An Indecent Proposal

Last night, after having overdosed on an unnecessary second helping of pasta, I was conversing with a male friend about April, my personal month of health, and how lately I was feeling a bit unhappy with my weight and figure.  As I've heard from a few people, he told me to "Go run another marathon."  I hear that a lot, most often from people who do not work out or worry too much about their weight.  What is sometimes difficult to explain to a non-runner, is that training for a marathon can really screw up one's diet.  At least, in my case, it can.  Also, it's not an excuse to consume whatever I want ,whenever I want, in whatever amounts I want.

For instance, the week before the marathon, a runner is not supposed to over-train or put too much stress on their muscles.  At the same time, they are supposed to be increasing their carbohydrate calories a little bit, which goes against all the dieting rules I have ever ingrained in my mind.  Likewise, the days/week following a big race like that the body is supposed to be recovering.  One can't exactly just jump on the treadmill and slide back into the old routine.  Well, I suppose some people can, but it's rare and for the average body, not advisable.  (My date last Friday looked at me like I had two heads when I told him I went spinning a mere four days after my race.)  Also, my body gets concerned, involuntarily and completely separate from my mind, that I might at any moment force it to run a marathon again, and therefore it wants to consume as many calories as possible "just in case."  My point is that just because one can run a long distance and/or completes races doesn't mean that person can gorge themselves on mountains of unhealthy foods without limits, or consume vats of wine with gay abandon....which is what I have been doing for the past ten days.

I need to get my diet back on track--pronto!

This particular friend I was chatting with last night struggles with some body image and weight issues of his own.  I know his job requires him to work dinners and cocktail parties in the evening, making evening workouts or light dinners virtually impossible.

After our discussion, we came to the conclusion that since we talk on a semi-regular basis, we should be accountable to one another for our diet and weight loss goals for the next several weeks.  He proposed a [very ambitious] 20 pound weight loss goal in six weeks.  But, while 20 lbs is my ultimate goal, I do not think I could lose an average of 3+ lbs per week without a severe depraved lifestyle change.  Also, I think HE would look anorexic if he lost that much weight....But on the other hand, I do like an ambitious goal, because even if I don't reach it, I will be more likely to push myself rather than go easy on myself.  Also, I know I'm competitive and I know this guy can--and probably will--lose weight relatively fast.  Knowing that will give me the push I need to stick with a stricter regimen. 

In short we proposed to attempt to lose as much weight as we could, up to 20 lbs.  He said in six weeks (May 18)  but I say in eight weeks (June 1).  I weighed myself today and I came in at a discouraging and unappealing number--but a good place to start.  To further motivate me, I just received an email from the Frederick, MD Half Marathon reminding me that I only have one month until the race. (Soon!) And I'm hoping for a sub-2 hour PR on this course, so I will need to focus on that pretty intently this month. Fingers crossed.

So, here I am, six days into the "Month of Health," and beginning a diet with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.  I should note that I don't follow any specific "diet" plan.  My two big (and hard to follow) rules include avoiding alcohol and not eating after 7:30 pm, and I'm already thinking of days/events during which I will need to make an exception.  My smaller, less enforced rules include staying away from candy & really processed sweets, trying to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night and strongly second-guessing any "splurge" foods (just because there are cupcakes in the conference room does not mean I want cupcakes.) 

I'll keep you posted on how this little contest/diet works.  I have yet another Happy Hour this evening (the second of THREE this week), but I plan on only going for a short time, and refraining from more than one drink....knock on wood.


Cherry Blossom Race Report is in the works. If I can extract myself from Happy Hour at a reasonable time, hopefully I can post it tonight!