How Hard Can It Be? Year 2

I have 22 weeks until Barb's Race - my HIM. Two weeks until I start "training."

I had all sorts of grand ideas about what I was going to do through the winter. Most of them didn't happen. Whatever... I am still in better shape then I was last year at this time.

Last year I did Barb's Race as a fundraiser. I don't think I'm going to do that this year. My pool of potential donors is pretty small and I don't like hitting them up every year. :p

I've been thinking about my goals for the race. I expect I'll still race Athena. I weigh 154 right now. The Vineman people cut off Athena at 145. While i can certainly picture where I could take off ten pounds, I don't see THAT happening.

Last year I unbelievably placed third. I won the swim for the group, with a time of 34:34. That's good enough for me right now and I don't plan on focusing much training time on the swim again.

I placed 4th on the bike with a time of 3:37. I definitely want to improve there. I was 4th on the run with a time of 3:07. I think I ran maybe 1 out of the 13.1 miles. So lots of room for improvement.

Who knows what this year's field will be like, so I'm not even going to think about placing again. Although I was only 4 minutes behind second and 37 minutes behind first.

I think I'd really like to get the total time under 7 hours. I think most of the time will have to come off of the run and a bit off the bike.

The time change is coming , the weather is getting warmer and I'm getting into a training frame of mind. Finally. :p

Veronica

Good luck with all your training!! You should be able to reach that sub 7 hour goal! I have no doubts.

Looking forward to reading about your progress.:D

Good luck Veronica!

This will be fun to follow you through training and completion. I think you have a very good plan in motion.

I am w/ you on the swimming - It would take me a lot of work to speed up a little bit and to me that is not the best place to use my time and energy as my run is REALLY bad!

It sounds like you have the swim under control - as was said "you don't win on the swim but you can lose on it"

Again Good luck and keep posting :D

Every weekend I write out a very ambitious training plan for the week with workouts both before and after work. The plan has at least two days of running, two days of biking, one day of swimming, 3 days of yoga and two days with my personal trainer. That's 10 workouts Monday through Friday. Weekends I use for a longer ride with Thom and a longer run. My training week runs Sunday to Saturday. Monday and Tuesday I generally follow the plan. Life tends to kick in by Wednesday and Wednesday through Friday generally turn into just one workout a day or sometimes none.

Why do I write such ambitious plans?

Well... there are three disciplines to triathlon and I'm really good at only one of them. Because I am a mediocre, at best, runner, it takes priority. Between runs I always schedule in a yoga session. I think the thirty minutes of stretching I get between runs helps to keep me injury free. I haven't gotten an injury yet, so that must be true. Now I hope I haven't jinxed myself.

I love/hate my personal trainer sessions. The best part of working with a trainer is that we never do the same thing. She changes it up every time. That's also the worst part; it's never easy. About twenty minutes of every session is spent on Core work - abs and lower back. The rest of the time varies, lower body, upper body, agility... She is always thinking of new ways to torment me. :-) I don't know how much it actually helps with my racing, but I enjoy it and I love having muscles.

You would think cycling would be what I'm best at; but it's not. Last year at Barb's Race, I came in third overall, about 4 minutes behind second. My swim, second transition and run were all faster than the second place finisher. She beat me on the bike and in the first transition. I can say that placing isn't all that important; but it is fun and I'm a competitive person. The thing about biking is it's easy for me to go out and just ride. I can do it for a long time (remember the double centuries) and not work very hard at it. But that is not how you get faster at biking. Intervals are what make you faster. I don't like to do intervals. I especially don't like to do intervals outside. Outside, I want to just ride. That's where Coach Troy and his magic Spinervals DVDs come in. I try to do two of those a week - typically one I like and one I don't. The DVDs I don't like usually involve shorter sets at a super high intensity - kind of like sprinting. I am not a sprinter. I prefer the videos where the sets are longer. The intensity may get just as high, but I have longer to get there.

Then there's the swimming. In college I was not a super fast swimmer and I'm still not a super fast swimmer. Realistically, I could take three to five minutes off my swim time from last year's race if I set aside the time to really train for swimming. But that's just not a big enough gain in overall race time for the effort I would need to put in to achieve it. If I can actually run the entire 13 miles this year, I could take off FORTY minutes or more from my overall race time. It doesn't help that the pool chemicals bother my sinuses for a few days after each swim either.

