. . . eating right. I took to the exercise very well and have been very dedicated and consistent with it. I have persevered through sore hips, chronic back pain, muscle strains and cramps, monkey butt, and am now working through a combination pre-stress fracture/ankle sprain/fallen arch, and neither the working out or the injuries are tougher than the food and eating issues.
I have stayed in the 390s since September. I have had periods where I have eaten very clean and exercised hard but did not lose (I know, I know, plateaus are normal, but they still suck, especially when they are almost four months long). Then there are the times where I don’t eat right and I know I am not eating right and I chose not to eat right. Lately I have been in a lot of pain with the foot and back and realize I have been medicating again with carbs and fatty food.
Yes, people medicate with food. I really would rather not eat again ever if it was possible, but it’s not. I have to eat everyday and a lifetime of deeply ingrained habits and feelings regarding food are the hardest thing I have to overcome and change. I have been medicating with food since I was 4 years old and can clearly remember eating sugar and bread to make myself feel better in the situation I was living in. I came home last night and ate two cheeseburgers with mac and cheese, then had a peanut butter and butter sandwich and I was not even hungry. But I was looking for a feeling, as I was in pain. The food did not take the pain away, the Ibuprofen and sleep did. So why do I choose to eat when I know the “buzz” is so fleeting and ineffective? I know I’m going to feel like crap after I do it, yet . . .
I signed up for the SOMA ½ IM in October which gave me a full year to train for it. My swim is doing great and I think the bike will be good. My goal was to jog the first, middle, and last mile and walk the rest, which is I believe is realistic. But, I have lost four months of weight loss opportunity and now it looks like getting down to where I can get in a wetsuit (about 250-260 lbs) is not going to happen in time. If I have to withdraw from the race it will not be from the lack of training, but because of the food and eating. I’m really tired of being haunted by this issue. I think I’m depressed and wonder if my lack of aerobic activity is making things seem worse than they really are. I’m really doom and gloom right now. Maybe a donut would . . . (just kidding).
Addendum to above - sitting in the lunchroom heating up my cooked veges and chicken breast, I realized how irrational my thinking can be about food. I went to see Colleen the first week of December. She is a RD and a triathlete. She tested my RMR (3560) and increased my calories to 3500. I started losing weight again and then when I couldn’t walk or bike anymore I got scared and quit her plan. Now I’ve been toying again with eating less calories. I should have stayed on her plan and given it a chance. Maybe that’s why I’m overeating. I think I think too much!
12 comments:
duane - they say the nutrition (on and off the road) is the 4th discipline of triathlon training.
i agree with your nutritionist. when you're burning like you will be when you're training for a 1/2 im, you need to eat. if you're not feeding your body properly, it will go into starvation mode and will hang on to whatever it has to. upping the calories might help.
and remember, in training, food is FUEL - that's it. it is a hard adjustment to take food from being pleasure to simply FUEL, but it is. your body needs it, your swim and your bike and your run need it. i would bet if you met colleen again, went back on her program, it might even things out.
hang in there, i'm rooting for you!
I was watching a TV special the other night where they showed how eating stimulates a certain section of the brain. It doesn't surprise me at all, after watching that, that you eat without being hungry.
We all know that there is going to b peaks and valleys, in eating, in training whatever. You gotta stay focused on the end result and don't beat yourself up for slipping, if that is what this is. I agree 100% with momo. If you are going to be a triathlete, then everything you put in your mouth affects your training. You should be asking yourself what that affect is before you eat every meal. If you are wanting to eat, and you are not hungry, then you need to get some stimulation from someplace else.
Don't get discouraged, Duane! You can do this. It might take a little longer than you thought, but you can do it. Hunker down and show us all what kind of grit and determination you have.
Duane - I know exactly how you feel. The short story of my journey is that I've been battling my weight for a very long time. 9 years ago I began to seriously lose and I still have not reached my goal weight (though I'm very close).
Eating when I wasn't hungry was one of the hardest things to conquer for me too. It is not an easy battle, but it can be won.
