A Better Me - Shellyandrew's journal page

[shellyandrew]

Hello! Well, I'm here because this weekend I was reading Tim Ferriss' 4 Hour Body and weighed myself on Monday and saw a number I hadn't seen in a long time, and realized my pants are way too tight and I've got to do something.

I've done low carb diets before - phase 1 of South Beach, Paleo off and on, and have had temporary but fast results. But what I'd like this go-around is fast and lasting results So, support may have been something I was lacking. I've lurked a little on these boards but haven't been around lately.

One of the things that has made low carb tough for me is my "chronic cardio" habit - one that I'm not really wanting to give up. I have ran 2 half marathons this year and I love running. I have two more slated for this fall - one in October and one in November. My goal is to lose significant weight on a lower carb lifestyle like Primal/paleo, but to also be able to continue my endurance training. I'm thinking about adding some carbs before/after workouts, but slightly afraid I may jeopardize results by doing so. For the first couple of weeks, I'm going to cut back on fruit but allow beans. I haven't read the Paleo Diet for Athletes, I know I should!

Here are my stats:
Height: 5'0"
Current weight: 125
Goal weight: 100ish - maybe more if I'm happy with slightly higher.

I'd like to get there in 6 or 7 months. Hopefully this is doable.

Here's my plan for today:
Breakfast: black coffee, 1/2 avocado, chopped tomato, and 2 hardboiled eggs
Snack: carrots and sunflower butter
Lunch: salad with yellow squash, carrots, tomato, and chicken breast with caesar vinaigrette
Snack 2: walnuts?
Dinner: meatballs and yellow squash or salad

I think I'll be back to post some "before pictures" later

Support, advice, miscellaneous ramblings are welcome!

[shellyandrew]

I was feeling pretty tired and woozy around 3 p.m., about an hour after my snack of walnuts. I came home and had 1/2 a large fuji apple, ran for 35 minutes (it was really hard - am I already glycogen depleted after 2 days?) and walked for a little bit too, and then had the second 1/2 of an apple. I eyed some protein in the fridge but it did not sound appealing at all. I had a swig of milk later while cooking because I wasn't feeling well - woozy again. Perhaps it's just carb withdrawal?

Just had my dinner and I feel fine but sheesh. I'm going to work on morning workouts. It fits best for my schedule and I bet I would feel better.

[shellyandrew]

My totals for yesterday were: ~1440 cals, 51% fat (84g), 20% carb (75g), 28% protein (103.8g).

Today I'm taking a rest day and just focusing on eating well.

Here is today's plan:
Breakfast: black coffee, 1/2 avocado, chopped tomato, and 2 hardboiled eggs (I love this breakfast!)
Snack: carrots and sunflower butter
Lunch: salad: carrots, tomato, bell pepper, tbsp sliced almonds, 1/2 avocado and chicken breast with caesar vinaigrette
Snack 2: walnuts
Dinner: fish or andouille sausage (or both!) and summer squash. ETA I changed this to bangers and "mash" - 1.75 chicken sausage links, and mashed cauliflower and a side salad with a little vinegar and olive oil.

I get paid tomorrow so that means a trip to the grocery is in my future... I'm running low on protein and fresh veggies! And I think when my husband sees the summer squash again tonight he might be annoyed

I'm already down 2 pounds in bloat. My stomach is already flatter and I like the feeling.

I tried to see if I could get the Paleo for Athletes book on my nook but it's not available. From poking around in the Athletes forum, it looks like I need to get used to running on lower carbs - and get used to fat burning. That's why it's tough at first. The apple didn't do shit yesterday. LOL. Perhaps it's timing. Not sure.

[Hedonist]

I did one half. I'm glad I did it but I wouldn't do another. Too much damage to the body. But if it is your passion, go for it.

The club I joined to prepare for the half has a very Primal-friendly approach. And they produce lots of fine runners. They do two sets of sprints (Tuesday and Thursday) with increasingly long runs (or walks in my case) on Saturday. In between, they rest and do some cross training. That's it. You can also read Mark's story about how, after mostly retiring from competition and doing limited training, he placed fourth in the Hawaiian Iron Man.

You don't have to kill yourself with chronic cardio in order to prep for a marathon. Do you sprint? Cut the chronic cardio and add sprints if you are not already doing them.

