Hump Day Run

My pre-run snack today is the Atkins protein bar: Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll. 8g of Protein, 2g of Sugar, and 19g of Carbs. It tastes OK. It's not the best protein bar (Luna is my favorite brand) but it's much better than most of what is out there!

I ran the opposite direction of the Esplanade today to mix things up. I was toying with the idea of running up to Washington Park, but decided not to push myself too much this close to the Shamrock Run.

I crossed the Hawthorne Bridge and was almost to the Eastside when it started to rain! Blast! Fortunately, it was just a light drizzle and actually felt pretty good. The above pictures are from today's run: gloomy, dark skies.

I am happy to report NO KNEE PAIN! YAY! Hopefully that will be the norm now. My pace was good, I ran the loop without stopping, and felt pretty light on my feet today. Then, with about 1 mile left (at the Steel Bridge), I felt a rumble in my stomach. A not so good rumble. I've read horror stories about runners being stuck somewhere and having horrible stomach problems. For the last mile, I was really worried. Thankfully nothing happened. Perhaps I've added too much fiber to my diet this week.

Run time: 34 1/2 minutes! I shaved about 45 seconds off my run!
Calories burned: 423
Pace: 8'36, according to my Nike+

Equipment Malfunction
While today's run was great, I was endlessly annoyed during my entire run. First, my regular sunglasses are broken and I've been using a backup pair that are a bit too big for my face. They kept sliding down my nose.

Second, my new Nike running jacket--that I LOVE--kept riding up. I don't notice it riding up with other shirts I wear underneath, so it must be the undershirt I wore. Third, my running shorts are old and getting too big (yay!). Unfortunately, it seems impossible to find running shorts with pockets.

Lastly, and most sad, I think I need to upgrade my heart rate monitor. I have a Polar and I've loved it. But it's been acting wonky lately. While I was leaving the building and about to start my run, it said my heart rate was 221. Um, no. I'm pretty sure I'd be dead if my heart rate was 221. And then it said zero, like I had no heart rate. Grrrr! I fiddled with it, tried to get it to work and then gave up. About 5 minutes into my run it started working again. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a Garmin that also tracks my mileage.

UPDATE: I just read an article about weight loss and the writer's mantra was “My weight does not equal my worth”. I LOVE it!!

Email from my brother

When I shared my blog with my brother, he sent me this wonderful email! He gave me permission to share it.
"Hey Lisa,
That is absolutely fantastic! I don't know that I ever said much about your amazing accomplishment but I couldn't help but smile and feel a huge sense of pride looking at the picture of you holding of your old pants. You look fantastic, you are happy and healthy. I cant tell you how happy I am for you. Hopefully I can take a page from your book and shed a few pounds as well.

I have a terrible habit of once I start exercising I feel that I do
not have to worry about not eating certain things (hey, I'm burning it
all off right? probably not) and whenever I try to cut back on how
much I eat for meals I turn into the starving guy looking for snacks
anywhere I can find them. I know I serve larger portions than I should
for dinner. How did you manage that overwhelming sense of hunger when
you started eating the "right amount" of food for meals?
Andy"

Before I answer Andy's question, I just want to say that many times I slipped during the two years of losing weight. I'd get overwhelmed with hunger and make really bad choices. It's hard. For me, especially after exercising, I go into "starving, crazy maniac mode". I need FOOD! The important thing is to make good choices. I have sliced cucumber in the fridge and some hummus for a quick snack. I take yogurt or granola to work in case I get the hunger pains.

Honestly, once you start limiting your food and only eating what your body NEEDS, you will find that your stomach gets smaller. It doesn't take as much food to fill it up. I'm so used to eating a Lean Cuisine and a salad, etc, that eating copious amounts of food just makes me sick.

The other suggestion I have is to drink a lot of water. It's easy to confuse hunger with being dehydrated. Something else you can do is to wait 15 minutes after eating to see if you're still hungry. If, after 15 minutes, you're still legitimately hungry, then get a little more food. But not Cheetohs or a candy bar!

Also, just because you exercise and burn a lot of calories, doesn't mean you can stop on the way home from the gym and get a Big Mac, fries, or a chocolate shake. Losing weight is about creating a deficit. You burn calories = you lose weight.

If you are feeling extra starving after exercising pretty hard, you need to look at WHAT you are eating. Is it the right KIND of food? Are there carbs in it? Carbs are NOT evil! You need carbs for fuel. Are you eating protein? (Cottage cheese is my favorite super food!) If not, change what you eat!

The above picture is of me at my brother's wedding. A week before, I reached my first goal of losing 50 pounds! I was 200 pounds in that picture.

Pre-Swim Breakfast

Yesterday's vigorous workout has me very sore today. I did weights and boy my upper body is letting me know. Hopefully swimming today (and sitting in the hot tub afterward) will remedy that. For breakfast today, I had a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal with nonfat milk. It isn't my favorite cereal but it's ok. I plan on making a trip to Trader Joe's today to get a few new items. I also had an english muffin with Indonesian Cinnamon and a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. Not only is cinnamon very tasty, it's really healthy too! http://www.thehealthysnacksblog.com/2007/11/12/the-top-5-health-benefits-of-cinnamon/


Calories for breakfast: 329

After swimming, I will have a Luna protein bar. The mini sticks are only 80 calories and very tasty! I keep a few in my car for after working out. I've tried almost all of the protein bars out there and only Luna Bars taste good!