A Cautionary Tale

[Veronica]

One year ago I weighed 148 and had 18.5% body fat.

April 2010
http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Training/Tire-Workout/tire-workout-1/1158280259_Jf429-S.jpg

I looked pretty good, training was going pretty well and then my confidence took a hit and an old injury resurfaced. I suffered my way through the World's Toughest Half (http://www.auburntriathlon.com/longcourse/longcourseindex.shtml), in May of last year, just making the official time cut off of 8 hours.

I have lots and lots of reasons, all of which seemed good at the time, for why I pretty much did not train the rest of the season and suffered my way through another Half Ironman, Barb's Race, in July. I was stressed, my quad hurt, it was too windy, too hot, too cold...whatever.

I was eating three thin crust pizzas nearly every week and a small container of ice cream pretty much daily. Really, that's not that bad, a little daily indulgence of 250 - 300 calories. And it was thin crust pizza. :rolleyes: By November 1, I weighed 155 and my body fat had jumped back up to 27%. When Shawna, my trainer, ran my numbers, I was shocked and p!ssed. It was only seven pounds, how could I have gained so much FAT! Well, it was seven pounds of fat, and my diet and lack of enough exercise were doing nothing to maintain my muscle mass.

Pictures don't lie - Nov. 1, 2010.
http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Training/Other-Training/untitled-01/1238589828_HCZUe-M.jpg (http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Training/Other-Training/16461270_Eafx9#1238589828_HCZUe-A-LB)

It's been six months. I have a training schedule that works for me. I've worked at getting my food intake more properly aligned with my needs. I've lost 11 pounds and now have 17% body fat.

April 3, 2011
http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Training/Other-Training/untitled-01/1238608103_X7cd2-M.jpg

http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Training/Other-Training/untitled-01/1238610649_pdVtL-M.jpg

I still struggle with my sweet tooth. Cake with good frosting is my weakness. I have an occasional pizza - every four to six weeks. We drink a bottle of good champagne every weekend.

What I have learned is that losing weight is only the beginning of the race. Maintenance also takes work, focus and effort and in some ways is harder than the actual weight loss. It NEVER ends. It helps that what I am really focusing on is performing well in my Half Ironman event this year.

I know it's easy to look at thin women and think, "It's easy for them, they've got good genes. They don't really have to work at this like I do." I know that's what I thought when I lost my initial weight back in 2000. Maybe it's true for some women. But I think most fit women are like me, they are working at it every day. Some days we have setbacks, or we indulge. But if you want to keep that fitness once you've got it, you can't stop the effort. That's why it's so important to find exercise you like and make nutritional changes you can live with.

And really... Discipline is remembering what you want. :D


Veronica

[Pedal Wench]

I know it's easy to look at thin women and think, "It's easy for them, they've got good genes. They don't really have to work at this like I do." I know that's what I thought when I lost my initial weight back in 2000. Maybe it's true for some women. But I think most fit women are like me, they are working at it every day.

I have to work at it. Every, single, day. :(

[Biciclista]

oh Veronica, you're beautiful!! I am extremely impressed. I hope you can keep it up..

[indysteel]

Veronica, you look so awesome!!! You really are an inspiration. A couple of months ago, you shared some of this story and your most recent stats. I had already been toying with starting back with running, and it was that thread that pushed me over the edge. Thank you!!! Granted, I haven't been back to it long enough yet for it to be totally engrained, but I'm making progress. I feel like I'm getting back to my old active self bit by bit. I still need to up my bike mileage, but the weather refuses to fully cooperate. My yoga practice is improving and I'm feeling far fewer aches and pains than I was this time last year when my hip was giving me fits.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story with us!

[warneral]

way to go! Very impressive :)

FYI - my favorite way to indulge in pizza (b/c I love it) is a trader joe's whole wheat pita as the crust. I personally like pepperoni so I use turkey pepperoni. I toast it in the toaster oven on the rack and it tastes SO good!

I am trying to lose about 7 pounds and it has been a struggle. I lost 35 a few years back and it takes a lot of work to maintain! I have been working to learn to eat sensibly by intuition after developing some unhealthy food issues through my weightloss and early maintenance.

I, too have a sweet tooth and find it is a slippery slope to junk food-om!

