per the same size container.

Day 7 - The Seduction of Birthday Cake

See that picture?  There's one of those suckers sitting in the kitchen here at work RIGHT NOW from one of the best bakeries in town.  ACK!!!  I sniffed it, then walked away and commiserated with a co-worker who can't eat it because of severe food allergies.  At least it gives us something more to bond over - foods we can't eat.

Yes, I could cheat, but that'd be cheating, right?  And how would I feel about  myself after work?  "A moment on the lips . . . forever scarred by your own lack of self-control."

I did, however, purchase myself a high-quality chocolate bar this morning and will spend the next couple of weeks letting that be my sweet treat in the afternoon.  Just a small amount, letting it slowly melt in my mouth.

Shorty made a wonderful beef and veggie soup day before yesterday.  A bowl full of warmy goodness with a dollop of wonderful sour cream - delish!

I've been eating a couple of hard boiled eggs with butter in the late afternoon, and that seems to get me through to dinner since, generally, we don't eat 'til around 6:30/7:00.  Even though I kept telling myself "Don't do it!", I got on the scales this morning, fully clothed, but was happy with what registered.  Remove the clothing (get your minds out of the gutter), and things are good.

Last night did my first true run monitoring my HR.  Had to do it manually, but ugh! it's slow going!  My 7 miles took me 10 minutes longer than usually, and that's on a fairly flat course.  I foresee my week long runs taking quite a bit longer.  BUT - I know in the end all this will be worth it.  Visualize the finish line!  Visualize the destination! Your dreams will come true!

Meals yesterday:

Breakfast - Fruit and yogurt
Snack - (I can't remember)
Lunch -  Chicken breast and salad (was at a continuing ed class)
Snack - 2 hard boiled eggs with butter and four celery sticks with peanut butter
Dinner - 1 1/2 bowls of beef veggie soup with sour cream
Treat - About a tablespoon of peanut butter

PS - The Hub is still not convinced re the whole full fat thing and told me there is new research that a diet rich in proteins and fats is not good for you.  My question - what kinds of protein and fat are we talking about?  Besides, dontcha know that eventually even breathing will kill you?  Okay, maybe it's the lack of breathing that actually kills you.  I don't know.  I'm sure there's research out there on the subject.

Day 5

Had a really great discussion last night with my coach regarding nutrition.  He is very much in the camp of lowering grain intake and increasing lean proteins and healthy fats, especially the fats part.  He said doing so will not only help replenish the fat stores I will eventually be using for energy, but I will also stay satisfied longer - not feel hungry to soon.  Like today, I had my usual half an apple and half a pear (sans my delicious homemade granola) and yogurt (low fat vanilla mixed with non-fat plain).  Started eating it around 8:15 or so and finished over the course of about half an hour (I eat at work at my desk).  By 11:00, I was so hungry, I was starting to get shaky, so I ate a couple of hard boiled eggs warmed up with butter, salt, and pepper. (As an aside - my mom and I used to eat hard boiled eggs like that.  Memories . . .)

Anyway - back to the fats.  Once I use up the yogurt I've already purchased - which won't take long - I'll be going full fat yogurt.

Coach also talked to me about "Bullet Proof Coffee," which I've heard a lot about lately.  Again, a lot of my reading is showing people are liking this - including Coach - that it keeps them feeling satisfied longer, and they even are feeling more energetic and alert.  Hmmmm . . . .

Lunch Today - Leftover steamed asparagus and carrots with oven roasted chicken legs (skin removed), half an avocado, shredded cheese, salsa, and some lemon juice.  It looks like a mess on the plate, but it's really good.  Loving the avocado!  The Hub is making a bean and veggie soup for dinner.

Weight this morning - down 3 lbs. to 144.1.  Woo hoo!  Sure, it's probably just water weight, but so what - I'm stoked!  I don't expect to see that kind of progress the whole time, but I'll take what I can get for now.

Reminder to Self: Need to go home and look for HR monitor.

Day 4 of this Experiment

So far so good!  I mean, how bad can it be when I'm eating my version of carne asada atop a bed of red and romaine lettuces, spinach, and cabbage with cherry tomatoes, black beans, broccoli, hard boiled egg, shredded cheese, and salsa?  I have had a couple of cravings for something salty and crunchy/crispy, but a tsp or so crunchy peanut butter seemed to do the trick.

As far as weight goes, I will be weighing myself once a week - Wednesday mornings.  Weight fluctuates so much, it would be ridiculous and irritating to weigh myself every single day. 

I did the math re heart rate and figured out my max heart rate right now should be 137.  Suffice to say that quite often I am well over that, especially when climbing hills, so I'll be having to slow down, which means more time on the trails and roads . . . which translates into "get your butt up earlier or else you'll be out there all day."  I think my hopes of running with a group of ladies I've been in contact with has to be set aside for now since I will be running so slow in order to keep the HR down.  Hopefully, however, I will soon be leaving people in my dust!!  (Well, not likely, but at least I'll be able to keep up better without all the huffing and puffing.)