If you can switch your body to burning primarily fat instead of carbs, you can lose fat while still having good endurance. Of course, for the event itself you will still probably need to have some extra carbs.

Ironically, the running club invited Mark to speak. After that, I quit the club and joined MDA.

Good luck.

[shellyandrew]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply Glad to hear of other primal runners out there. My current plan is 5 days of training a week but it is very light right now - aka, 3-4 miles per session during the week with increasing length on the weekend, and I have generally only been doing 4 of the 5 as it is. For me, a 30 minute run is short. So I was thinking now would be an ok time to get Paleo/Primal. I have been running for a long time, this next half will be my 9th and I've ran a full last year, as well as shorter distances. It really is a part of my life and a source of joy for me. I definitely will take your advice on adding sprints. I'm hoping to get speedier anyway!

I also know I need to do more weight training - as it is I do 1 to zero sessions a week :S I'm aiming for about 3 though. I've been reading quite a few stories on people running halfs on the Paleo diet and feel emboldened by that. I wanted to do a full marathon this year but restrained myself. I know losing weight and training for a full is a tall order. See... compromise...?

[shellyandrew]

Today's totals: ~1300 calories, 60% fat (92 g), 16% carbs (60 g), 23% protein (79.1g)

[shellyandrew]

Yesterday went well. I did get a little antsy around 8:30 or so for more food. I was only slightly hungry and really it's my problem of nighttime snacking that was kicking in. I usually eat so much at night that I think the carbs put me to sleep. But I feel better when I go to bed not bloated and full. It also helps that I posted my totals so that holds me accountable!

Today's plan:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado (out of tomato! )
Snack: carrots & sunflower butter
Lunch: salad: lettuce, bell pepper, carrots, 1/2 avocado, black beans, turkey sausage
Snack: apple - preworkout. Today I am doing treadmill running and weights.
Dinner: coconut encrusted tilapia and yellow squash ... or TBD, not sure I am feeling this ETA: I ended up getting a salad at the salad bar in the grocery - lots of chicken, egg, and veggies and balsamic vinaigrette

Yep, I'm eating some beans, and from my last post, vinegar. I'm not going to be that strict. I have a habit of going to strict on diets and having it backfire and lead to a binge, and another binge... and oh, what happened to that diet? I do plan on a cheat meal once a week as well - after weigh ins?. In the 4 Hour Body, he advocates an entire cheat day, but that may be a bit much for me. A starbucks latte sounds good right now...

[Hedonist]

I eat some beans. They are not terrible, IMHO. I use Eden Foods beans that are traditionally soaked because I am too lazy to soak them overnight myself. Doing one or the other makes them somewhat healthier.

Vinegar is fine. Good in fact.

Some people need to start out strict. Like you, I would never have stayed on Primal if I had tried that.

[shellyandrew]

I'm not sure where I read that vinegar was questionable! Good thing, cause I really love balsamic vinegar, it has so much flavor and really helps make all the salad-eating enjoyable

I liked your blog post about beans. It is true that they are a less expensive way to get protein - and I used them previously on South Beach and successfully lost weight, so there's that. Tim Ferriss ate lentils like crazy and got great results. I'll keep my eye out for the Eden Foods ones. Not sure if they have them at the store near me but I'll definitely check next time I buy.

I had INCREDIBLE energy today for my workout and was super excited about that. I timed my apple snack better - about an hour before my workout, not 10 minutes Maybe it was also the beans I ate with lunch. But I felt so much better than I did on Tuesday. Yay for that!

Today's totals: ~1300 cals, 50% fat (74g), 25% carbs (84 g), 25% protein (84 g)

Looking forward to the weekend already... Hope tomorrow goes fast!

[shellyandrew]

Friday is here! It's going to be a quiet day at the office. Hopefully it will fly by though.

Today's plan:
Breakfast: 1/2 avocado, 2 eggs, tomato, tea and a little cream
Snack: carrots and sunflower butter
Lunch: TBD at Whole Foods, either Indian or salad bar
Snack: walnuts?
Dinner: pork loin and green beans

I've got a chuck roast in the freezer. I'm thinking a little slow cooking action on Sunday? I'll see if there are any recipes I can dig up - if any come to mind, please share!