Something's Gotta Give

I'm still training for the triathlon. But my eating habits suck. It's not so much the quantity of food I eat, it's the kind of food I eat. Therefore, while I have about 20 pounds to lose, I'm basically hovering between 148 and 144.

It's important that I get my weight down because of the toll it's taking on my legs during my run sessions as well as the added weight I have to lug up hills during my bike rides. The trick is to do it by not cutting a large amount of calories since I
need energy for my workouts. I can however clean up my diet and rely on that as my means to an end.

Fast food is a big culprit and although there are healthier options on their menus other than golden, salty, crispy on the outside french fries, I just don't have the
strength to go for the salads or grilled chicken sandwiches. Takeout food is no better. As with fast food, I don't have the mentalwherewithall to order something healthy with all of the temptations so easily available.

So, as of today, Thursday May 10, 2007, I plan to swear off all fast food and take out food delectibles. Since I choose not to make healthier choices when faced with their options, I must take the options completely away instead. I chose today because it was the first day I ate healthy food like fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, and chicken without hitting the drivethru at all as I have been for weeks.

Here are my rules:

Each meal must have:

*one serving of grain or starch (such as, but not limited to oatmeal for breakfast and potato for dinner)

*one serving of fruit during breakfast, and one or more servings of vegetables for lunch and supper.

*no more than 2 normal sized portions (1 portion=4 oz.) of lean protein such as poultry and fish, but only one serving of lean red meat. Egg whites are an option as well.

*I can eat/drink Lean Cuisines or
meal replacement drinks if there are moments when I have no more than 10 minutes to fix a meal and eat it....those moments are inevitable. I do have to keep up with my energy requirements for my training sessions, so this option must be used for emergencies only, not for when I'm feeling lazy....which is often.

*Snacks can only be fruit or vegetables.

*Eat food as close to their natural state as possible. Rely minimally on
prepackaged or processed food as much as possible (such as pasta, bread).

The beauty of these rules is that I don't have to count calories. The right amount of calories will fall naturally into place if I stick with the rules.

Also, all of the basic food groups are included, so I don't have to worry about neglecting to eat something my body needs.

I had made up these rules back when I had to lose 60 pounds after giving birth to Brendon (I lost it in 8 months). I continued to eat this way during my pregnancy with Jessica and after her birth as well, resulting in another 60 pound loss in about 5 months. *Side note: In case you're wondering why I put on 60 pounds during my pregnancy with Jessica even though I ate healthfully, my body just did that no matter what or how much or how little I ate.

I didn't, however, stick to this plan during and after I had Jacob, and 4 years later, I'm still struggling to lose the weight I put on during my pregnancy with
him.

This is how I'm going to eat until June 23 (date of the triathlon) without deviating from the rules. By then I'm hoping this will be a habit that will become second nature. I have to be really strict with myself because when you give me an inch, I'll take a mile.

After June 23, I'll allow myself those moments of having a handful of jellybeans to cure my sweet tooth, or some cake during a celebration, or a dinner out to a restaurant.

I'll post my starting weight tomorrow morning when I weigh the least during the day. And for the record, I'm still going to participate in the OC Challenge now that I'm setting myself up to actually lose weight.

*Edit* My weight this morning (Friday) is 144.2