Mommy Juggling Life and Workouts

Getting Control of My Life Again

The wheels have fallen off the wagon

So I have not written since I broke my collarbone in a mtn bike crash in June.  Since then I have healed, lost my job, found a job, gone through another summer hating my bathing suit, gained more weight while working out tons and finally admitting I do have an complusive binge eating problem.  I might as well throw binge workouts on top of that.  With ski season upon us and needing to fit into my clothes not to mention the extra weight will make the knees hurt and make me tire faster while skiing (or doing anything) it is time to look at what is really causing the problem.  For over 2 years I have been kidding myself.  Time to own up.

I use sparkpeople.com to track my food and workouts - its free and just an amazing website.  I have also started a blog there as well about this.  Just search for Keepsakegd. (keepsake is a guide dog I raised and she is currently working in Portland, OR).  Time to begin my next journey - putting the wheels back on the wagon, one wheel at a time.

Friday, June 19th

Off day today and boy did I need it.  I am super, super tired almost to the point that I am a little concerned.  It has been a few weeks like this and it feels like it is getting worse.  I suppose I should go to the doctor for some blood work, thyroid among others.  I cheated again foodwise - just trying to stay awake.   Not good.

The mountains are calling for the weekend again.  Planning to get some biking and hiking in.  I hope to feel better tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 17

Today was a long sustained distance day - lower heart rate, average between 145 and 155, but not over 155 for 45 to 90 minutes. I went for a 3.5 mile walk at lunch, 55 minutes. Heart rate average was at 151 - right where it should be. Amazing, all I did was change the direction I usually go and that was all it took to keep the heart rate up. The other way I have a lot of ups and downs in heart rate. Go figure. I have found my new route of choice.

Tuesday, June 16

Thursday, June 11- Saturday, June 13
So on Thursday we left for Cub Scout Camp with no workout happening before I left. Turns out for the next three days all we did was walk. It was exhausting. They feed us tons of carbs, protien once a day - just not enough calories and balance to maintain any energy level. We had brought protien bars and other food but definitely not enough to sustain. Not to mention the poor sleep. I came home Saturday exhausted.

 Sunday, June 14
Went swimming at the pool with the intention to do speed drill intervals. What a joke. I was tired. I made it through, struggling every lap. After my 30 minutes were up I was done where typically I would have just done a few easy laps after.

 Monday, June 15
Went to Beaver Creek to pratice the Xterra bike portion. No one knew where to grab the intial trail so Kris and I struggled to find it. Up and up we went. On the bright note we got a great workout at altitude but I really struggled much more than I anticipated. We came down the mtn in rain and hail OK so hail hurts no matter how slow you go. We found cover and waited it out with welts on our legs. We get to the bottom of the Beaver Lodge and find a ski map and tada found the trail. OK so it goes literally straight uphill. I had to walk the bike once my heart rate hit 193 and I felt woozy. Laying in the weeds we found the next turn off and explored a bit more then we had to turn around to meet a friend in Vail.

 This was the first ride and the first time it really dawned on me that this race is so over my head that I thought of dropping out. The bike ride literally climbs up a mountian. I knew it before but reality is so much worse.

 I hope it is the horrible eating and lack of sleep that affected me. I am going to attempt the ride again next weekend.

 Word on food - what you eat Thursday is what fuels you on Saturday. It is not what you eat the night before your activity but what you eat 2 days prior.

 So my horrible camp eating on Friday is why I dragged on Sunday and the eating on Saturday led to the dragging on Monday. It is not the only reason but definitely played a part.

  
Tuesday, June 16
I lifted today. Felt much better now that the eating is getting better again. Still retaining water and feeling very fat.

 Today I planned the next few weeks of BIG workouts prior to my race. Not much time to make a huge difference. I will ride the course at least once. I need to figure out where I will have to walk and make sure I upshift the bike prior to hopping off so I can actually get back on. Starting from a dead stop, on a incline in granny gear is nearly impossible. I am not looking to ride the entire thing, that is impossible, this course is steep, and I mean really steep. I need to finish the swim and bike within 4 hours and begin the walk/run. Walk in my case. Yesterday showed me I might need it all. I just hate the idea of giving up and not trying. After next weekend I might be singing a different tune.

Wednesday, June 10

I did 55 mins of spinning over lunch - hooray, intervals are over for the day.  Felt great.  Tried to concentrate on keeping my cadence high.  Harder to do than it seems.

Tomorrow is long slow duration day (HR just below 155).  I'm thinking a nice hike will do the trick, that is if I get moving fast enough in the morning.

Tuesday, June 9: The journey continues...

Lifted today.  No luck pond swimming, the weather looked to threatening during my narrow time frame to make a decision.  Of course an hour later it cleared.  Oh well, I was able to get the Mtn bike's brakes fixed.  An important detail when riding in the mountains. And I started packing for the 3 day cub scout camping trip on Thursday then straight onto Sunday and Monday in the mountains where I will hike, swim and bike during my two days. So I suppose the evening was not wasted. The car is going to be packed to the gills!

Tomorrow I need to get intervals in - hmmm... spin bike or walking.  Oh goodness, another bag I need to pack tonight!  The rest day yesterday did the trick, I feel much better.

