Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

[MissThundercat]

New year, new thread.

What are your fitness/nutrition goals for 2017? Mine are as follows:

1. Finish the race schedule I have in front of me, including 7 marathons, 2 ultra-marathons, 3 Olympic duathlons (5K run/40K bike/10K run), and the full distance duathlon at Michigan Titanium. That is a 112 mile bike ride, and once I get off the bike, a marathon.

2. Wake up early to get my workouts in. I am looking at 6-7 hour bike rides, "brick" workouts, and long runs (15-31 miles) this year. With an erratic part time work schedule, the only time I might have is at 3-4 AM.

3. Log 3,000 miles combined between cycling and running. I am looking for 2,000 miles on the bike and 1,000 miles running. After a 6 mile race this morning, I have 2,994 miles to go.

4. Commit to cross-training 1-2 days a week. For me, this means yoga and Pilates.

5. Eat enough to support my efforts. Right now, this means 3,000-3,500 calories a day, 120g-150g protein a day.

6. Do more home cooking. I have Fannie Farmer and Joy of Cooking, and other traditional cookbooks, plus a CrockPot. USE THEM.

7. Don't even think about losing weight. Having energy to complete my race schedule is far more important.

8. In terms of pop, limit as much as possible. It's not that I believe pop will kill me, but I did discover that $4.99 + deposit on a 12 pack can be better spent elsewhere.

9. In terms of coffee, keep it at 4 cups a day, "hot and black." I am waking up earlier, which means I'm sleeping earlier.

10. Finally, in terms of diet, stay right where I am. I don't need to go Paleo, do a Whole30, give up gluten or dairy, and I don't need to eat "clean." Clean eating really looks like sadness and deprivation, and is for terrified housewives who can tell me all about what Dr. Oz discussed today.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

For several years, I went through a pattern where, when I worked out, I'd gain weight while my waistline slimmed, and when I slacked off on exercise, I'd lose weight while my waistline widened. I'd encourage you to target energy and alertness and well-being and lose the scale.

Between October and November, I only lost 1 pound. Which meant for all that scratching and clawing, I barely moved. I saw my doctor and the counselor on the same day, and they both told me to stop losing weight.

I've noticed that since I really started eating for energy, I am finishing workouts, I am more focused during yoga and Pilates, and my running times have improved.

And I have learned the very hard way... you can either lose weight, or you can participate in endurance events. You cannot do both and expect to thrive.

 

[walrus]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

My goal, stay above the dirt

 

[ac9er0]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Get back to normal weight. Holidays put me over my threshold weight. I will never weigh that much again.

 

[haulin oats]

Get back to normal weight. Holidays put me over my threshold weight. I will never weigh that much again.

Its not what you eat between Christmas and New Years. Its what you eat between New Years and Christmas that counts

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

I'm doing a whole 30 and I'm not a terrified housewife. I'm clearly not doing well with something and I want to know if it's legumes, or something else.

 

[melmac]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Goals:

Be more active. I have a gym membership I haven't used since March; that needs to change. I've got some Zumba discs coming; I figure I can dance around with my girls. I've got a few other videos I can pull out, too, if I feel the need to mix it up.

Cook most meals. I've been much better with this over the past few months, but I need to really focus on putting out good, healthy dishes from my kitchen.

Eat mindfully. I too often just rush through meals. If I make the good food, I should slow down and enjoy it. Also, slow down and consider what I'm about to eat. Is it the best choice I can make at that moment? I'm not saying I need to deprive myself from an occasional treat, but it needs to be a real treat, not an all the time thing.

 

[Lady wore Black]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

I am going to do a restart and focus on being able to do a 5K by the end of this year. I am meeting with a dietitian towards the end of the month to get me on the right track again.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Whole30 isn't bad on its own. Though a few of the principles are based in pseudoscience. It kind of stumbles onto a good thing by telling people to eat simpler and healthier in general.