So every weekend I write out the ambitious plan. If I can't follow it, swimming is the first thing to go, followed by biking. Everything else, I try very hard to stick to. Without the plan it would be too easy for me to just do the bits I like and that are easy.

How did I do this week?

Three runs, 2 outside and one on the treadmill, 2 yoga sessions, 1 hour with the trainer - she was sick the day of my second session, and 4 bike rides, but three were outside. The weather was just too nice this week to want to ride the bike in the trainer. I had one day when I did nothing.

I wonder what next week will bring.

Wow, that is ambitious! I'm glad to hear you took a rest day. I don't train for anything, and I need 2 rest days to recover :rolleyes:!

Was the woman who beat you on the bike segment on a comparable bike to yours? Sometimes, it's the bike, not the rider.

That's a great first week V. Good luck with your program.

I'm in the same boat as you on the bike... I can go for a long time but I hate pushing into the red zone. My solution was to try bike racing this year and getting a riding buddy that kicks my butt very consistently and makes me push as hard as I can up hills etc. Ouch. It's a miracle I still like him.

So I wish you well on your speed and interval journey... I literally feel your pain.:eek:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Wow, that is ambitious! I'm glad to hear you took a rest day. I don't train for anything, and I need 2 rest days to recover :rolleyes:!

Was the woman who beat you on the bike segment on a comparable bike to yours? Sometimes, it's the bike, not the rider.

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I don't like to build in a rest day. I take them when my body/mind says to. Some weeks I can go five days straight, others I need a day off every other day. I suppose if I were way serious I'd have a more specific plan, but really this is about having fun and pushing myself in a different way. I'll get more serious when I'm a better runner. :D

I don't know what kind of bike she was riding. I was ahead of her out of the water, so at some point she passed me. But I wasn't looking at numbers or anything at that point, so who knows. :D This year I plan to ride with aero bars. We just put them on my bike in the trainer so I can start getting use to the position. In a month or so I'll put them on my outside bike.

Veronica

That is pretty ambitious! My HIM is in 2 weeks, and my coach has me doing a bit less than that . Of course, I will be able to let you know how that works out for me in two weeks :cool:

You say "if" you were "way serious", well if your training schedule and goals is NOT serious, I just don't know what serious would be, some obsessive non working person who didn't have to shop, cook, pay bills, etc who could do triathlon full time...and I mean FULL TIME :D
I like the idea of not building in a day and then doing whatever your body tells you to... I think that is what I do. For example, this week, I had an olympic last sunday, traveled monday, trained without stop from Tuesday, and thought of taking the day off today (Monday), but didn't, didn't feel like it (felt extra motivated), so my body is telling me "we are ok", and if I take every other day off this week, no problem. Then when I am not motivated, some extra days off won't matter. Of course this is untested un empirical training philosophy, but works for me.
ps, your swim time kicks butt, I hope I can do my HIM in that swim time.

Bummer... I just found out that there will be no Athena division at Barb's Race this year.

I suppose that just means I can get as skinny as I want. :D

Veronica

Good luck! It was fun following you along last year.

I think having a written plan helps a lot. If I don't write it down, I don't do it.

I had a GREAT run this morning before work. I love it when running feels effortless and I could just go for forever. I planned on at least two miles and did four in the end. If it weren't for work, I'd have done another mile, maybe even two. Why can't running always feel like that? :rolleyes:

Veronica

Oh, I LOVE those runs too! I even love when a mile or two inside of a run feels like that!

Last weekend I was poking around at the Barb’s Race website looking to confirm what the weight restriction was for the Athena Division. I couldn’t find it, so I e mailed them. The reply I received on Monday said that they were not going to have an Athena Division. There just hasn’t been enough participation to make it worthwhile. I was seriously depressed. It is so not fair. I had been thinking that I could have a faster time this year than last year’s Athena winner. Yes, I know, it’s not about placing, it’s about doing better myself. However, thinking I could take 37 minutes off my time and possibly win was motivational. But when I looked at where I would place in my age group with that time, I didn’t like it and got even more depressed. The top 5 finishers in my age group all finished in under 6 hours. With the time I was thinking of, I’d be in the bottom third. Reminder to self - It’s not about where you place, it’s about doing better yourself. Right.

