I hate it when my husband is right.
Luckily, it isn't something that happens too often, unless we are playing Trivial Pursuit- he's one of those people that knows just enough about every possible category. There will be some question that no one should know the answer to, and he just spits it out nonchalantly. Pisses me off...
But anyway, at the beginning of this week, my husband asked how my workouts/training was going. I was honest with him, and told him I was exhausted. Getting up at 4:45 AM to workout three times a week and doing two workout sessions most days was leaving me fatigued, drained, unable to concentrate, and even starting to feel like I was getting sick.
Then he simply said, "You're probably not eating enough".
What?
I gave him The Rock raised eyebrow. Didn't he understand that I was trying to lose body fat in order to be more "aerodynamic?" (Ok, the truth is I'd like to feel better about my thighs when I wear my bike shorts...).
He showed me a couple of articles that he had read, and reminded me that I was burning more calories than it was used to and my body needed fuel. I nodded and smiled, but remained stoic in the back of my mind that he was off the mark.
I mean, carbs are every woman's ultimate enemy! And he wants me to increase my fat intake? Riiiight. That sounds like a great way to get in shape.
So I laid in bed, exhausted, and started looking up articles related to endurance sports and nutrition on my IPad.
And boy did it burn my ass that he was right.
Every article I clicked on talked about eating carbs and fats. Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day when in training.
That wasn't a typo. And he definitely doesn't have a muffin top.
Professional triathletes are eating 4000-6000 calories a day, and the majority of it from carbohydrates! Huh. I knew there was a reason I like this sport.
But there is a trick. The fat and carbs you consume need to be of a certain variety- Wonder Bread and T-bone steaks are not among those. But as I continued to research, and roamed my grocery store, I did find quite a bit more palatable food than you might think.
So for the rest of the week, I changed my eating habits. Muscle Cookie on the way to the gym or work. Slice of Ezekial whole grain bread with peanut butter and fresh berries for a snack. Brown rice with meat or fish and veggies for lunch. Protein bar or yogurt with berries for another snack. I also tried chocolate frosted shredded wheat and veggie chips for snacks. I increased my fluid intake as well, using lemon and peppermint oil to change up the flavor. I put strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries in a saucepan with a little water and cooked them just until soft, then mixed them in with oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, or on bread all week.
By Thursday, I was getting things done at work, and feeling strong through 2 workouts a day up, even until bedtime. On Friday, I wore street clothes instead of scrubs to work...and discovered that a pair of pants that were too tight a month ago fit perfectly. And, I felt stronger than I had in weeks at the gym, able to finish strong and without the psychiatric games of "how the hell am I going to ever actually do this?" going through my head. I begrudgingly hung my head and admitted to my husband that night that he had been right. Boy oh boy was that hard....but I figure I have to throw him a bone every now and then, right?
So listen to me ladies- if you start to do regular exercise (good for you!!), make sure to take a look at what you are (or are not) eating. Salads are great, but may not be enough. I know how hard it is to tell yourself that bread can be good for you- but oh my goodness what an awesome thing it is to pull out a square of brown goodness and know that you can devour it without guilt!
I'm not ridiculous about it, of course. I'm no Michael Phelps. I ate an entire container of Ben and Jerry's the other night (why do they insist on saying that there are 4 servings in that container? Do you actually know any woman who has made one of those last for four servings?!)- but it was their frozen yogurt Cherry Garcia instead of regular ice cream. I bought chocolate covered almonds, and put chocolate chips in my yogurt along with my berries most nights. I have always been a big believer of everything in moderation. This has allowed me to be much more consistent in my diet, allowing me to stick in the same general area on the scale over the last 10 years.
So tonight's picture represents going against the grain, and admitting that someone else was right. Feed your body right, and I am finding it will let you do amazing things. For many people, it shouldn't be about getting 'smaller" as much as getting "stronger". The stronger you are, the harder you can work out and the more calories you can actually burn. Because in the end, the truth is it's not about how you look in the bike shorts, it's about how well you actually ride the bike.
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