Good general rules to live by:
Eat less
Do more
Eat green

Most of the major diets out there that succeed are because people eat less, do more, and eat green. Where they break down is they aren't sustainable. For example, if you are particularly susceptible to bitter foods, it's going to be difficult to eat a green diet because many vegetables can have bitter profiles. Finding foods that work with your palette and body are key.

It is possible that we have a unique food fingerprint of foods that work for us and those that don't. I think Whole30 gets that right. Find those foods and eliminate them. Alton Brown eliminated dairy, for instance, because it led him to other bad foods like desserts. It's also possible that certain foods are triggers. I know someone with RA who kept a food journal and learned that tomatoes trigger the RA. For her, that's a food that doesn't work. I'm sure we all have those foods.

But in general I think we eat too much, some to most of which isn't great for us, and we don't exercise enough. And exercise needs to be balanced between cardio and strength. Many people think that running a million miles will get you in shape, it will, but It's almost impossible to get there without building muscle mass to increase metabolism.

We also have to realize that as we age, it becomes more difficult to sustain. Our bodies start to break down. We slow our movements and are no longer burning enough calories to sustain our diets.

If something works for someone, great.

 

[Lady wore Black]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

I have been dabbling in the Whole30. I just finished reading the book and making notes. I do not want to dive full into the program just yet. Mainly due to meal planning and organizing.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

In terms of sugar. I have found the medium between "eating it every day" and "never again."

You see, when I weighed close to 400 pounds, I was eating added sugar every day. Ice cream here, Little Debbies there, and when I started at NMU in 2003, one of the on-campus dining facilities had a soft serve machine, so WOOHOO! That was part of the reason my weight crept up to 396.

On the other hand, "sugar is forbidden" didn't work very well for me, either. Oh sure, between April 2009 and February 2011, I went without any sweets, other than fruit and what I needed for long-distance running. Unfortunately, it also turned me into a very sad, lost, confused, miserable human, and hardly anyone would eat with me. In 2011, when I ate dessert for the first time in what seemed like forever, I realized that sugar was AWESOME, so I started making cookies and candy, eating the results of what I made. In other words, the ban backfired and my weight went right back up. I tried again banning sugar with the Whole30, but it didn't last. As soon as those 30 days were up, I went right back to the pecan sticky rolls at Panera Bread, and they are great.

I have found that where I am now, eating sugar as a once in awhile treat, keeps me feeling good. I don't eat it every day, nor have I tried to ban it from my life again. To me, food is more than fuel. It's good times, it's memories, it's part of my mental health. When I feel it's time to eat a treat, there's a decision-making process I go through, and then I pull the trigger on dessert. Sometimes, I'll go for months without a treat. It all depends on that decision-making process.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

I am going to do a restart and focus on being able to do a 5K by the end of this year. I am meeting with a dietitian towards the end of the month to get me on the right track again.

Dietitian is a good call. One thing you will need is some kind of food log, or clear memory of what you've been eating. Mine asks what I've been eating for meals and snacks, as well as beverages.

In terms of races, TCM Events' big 5K is the Twin Cities 5K in in late September, early October. Go for that one. You get a nice tech shirt and a medal just for finishing.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

For a food log, My Fitness Pal is a good, free option on your phone. Its database of foods is very large, though not complete, so you can mostly track what you're eating and the Kcal count with it. Many restaurants have even added their meals to its db.

 

[MissThundercat]

For a food log, My Fitness Pal is a good, free option on your phone. Its database of foods is very large, though not complete, so you can mostly track what you're eating and the Kcal count with it. Many restaurants have even added their meals to its db.

It also lets you add your own recipes. When I was using it, I had 2-3 pages of recipes.

 

[Lady wore Black]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

For a food log, My Fitness Pal is a good, free option on your phone. Its database of foods is very large, though not complete, so you can mostly track what you're eating and the Kcal count with it. Many restaurants have even added their meals to its db.

