How Counting Calories Drove Me To Drink

It was a long journey from my days of drinking a 6-pack of Coke a day


to my days of really, truly and honestly preferring water.


It’s been a long time since I’ve kept a food journal or counted calories, but I realized recently that the years I spent focusing on my calorie consumption had driven me to drink.

When I was dieting, I went through phases of pretty obsessive calorie counting. Software programs, websites and PDAs (remember those, before we all had smartphones?) fed my obsession by providing detailed data on every type of food imaginable, forms to record every micronutrient, and colorful graphs to plot my daily or weekly consumption. As obsessive as I was, there were three things that I never counted:

  1. My morning coffee (not withstanding the carefully measured tablespoon of fat-free Half-and-Half)
  2. The Gatorade I consumed during a long run (since I never added “calories burned” to my “calorie budget”)
  3. Any alcoholic beverages (although I did limit my consumption to 1-2 drinks on weekends)

My calorie counting days are over, but I think they’ve driven me to drink, although it took me a long time to realizing what was happening.

Lately I noticed that I’ve developed a habit of drinking a glass of wine or 1/2 a beer on most nights. I was talking to a friend about this, and trying to figure out where this habit came from. I don’t like to get buzzed, let alone drunk, so I’m not drinking for the effect. On the other hand, I have gotten more and more picky about the beer I like and have no problem not finishing a beer that doesn’t live up to my standards. So I came to the conclusion that I am drinking for the pleasure of the taste.

This thought made me realize that I rarely drink any other caloric beverages (other than the coffee I now enjoy with full-fat Half-and-Half or the Gatorade I might put in my water bottle if I’m running long on a warm day). After years of dieting, I have internalized the idea that “juice = empty calories” and I don’t even think of pouring myself a glass of juice, even though it would offer my taste buds the same pleasure as an alcoholic beverage. What makes no sense whatsoever is the fact that my glass of wine or beer does have calories, and they are just as empty as those in juice!

Now that I’ve realized this inanity, I’ve given myself permission to enjoy a glass of juice–or even lemonade. I am still conscious of the calories, but I am no longer ignoring the carton of fresh-squeezed OJ in the fridge when I know that it really would hit the spot. I know that wine–and even beer–may have health advantages, but juice also provides vitamins and other nutrients that can be good for me.

Do you have any “forbidden foods” that you just won’t eat?

Does your list of forbidden foods make sense?

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Monday Musings

A few weeks ago they were sampling Chobani® Champions at my grocery store. I tried all of the flavors, and while I thought I’d be putting Vanilla Chocolate Chunk in my grocery cart, I really liked Orange Vanilla best.  This weekend I found Chobani® Champions and fresh blackberries on sale at Target, and decided that they would make a wonderful breakfast combination.

Yum!

Have you tried Chobani® Champions? Which flavor do you like best?

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This weekend we had dinner with some friends-of-friends whom we used to see frequently, until our kids’ activities took over our “free” time. When I was chatting in the kitchen with the woman (who’s always been slender), she said

You look great! You used to have a weight problem, didn’t you?

I mumbled something about eating better and taking up running and changed the topic as quickly as possible.  

How do you respond to uncomfortable questions about your weight?

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About an hour before we were heading out for dinner, my husband (who has Type 2 diabetes) got a package of cookies out of the pantry and started munching. I wanted to ask him why he was doing that when (i) he knew it was horrible for his blood sugar and (ii) he knew that he would be indulging at dinner, but I bit my tongue and went back to folding laundry. I know I would be pissed if he interrogated me about my eating, but it is hard to watch someone do something that you know they will regret later.

Do you ever question another adult’s food choices?

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~Easter Greetings~

Allelujiah!

I hope your Easter is filled with family fun

complete with a visit from the Easter Bunny!

(Yes, I love black licorice jelly beans!)

Happy Easter!

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Training Log: GW Parkway Classic (Week 1)

The next race on my calendar is the GW Parkway Classic on April 22.

(My 2011 GW Parkway Classic finish line cheer!)

This is my favorite race for so many reasons, but the course has some rolling hills that won’t let you get away with slacking off on your conditioning.

This week I tried to strike a balance between recovering from the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and getting ready for those hills.

Monday (Mix & Match Recovery Workout)
Elliptical: 15 min forward/reverse interval program
Weights: 15 min mostly upper body weights
Yoga: 25 min Rodney Yee “Forward Bends” program

Tuesday (Treadmill Recovery Run)
Manual program: 15 min walking/running warm-up, 30 min at 6.3 mph, 5 min cool-down

Wednesday (Full Weights Routine)
Walking: 1 mile morning dog walk
Weights: 5o min full body routine
Walking: 1 mile evening dog walk

Thursday (Neighborhood Hills)
Walking: 1 mile morning dog walk
Running: 4.25 miles, 41 minutes (avg pace = 9:40 min/mile)
Walking: 1 mile afternoon dog walk
Yoga: Rodney Yee “Twists” program
I’m not sure if the hills were too much, or if I did something else to my back but it feels like it is wound up tight on the left side. The Rodney Yee “Twists” program felt good, but didn’t quite do the trick.

Friday (Modified Weights Routine)
Elliptical: 15 min random program
Weights: 45 min modified full body routine
My back could not do deadlifts, but I managed some toe touches instead to loosen things up. I went back to regular squats instead of my single-leg squats to give my sore butt a break! At my chiropractor appointment I took advantage of the hydromassage bed and asked her to do some massage work. The only place she found tender spots was in my glutes, so I guess I will lay off my single-leg squats for a little while longer. My back still bothered me throughout the day, until I finally took some Alleve last night. That seemed to do the trick-phew!

Saturday (Long Run on WO & D)
I met my friend for a run near her house, where we could face some hill but not too many. It was a crisp morning (upper 30s/low 40s), but I was fine with a long-sleeve top and running tights.
Total Distance: 8.14 miles
Total Time: 1:14
Avg. Pace: 9.07 min/mile
Splits: 9:50, 9:08, 8:50, 9:17, 9:33 8:48, 8:53, 8:36
Boy, these splits are all over the place! Some of the differences correlate with long uphill or downhill stretches, but others just reflect us trying to find our groove.

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With One Arm Tied Behind Her Back!

While I was basking in the glow of my Cherry Blossom 10 Miler PR, I learned that there was one other woman at work who ran the race. This surprised me, because she recently was in a bicycling accident and is recovering from a broken shoulder and other serious injuries. She told me that in the days leading up to the race she was getting really disappointed at the thought of missing it because she had been seeded–she is the type of runner that actually wins races–and she finally decided to just “jog” the course.

Map of course showing selected leaders

Being the curious person that I am, I dashed back to my desk to look up her finish time. I was not surprised to learn that her “jog” was faster than my PR, and had to laugh when I realized that she had beaten me with one arm tied behind her back immobilized in a shoulder brace!

Her accomplishment did not burst the bubble of my PR, but is a good reminder of why you have to run your own race.

Do you compare yourself to other runners?

Have you ever been mad because someone beat you?

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