Ten Pounds
Today, the scale confirmed that I’ve lost ten pounds since I got back from my honeymoon. I’m ahead of schedule and a little surprised as it has only been four and a half weeks since we got back. But it sure feels like longer than that considering the increase in training volume and the decrease in food intake! It’s been a constant daily struggle, that’s for sure.
For those crying foul, saying I’m “lucky” for having good genetics, and the like… let me tell you that those pounds certainly don’t come easy. Perhaps quickly if you say it was only a month, but definitely not easily. There would be times when I’d get back from a five+ hour ride and “treat” myself to one cup of pineapple and a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. Or for example, on Monday after nearly four hours of working out I enjoyed a 1/2 bowl of Cookie Crisp cereal as my reward. I’d say on average for the past four weeks, I’ve eaten right around 2,000 calories a day and that’s including any nutrition that I take during exercise (although I only take fuel for workouts longer than 2 hours). That’s really not that much considering I’m doing IM type volume.
I think that we all tend to over-estimate how much our bodies really need for fuel, which is evident from how big we (Americans) are getting these days. Everything is bigger, fattier, and more processed. I’m sure many of us remember back when a McDonalds meal consisted of a regular hamburger or cheeseburger, a small fries (in the white paper container), and a large soda which was more like today’s medium. These days though, you have these monster sized burgers claiming to have in excess of 1,400 calories in the sandwich itself. And that’s not even including the “biggie” fries and the 32 oz. soda. No, it’s not our genes that are changing but our desires and thoughts that bigger and more are better.
I easily fall victim to that line of thought. After all, there is a reason that I’m 15 pounds heavier in the off-season than in-season. But I wholly believe that mental discipline is the only thing that prevents us from improving our body composition. It’s a matter of reaching for that apple instead of reaching for some snack crackers. Or knowing that just because you worked out for one, two, or three plus hours, that doesn’t entitle you to the all you can eat buffet or free reign on the dessert cart. And sometimes, sadly, there are social events that are just better avoided because you know that you’ll just get yourself into caloric trouble by attending them (sorry about the BBQ, Jon and Amy!).
Losing weight is hard work. If it were easy, everyone that wanted to be thin would be thin. It takes sacrifice to be out there and training and the double whammy sacrifice to neglect yourself from things that you want or feel that you deserve. Of course, everyone has their own individual goals and limits to what they’ll sacrifice to achieve them. But I’ve yet to see anyone that has walked a week in my shoes and have been unable to lose weight.
Another week or two and I should be back down to my IM race weight of the last two years. For now, Carol is enjoying seeing my obliques again. They haven’t made an appearance since sometime last summer.
(And no… those aren’t a picture of mine :) )