Monday afternoon is one of my days with the trainer and this particular day was a Weigh & Measure Day. As my trainer, Shawna, was measuring my body fat with calipers, I was telling her about how I would now have to race against the wisps and the twigs. She finished all the measurements, did the math and my Body Fat percentage is 26%. The lowest it has been in the last few years was 23%, last September when I weighed 148. Since late December my weight has been fluctuating between 154 and 156, and it sure isn’t from increased muscle mass. My lean body mass (116 pounds) is more than what some of these women weigh in total. It is so not fair. We talked a little bit about changes I could make in my diet (yeah, right!) and then went off to work out.

I started doing the math during my workout and came to the conclusion that if I lost 13 pounds of fat, I ‘d have 18 percent body fat. That’s what I had in college. The actual number is 14 pounds of fat. I did some rounding in my head I guess. :-) Somehow that just galvanized me into action. Thirteen pounds of fat, that’s more than a gallon and a half of milk. EWWWW! Tuesday I started revamping my diet. On Wednesday, Shawna and I talked more about nutrition and I’m making some serious changes. I’ve cut my calories to 1500/day and I’m keeping track of fats, carbohydrates and protein. My target is no more than 40 grams of fat, 173 grams of carbohydrates and 100 grams of protein per day. I’m having a hard time keeping the fat down and I’m seriously under proteined.

These changes have really got me thinking about what people eat. It’s no wonder Americans are so fat! I love to eat at Jack in the Box. It’s where we usually go after a long bike ride. My favorite meal there has 1800 calories and 93 grams of fat! And that’s just for a (big) burger and a (big) shake. Imagine eating there all the time and never working out. Shawna told me that it’s a good thing I do so much cardio because with the way I have been eating, I would be seriously soft.

Thursday I had to choose between the peanut butter for my apple or my chocolate chip cookie. Naturally, the cookie won. But at 11 grams of fat, that one item has more 1/4 of my fat grams. I know people, myself included, who will eat many of these cookies in one day. They are very tasty, but nutritionally they are worthless. On Friday our PTA had a movie themed spread for the teachers - pop corn, soda, Kit Kats, Twizzlers, Whoppers, but worst of all… Reeses Peanut Butter cups - my favorite candy bar!

I ate my apple slices. I figure I need to get as wispy as possible if I want to finish in the top half of my age group.

This week’s training has been a mixed bag. We’ve needed to do a lot around the house lately so last Sunday became a chore day and that’s what today (Saturday) is shaping up to be. This week I had my two trainer sessions, biked once, ran twice and did two yoga sessions.

I did both of my runs on Wednesday and it felt so good. Wednesday morning I went out before work with the intent of just doing two miles. But I got into such a nice groove I did four miles instead. Wednesday afternoon before working with my trainer, I did a two mile interval run on the treadmill. That also felt really good. Unfortunately, I woke up Thursday with an odd pain in my right hip. I did yoga and really tried to stretch it out. It almost feels like a cramp, but not quite as sharp. I don’t know if it was a result of running or the weight work I did on Wednesday, or just from getting old . In any case, I won’t be running today. I haven’t tried biking with it yet.

If it doesn’t get better, I guess I’ll be hitting the pool next week.

Veronica

V-

No words of wisdom to offer - just sympathy. I did want to add - though - you're an inspiration for lots of us on TE:)

CA

I have done 5 triathlons and out of the 5 I have come in last or second or third to last in FOUR of them, overall categories, men and women. In one race I was coming in last and some guy was slowing down, I asked him if he wanted me to run with him, or if I should just pass, he said "nah, go ahead, I'll finish last today". The judges had actually stopped tallying that runners were passing, they said "oh we know you're not gonna cheat". I sort of wish that I could do well, but I also accept my own speed limits. I just feel pretty amazed that I am out there at all, and that I train so much. Just the fact that you train for an HIM already makes you the top in your age category in the WORLD! Most people are NOT doing triathlons, or training more than 3 hours a week, so please be super proud of yourself! You are in a one percent of the world category.

Loved the post Veronica!

I am so sorry there is no Athena division. I must say I CAN feel your disapointment. When we did the biathlon a few weeks ago I felt it was very unfair also - it was divided by relays or m-F but not by age at all. The mixed team who ended up winning it were 2 kids under the age of 20 who were HS varsity state placers in running and swimming. Their ages added to 38 - ours added to 101!
But like you, I had to reframe my thinking - we dropped 6 minutes off our previous time so it was all good.

