10-day Dash

newhighnewlow

BACKGROUND:
April 2016 I weighed 225 pounds, got myself down to about 165 by September, trained for a marathon (got down to a low of 152 in Dec), Jan-July (post marathon) I stopped MFP'ing regularly and found myself back up to 177. Got back on the horse, and got back to my goal weight (160) just this weekend. Celebrated by eating all the things, and weighed in at 168 this morning... but that's just temporary.

GOAL:
Anyways, I am at my goal weight (ignoring this oreo-laden weekend), and in 10 days I head to a week at the beach with my wife. So for 10 days my goals are to log everything, to maintain my running and lifting, and to stay at this weight... but...

I want to really focus not just on calories, but on nutrition goals. I want to really make sure I'm hydrating sufficiently, maintain carb-load for my runs, and lots of lean proteins, while focusing on healthy fats. I'm actually going to try to hit my macro goals, which I usually don't do.

For 10 days, I am going to reject sweet treats, greasy foods, takeout/delivery, alcohol, and other guilty pleasures.

In short, I want to make sure my nutrition supports the most tone and healthy 160 pound version of myself possible 10 days from now.

HELP?:
I'm going to be honest... even though the scale has gone downward over the last week, I've been really bad (and for more than just the weekend). I've had multiple days with pizza, multiple days with fried food, lots of cookies and cakes, and a good amount of beer (a friend's wedding played a role in that). For me, restricting calories is easy (because I am in the peak of marathon training again... 70mi/week), but eating the right food is hard. I could use some accountability and support. As such, I am going to try to post a day-by-day log on this thread... and I would really appreciate any encouragement and support MFP has to offer.

TavistockToad

having one goal weight is the quickest way to fail... weight fluctuates naturally even when you do everything 'right'. you should have a maintenance weight range to stay in, so 158-162 might be good for you. only worry about cutting if you are above 162 consistently for a couple of weeks.

newhighnewlow

TavistockToad wrote: »

having one goal weight is the quickest way to fail... weight fluctuates naturally even when you do everything 'right'. you should have a maintenance weight range to stay in, so 158-162 might be good for you. only worry about cutting if you are above 162 consistently for a couple of weeks.

this is true... but also when I cite my weight I should note that I am citing an exponentially weighted trend weight that accounts for these fluctuations, and that I do actually have a range in mind... I just didnt think it was worth going into great detail given that I expressed no intent to cut anything in my post - I just want to maintain with solid nutritional value and a focus on eating more quality food and less junk.

TavistockToad

newhighnewlow wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

having one goal weight is the quickest way to fail... weight fluctuates naturally even when you do everything 'right'. you should have a maintenance weight range to stay in, so 158-162 might be good for you. only worry about cutting if you are above 162 consistently for a couple of weeks.

this is true... but also when I cite my weight I should note that I am citing an exponentially weighted trend weight that accounts for these fluctuations, and that I do actually have a range in mind... I just didnt think it was worth going into great detail given that I expressed no intent to cut anything in my post - I just want to maintain with solid nutritional value and a focus on eating more quality food and less junk.

by cut i mean 'eat in a calorie deficit' that's all.

newhighnewlow

by cut i mean 'eat in a calorie deficit' that's all. [/quote]

I understand that... but by "I want to maintain" I mean "not eat in a calorie deficit"

TavistockToad

newhighnewlow wrote: »

I understand that... but by "I want to maintain" I mean "not eat in a calorie deficit"

thanks for explaining.

kommodevaran

I can offer no support or encouragement, only opinions to help you reframe, if desired.

Maybe you will be thrilled to hear that good nutrition isn't black or white, perfection or failure. Nutrition isn't about what you eat for a weekend or 10 days, but about eating habits, what you generally eat from day to day, and most days. Health isn't just about good nutrition, it's also about having a relaxed attitude towards food and eating. You allow yourself good food while at the same time pay attention to good nutrition, and you allow yourself the pleasure from all the foods you eat. Food doesn't judge you, and you aren't judged by your food choices. There are no right or wrong foods, all foods can be eaten in moderation. It's a lot easier to eat moderately when you know that you aren't doing anything wrong.

newhighnewlow

kommodevaran wrote: »

I can offer no support or encouragement, only opinions to help you reframe, if desired.

Maybe you will be thrilled to hear that good nutrition isn't black or white, perfection or failure. Nutrition isn't about what you eat for a weekend or 10 days, but about eating habits, what you generally eat from day to day, and most days. Health isn't just about good nutrition, it's also about having a relaxed attitude towards food and eating. You allow yourself good food while at the same time pay attention to good nutrition, and you allow yourself the pleasure from all the foods you eat. Food doesn't judge you, and you aren't judged by your food choices. There are no right or wrong foods, all foods can be eaten in moderation. It's a lot easier to eat moderately when you know that you aren't doing anything wrong.

thank you! I totally agree about long term health being different!

Of course, in 10 days I'll be hanging out on the beach, drinking cocktails, and enjoying vacation... so I am trying to be on 'best behavior' now!

kommodevaran

newhighnewlow wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

I can offer no support or encouragement, only opinions to help you reframe, if desired.

Maybe you will be thrilled to hear that good nutrition isn't black or white, perfection or failure. Nutrition isn't about what you eat for a weekend or 10 days, but about eating habits, what you generally eat from day to day, and most days. Health isn't just about good nutrition, it's also about having a relaxed attitude towards food and eating. You allow yourself good food while at the same time pay attention to good nutrition, and you allow yourself the pleasure from all the foods you eat. Food doesn't judge you, and you aren't judged by your food choices. There are no right or wrong foods, all foods can be eaten in moderation. It's a lot easier to eat moderately when you know that you aren't doing anything wrong.

thank you! I totally agree about long term health being different!

