Epiphany of the Healthy Sort

So for the last four weeks I have been using an app called myfitnesspal.  The app counts your calories in and calories out, tracks your weight, and projects weight loss.  Based on my body type and activity level it told me that I should be eating about 1250 calories a day.  That sounds low but I was totally invested in losing weight after a dark winter and a trip to Indianapolis put me at a hefty 160lbs.  I would log every morsel I ate and every workout I did.  The more calories burned, the more I got to eat because 1250 was just a net benchmark that I had to be at by the end of the day.  And I would generally stay below and the app would tell me that in about a month I should be anywhere from 146 to 148lbs.  I didn’t lose a single pound the entire time. 

So I am re-evaluating my system.  Why am I gaining/holding onto weight? Why are my legs thicker than they have ever been? Why do I feel sick, thick and lethargic at times? Why do I feel guilty about everything that I eat?  I looked back into my soccer days and thought about what I did there.  Minimal weight lifting and large amounts of explosive sprints defined my days.  And I didn’t count calories so I have no idea how much I was eating, but it was a general chunk of food every time I was hungry. 

So I brought out my new Garmin watch and ran 120yd sprints.  After ten of these full field explosive sprints, I checked the watch.  I had travelled a bit over a mile and had burned about 150 calories in the 20 minutes of work.  At LA Fitness, I can do the elliptical for 20 minutes and burn 400 calories.  And with the myfitnesspal app, I would log those 400 calories in and “earn” 400 calories worth of food.  But I wasn’t tired.  I wasn’t stressed.  And the weight was staying.  After 120s I only earned 150 calories of food;  that is 2/3 of a Clif brand energy bar.  I wouldn’t even get to eat an entire bar, and I had just worked so hard that my lungs hurt.  With sore ribs from breathing so quickly and deeply, I collapsed in the grass and contemplated my body.

I was so tired.  But I had only worked for 20 minutes.  Technically even less because of the timed breaks between sprints.  My legs hurt.  As did my lungs, abs, and tongue. 

I looked into some different internet tips and articles, I read many comments from many sources  and      formulated a plan in my mind.   The explosive working out, whether it be fast superset weight lifting or short, extremely difficult fitness, burns less calories now.  That means that although my watch only sites 150 calories burned, the stress of the exercise causes my body to continue burning calories through the day.  I mark down the 150 calories but my body continues to repair and build my muscles.  The key is not to starve myself but make sure I am still getting the net 1250 calories while using more explosive working out to completely fatigue my body beyond the means of a treadmill.  So on day 1 [Yesterday, March 9, 2013] I went over to Turtle Ridge in Newport Coast and ran hill sprints up a super steep hill.  I did 5 full hill and 10 half hills.  And my butt was a little sore and I had a bit of a headache all day.  But that is the pain that builds the body that I grew used to growing up.  It shouldn’t be easy.

Healthy eating is important too.  I can never let myself get carried away and not mention the fact that through the last four weeks and into the future I have been eating predominantly gluten-free [with a small cheat almost every day; i.e. a cracker or three] and full servings of fruits and  vegetables.  I want to get away from calories more and make sure that I get a full daily serving of everything necessary to build the body that I want.  I want to force myself to have 2 cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables and the right amount of protein.  Lean protein like protein shakes, Rise bars, chicken, lean beef, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.  If I am forced to fit 5 cups of produce and somewhere around 50 grams of protein every day, I will be full.  I will not crave junky crap and I will not desire snacks. 

The experimental scientist in me is geeking out at the prospect of continuing to use my own body as a case study! Lets do this!

Slammers GU9: 2013-2014 Season

By no particular willpower or push of my own, I am not hungry today.  Maybe its my stuffy nose that makes things a bit less appealing.  Maybe I have eaten so much in the last week that my body just doesnt want anymore? Or possible its because I went to practice this morning so I didnt workout really hard until about 10am? Either way, Im happy about it.

But back to the topic at hand. Coaching. I have officially taken on complete responsibilities of my first team ever.  I have run privates and assisted on teams but this is my first go around at the helm.  This will be extremely valuable information for me to take on to a head coaching job at a college.  It is vital that I learn to run this team.  Whether or not this go-around is successful.  Frank says the most important things for me to do are [in order]: get a team manager, recruit more players, contact the woman who is in charge of the money and prices for the club, and keep them coming out to practice.  I feel as though I need to get the girls and parents started on some type of meeting.  I need to lay the ground rules for my team.  Here we go:

Parents: 1) 24hr rule, do not approach me with questions, inquiries, complaints or anything of that nature until you have had 24hrs to relax and think about the topic. 2) Please have the girls at every single practice and game unless you notify at least an hour before the time the girls are slated to arrive, here is my phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx. 3) ???

Girls: 1) We are here to learn and have fun, one can not happen without the other, bring your gameface and your thinking cap. 2) When I am talking there is no talking 3) When you get practice gear [shorts, shirts, socks] wear them to every practice. 4) When I say "BRING IT IN", last one in has to clean up the gear after practice

Thats all I have for now.  Any ideas as to what parents need to know?  The girls? Slammers GU9, looks like its going to be an exciting year!

WIllpower or lack thereof

I have a major issue.  I straight up eat too much.  I work out so hard every single day and I am not getting any thinner and I know its because I eat too much.  I cant help it.  Its like a disease.  I see a butterfinger mini bar on the counter that is "up for grabs" and I eat it.  I dont even like butterfinger candies.  My roommate bakes cookies and leaves them on the counter with a sticky note: "eat me", so I do.  I seriously cant help it.  It is so bad for my body and it is making me sick.  The gluten makes me have a stomach ache and the chocolate and butter and sugar and butterfinger cricpy crap are making me fat.  I am embarrassed by my lack of willpower.  I used to be able to resist a little bit better but in the past month or three my willpower has just dropped a ton.  A ton.  I just cant seem to help it.  I say Im going to change and I just don't.  I say "today is the day I stop eating crap" and I just don't stop eating crap.  Its not the little things either, like a little of that in my salad or some crunch on my soup.  Its straight up candy and cookies.  I need to make a change.

How?

3 is a really small number

I am down 3 pounds since I started eating healthy.  I have not been perfect.  I have had half a brownie and a tiny bit of ice cream and a chocolate pretzel from Sprouts.  I ate these all on different days over the course of the week.  But I ate healthy otherwise.  I had protien and veggies and fruits.  I also hiked Iron Mountain twice, Mt Woodson once, ran with Mom and Dad on Monday morning and Tuesday morning for a total of 18 miles, climbed the stairs for a total of 3+ hours, I lifted hundreds and hundreds of separate pounds for different muscles, biked 43 miles on a stationary bike in two different hour long sessions, walked 5miles in Del Mar, rollerbladed 3miles down Beeler Canyon, ran 6 50yd sprints up the hill in front of my house and did 100 pullups.  I lost only 3 lbs.