AND it sounds like it has really gotten you motivated! Apples instead of Reese's PB cups - you ROCK girl!
Good luck in maintaining the momentum

I too decided enough was enough and started WW. online. I tried counting the carb/fat/protein but it was a pain and nothing was happening. WW Points work for me so I pretty much eat South Beach style but watch portions by counting points. After stalling since last fall - I dropped 5.5 lbs in 2 weeks! Now I just have 17 to go :rolleyes:
My motivation is I will be able to ride up hills faster and run faster!

Keep up the good work and keep reporting! I love them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tribogota

I have done 5 triathlons and out of the 5 I have come in last or second or third to last in FOUR of them, overall categories, men and women. In one race I was coming in last and some guy was slowing down, I asked him if he wanted me to run with him, or if I should just pass, he said "nah, go ahead, I'll finish last today". The judges had actually stopped tallying that runners were passing, they said "oh we know you're not gonna cheat". I sort of wish that I could do well, but I also accept my own speed limits. I just feel pretty amazed that I am out there at all, and that I train so much. Just the fact that you train for an HIM already makes you the top in your age category in the WORLD! Most people are NOT doing triathlons, or training more than 3 hours a week, so please be super proud of yourself! You are in a one percent of the world category.

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Nice post, tribogota.

I guess I should have put more smiley faces in my post. Yes, it upset me that I can't race Athena. Depressed is too strong of a word. I should have used a word that conveyed mad/sad better.

I guess I wasn't clear enough that I am "making lemonade." Not being able to race Athena has really pushed me to consider my nutrition and that's a good thing.

Veronica

This is off the trek official website

The TREK is a Race That Fits Every Women’s Comfort and Experience Level.

The Trek Women Triathlon Series will feature an unprecedented seven official race categories including…



Age Groups (separated by five-year increments)
Mixed Age Group (so women can do the race with family and friends)
Athena (150 lbs. minimum)
Women in Uniform (military or government)
Physically Challenged
Elite
Relay
… as part of a continuing effort to provide the best possible race experience for all women. Selected cities within the Series will also include "youth focused" triathlons.


they still have the athena catagory.... I am not sure what is close to you.
Tina

Thanks! I'm still looking for a Half Ironman distance tri with an Athena division. :)

Veronica

Sorry they don't have an athena division Veronica, that sucks, especially when you have been working so hard towards a goal.

That being said, I've always been confused about the whole athena division thing. Taller women, and/or larger framed women, seem to automatically be athenas simply based on weight, not on body fat or fitness. I always figured it'd be fairer in some ways to have divisions based on body fat % rather than weight itself. Clearly you are in awesome shape and have a lower body fat %age than I do - I'm only 120lbs but still am around 30% fat. I'm just thinking it must be frustrating to the overweight women who are putting themselves out there and racing, but still have to race against really fit, but bigger-framed women.

I suppose it is easier to use weight, since most people know what they weigh. Not everyone knows their body fat percentage. And how do you measure someone's fitness to put them into categories?

Power to weight ratio favors women who weigh less. I can put out 200 Watts of power (2.9 W/kg) but so can someone who weighs 40 pounds less than me (3.8 W/kg). I know how it affects cycling, I don't know how it affects running, but I'm sure it does.

In any case, my post was a bit tongue in cheek. Where is the icon for that?

I wanted to get people thinking about what they eat, not focus on poor little me not being on the podium...:cool:

And I've already lost 3 pounds since Monday. :D Bring on the eggbeaters, the tuna and the whole wheat enchilada. No, no enchiladas or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!


Veronica

It's good you're taking your diet more seriously. I don't eat a lot of junk, and I know from my experience in giving it up (many years ago) that eventually it tastes like what it is--junk.

I won't eat a Reeses PB Cup anymore. It's sad, because they used to be okay. Now they add chemicals to replace the cocoa butter to make the chocolate cheaper. I don't eat PGPR or TBHQ. Those are real ingredients. TBHQ may be a carcinogenic. Yeah, let's give it to the kids. Good idea.