[nscrbug]

Wow...you are truly an inspiration! Especially for those of us that are finding it difficult to get "back on track" (including myself in that bunch). Real quick, here is my story - back in 2008 I decided to do my first triathlon (a sprint). I trained using my own plan. I'm not really sure what my weight was for that first race, but if I had to guess...I'd say I was somewhere in the mid to high 140's. My sprint was on June 22, 2008...I did okay, finishing in 1hr, 30min. I had such a great time and was so proud of myself, that I immediately decided to sign up for another race...this time, an Olympic distance in August. My Oly was on Aug. 10, 2008...and in between my sprint and oly, I managed to drop down to a very muscular 138lbs. I too, have photos...and there is a clear difference in how I looked during both races. Flash forward to the present, I haven't done a tri since then...kind of "lost interest", I guess. My main focus now, is cycling...but I still do some running and swimming here and there. I weighed myself yesterday, and I am now 156lbs...I still have a fair amount of muscle, but I certainly don't look as lean as I did back in August of '08. I've been struggling ever since, to get back that lean, slimmed down "me"...but it surely hasn't been easy. Especially since I'm also 3 years older and everything just seems harder the older I get.

Anyways...just wanted to share that. YOU ROCK, Veronica!

Linda

[spindizzy]

..every single day.....it's really hard work, but your shared very poignantly what can happen and how easy it is to make excuses. Good for you V for sharing..it's easy to post the good stuff, much harder when we falter....

[maillotpois]

Hey good for you for getting back on track. It's easy to let your guard down - I've done it many a time. I think you identified the key, though - only make changes you can live with forever. If you're doing the "beets and cottage cheese only" diet, you'll never make that last a lifetime.

And there should always be a place for the good champagne ... :D

[PamNY]

You look great. Thanks for sharing your story.

While I'm not a serious athlete like you are, getting "off track" can happen to anyone. It's inspiring and informative to hear about what's you've done.

[bluebug32]

This is inspiring, thanks! It's amazing how much food impacts our bodies. I can ride all day, but in the end, it really seems to come down to diet. I've finally learned to eat more mindfully and to stop when I'm full. That, combined with regular weight training, helped me lose seven pounds this winter. I feel great and crave healthy foods. I still struggle to stop eating in the evening when everything sweet calls to me. Slowly, but surely.

[lph]

Hey - while not quite as lean as in the April shots, you look pretty d*mn fit in the November shot to me!

[redrhodie]

Hey - while not quite as lean as in the April shots, you look pretty d*mn fit in the November shot to me!

+1 to that!

How much do you think being injured affected your fitness level? Was that as big a factor as the pizza?

[Tabby]

It is amazing when we learn what works for our bodies, we slack off, can't get it back and struggle to regain to maintain our previous success! I'm so in that group.

Few years ago, I lost 47 pounds, just wanting to be healthy. I let go of having a preconceived number on the scale and found success in the gym and hiking, then added cycling. I made good food choices, felt awesome working out and really 'liked me'. I was in the skinniest skinny pants I ever wore and looked dang good (and that "number" was 135).

Then I let it go ... dum-de-dum-dum-dummmmmm! Let in what turned out to be a not-so-great relationship, didn't keep up with what had been working for me, let that BF make decisions for meals and to be with him I gave up my cross training routine and only biked. Gained 10-15 pounds and those great skinny pants didn't fit even though I was riding 200-300 miles a month. Fast forward a year, not-so-great BF is out of the picture, lost the 10-15 pounds, but still can't get in those skinny-skinny pants even back at 135. Having trouble getting back to that cross training routine that worked before .... struggling to maintain any of my decent eating habits. Instead of letting "being healthy" guide me, I've focused on a number on the scale and size of pants, the frustration is, well, .... I'm really trying to get my head screwed back on "healthy".

It never does end, but never giving up makes the difference!

[spokewench]

Veronica - you look great - keep it up! I know you work really hard at it.

It is very brave of you to tell the story of your gain, that is always the hard part, it is easy to show the after, not so easy to show the before! Great story and great determination. I know I'm proud of what you have accomplished!:D

[Veronica]

How much do you think being injured affected your fitness level? Was that as big a factor as the pizza?

