marathon training

Shocking revelations..

Movin' it with Michelle

Preface: This post is to hold me accountable.  I am by no means a nutrition expert or health care provider.  I am just trying something that I know has worked for me in the past.  Discipline. 

You’ve heard me discuss before about my disdain with the numbers that show up on the scale each week, and several times I decided this was it, those TEN lbs were going bye bye…

Yet just as quickly as I decided I was going to do about something about the “oh you’re 40 now, and can’t just eat whatever you want” weight, I found myself having late night snacks or splurging at the taco bar at work…I’m a distance runner, and am constantly hungry.  Normal, right?

imagesCABJRR49

Sure…but if I am going to snack, I need to find healthier alternatives than handfuls of pita chips loaded with roasted red pepper hummus.  A little hummus=good fat.  An entire container of hummus=bad choice fat.

My clothes were all feeling tighter, and despite the fact I know that SOME of it is muscle (my legs), a lot of the weight well, ISN’T muscle…my every growing gut tells me so, daily.

But I didn’t truly realize it, until I saw the free race photos we could download from the half marathon I just ran.  I was super excited to see the pictures after seeing several friends post their pictures online, until of course, I viewed my photo.  Upon viewing said photo, I was appalled.  And I may or may not have lowered my head in shame.

I haven’t weighed what I weigh right now since the following months after my second daughter was born.  And I need to stop using my age as an excuse.

So this week, I’ve shut down my previous ways of thinking, and am restarting my system.  I’ve been making my own lunches, snacks, and a protein shake to start my day.  I’ve been tracking all of my food in My Fitness Pal, and exercising daily.  I’ve limited snacks at night (Ok, last night I DID cheat with a piece of Italian salami, YUM), and making sure I am in bed by 11 pm which gives me 6-7 hours of sleep (still working on the sleep issues but its been better, at least).  I’ve also been trading pasta and rice for veggie noodles instead.

Pic cred: Pinterest
Pic cred: Pinterest

I can feel the toll this extra weight is causing my running/knees and it’s time.

“It’s only 10 lbs.,” I hear so often…”You look great!” everyone says.  But 10 lbs is A LOT on a smaller framed person and I don’t feel great about myself right now.

3 days in, and I’m down 1 lb…praying this is the road to a positive change.

Just because I am a distance runner and a Chef wanna-be, doesn’t mean I can EAT. ALL. THE. FOOD.

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Put the fork down, Michelle.

How do you control cravings?  Any good go-to healthy snacks?

Thanks, y’all!  Keep Movin’ forward!

❤ Michelle

Published by Movin' it with Michelle

My name is Michelle and I am a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. I have found a passion for running, cooking, writing, photography and all things that move my love for life! I've ran 3 full marathons, with a PR of 4:25, and 17 half marathons with a PR of 2:00:11 (yup-missed sub 2 by 11 seconds, lol). Thanks for joining me on my journey!

79 thoughts on “Shocking revelations..”

  1. The first 7 days for me were always the hardest. Once I got past the sugar cravings, then it became easier for me. I have to crawl back on the wagon. But it’s those 1st 7 days that scare me! lol

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  2. You do look fáb, BTW. I do know that only a few extras a can feel like a ton on a small framed person though- so I know what you mean there. 😉

    I don’t snack. Those calories add up very fast. I also cut back on alcohol and then the lbs fly away fast! I also watch my portion sizes. I drink a lot of water and tea during the day and don’t mind feeling a little hungry.

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  3. I hear ya on the snacking binges. I was doing really well and then the last two weeks it went south. I gained two pounds in a two weeks – boo. There were a couple of other contributing factors but still… it doesn’t feel great. I’m working on increasing my protein since when I skimp on this, I remain hungry and can’t ever feel full. The curse of a runner!

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  4. I hear you — I’m north of 50. Unfortunately, I’m always a little heavier in the summer. You know, when more of my body is being exposed. (What the heck?) My weakness is a bedtime snack with chocolate milk. I tend to be better when I’m really training for something specific. My nutrition becomes more important to me.