Thanks for the info.

It also lets you add your own recipes. When I was using it, I had 2-3 pages of recipes.

That is a major plus.

 

[MissThundercat]

Thanks for the info.



That is a major plus.

If you have if you have a recipe from Food Network, etc, just copy and paste the link and it will analyze it for you.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Dietitian is a good call. One thing you will need is some kind of food log, or clear memory of what you've been eating. Mine asks what I've been eating for meals and snacks, as well as beverages.

In terms of races, TCM Events' big 5K is the Twin Cities 5K in in late September, early October. Go for that one. You get a nice tech shirt and a medal just for finishing.

Its funny. I know a bunch of people that are exercise nuts. And they think that exercise is everything and diet isn't very important. And I know a bunch of people that are big into diet and don't know if they're lazy, but they don't put much effort into exercise. They think that diet is everything - exercise is something but not that important.

Must.emphasize.both.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Its funny. I know a bunch of people that are exercise nuts. And they think that exercise is everything and diet isn't very important. And I know a bunch of people that are big into diet and don't know if they're lazy, but they don't put much effort into exercise. They think that diet is everything - exercise is something but not that important.

Must.emphasize.both.

My schedule for this year:

Sgt. Preston 6 mile: DONE, 55:08
Groundhog 1/6, Feb. 3- fun
Groundhog full, Feb. 4- supported long run
FUNderwear Run 5K, March 12- fun
Irish Jig 5K, March 18-fun
Kal-Haven Trail Run 33.5 miles, April 8- GOAL RACE
Rivertown Races half-marathon, April 29- supported long run
River Bank Run 25K, May 13- supported long run
Kickoff to Summer 5K, May 27- fun
Bear Lake Sprint Duathlon, May 28 (5K run/20K bike/5K run)- supported tuneup for MiTi
Heritage Festival 5K, June 17- fun
Charlevoix Marathon, June 24- supported long run
Grand Haven Olympic Duathlon, July 9- supported tuneup for MiTi
Tri Del Sol Olympic Duathlon, July 16- supported tuneup for MiTi
Coast Guard 5K/10K combination, July 29- fun speedwork
Old Farts half-marathon, August 12- supported long run
Michigan Titanium full duathlon, August 20 (112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)- GOAL RACE
Marquette Marathon, September 3- supported long run
Reeds Lake Olympic Duathlon, September 9- fun
Hungerford 50 mile, September 30- GOAL RACE
Sleeping Bear Marathon, October 7- fun
Detroit Marathon, October 15- fun
Las Vegas Marathon, November 12- fun
Tamarac Turkey Trot 10K, Thanksgiving- fun
Resolution Run, December 31- fun

You better believe that to do all that, everything is in order. I do emphasize diet. I get plenty of vegetables without turning cauliflower into "rice" or "potatoes", or my zucchini into noodles. And I don't really do liquid calories. As for exercise, I don't just run/ride my bike. I do about 4 hours of yoga and Pilates a week, which is helping build muscle and core strength. And contrary to what you may believe, I do get adequate rest. There are days I take a rest day just because.

 

[Lady wore Black]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Its funny. I know a bunch of people that are exercise nuts. And they think that exercise is everything and diet isn't very important. And I know a bunch of people that are big into diet and don't know if they're lazy, but they don't put much effort into exercise. They think that diet is everything - exercise is something but not that important.

Must.emphasize.both.

Both are important. I lift weights at work so when I go to the gym, I mainly do cardio.

My main focus is to control the food intake. Good food vs bad food.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Fitness (Diet/Exercise) 2017: Relentless Forward Progress

Eh, I gained a few pounds between November 30 and today. I just need to go back to smarter grocery shopping, such as no need to bring bagels home for a Tuesday morning.

And LWB, I also lift at my job. I lift dog food, cases of water, I help on grills and fireplaces, cat litter, and in some cases, I have to move the carts by hand, which is good for the core.