Training schedule

[DDH]

EWW I knew it was high in calories but didn't think about that much. Thank goodness I don't eat pizza very often. We may get a pizza once every other month or so.
Normally we have grilled or baked chicken, or grilled deer steak, or I fix something in the crock pot. I do not fry things except on rare occasions. We don't have bread with every meal or anything.
Usually it's cereal, or just a banana, for breaskfast, a lean cuisine or something light for lunch, and then dinner is something baked or grilled and a vegetable and like wild rice or maybe red potatoes, but usually some starch.
I don't snack usually at all unless it is close to that time of the month and then I have to watch myself. I ride my bike 3 to 4 times a week 15 miles and then try to do a longer ride on the weekends.
We have a charity ride coming up this weekend and we are riding the 26 miles route with some killer hills on it.
I use a heart rate monitor so I can be sure to get my heart rate up while exercising and believe me it gets up there.
Anyway, thanks for the tips girls.
I think I need to find a log somewhere that I can log my food and exercise together and see how things go.
It sounds like I am really going to just have to buckle down and start counting calories instead of just trying to watch what I eat.
It just always seemed like so much work and I thought I could just cut back and eat healthier but thats not working so on to step 2.

I'm determined that eventually I will get this right, one way or the other.

[SouthernBelle]

If you want to try calorie counting (I didn't):

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Index.html

[Torrilin]

I have a scale. I'm trying to get into the habit of weighing what I eat to get a feel for what *my* idea of a portion is. I need to start writing it down so I have a food diary and I can track what I'm eating. Not fun, but I need to do it so I can see if there's a pattern to how I'm eating.

I find it's better to eat breakfast before I do anything. I'm a morning person, I'm prone to really terrible judgment if I bike while hungry, and I have a longstanding habit of "wake up, make breakfast". If you don't have your brain fall out your ears when hungry, biking before breakfast can be good.

[michelem]

Donna,

You may want to check out www.nutritiondata.com. You can even plug in a bunch of individual ingredients to find out the total calories in your own recipes. You can also find out approximately how many calories your burning with your exercise. I found this to be very eye-opening.

Anyway, the other thing you might want to look into is finding a dietician who is familiar with the non-diet approach and also familiar with other things that can contribute to weight management problems (such as pcos, metabolic syndrome, stress, etc.). Where in Texas are you located? If anywhere near Bedford, Round Rock, or Houston, let me know and I can give you some names.

Hang in there!

[makbike]

DDH, when was the last time you had your thyroid levels checked?

Last summer I pulled out my Weight Watchers books and calculators to help me drop some unwanted weight. I also increased my mileage each week by 10% or more. I had to seek assistance here for help with the activities points awarded through WW but things quickly fell into place and the weight slowly came off as the summer months progressed. By the time I returned to school in August I had dropped 12 pounds. My weight stayed stable through the school year. This summer I have dropped 10 more pounds due to my surgery and having to deal with the fallout of my relationship ending and riding a lot. What I have learned these past two years is portions are very important, not to avoid the foods I enjoy but to enjoy them in moderation and I have to ride at least 6 days a week to maintain my weight. So since June 2006 I have gone from wearing a size 14 pants to a size 8 and I'm back to what I weighed when I graduated from high school in 1980. I love the new me!

Don't give up hope, keep plugging away at this. Pat yourself on the back. You will find a program that will work for you.