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  5. I had the same feelings after Boston. I ate so much more when I was training and continued those patterns after the race.
    I have a lot less willpower with certain foods, so I had to clear them out of the house. I’ve almost dropped the extra 5 lbs a was carrying. Like you, I’m small framed so it makes a difference and my clothes are starting to fit normally again.

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  6. I have a 300+ day streak on myfitnesspal! It takes some effort and I almost always go over on my daily calories, but at least I can visualize how I’m doing. It also forces me to think twice about having that second helping of dessert after dinner! I want to stay speedy and would get heavy really fast if I didn’t have those “bonus” calories from exercise!

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  7. I feel you on this. I’m dragging around an extra 10 myself and I hate it. But oh man this tri training makes me hungry! I need to cut out the crap.

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  8. I recently wrote a post about how I gave up soda earlier this year, and one thing that helped for me was finding an alternative that mimicked soda, in my case, sparkling water (carbonation, flavoring, even comes in cans which reminds me of soda). If salty/savory is your problem, maybe nuts or a healthy trail mix would be a good solution? Or wheat thins and hummus?

    I’ve also found that eating a good, filling, healthy breakfast helps tremendously in staving off mid-morning snack cravings. For meals, try to avoid empty carbs and other things that digest quickly and won’t keep you full very long.

    Also, do you drink a lot of water? I’ve heard that helps suppress appetite.

    GOOD LUCK! You can do this!! And it’s perfectly normal to be more hungry during training. I feel like I can eat twice as much these days, lol

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  9. I’m hungry all the time too…at least it seams that way. Though I’m not getting in lots of miles these days I’m still hungry 😦 I try to have water when I’m hungry and ate recently, pop some gum or distract myself with a walk.

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  10. Hey Michelle! Doesn’t 40 suck? 😉 From your pics, you look amazing though! We are new blogger friends, so I don’t know if you lift weights or not? I find that my runner clients need more lateral type strength work done to balance out the forward motion of running (side lunges, plié squats, curtsy lunges, side step ups with balance, etc. Just a thought…

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  11. It has to be our age. Anything I eat creeps on me too. I don’t feel like any splurge is possible sometimes. Mostly because with the splurge is accompanied by water retention. A couple pound gain feels like 20. I hope that 10 comes off easy and lightens each step of your training runs!

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  12. I can relate. Once I got into distance running, it was like someone opened my hunger floodgates. The hardest part is balancing the fact that runners need more calories, but they have to be good ones. I actually gained weight when I became a runner because of this!

    I can also relate to the difference 10lbs makes on a small frame – it’s a huge deal. You can do this! It sounds like you’re already on the right track! 🙂

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  13. I thought I would magically lose 10 lbs when I started training for my first half marathon…. Nope! I’ve found that my hunger gets totally out of control sometimes but that I have to fill myself up with nutrient dense foods before I reach for the bad stuff. I always try to eat and apple and a full glass of water after a workout because it keeps my hunger in check!

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  14. I’ve been so bad with my eating while I’m training for this marathon. I feel so entitled. Run 32k and eat 32000 calories. That evens out, right?! It needs to stop! Well done on that first pound. You’re already 1/10 there.

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  16. I am hungry all the time, even more so with running. The amount of food I can eat is horrible. I have been struggling with an extra 10 lbs for a while now. I always seem to do fine in the beginning of the week but fall apart by the end. The best snacks I’ve found lately that work with my restrictions are string cheese- colby jack and mixed nuts and celery. I still crave salt though. 😦

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  17. I hear this! The same thing happened to me last summer – I checked out some race photos and was horrified by how much bigger I looked! I’m still trying to figure out how to get back down to my pre-Alaska-move weight, but Pilates has helped make my waist smaller and having class to go to after dinner has helped me eat less desserts! Good luck with fighting those cravings!

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  19. We think you look great! But completely understand your frustration. You know your body and you know where you’re comfortable. Cheers to you for being disciplined. Good luck!