It was all mental. I could have been swimming or biking. A stressful work day leaves me craving unhealthy foods and wanting to hole up in my "nest."

Veronica

[GLC1968]

We should live closer together, we could share a wardrobe! ;)

I currently look fairly close to your November shot after having been all the way up to 175 lbs (my 'before' photo will not come out until I have my true 'after' to share). I have photos of myself at 138 lbs or so from about 8 years ago - and I look a hell of a lot like your April photos! I hope to be back there again before too long.

Thanks for the inspiration!! And congrats on the EXCELLENT results - you are gonna rock that race this year! :)

[Desert Tortoise]

Veronica, thanks for posting your pics and story. You look fierce and your story is so inspiring. And I agree, maintaining is harder than loosing.

I dropped a lot of weight over the span of year, biked over 200 miles a week and then last year something went wrong. I still don't know if it was my medication (allergy of all things) or my wiring got all twisted but I gained weight, lost desire to bike, felt tired all the time and was in a LOT of physical pain. Docs ran test, they were normal, didn't think it was my meds, etc. But after almost a year of suffering, I insisted on changing my meds and the symptoms cleared.

Here's the hard part, getting back into those good habits! I've gotten back to riding although not to the same level. Next is relearning the good eating habits. Now that's hard to do. Biking 200 miles a week is so much easier than portion control and limiting sweets.

Anyway, thanks for posting! It's very encouraging for this uphill climb of life.:p

[Velocivixen]

Thanks for your cautionary tale. To me you looked wonderful in both shots.
I have lost over 100 pounds with diet (eating healthful, whole foods and watching portion sizes) and regular exercise. I've kept my weight off for 16+ months and it involves ongoing vigilance.
Thanks for sharing.

[malkin]

That tire wouldn't have had a chance in November.
You rock!

[smilingcat]

+1 of what everyone else said.

When you are training as hard as you do, one has to watch carefully of what one eat in terms of getting the body what it needs. If its not quite right, old injuries show up, you bonk, you get hurt. Also sleep is vital part of training.

Alcohol really affects ones training and being on the top. Here is a link on ethanol metabolism. (http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/642alcoholmet.html)

[Zen]

what part of this is cautionary?

[Veronica]

Alcohol really affects ones training and being on the top. Here is a link on ethanol metabolism. (http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/642alcoholmet.html)

Thanks, but we didn't start having a regular bottle of champagne - which is three glasses over two days - until Dec. 31, 2010. And that's all the alcohol I drink. I included it it to illustrate that you can still have "useless" calories.


what part of this is cautionary?

The whole first half.


Veronica

[SheFly]

V - I have followed your training stories for quite awhile, and you continue to be an inspiration to me, especially now as I have packed on the winter - um - 10 lbs. I know how hard it is, and how hard you work. Make sure to give yourself enough credit for that! Like someone else said, you really do ROCK :D

And say hi to Thom for me. Guess lobster rolls are out, huh?

SheFly

[limewave]

V--you look terrific! What an inspiration.
And as others have said, you look pretty darn fit in the November picture too. But I understand that pursuit to be your fittest, strongest, and healthiest. You must feel great!

[Crankin]

My "ups and downs" have not been that great in the past ten years, since I started cycling. And this year, I was able to maintain my weight/body fat much more easily over the winter.
However, I see changes in my body that I don't like. I stopped doing a lot of core and weight work in the past 6 weeks, trying to do all of the PT things to help my back/hip. The back is better now, so back to the other stuff. I am going to ask for a gym membership/personal training for graduation... I really enjoy working out at home and not schlepping to the gym, but I need a bit of a kick where weights are concerned.
While I am pretty vigilant with my eating, I am not sure if I could be any more restrictive than I am. I am in a phase where I am really restricting even the whole wheat bread, but that won't last when I start adding more miles to my rides. While I am pretty sure a lot of people see me as crazy disciplined, I know I couldn't maintain the work out schedule that Veronica does for any extended length of time. Since for me it's not about competing, I guess that's OK. I seem to go through phases and while I never stop working out, I have to be careful about over doing it.

[kacie tri-ing]

Can't wait for that race report again this year! You look and sound fierce and balanced. Perfect!