One thing that really helped me is to understand exactly what was happening. Dr. Oz was on Oprah and explained (I believe this is in his new book too, You on a Diet) how some people have underdeveloped taste buds. Basically I don't taste things as strongly as other people. This explains why I can tolerate super hot stuff while other people are falling on the floor clutching their throats. Or why other people will say something is too sweet and I don't think so. Anyway, because of this when I crave something I'm never going to be satisfied, I'll never get enough to satisfy my cravings. Once I realized that it made a huge difference. It really helped battle my emotional eating too. Now when I crave sweets I can resist because I know I'll never be satisfied so why even start. Usually if I can stall eating for 10 minutes or so the craving passes.
Sorry to get so long-winded but this is something I've battled for years and I know exactly what you're going through and how you feel. Good luck and don't give up, you can conquer it.
Sounds as though consulting Colleen before making modifications may be useful, much as with coaches and workout plans.
All the best with the journey.
Duane, you've done a lot to improve your health in the past year. Take heart!
I can't offer you any concrete advice on this particular problem. But there are lots of us out here in the blogosphere cheering for you.
Don't get discouraged. You've made huge strides and you can do this too!
I suggest you talk to the nutritionist again.
Duane, to echo some of the prior comments, keep some things in mind.
First, you have made huge gains in the past year. Minor setbacks should always be expected in any evolution. Gain, gain, gain, minor setback, gain, gain, gain some more.
Second, definitely stick with your RD's suggestions. One comment many experts have about many triathletes is they switch course too often. Rather than giving a plan time to succeed, they jump around from plan to plan. They all seem to fail because none were given time to be effective.
Finally, keep focus on the fact that you acknowledge the challenges you face. Yes, you have to eat. Sometimes, perhaps even most times, you will have to fight to eat properly. Perhaps you can shift the "eating for a feeling" from eating for a quick high to eating for a long time emotion. You'll still feed a need, but it will have different demands.
duane- the food demons haunt me too, have since I was as young as 10. And you're right, the thing about our addicition is that we actually need it to live. The only thing that has helped me during this training (when I justify all my candy with working out, which is not good) is writing it all down, and having someone (maybe your nutritionist) look at it. The shame alone got me to leave the chips in the bag.
Of course, our eating is much deeper than something that we can be shamed into simply quitting. I know it's super tough, and wish I had the cure-all to manage it for you. But working on yourself and with professionals in all capacities is a step in the right direction. Hang in there.
duane- Thanks so much for the comment! I am doing IMAZ (my first) and the training has been tough, but as earlier noted, the eating thing is my daily hurdle (funny, you would think it would be the five hour rides). I am a clinical psychologist (so nice to say that finally) and I am so glad that you checked in over at PP! Good to hear from you!
duane- Thanks so much for the comment! I am doing IMAZ (my first) and the training has been tough, but as earlier noted, the eating thing is my daily hurdle (funny, you would think it would be the five hour rides). I am a clinical psychologist (so nice to say that finally) and I am so glad that you checked in over at PP! Good to hear from you!
Duane,
Wetsuits are NOT required. I personally do not see much advantage during my swim with a wetsuit. Please don't let that stop you.
I frequently wonder about my ability to complete my big race in August within the posted cutoffs and have decided to create a Plan B in case I'm DQd. To me , it's important to go the distance so if they pull me because I didn't swim fsst enough and will not let me continue on their course, I will continue and do the distance on my own mapped course and the run after that....my goal is to finish the official IM but it I can't do it within the cutoffs on that day, I'm going to go the distance on my own (with all the paid servants I can find ;-))
Just a thought.
Mary
The thing that worked for me with regard to eating was simply listening to my dietician and following every single word of her advice. I figured she's the expert, not me, and I'm not giving up foods I love FOREVER - just until I get my weight under control and learn how to incorporate treats into a healthy lifestyle. So yeah, maybe you are over-thinking it; my advice to you would be to simply OBEY, and ask questions if it doesn't work!
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