Hitting bottom

Went for a four miler today. It was hard. It shouldn't have been. Lesson learned--food is fuel for my body--not a source for stress release. I felt SO bloated last night and ate waaaaaay too much. I know my weight HAS to be creeping (if not sky rocketing) up.

Food is fuel.

Food is fuel.

Food is fuel.

I may use MF throughout the day. It's filling and without hunger cues I know any desire to get into the kitchen=stress eating.

I did wake up at 5:30 a.m. with E in my bed. When she woke up I told her it was still "night night" time and she went right back to sleep. I *could* have used her presence as an excuse, as I have in the past, to stay put and snuggle back under the covers.

But I didn't. I didn't want to go. I wanted to go back to bed. But I eventually got out the door and even managed to pass two slim women trucking along. Woot!

It was hard. I walked but was breathing hard enough to be running.

I missed my five mile on Weds and my three miler on Thurs--Ella was home sick. I did four this a.m. and will bike for an hour over lunch to help catch up with cardio and undo the damage of the past week.

Really girl, get a grip!

Carbfest '08 (Or why I miss Medifast)

I have been on a TEAR for the past two days, eating foods I wouldn't have normally eaten even before Medifast (uh, hello, Cheetos?).

Even though I rarely adhered to the strict program (I know, bad, stupid girl) I still operated within the boundaries of sanity.

Not so now. Maybe it's because I feel like a person who just got out of prison. Or maybe it's because I'm coming off one med. Either way it HAS. GOT. TO. STOP!

I'm baaaaaack!

“Would you be happy if you ran your marathon in October but stayed at your current weight?” This is the question my health coach posed to me when I talked to her yesterday. She seems to think another program might serve me better considering how many modifications I'll be making to the program to accommodate my two long run days. Simply, MF was not designed for people doing endurance events.

So, sadly, I'm off Medifast and trying to figure out what will work for me while I'm training for the Chicago Marathon. I really liked the concept and how I felt on the program (low carb/high protein) so I'm trying to come up with a menu that incorporates that structure. And structure REALLY works better for me than none. The one thing I'll never be able to replicate is the support I found there. There are some really great, supportive people and a strong community there.

I did lose 14 pounds on Medifast and I'm sure I would have lost a LOT more if I had adhered to the program. But it is what it is and I guess I'm just a slow learner.

I am looking forward to incorporating fruits and more veggies back into my diet. It's funny, even though I didn't strictly adhere to the program I did pass up food/resist temptation at times and learned a new way of eating. In some small way I feel a bit freer now that I've decided to go off program. And that, my friends, should scare the beejezus out of me.

I saw an article today that said those who journal food consumption have much better chance at losing. I'm going to dig up an old notebook and start with my next meal.

My goals for this week:

• Figure out program--what the main structure will be, what my menu choices are, etc.
• Blog daily
• Journal EVERYTHING that passes my lips

Reward: 10 new songs for my ipod.