Dear Food Diary, It’s Me EL

In an effort to become more mindful of what I put into my body and how my body reacts I’ve implemented a few new things in my life.

1. Keeping track of what I eat (less bored, anxious, sad, vengeful, spiteful, etc. aka emotional eating) by using myfitnesspal.com
2. Cutting out as much sugar as I can. It saddens me to give up Ben and Jerry’s but I think my body will thank me later when I don’t get diagnosed with diabetes in 10+ years.
3. Actually drinking water. I have been historically bad at this. The best I ever did was when I was pregnant and it was beat into my water-deprived brain that tons of water will be better for me and my adorable spawn.
4. Using a running coach to be marathon ready. I need someone to tell me how much to run and at what pace.

I figured Marathon Monday was as good as any day to start all these changes. I think the hardest thing to keep up with will be drinking enough water. Myfitnesspal.com helps keep track of water intake, weight, exercises, food intake, and body measurements. I love making lists and keeping track of things so it’s actually fun for me to document everything. It also has a free mobile app so I can keep track of what I eat when I eat out. I think keeping a food diary is useful to people trying to be more healthy because it keeps you honest. I’ve stopped myself from eating things because I didn’t want to have to document it. I didn’t really want that extra tablespoon of mayonnaise on my sandwich anyway.

I’ve found it surprisingly easy to limit my sugar intake since we’ve rid our pantry and refrigerator of all the blatantly sugary foods. But it’s the diabolically sneaky sugary foods you have to be careful of. A lot of food have sugar added… pasta sauces, soups, salad dressings, ketchup… I could go on or you could just double check the ingredients on the labels of every boxed/canned/jarred/bottled food item you own. I think you’d be surprised. I’ll let you know how I feel it’s affected my mood, energy, and weight. So far I’ve lost 2 lbs this week but my weight has insane fluctuations not only day to day but from morning to night. What is that? Water weight? God playing a trick? Mind games? I’m hoping I’ll see a big change in my sleep patterns too. I haven’t been sleeping well which leaves me feeling fatigued during workouts. No bueno. On the bright side it says I should be down 10 lbs about a month from now. Sounds like a good plan.

The running coach has been both a blessing and a curse. It keeps you on track for your running goals but because a lot of my running is on a treadmill, the workout gets boring quick. Anyone have pointers for making treadmill workouts fun not mind numbingly drab?

Have a fit day!

EL

 

 

I just can’t quit you

So… a lot has happened since I last posted.

No, I didn’t run last year’s Marine Corps Marathon. But YES, I did defer it for this year, thus allowing me to skip over the newly enacted lottery. Hooray!

Yes, I finally have a treadmill. It is helping me to keep on track with running. Although, it gets boring. Fast. Let’s say at this stage my running is intermittent. Working on it.

No, I am not a volunteer for my husband’s unit new Family Readiness Officer… yet. But not at the fault of not trying on my behalf. The unit went through some changes like a middle aged woman going through menopause.

No, My husband is STILL (!!!!) not been retrained for a job with the USMC. I mean it’s only been three years. But he is the platoon Sergeant so it’s not like he’s not busy. Some of you are familiar with the term “the big green weenie.” My husband happens to be very familiar. On the plus side he’s been going through the process of applying for an aviator contract for Officer Candidate School. I’ll take bets on which happens first- new MOS training or Officer Candidate Course.

Yes, I’m still a stay at home mom. I’ve been really itching to get a part time job or go back to school but it’s just not a good time yet. Perhaps when our son attends pre-school in the fall. At least I can check off applying for the pre-school off my list. Next up: teaching him to pee in the damn toilet. You’d think it would be more fun for boys. Now if only someone could convince him of that. Geesh.

What does this all mean for me?

I’m going to start eating a no sugar diet. Read: no added sugar; natural sugar from fruits are fine. Although this may start out as a low sugar diet since I’m pretty sure I’m an addict. I guess I have to first convince my husband not to buy cookies and ice cream. I think this is going to help increase my energy because I’ve been super sluggish since turning 30… or maybe it’s since the moment I’ve had to be at the beck and call of a child every moment of every waking hour. It’s a coin toss really.

I also get to start shopping and looking into business licenses for my husband’s house in coastal Carolina. We’re turning it into a short term rental in order to offset the cost of mortgage. So far it’s not. At least everything we’re purchasing will be tax deductible. If we go the route of managing our own property I might take a course or five to make sure I have the professional background to keep it running smoothly.