Eating Better
Today’s run was amazing. Since the pressure of training is off I was able to just relax and not worry about making mileage. I decided to just do a loop around what I used to call the big loop but now it seems like a pretty short loop. It was almost refreshing to do just a 1.5 mile run. I modulated my pace to match the incline and decline again and found great results- I ran my best time ever! Woot! We followed that up with an abs and arms workout.
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I’ve fallen into my typical dieting pattern lately. When I first get going on a weightloss plan I am really healthy and smart about it. I get strict about what kinds of foods I eat and make very intentional healthy choices. Over time, I start making substitutions- like a snack of carrots turns into a bag of pop chips- still within the calories, right? I keep doing that until I end up with a compromised diet filled with more processed foods (mostly processed soy, like vegetarian chik nuggets) and my snacks turn into processed foods like granola bars and healthy snack mixes instead of fresh produce. I eat within my caloric allowances but not with the level of nutrition I should be getting, considering what I’m asking my body to do.
Yesterday at the color run there were lots of pictures taken of me. Seriously, it was my first official run so we were at a kindergarten graduation-level of picture taking frenzy. After seeing myself in a myriad or running poses, I can’t deny that I have a lot of belly to lose still. My legs and arms and head and neck are looking pretty good… I just need to find my waist and hips now. 🙂 I say all of this while also acknowledging how far I’ve come and how proud I am of all my progress. I just have not been being entirely honest with myself about what is happening with my body, my tummy in particular. Add to that the health risks of belly fat and I think it is definitely in my best interest to continue along this path of weightloss and fitness.
As I’m reading more about muscle building and diet (eat complex carbs with protein and two fists of green at each meal), one thing I keep seeing over and over is the advantage of complex carbohydrates over refined grains. That unless I’m giving the proper kinds of fuel to my body I’m going to continue to maintain my weight instead of lose. I read specifically about how to lose belly fat and over and over- cardio and healthy carbs. What’s a girl with a gut to do?
I’m pleased to say that over the past few weeks we’ve been very consciously doing a lot of replacements- brown rice, wheat flour, whole grain breads- and we are feeling really good and the food tastes amazing. I made super yummy banana blueberry muffins yesterday that taste excellent but are also pretty healthy! This is one of those lifetime changes that I committed to at the onset of my weightloss project. I’m so pleased that we’re actually following through and that my family is enthusiastically on board.
