Weighty Issues

I think I mentioned on this blog about how I tend to gain weight when I'm running, and more weight during my peak running. I've concluded that it must have something to do with my metabolism getting more efficient with calories as I increase the demands--an inbred survival mechanisms.

Well, it sure doesn't seem to remember how to be efficient when the hard training lets up.
After less than a week of cutting back my mileage AND my evening trips to the gym, I promptly lost a couple pounds despite and increase in daily calories. No biggie.
BUT after taking a few days completely off, and a lot less milage for the last couple weeks, I lost another couple pounds....putting me about 5lbs under where I was at my peak weight this summer, even if only a couple pounds under where I seem to gravitate to.

I know it's not much, but I was too skinny to start with. Even at my "setpoint" I had the goal of gaining, although my body seemed to fight it. Whether or not this was a good goal or not, whether ever managing to gain weight would help or hurt my running [only questioned since I found myself running worse whenever I ate myself sick--and then my metabolism would speed up and I'd lose the initial gain anyways]....the one thing I DO know is that I can NOT afford to lose.
I definitely have to turn this trend around, running or not, and take it as far as I can. At LEAST get back to the point where I was strongest and running my best, and see if I can't manage to push it even further and possibly gain more strength, not to mention a solid, injury-resistant, foundation to hold up to my bigtime athletic dreams.

Improving my foodie-ness! :-P

Ok, so I've had a bit more time to prepare food today without classes or work [although I really should be tackling a mega to-do list!], but I have to admit, I'm quite proud of some *cooking* done[for me!] and *real food*, plust some new stuff than my norms...and just had to brag a little.
In fact, after reading blogs where my friends post pictures of meals, I wished I was more camera savvy this morning--I was so pleased with breakfast:

Oatmeal: oats [duh] + sunflower seeds, walnuts, dried blueberries, cinnamon
3 hard boiled eggs
apple
milky coffee :-P

=not only something different [vs. cereal, bars, and cottage cheese--my norm!], but an athlete's powerhouse! Between the quality carbs in the oatmeal, vitamin E in the seeds, omega's in the eggs and walnuts, antioxidants in the apple and especially the blueberries, and a good dose of protein and healthy fats, I feel really proud of myself, even if there was nothing TRULY extraordinary about such a standard breakfast.

Fun Foodie Post!

Since eating is such a big part of my life, some of my little eating quirks and traditions are right up there with all the other habits and traits different people have in their lifestyles.
So I thought just for fun I’d post some of my fooding sorts of quirks…

Ø I love cereal. I eat it by the box unless it’s high fiber or has artificial sweeteners. But I have to have a MIX. I don’t like just flaky, just crunchy, just sweet. Something flaky + a fiber/crunchy cereal is my usual combo.

Ø While I like some of the strangest foods, foods that most people wouldn’t eat plain, and will try about anything, I’m not a big fan of the standard “favorites.” I don’t really like pizza, except for a nice thick crust [and no cheese!], and I’m not crazy about chocolate. As a kid I didn’t even like peanut butter!

Ø I hate leaving just a little bit left in the bottom of something. I don’t’ know how many times I’ve finished something, eating more than I wanted or something I don’t like/am intolerant of [from someone else] just because it bugged me to have a container with a few bites left.
[Ironically my family does the opposite—they have this crazy tendacy to get full suddenly with one bite left! Drives me nuts in a funny sort of way.]

Ø On a similar note, whenever I eat something creamy like cottage cheese, yogurt, or ice cream, I have to “scrape up the remains.” I always top these items off with some sort of bread or a banana to clean the container.
I’ve come up with some gross but tasty concoctions that way:
-melted ice cream + cottage cheese + bagel
-oatmeal + yogurt + tortilla and fruit
Ø I have a “system” when I eat where I like to follow spicey with sweet/creamy with crunchy/sweet. Or some sort of think like that. I won’t just eat one thing. I’ll do cereal to creamy to salty or a spicy dinner to creamy to snacky. And I like to end with something to drink to wash it down. Normally coffee or juice [though I prefer the dreaded Mountain Dew!] early on in the day, and warmed up lactaid milk at night.

Ø I think things to be either REALLY HOT or REALLY COLD. I’m notorious for sticking dinners, not long off the stove, in the microwave, and putting my apples in the back of the fridge or even the freezer.

Ø I like to top my meals off with a warm drink. When it’s too late for coffee, I’ll go for some warmed up milk of all things! This started back when I used to drink vanilla soy milk, in an attempt to make a vanilla version of hot chocolate. I soon discovered how soothing just plain warm milk was—and puts a nice filling cap on whatever I just ate.

To come: "Too much of a good thing Part 3: PROTEIN gone extreme"

[I wanted to keep these altogether, but have some other stuff I want to post before I have a chance to gather some of my research on this and sum it up, so I'm posting a space filler and hope to get back to it soon!]