Low Car or Metobalic Efficiency Training . . . .

That's the big question (see the title of this post).

Today on my run, the timing was perfect.  I had saved a podcast of an interview with Sports Nutritionist (and amazing athlete) Sunny Blende, who was a guest on my favorite podcast, Trail Runner Nation.  By the way - if you haven't listened to these guys, they're great.  They strive to bring information that can be used by any runner at any levels and I will save up podcasts - or even relisten to some - just so I can listen to these guys while out for the long (*sniff* lonely) runs.

But I digress . . . .

As I said, my timing was perfect in listening to their podcast today because of their interview with Sunny Blende, who talked about metabolic efficiency training and eating and how it differs from just a low carb diet.  I then went to her web site and read her article on the same and am quite excited about the information.  (www.eat4fitness.com)

In reading about low carb diets, I have been trying to figure out where dairy, such as milk and yogurt, fit in and beans, if at all.  I am a dairy girl.  I love my milk and yogurt (cheese is a given on a low carb diet), and Shorty and I supplement our food budget quite a bit with beans.  Could I still eat these mainstays?  According to Sunny, yes!  Metabolic efficiency is all about a balanced diet and training, but the big thing is to stay away from grains and white starches completely for 4-8 weeks: no pasta, no rice (white or brown), no bread, no chips, no potatoes (not even sweet potatoes).  Doing this forces your body to use your fat reserves for energy, as opposed to just your small carbohydrate reserves, thereby allowing you to run longer and more efficiently with fewer calories.  That's the simplistic explanation, because there's a whole thing in there about heart rate training, but I won't go into that.

So I am looking forward to discussing both aspects (low carb vs. metabolic efficiency) with  my coach to see which way I should go.

Oh - the whole metabolic efficient eating?  Makes you a better fat burner / better butter burner.  AND, she basically guarantees that if you follow the program, you lose the gut.  Who doesn't want that?!?

This whole switch has my mind reeling . . . and it's only been two days.  Today we went grocery shopping and bought a ton of veggies and lettuces and cheeses, and I spent the better part of an hour preparing stuff to take to work for snacks for the next few days.  It was kind of time-consuming, and I hope that once I get the hang of it, it'll go faster (i.e., veggie sticks, slicing up cheese,  preparing lettuces ahead of time for salad during the week).  You may be asking, "Why not purchase the already prepared stuff?"  Simple Answer - We can't afford it, so it ain't gonna happen.

So how'd the last two days go.  I'm not sure if I'm hungry here at 7:30 p.m. or just think I'm hungry because I'm talking about food.  And I know I'm craving tortilla chips only because I can't have them.  But the way I look at it, if my husband can stop drinking and . . . wait for it, wait for it. . . STOP CHEWING!!  (41 days and counting!!) . . . surely I can go a few weeks without some rice or pasta or bread or chips or even my delicious homemade granola.

My weight at the start of this: 147

I need to find my sewing measuring tape and measure my waist to see where I end up in about two months.

The Low Carb Lifestyle

The amount of information on a low carb lifestyle and its benefits is almost overwhelming.  However, after much reading and talking with others who have adopted this lifestyle, I have decided that at least for the next four weeks, I am going to give it a go.  Why?  Glad you asked!

I turned 48 on February 23, and over the last couple of years, since really settling into menopause, I have found it harder and harder to keep my weight at what I consider best for running.  I struggle to stay under 150, and at the same time, my belly pooch keeps increasing.  This is probably a combination of menopause and hormone replacement therapy, which I could stop, but let's face it - the world does not want Leslie to stop her hormone replacement therapy.  At least not for the moment.  And I like the idea of staying out of jail. (Yes, things were that bad before I started on the drugs).

My coach, Gary Vale, has been talking to me off and on over the past year about a lifestyle change to  eating fewer carbs, but 'til now, it just hasn't seemed like something I want to do.  I mean come on - the world of endurance running has done almost nothing BUT say you can't perform without stuffing yourself with carbs (ever see an aid station table??).  I mean, races even have spaghetti feeds the night before so you can "carbo load."

However, yesterday as I sat at work in  pair of jeans that only a month or so ago fit very comfortably but were now cutting me in two, I decided enough is enough. 

I work hard at being physically fit, but where I used to see progress in my body, I now see things slipping backward at an unbelievable rate.  I'm a slower runner than I was two years ago.  I don't have the energy I used to.  My body is thickening in places I don't want it to thicken.  And I can't believe all of this is simply because I'm getting older.  Something has to change.

I don't expect this to be easy.  I have never been one to count calories or anything like that.  But as one individual I've been talking with told me, if I really want a change, it's going to take work, but will eventually become the norm and it'll be worth it.

So as I step off into the great unknown, I will try and post here more often and provide updates.  I don't know if anybody is bothering to read this blog anymore since I rarely ever think about coming in here, but it will help keep me honest with myself.

I'll back soon ~