Confession time-  I got the kiddos Oreos for their summer lunches and ate way to many.  Geez, where did my self control go!  I really need to find a snack for them that I really don't like then no temptation.

A Fat Triathletes Journey

Now after completing my first Tri race of the season last weekend with a finishing time of 1 hour, 55 minutes and placing 5th in the Athena group (women over 150 lbs) - I am looking to keep things in perspective.  I need to talk about the journey to my next race, to keep things in perspective.  I do this as a heavier and slower athlete who enjoys the process.  Really what is a shorter time going to give me in life.  Nothing.  Just completing it is a huge sense of satisfaction.  Not to do the races because of how long it will take or your weight is insane.  It does not matter how much you weigh or how old you are, you can participate and enjoy the event.

I met a wonderful woman during my race.  She was in her mid fifties, was heavy and is my new inspiration.  We talked before and after and I loved her attitude.  She side strokes the swim, goes careful on the bike and walks.  Her goal is just to enjoy herself and live life to the fullest, no matter how slow she is.  Now that is the influence I need.

I am signed up for one more Tri on July 18th.  It is an Xterra (pond swim, mtn bike with 2700 ft climb and trail run) that is seriously over my head. My goal is to finish - alive.  Oh yeah and to enjoy the journey.  The race is a few short hours - the time spent leading up to the event is months.

My journey begins with a pond swim on Sunday.  I actually swam a mile although it took the first half mile just to calm down.  I went with two friends who are rock star athletes who flew across the water whereas I was a paddling duck.  You know what - it did not bother me.  I couldn't have said that a few short months ago.

Today I did nothing but go to the carnival with the kids - no quilt about not working out - I need a day off to recover. 

Swimming - Who would have thought

Swimming and I are starting to like each other.  I started swimming last year when I hurt my ankle and have been swimming fairly consistently since.  When the kids and I took a break from swim lessons, I swam when they did, I missed it.  This last month, while my son was at diving, I started swimming again and have found it is so enjoyable.  My time to disengage from the world.  Tomorrow I will put on my wetsuit and for the first time swim in a pond - not like when I was a kid, splashing around, but to swim at least 1/2 mile.  I am so excited!  The water temp should be about 55, that will take some getting used to but it is the wide open space that I am looking forward to.  No splashing of kids and others swimming, no noise but my own, no wall to hit and turn around. We will see but I'm thinking I might have found my new favorite way to swim.

Nutrition

I am working with a wonderful new trainer who is giving me loads of information.  I am using him for food and workout information, not so much for the lifting.  Such a smart guy.  Below I have some of his comments to me.  Pay particular attention to the fiber and sugar.  Very interesting. 

 

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Getting a handle on your diet is 75% of the process. Most women as the get into their 30's and 40's start to lose lean muscle mass. What we need to do is stop this lean tissue decline which lowers your REE (resting energy expenditure - That is how many calories you need to basically stay alive - To keep your heart beating, for body temperature regulation and so on) and teaches your body how to store fat. Most women will notice these changes in their 30's and the first thing they will do is reduce calories and do more cardio. By doing this they are losing even more lean muscle, lowering REE and teaching everything in your body how to store fat. The 2 best ways to stop this problem is to make sure you are getting enough calories from the right foods as well as a sound resistance program with weights that challenge the muscular system. 

 

Time to assess your diet and break it down into % Carbs, protein and fat.  

 - Look at your fiber and sugar which is very critical in any weight loss program.  

 

 - With Fiber you will need to be at 25-40 grams per day. (Lots of Vegetables- they act like a sponge and increase fat lose drastically).  

 

 - With sugar I will show you fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber and lower in sugar. Sugar should remain 25 grams or less.  

 

 - Protein intake will be 2.0 grams per kg of body weight giving you about 618 calories coming from protein. Thats about 155 grams per day and about 26 grams per meal. About 36% calories coming from protein. (safe liver level)  (I would suggest doing your own calculation - excellent info, again based on 1700 cals a day)

 

 - Fat would be about 25% of your total calories. About 425 calories total and about 47 grams per day.  (based on 1700 cal per day - you might be different)

 

 - Carbs would be about 39-40% of your total calories which is about 663 calories per day and 166 grams per day. Carbs are very important for glycogen replentishment and triglyceride (fat) breakdown. Your brain and spinal cord only live of of carbs, they cannot utilize fat or protein. The brain and spinal cord need about 75-100 grams of carbs per day to function effeciently. So NO carb cutting.    (Based on 1700 cal per day - you might be different) 

 
CALORIES PER DAY: For example for me he figured:

 

REE (resting energy expenditure) or RMR of 1500 calories per day. Your NDA (normal Dailay Activity) would be .25 ( sitting most of the day) times 1500 which is about 375 calories per day. An easy workout factor would be 500-600 calories per hr workout. Estimating your workouts at 30-45 mins per day, I used 300 calories over a 7 day period per day. Adding up gave me a total calorie intake to maintain of about 2,200 calories per day. To loose weight I subtract 500 calories giving you 1,700 calories per day to lose 1 lb of fat per week. 

 

1500+375+300 = 2200, to lose weight 2200-500 = 1700 cals per day