I Have Gained Weight!

I haven’t told you, but a few weeks ago I realized I had gained weight. Before I could get dressed, it took 3 maybe 4 changes of clothes which only means one thing….nothing fit. I had gained five pounds.

Isn’t it funny how these things sneak up on you. Like so many other things in life… you’re fine, you’re fine and then one day all of a sudden you’re not fine.

I am a healthy eater. No fast food, low fat, rarely dessert.

Although when you have double dark chocolate, dark chocolate almond, white chocolate macadamia nut, oatmeal raisin and the sweet and salty mix of peanut butter pretzel every day, who needs dessert?

I have been eating too many energy bars.

Whenever I finished a run, short or long, my reward was an energy bar. It was my go-to-quick-fix again in the afternoon. This had become my routine – whether I needed one or not.

The summer of my first marathon, I also gained a few pounds. It’s not uncommon for runners to believe they need more calories when they start a running program. It’s also not uncommon for your body to be hungrier when you initially start running.

To appease this hunger with more and more food spells disaster.

Runners need a different type of food not necessarily more food.

I do not like being hungry. Rather than reduce the volume of food when I need to lose weight, I try to think about changing the type of food I eat.

Sometimes small changes in our diet can render the greatest rewards.

The last time I needed to lose weight, I quit eating a sandwich for lunch and started making myself a salad at home. I lost 5 pounds and now I still have salads at home most days.

A few weeks ago, I cut back on energy bars – eliminating them completely on rest days or after short runs.

Of course, my preference would be a warm cinnamon roll for breakfast, a barbecue sandwich and fries for lunch, steak and risotto for dinner and moose tracks for dessert. Unfortunately that won’t work.

I miss the energy bars. Sometimes I’m hungry and I don’t want a piece of fruit – I want something more fulfilling….more gratifying. But, I’ve made it back down to size and maybe I’ll be smarter going forward.

Things that get me back on track:

1. Write down everything you eat; you’ll learn a lot.
2. Re-evaluate what you eat. Substitute just one bad thing every week for a healthier choice.
3. Eat less more often. In other words, reduce the size of your meals (push back before you’re full), snack between meals (fruit or raw veggies – not always energy bars!)
4. Weigh yourself regularly. I use the station at Wal-Mart once/week. It tells me my weight, BMI, blood pressure and heart rate….all good things for a runner to track.
5. Splurge once in a while, some plans say once/week, and don’t look back. Every day is a new start.