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! 

Self-Sacrifce

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent.  For us Catholics, Lent is the 40 day period of self-sacrifice, reflection and deprivation before Easter. (and why most people use the Tuesday preceding to be completely gluttonous--"Laissez les bons temps rouler!") Its purpose is to commemorate the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, resisting the devil's temptations, before he began his ministry.

I am not currently a very good or practicing Catholic, but I do like the concept of Lent.  I like taking the time to try to deprive oneself of something important and valued and to test one's will-power.  I believe it makes us appreciate how much we have available to us on a regular basis.

Having said that, I should also note that I am absolutely terrible at giving things up for Lent. Awful.  Last year I tried to give up cheese.  I don't think I made it one day. Not ONE day!  I really am not sure how I would live without cheese.  I was insane to try.  I've heard of people giving up sweets (or--heaven forbid--sugar all together!) and I cannot imagine. Especially since now is the prime-time to pick up my favorite candy: Easter Egg Peanut Butter M&M's.  A girlfriend of mine gave up fried foods (& another one gave up Mexican) but, though I love both of those things, I don't indulge in either very often.  It wouldn't be a sacrifice.

Things that would be very hard for me to sacrifice:
Coffee/caffiene
Sugar
Drinking/Wine
Cheese
Meat

Things it would be moderately hard for me to sacrifice:
Dining Out/Happy Hour
Sushi
Panera
Subway
Vapiano
One specific type of Dessert: Nutella, PB M&M's, etc.

Things it would be easy for me to sacrifice:
Hard Liquor/Beer
Crab Dip/Crab Pretzels
Chinese Food
Mexican Food
Sex (should be a piece of cake if my dating status continues as placidly as it has been.)

What I usually do, to ensure complete and total failure, is to try to sacrifice everything on list 2 & 3, to make up for not sacrificing anything on list one.  This will most likely be the outcome this year again....If anyone out there is actually vigilantly sacrificing a beloved treat, I applaud your efforts and your willpower. 

Finally, I stole this from Mark Shea's blog because it made me giggle:

Miami Assessment

Before I left for Miami two weeks ago, I created an ambitiously healthy list of my goals for the trip.  I did not stick to them all, but I think I did a decent job of not over-doing it the ways I have in the past.  (Sidenote: I also got an offer to stay at the Miami River Inn when I come down for the marathon next January--apparently it's right by the start line! Yay!--Hopefully they'll remember me, when I call them to reserve a room next winter.)


Here is my diet assessment:

First goal: No more than 1 alcohol unit per day.
Grade: C.  I'm giving myself a C because about half of the days I had two or more, but half of the days I stuck to one. On the few nights I had to buy dinner for myself, booze was so expensive ($9 draft beer and $14 Pinot Noir) that it was easy to stick to just one.  My wallet wouldn't let me over-do it!  But, sometimes during the cocktail hours I found myself so wound-up from the stress of the day (we are going, going, going most of the day and it's hard to slow down,) and so thirsty (it was Miami, after all) that one small glass of wine would not cut it.  I had to go in for a second round.  To my credit, I never drank wine that was brought around to our table, and I only had more than two drinks on our last evening in town.  We had purchased the alcohol for two events, and could only return some of it (we couldn't return the bottles that had been on ice.) So, because it would have all gone to waste, the remaining staff members on the trip, including me, polished off a good portion of the leftovers. Even then, I still did not have too much, but definitely more than 3 to 4 glasses. I probably should have given myself an F-grade, since I rarely stuck to just one glass, but overall I think I showed restraint.

Second Goal: No hotel room munchies.
Grade: C.  I did buy two (TWO!) big bags of Peanut Butter Easter-Egg M&M's.  But, I shared them with the group...so, I did NOT consume both bags in their entirety. (This doesn't sound like much, but it's a great feat of willpower for me.) The only other items in my room were low-fat protein shakes (for breakfast) and 0-calorie Vitamin Waters.  Compared to the chocolate covered pretzels, chips, etc. that I normally have on hand, this is exemplary.