You have made some interesting points, Veronica. Anything that gets us thinking about nutrition is good, even though I really understand your disappointment at the elimination of the Athena category.
I think our bodies constantly try to fool us. Mine has adapted so much to my healthy eating (I gave up junk 25 years ago) and exercise, that any time I gain a pound, it takes a long time and a lot of effort to lose it. Cycling doesn't seem to do much for keeping my weight down anymore, though I am sure I would gain if I stopped! I added in the running, but my pace is not fast. It seems to help, but I can't run more than 2-3x a week or other issues start.
In the past couple of weeks I have seen subtle changes in my body that I don't like. No one else would notice it, but I know that it means I have to do something different. At this point, I am not sure what that is. I can't starve myself. Do I really want to give up the couple of glasses of wine I have each week, or going out to eat? My life already seems very focused on sports/nutrition in the eyes of most people.
I can't justify the expense of a trainer, since i am not working. My gut tells me that weight training, etc. would work. I do a little and I do yoga, but there are only so many hours in the day.
Just some random thoughts. Keep us posted!

I almost completed my ambitious training plan this week. I followed it all the way through Thursday morning.

Monday morning I rode my bike in the trainer. I did the video Zoot Challenge. which is one of my favorite videos. It is much easier to get on the bike in the morning when you like the video. In the afternoon I had my trainer session. Monday is leg day and we’re focusing on increasing my muscle endurance. Shawna, my trainer, had the ladder out on the floor and I did many, many reps of fast feet moving in and out of the ladder, fast feet sideways down the ladder, jumping down the ladder on one foot, long jumps down the ladder and goodness knows what else. In between ladder sets it was jog in place with high knees or step ups. What I like about doing endurance work is it tires out my muscles, but it doesn’t leave me really sore.

Tuesday morning I did Yoga for Triathletes and in the afternoon I did a 3.5 mile run. The run was okay. It was hot and it reinforced that I should not eat oatmeal for breakfast on a run day.

Wednesday morning was another yoga session. This time it was Rodney Yee’s Flexibility routine. In the afternoon I did a two mile interval run on the treadmill before doing upper body work with Shawna. This was a great run and I wish I had gotten there early enough to do a longer session. Eggbeaters are a much better breakfast for running on.

Thursday I hooked up with some friends and rode up the south side of Mt Diablo. It was a social ride and I ended up not having enough time to go to the summit and get back home in time for a meeting I had. It was nice to ride with some of my buds though. I got in 28 miles and 2200 feet of climbing.

What did I skip?

Thursday afternoon yoga - I was wiped out after my meeting and decided to think about cooking a real dinner instead. Okay, so honestly Thom barbecued the steak and I cooked the rice.

Friday morning run - I had to finish packing for our whirlwind trip to San Diego to get the tandem. There will be more about that later.
http://www.tandemhearts.com/coppermi...S/SDCBS-21.jpg

I’ve been doing pretty well with my food intake. It was hard on the trip to eat healthy. It has been two weeks since I have had a Red Bull. I find myself really craving one every now and then. I really wanted one after Tuesday’s run. I made do with OJ mixed with water. Apple slices have become my new chocolate. Maybe I’m a pod person… :rolleyes:


Veronica

I didn’t do much this week: a couple of biking videos, some yoga and met with my trainer twice. I stuck with my scheduled workouts through Wednesday. Thursday morning I woke up with that tickling in the back of my throat that tells me I’m a getting a cold. Thursday was the last day of school before Spring Break and it was a rainy day - indoor recess - twenty-nine fifth graders cooped up all day, the day before a break. I was pretty wiped out and just ready to veg by the end of the day. I had planned on doing a bike ride outside on Friday, but it was raining and my cold was getting worse. I read three books instead. Saturday I actually had a low grade fever and napping was the order of the day. Sunday was gorgeous and Thom and I went out for a short ride on the tandem. I tried to not work too hard since whenever I did my chest would start rattling. We’re a little rusty as a team, but things smoothed out as the ride went on.

The time off was actually a good thing. I had pulled or strained a muscle in my right leg last week and the down time gave it a chance to heal. I’m on vacation this week. Not having a schedule is nice. I plan to do lots of reading and relaxing.

Woo hoo!!! I’ve been working with my new trainer, Shawna, for four weeks now and seriously following her recommended dietary changes. AND IT’S WORKING! In four weeks I’ve lost 5 pounds overall and dropped to 22.5 percent body fat. I’ve actually lost 6 pounds of fat and gained a pound of muscle.

