Oh, there's that 5 pounds I was looking for!



How I look these days


Hi this is Debbie downer writing from Down-in-da-dumpsville. Somehow I got on the scale this morning and gained 5 more pounds than the amount I’ve already put on. I’m seriously baffled and not sure what’s going on. Let me explain why – for the past 2 weeks, I have been running my hiney off trying to prepare for this half marathon next weekend. It was sort of a surprise deal, someone dropped out, so I decided that it’s been a while since I tortured myself by running a half marathon without training, so I am taking their place. Plus the run is in a conservation park with lots of wild animals so I figured that the scenery would be amazing, even if I’m crawling on all fours – at least I’ll be at home with the rest of the 4 legged animals.

Anyways, so I’ve been running an average of 25 miles a week for 2 full weeks – granted I have been working out around 5 days a week before marathon training, but 25 miles a week is like 2500 calories burned…which tied with my decent low carb, high protein diet during the day, should equal a negative pound or two. But no, apparently it actually equals 5 pounds more. I fell into a deep dark depression after seeing that. I mean, really, I am gaining weight like it’s my real job out here. And I feel like I need to put it out there – no more shame, you know? Just say it – I’m getting larger and I’m frustrated as hell. So, I did a little research on this to try to figure out how to solve this extremely frustrating conundrum that I’ve been in – not just in the last 2 weeks, but in the last 3 years (more like the better part of my life). Here’s what I read about gaining weight during marathon (or half) training:

1) Some people think they can eat more because they are training and then end up eating so much that they blow the calorie deficit that they earned by running.

I’m allowing this in as one of the possibilities. During the week my diet from 8am to 6pm is the model regimen according to most nutritionists: oatmeal with nuts and cranberries for breakfast at work, fat free/sugar free yogurt, lunch of salad with chicken or chicken with some good carb like quinoa or a veggie, fruit, and a handful of almonds in the afternoon. Sounds fine right? I do just great during work hours – no issues there. After all, I have no car at work since Sargento drops me off and there is really no where to walk to for snacks/food around my office (which is a whole other issue because I literally do not move during the day from my desk..THERE IS NO WHERE FOR ME TO GO!). I digress – anyways, after getting home in the evenings, I make dinner – and the only thing I can think of is that I’m eating too much at dinner or snacking while I’m cooking. The Sergion and I eat the same exact thing usually and he keeps telling me that I’m a chick and I’m supposed to eat less but that just doesn’t seem fair! How does a person get used to eating less while the person sitting across from them eats as much as they want (and doesn’t gain weight)? How do I reset my mind to see that my portions are too high and then what’s the best way to adjust during those 3 to 4 weeks of getting used to it. OR how do I eat one thing while he eats another? I don’t know. My other issue is, why does it feel okay to eat things when someone else eats it too? It’s like I have temporary amnesia that I’m upset about my weight gain and that extra food is going to cause my issue to get worse? But I really don’t think I’m eating more now than I was 2 weeks ago before training, so why the weight gain if I’m burning more anyways?

2) Muscle built during training will add pounds to the scale.

This is the one that everyone wants to believe. But seriously, I was doing more weight training BEFORE training for the half mara – so I just don’t buy this one..sorry.

3) Training for long races causes you to drink more and so you have more water weight than normal.

Um, no – if you know anything about me, water flows outward WAY more than inward, I sweat like a polish sausage on a hot grill. Thanks for trying out though.

4) You aren’t eating enough protein to burn fat so your body shuts down.

I don’t know..i mean, maybe. But I eat like 2 chicken breasts a day – freaking Kenyans are stick thin and they eat mashed carbs all day everyday – so is this rule just for Americans? Just so I can rule this one out – I will try to add some egg whites in there somewhere, but seriously, if a couple of additional egg whites a day was the reason I wasn’t losing weight all these years, I will quit my job and open up a chicken farm.
So, really we’re stuck with #1 as the most probable cause – I’m just eating too much when I get home. Dang it. I was hoping it was something else. Okay, so to deal with this I will commit to the next 30 days of eating portions that fit into the palm of my hand for dinner. This is my public commitment (read: humiliation). If I get hungry after dinner, I will eat a handful of almonds or an apple and then lock my fridge. And yes, there is a lock on our fridge – weird right? I think it’s for people that are worried that their house help is stealing their food – either that, or it’s a protective measure because someone realized that we are the type of people that leave things to mold in our fridge so long that there is danger it could come alive and walk out.


Our lockable mini-fridge



That’s the 6.
You're welcome to give me your suggestions or take on this rediculousness.