Third Goal: Limit coffee.
Grade: A-.  I officially cannot do this and be a functional human being.  There were no coffee makers in the rooms (a hotel pet peeve of mine) so I had to buy a $3 cup of coffee at the hotel bar. I have a problem with this, so I tried to skip my morning coffee.  By 11:30am, my head would not stop throbbing.  I could barely focus on meetings.  I quickly GPS-ed a Starbucks for an emergency pit-stop.  (Fortunately, my boss is a Starbucks fanatic as well, so this was not a big inconvenience.)  I know many people tout the merits of a caffeine-free existence, but unless I'm carrying a baby, I'm going to continue to fuel this addiction.  I did try though, and I surely suffered. So I gave myself a higher grade. (I'd be such an easy grader if I was a teacher!)
 
Forth Goal: Only eat dessert (or really any of the food) if it looks and subsequently tastes REALLY delicious!!
Grade: A!  I actually did this!  I stayed away from the desserts I don't like.  If I tasted something and it wasn't what I wanted, I stopped eating it...including the over-cooked filet mignon I was served for dinner Saturday night.  Also, in contrast to previous trips of this nature, the salad courses were always really delicious and varied (Not just a house salad, but some really interesting options with a light dressing!) So, I filled up on salads frequently. Hooray!
 
Fifth(ish) Goal: Try to workout.
Grade: F.  I worked out one morning. Just one.  It was all I could muster.  I was on my feet a lot, so I hope that balanced things out a bit, but most mornings it was all I could do to rouse myself in time to shower and be in the lobby on time. I'm not surprised because that's how these trips usually turn out, but I think that's why being extra vigilant about my diet is even more important when traveling.

The beautiful & historic Biltmore Hotel (would be even more beautiful with in-room coffee makers....)

All in all, I was proud of myself.  I enjoyed the good food and social atmosphere without overdoing it, the way I have done in the past.  Now I have to be even more vigilant as the National Marathon is less than three weeks away....

Mary-Michael's South Beach Diet

Yes, bloggies I'm off to sunny warm Miami, FL--where the days (working days) will be long, the nights will be brief (more like a nap between work-functions), and a diet will be hard to stick with!  Nevertheless, I'm going to give it my best shot....here are some of my guidelines for my trip:

1. No more than 1 alcohol unit per day.  A difficult task, considering both lunch and dinner are served with alcohol, and long cocktail hours are hard to manage without a cocktail, but a necessary one because if I have to work 16 hour days and be alert, alcohol is my enemy.

2. No hotel room munchies. (No, going to CVS to buy snacks to keep in my room and munch on late in the evening.)  This is a hard thing for me, because I eat more when I'm sleepy and I also don't register exactly how much I've eaten when I'm at a large party.  I'm talking and mingling and in the meantime, I've done damage to the bread basket, killed a few glasses of wine, and helped myself to several passed cheese puffs. So, the last thing I should do is go back to my hotel and "relax" (pig-out) on twizzler bites and chocolate-covered pretzels late at night. It's a bad habit.

3.  Limit coffee.  I live on coffee and I'm not sure how well I can do this (which is why I didn't restrict myself numerically)  I like coffee with lots of creamer, and often on trips and in hotels, full-fat cream is all you have as an option. Making six cups of coffee a day really add up. I'm going to try and stick to only tea, which I enjoy black/as-is.  But, I might reach day-five of this trip and succumb.  We shall see....

4. Only eat dessert (or really any of the food) if it looks and subsequently tastes REALLY delicious!! so often I'll eat because I'm bored or tired or it's just placed in front of me, forgetting that I don't really like flourless chocolate cake or custard tarts.  This trip I will be more diligent about what I'm eating and stop if I don't care for it.

I am going to try and workout, but right now I'm so exhausted and I haven't event boarded a plane yet, I'm not sure how I can fit that in....though, my attitude may change with a solid night's sleep tonight. We'll see....access to internet might be spotty, but hopefully I'll manage to post a few times while I'm down there!  **Cross your fingers, for both gym-time and blog-time**

PS - Serendipitous that the "Real Housewives of Miami" premieres tonight?? :)