Of course, in 10 days I'll be hanging out on the beach, drinking cocktails, and enjoying vacation... so I am trying to be on 'best behavior' now!

The problem is twofold - ten days won't make much of a difference, and trying to behave makes it difficult to not "disbehave" later - you'll want to make up for everything you feel you have missed out on, and we tend to overdo just that; instead of enjoying vacation, we'll be thinking "last supper".

I finally managed to get a grip on weight management when I stopped being on and off - I have a bit looser reins for special occasions, but holidays aren't really that much different from normal days.

newhighnewlow

oh but it DOES make a big difference - my body always looks and feels better when it is hydrated and getting the right nutrients. After 70% carbs yesterday, I ran 5 of my fastest miles of the year today, and felt so much better mentally than a run the morning after fried chicken, mac and cheese, and beer.

Of course, my stomach and taste buds seem to prefer the latter... but my muscles and lungs are very responsive to goals focused on the quality, rather than the quantity of calories, and right now, my focus isnt on losing weight or changing the way my body looks - its about giving it those quality nutrients. In my experience (usually marathon tapering), ten days is plenty of time for the body to appreciate this shift!

newhighnewlow

Day 2 went well, since I had a bigger workout, I took more protein and a few less carbs (still over half my calories, though). Was REALLY tempted by the peanut butter jar right before bed, but managed to talk myself down to a banana and a glass of milk. Today is my rest day, as far as running is concerned, so it usually requires the most thoughtfulness about food choices. But yesterday I made enough food to have leftovers for a couple days, and so it should be super easy this time!

newhighnewlow

a few days without posting, (maybe I've given up hope for motivation and support after only getting what seemed to be "your decision to maintain is wrong because you shouldn't be cutting" and "focusing on good nutrients is silly") - but I've somehow managed to keep focused (which remains a weak point for me).

I've stayed over 50% carbs, and at 30% protein. I've eaten no added fats, and chosen leaner cuts of meat than usual. Lots of veggies, legumes, and whole grains. I've drank about 4 or 5 liters of water per day. I can see the outlines of some muscles now, even without flexing, and despite maintaining weight, I went in a belt notch.

Today is day 6, then 4 more days until the beach!

newhighnewlow

on day 7 (my last post was actually day 5, and today is day 8 - I apparently cant count!), I did a long training run - 24 miles! I'm very excited that I was also able to run my "easy" 8 this morning.

nutrition-wise: a friend's potluck/BBQ/oktoberfest went so-so on Saturday. I didn't drink any alcohol, but I let myself have some nutritionally suspect items (rice krispy treats, a slice of apple-cake, and a bratwurst). Always hard to find sufficient healthy sustenance at a party... so I'm not really beating myself up for it.

Sunday I ate over 4,000 calories (I burned SO MANY CALORIES on my long run), all fairly nutritious, except for a thai iced tea (which has significant heavy creamer, and put me over my fat macro goal).

Today started off well, with a run (and putting in my hopeful registration for the Boston Marathon), and I will be continuing my "good behavior" (I hope) until the workweek ends.

Doing my best for that "last gasp of summer!" - short term goals are fun!

newhighnewlow

actually - talking to myself isn't so bad, I guess.

was very worried about today's run - hardest run of training, in terms of the longest "sprint" (two 5k intervals), just 2 days after a 24 miler... but my 70% carb ratio seems to be keeping my muscles full and ready, and I one of those 5ks turned out to be my fastest of the year!

weight remains stable, and I've managed to keep to low fat (or at least healthier fats) and low added-sugar offerings for another day. Just half of today, and 2 more days until relaxation time!

oh, and 30 days from then until the marathon... so while I wont be this hardcore, I will go back to my usual mindful and intentional eating habits, and try not to flub my taper the way I did last time!

newhighnewlow

Wednesday is my usual rest day from running... but I'll likely be unable to run Friday... so I was anxiously wringing my hands to decide whether to switch my rest day to Friday to accommodate my schedule, which would require me to run today and tomorrow (15 days without a rest day!)... or to stick it out and try and force myself to run Friday after travel, which I know is unlikely due to being tired from travel and wanting to start vacation on the right foot (pun intended).

I literally rode my bike into work, and was heading into the gym to change into my work clothes, when I decided to switch the rest days and run today. Apparently my body wanted it. I beat my target pace (for an "easy"/adaptive run) by over 10s/mi. But that means tomorrow is a much harder tempo run (target pace 60s/mi faster than today), on unrested legs...

it'll be worth it when we get to the beach in the early afternoon and I dont have to run, I hope.

Anyways - as far as nutrition... I feel like I was eating all day long yesterday.

I had a banana and milk post run, then yoga for 30 min, then a bagel with apple butter and gatorade. About an hour later, I had a turkey sandwich. An hour later, leftover pasta. an hour later, a chicken breast sandwich, and another banana. Then about 90 minutes later a package of pre-cooked beets. An hour after that... dinner - couscous, smoked veggies, and pulled pork. then about an hour later 2 glasses of milk and a third banana. then right before bed a hand full of craisins. That's nine separate "eatings" - much different than my typical "sometime I eat lunch and usually only dinner" process... but I guess it did fuel me up for today's run, since I went fast despite trying to keep slow!

newhighnewlow

reporting back just to wrap up...

ten day dash went well, I ate healthfully and maintained weight.

time at the beach also went well... food options at restaurants are naturally a bit heavier in the unhealthy fats and simple sugars, but I was generally at or about at my calorie goal each day. I think fitbit was underestimating my calorie burn, because I actually lost a pound over the last week!

now I have 18 days until my marathon... and then I'll be fresh out of short term goals and motivations... so now I am stressing about coming up with a new one!