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  21. I struggle with this too. I’ve gained about 13 pounds in the last year or so, and while some of it is muscle (like you, my legs), I know that I’ve got plenty of extra fat hanging around. I’m trying to just focus on limiting processed foods and eating more protein and veggies for now.

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  22. So I tried broccoli slaw (organic from Trader Joe’s) last night with my ground turkey and I loved it! I made a little turkey taco salad with it with some heirloom tomatoes and avocado! I’ll share the recipe next week! Finding pasta alternatives is always helpful.

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  23. My issue is that once I start, I can’t stop. Even when full. So I just try to make sure that whatever is in front of me isn’t going to make me ill or impact me too negatively (like the time I ate 4 bags of chips at a party). I’ve tried Meal Enders, tea, gum, candy.
    I think that it comes down to “breaking the cycle/pattern.” Break the behavior completely–once you stop, you should be able to STOP (if that makes sense?). I also am a big believer in strong flavors–like a few dark chocolate m&ms, or something like that. And small bites. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks so much, Suz!!!! What are meal enders? I’ll have to look in to this…I am the same way, if you give me ONE chip, I want the ENTIRE bag, LOL!! I’ve been really good this week and am really trying to form GOOD Habits….Thanks again!

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  25. Man I love your honesty. I’m struggling to drop a good 30+ pounds right now, it’s KILLING my running. Oh, I love to eat. And beer… all the beers… I know that bigger people can run but eating badly and carrying this weight makes me so sluggish. We all have a struggle, and I appreciate you putting this out there. Great job on the awesome start!

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  28. “Eat all the food”?! That just sounds like more fun. 😉

    I too and am in the same boat. I really need to reevaluate my diet because I am the heaviest I have ever been, and more than a few pounds over the number I never ever wanted to see on a scale. And, I feel you’re saying when people respond with “it’s only 10 pounds”. I get the “you don’t have anything to lose” thing a lot, and I’m thinking, “well you don’t have to see me naked!” It’s all about feeling good in our own skin, and I haven’t.

    If you need an accountability partner- we can help each other. 🙂

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      1. I failed today, so yes…we shall see. I was having a crummy day and then one of our vendors brought in CUPCAKES! I did not however eat 3 (or 7) like I wanted, I had 1 1/2. I think thats progress! 😉

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  29. Oh, Michelle!! How you are speaking the words of a fellow 40-something lady!! I have been playing with this same 10# SINCE I turned 40 (3 years ago, mind you!!). I run, I do CF, I do Triathlons, and I STILL hate my body bc I can’t get rid of this! And…it ALL boils down to my FOOD and its intake!! I have made some changes since January, and have managed to lose 7#, but that was the cushion weight. I still have 10 MORE i want/need to loose!! UGH!!!

    Maybe we should have like a daily/weekly accountability “thingy” between us bloggers here! I’m all about having someone tell me, in their BEST Jillian Michaels’ coice, “PUT THAT DOWN, Angie!!!”

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  30. Funny thing is, I didn’t gain weight when I had to stop running from injury…but I gained a couple pounds when I started ramping up mileage for marathon training again because I ate all the food!!! Ugh…as terrible as it is, the main thing I found contributing to my small gain was wine. I’d have a glass or two at least 4 times a week. Recently, I’ve been trying to keep my wine drinking to a once (maybe twice) a week thing and it has helped a lot!
    In terms of snacks, I’ve found that peanut butter and fruit (apples, bananas) fill me up enough that I’m not constantly hungry so even though peanut butter is highly caloric…I don’t keep eating after snacking on it 🙂 I have since lost the extra weight I gained in the first few weeks of marathon training.
    We all struggle with this, but I do want you to know you look beautiful!!!! But that said, I understand that we all want to be confident in our own skin. I would just say don’t stress about the weight so much. Be conscious of what you’re putting into your body and monitor everything but don’t obsess about it – because the stress will make it harder to lose weight and be where you want to be!

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      3. LOL…maybeee start with a half a glass compromise?? Just enough to satisfy the palate and relax but not enough to get in the way of all your progress..

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