There’s nothing like seeing some results to recharge your batteries and keep you motivated. :p

Veronica

Wow V! It sounds like things are really paying off for you. Great job on sticking with it. You are working so hard! Keep it up - -it's inspirational.
Jes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Veronica

Woo hoo!!! I’ve been working with my new trainer, Shawna, for four weeks now and seriously following her recommended dietary changes. AND IT’S WORKING! In four weeks I’ve lost 5 pounds overall and dropped to 22.5 percent body fat. I’ve actually lost 6 pounds of fat and gained a pound of muscle.

There’s nothing like seeing some results to recharge your batteries and keep you motivated. :pVeronica

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Hi Veronica,

I will most likely never do a tri, but I have been reading your story with interest. Based on photos you have posted of yourself, I think we have a similar build. I've been (half-heartedly) attempting to rid myself of some excess fat in hopes that that will help be become a better climber. Hope springs eternal :D. I am curious about what your trainer recommended you change in your diet. I have yet to find the right combination for myself. Care to share the wisdom?

Thanks.

I've really cut the sugar - no soda, no Red Bull, no chocolate. I eat about 1500 calories a day, aiming for 40 grams of fat, 173 grams of carbs and 100 grams of protein. My carbs are mostly coming from multi grain products. I also do a lot of cardio and lift weights - lots and lots of reps.

This is a picture from today.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/coppermi.../v-back-01.jpg


Veronica

It's working! You look amazing!

How do you feel?

I feel really good.

I haven't been out for a long ride in awhile though and I do wonder how that will feel. My longest cardio sessions have only been two hours or so.

We've just been so busy on the weekends that we haven't been able to get in long rides. Good things busy, so it's ok.

We're tour marshalls for the local Tour de Cure 50 mile ride next weekend. That will be interesting. :D We'd planned on riding the tandem, but the fork needs to be replaced. It's a super flat route so the tandem would have been cool.

Veronica

Great job!

I'm curious- Do you find it difficult to meet the 100 grams of protein requirement? And are you less hungry since making these dietary changes?

Your pull-ups look awesome! Way to go!

Yes, the protein is hard. I still haven't quite mastered that part. I'm getting closer though. The hard part for me is balancing out the fat and protein. I like tuna - but with mayo, sort of thing. :D My trainer keeps suggesting protein shakes, but I'm trying to stick with real food. Egg whites are my friend.

And no, I'm not really any hungrier most days.

Veronica

This is a very big deal. I have given up my cookie-a-day habit. If you have eaten one of my cookies, you know they are pretty tasty. But, they are nutritionally garbage at 211 calories and 11 grams of fat. That’s 1/4 of my fat allowance per day! So instead of a cookie, I’m now eating a yogurt, 140 calories, only 6 grams of fat and the added bonus of 4 grams of protein.

Training this week has been tiring but fun. I’ve started doing three days with my trainer, Shawna Walker. Day 1 was lower body and left me a little sore. Day 2 was upper body. I brought my camera in for this and Shawna took some pictures of me doing pull ups. These were assisted, but I’m working towards doing them unassisted. The pics are posted in a thread called Chicken Wing or Back Muscle. You can also see them on our website. My training is focusing on building muscle endurance so I don’t rest between sets. Instead I do some other exercise. The pull ups were immediately followed by sets of 15 push ups. Day 3 was Boxing Day. It was a blast. I put on boxing gloves and Shawna had padded mitts on her hands and I hit her hands - repeatedly. Don’t worry, I’m not going to become a boxer. I don’t think I’d like getting hit for real. There was no biking, no swimming this week. I did do a couple of runs and a couple of yoga sessions.

I’ve had a few people ask me about what I’m eating. Basically, I’ve really cut down on the sugar and the simple carbohydrates. It’s really not that hard and I don’t feel deprived of anything.

For breakfast I rotate between 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with a quarter cup of grated cheese and an ounce of ham and some fruit salsa on top, or steel cut oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup and a 1/4 cup of whole milk or 3 multi-grain waffles with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of syrup.

At morning recess, I have a Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Almond bar. I also take an apple that has been cut into slices and snack on that throughout the day.

My work day lunch is almost always the same. I have a turkey and cheese sandwich with mustard and pickles on whole grain bread from the local bakery. Dessert is a small yogurt either a La Crema or one from Trader Joe’s. I eat this because I know when work out later these will sit well. If I don’t have sandwich fixings I will take a Healthy Choice steamer bowl.

