Monday, March 8, 2010

Illness

Ironic that the end of my last post I commented on not getting sick. I should have knocked wood as I spent last week dealing with an eye infection, sinus infection and strep throat. What a hassle! I found a great read here (http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/01/coaches-panel/coaches-panel-advice-on-training-while-sick_103226) about training while sick. I did my best to follow the advise. I have to say, I was wiped out. I even got a doctor's note to keep from going to work! So I took the 3 days off work to really rest and recoup. I think it was much needed. I look at is as a rest period between training cycles. I'll put in some aerobic miles this week and hit the intervals starting next. Another benefit of being ill? I lost more weight! I was 178 at Sunday's weigh in.

Another key to my weight loss has been the steady and deliberate changes to my diet. I really have to thank my wife for this. She has been so accommodating in changing some ingredients of her favorite baking recipes. Here's a sampling of a typical days food intake:

5:45 am - pre workout snack: Can of Low Cal FRS
7:00 am - post workout breakfast: 12 oz glass of Ovaltine, 1 cup of oatmeal, glass of OJ.
10:30 am - morning snack: banana
12:00 pm - lunch: Turkey sandwich (whole wheat bread, turkey, lettuce, mustard), small
bag of Sun Chips, 2 clementines.
2:30 pm - afternoon snack: handful of mixed nuts.
~ 6:00 pm - dinner: baked chicken, lightly breaded, 1 cup of steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup of
brown rice with a touch of soy sauce for flavor.
~ 8:00 pm - evening snack: peanut butter & crackers.

That's what most days look like. However there are those days where that just isn't possible. Next time we'll take a look at what some of the changes made on those days have been. For a fast food connoisseur like me, it hasn't been easy!

5 comments:

  1. Enjoying your blog,

    Glad your up for the challenge & have the motivation.

    I have to be bold though & state if this is your typical daily diet, this time of year when you are trying to lose weight. Your eating too much & snacking too often. Granted I'm not totally privvy to your daily energy output, your posts on training sound a lot like many of us this time of year, so now is the time to really dig in & remove those pounds. Later you will need to consume more to fuel your increased energy output & maintain balanced fitness without the ups & downs of diet shifting.

    Be honest with yourself & eat less.

    Good look with it all.

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  2. Thanks for the input. What I posted above on a typical day is between 1800 and 2200 calories. I'll burn 900 + in an 80 minute workout on the trainer. So, most days I'm running a caloric deficit. I've consistently lost a lb a week for the last 7 weeks. Maybe it looks like a lot above because I put a lot of "or". My snacks are only one of the items mentioned.

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  3. ah yes,

    The "or" does make more sense now I read through it & make the distinction.

    1lb per week is very good, keep it up. A good read.

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  4. 1 lb is on the conservative side, 2-3 per week is quite manageable & will get you back to target weight...2-3 times faster.

    Consuming 1800-2200 calories on a weight reduction diet is high 12-1400 would be better.

    900 calories for an 80 minute cycling workout sounds high too. If your using an older Garmin you can half what it's telling you.

    Your energy out is only just greater than energy in. It's taking you longer to get to target because of it & your training beyond the next 1-2 months will suffer, as you may still be trying to lose weight instead of fueling increased exercise.


    Keep the blogging up, very entertaining.

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  5. Thanks for chiming in! I hear what you're saying. I've tried to eat in that range but felt like I was starving all the time and would end up stuffing my face to compensate at times. I have to weigh physiology to psychology and find a balance, I guess. Compared to how I used to eat, 1 lb a week is a huge milestone. And you're right, the time is now at hand where focusing on weight loss would hurt rather than help. At this point I may have to be satisfied with 178 lbs?

    The calories burned number is from my 1 year old Polar CS 200. So, I'm hoping its somewhat accurate.

    ReplyDelete