Progress!

Well you've heard me whining about the weight. It momentarily dipped below 160, but it's back again. But the good thing is, the fat must finally be turning to muscle. Clothes are fitting better. I'm content with that.

Yesterday, I ran about 75 minutes after work. It was gorgeous. On the way home I stopped to pick up some dinner. As I left the grocery store, I caught a glance of my legs in the reflection in the glass door exit. For a moment, I didn't recognize them. They looked more athletic and toned, like runner's legs should look. They're looking less like those hearty turkey drumsticks you see at the fair and more like solid machines. There's still work to do, but it was a nice surprise to notice the difference.

And today, a lady at work mentioned that she thought I was skinny! Really?! That might not be the word I was thinking, but it added to yesterday's shift in perception.

I'm content. I'm feeling better.

To top it off, there is definite progress in the way the training is going. The mileage last night was tough as it's ramping up over the week, but it was do-able. We had a great, hearty spin class on Wednesday night, so it felt good (and hard) to come to the week's long run with tired legs. While I didn't finish the time or mileage prescribed last night, I felt as if it was an accomplishment. I'll take it.

I'm content. I'm feeling better.

Thank goodness next week is a step-back week. It's tiring right now with the increasing intensity!

Train hard y'all!

I need help: How to break the food cycles?

I'm so frustrated with my weight. But I have nobody to blame but the person in the mirror.

Yesterday I was in the doctor's office for a regular checkup and while waiting, noticed a book on a shelf nearby, "You on a Diet: The Guide to Waist Management" or something like that. I thumbed through it as time ticked by.

One page about two-thirds of the way caught my eye. It had to do with particular types of snacks and what eating them blindly meant. It struck me hard. Soft sweets, like ice cream, which are the bane of my existance supposedly mean that you're depressed. Salty filler snacks, like Cheez-It's or pita chips, mean you're sexually frustrated. Damn! I guess I need to get happy and get a date, huh? LOL!

Workouts have been haphazard the past month. I've been having issues with waking up at night for about an hour, which causes me to set the alarm back to normal wake up time (5:45) instead of workout time (4:45). I've been frequenting lunch and happy hours with friends in the few times of being social. And to top it off, school is kicking my butt and I tend to munch while sitting at the computer.

I try to eat a good meal at lunch, preferably making this the largest of the day. The problems come when I get home and get into the habit of eating just to eat. How do you break that cycle? And how do you break the cycle of wanting something sweet after a meal. It's not big, sometimes just a bite of a piece of chocolate or even a cookie, but how do you get past that?

Many times at the end of the evening, I feel full and still not satisfied. It's frustrating. And I see it showing in my weight and how the clothes are fitting worse these days. You'd think someone who is good at planning and organizing might be good at doing the same things in her own life, but it's just not happening.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? I'd love to hear from you all either in the comments or even off line. adventurechick3@yahoo.com You rock!