Dinners have been a problem. Both of us are tired by the end of day and neither of us feels much like cooking anything major. We have been so busy on the weekends that I haven’t had time to cook up something that we could eat as leftovers either. Part of the problem is the stuff I would cook - pot pie, lasagna, cream based soups, etc. are all way too high in fat. Some nights Thom has barbecued a steak. Often that’s all I’ll eat, just a half a steak. Some nights it’s a frozen mini pizza. I usually eat a fruit and frozen yogurt bar after dinner. We know we need to work on this. I need to go through my Healthy Cooking cookbooks and start using new recipes.

Veronica

You can talk about what you want from life as much as you like, but what you do, what you invest your time and energy into, is your real priority.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Veronica

This is a very big deal. I have given up my cookie-a-day habit. If you have eaten one of my cookies, you know they are pretty tasty. But, they are nutritionally garbage at 211 calories and 11 grams of fat. That’s 1/4 of my fat allowance per day! So instead of a cookie, I’m now eating a yogurt, 140 calories, only 6 grams of fat and the added bonus of 4 grams of protein.

Training this week has been tiring but fun. I’ve started doing three days with my trainer, Shawna Walker. Day 1 was lower body and left me a little sore. Day 2 was upper body. I brought my camera in for this and Shawna took some pictures of me doing pull ups. These were assisted, but I’m working towards doing them unassisted. The pics are posted in a thread called Chicken Wing or Back Muscle. You can also see them on our website. My training is focusing on building muscle endurance so I don’t rest between sets. Instead I do some other exercise. The pull ups were immediately followed by sets of 15 push ups. Day 3 was Boxing Day. It was a blast. I put on boxing gloves and Shawna had padded mitts on her hands and I hit her hands - repeatedly. Don’t worry, I’m not going to become a boxer. I don’t think I’d like getting hit for real. There was no biking, no swimming this week. I did do a couple of runs and a couple of yoga sessions.

I’ve had a few people ask me about what I’m eating. Basically, I’ve really cut down on the sugar and the simple carbohydrates. It’s really not that hard and I don’t feel deprived of anything.

For breakfast I rotate between 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with a quarter cup of grated cheese and an ounce of ham and some fruit salsa on top, or steel cut oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup and a 1/4 cup of whole milk or 3 multi-grain waffles with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of syrup.

At morning recess, I have a Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Almond bar. I also take an apple that has been cut into slices and snack on that throughout the day.

My work day lunch is almost always the same. I have a turkey and cheese sandwich with mustard and pickles on whole grain bread from the local bakery. Dessert is a small yogurt either a La Crema or one from Trader Joe’s. I eat this because I know when work out later these will sit well. If I don’t have sandwich fixings I will take a Healthy Choice steamer bowl.

Dinners have been a problem. Both of us are tired by the end of day and neither of us feels much like cooking anything major. We have been so busy on the weekends that I haven’t had time to cook up something that we could eat as leftovers either. Part of the problem is the stuff I would cook - pot pie, lasagna, cream based soups, etc. are all way too high in fat. Some nights Thom has barbecued a steak. Often that’s all I’ll eat, just a half a steak. Some nights it’s a frozen mini pizza. I usually eat a fruit and frozen yogurt bar after dinner. We know we need to work on this. I need to go through my Healthy Cooking cookbooks and start using new recipes.

Veronica

You can talk about what you want from life as much as you like, but what you do, what you invest your time and energy into, is your real priority.

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I am not in training like you are but I also find my hardest meal is dinner. Many nights its yogurt and fruit (or whatever is handy). My husband fends for himself most of the time and he has been working late hours so sometimes he eats grab and go food (not good for ya but he is still normal weight since he has a very physical job).

We cheat a lot also because there is a subway just up the road from the house and we will split a foot long!

We do a lot of snacky stuff also like lunch meat and string cheese.

I know... strange stuff but its working so far!

Tina

Is that number right? you only eat 1500 calories a day, while training for a HIM? I eat about 3000....don't you feel weak and fatigued and a wee bit grumpy? Am I eating too much?

Yep, only 1500 calories a day. Yes, I'm often feeling a bit hungry, but I felt that way on 2,000 calorie/day too, but not grumpy or weak. When I do a longer ride I do a eat bit more. But longer for me means 3+ hours.

I'm trying to get as lean as I can before my event in August. I don't know if you're eating too much. It all depends on your activity level and metabolism.

Veronica