I officially started my body building diet a week ago. I am consuming 1400 calories, 40% carbs, 40%protein, and 20% fat. I looked at my trainer with a skeptical eye. "1400 calories and carbs", I exclaimed. She is crazy. There is no way I can lose weight with this diet. She wanted me to trust her. She said that I should have no problem losing weight. I told her I will try. I found that exact proportions of food in a bodybuilding magazine. I have been following it to the letter.

Breakfast:
3 egg whites with mushrooms and salsa
 1 slice of cinnamon ezekiel bread.

Snack,
rice cake with 1tbsp peanut
protein shake

 Lunch
4oz of chicken breast or shrimp or fish
 .5 cup rice or 4 oz of sweet potato
 4oz of vegetable or small salad with basalmic vinegar

Snack
4oz protein
4oz vegetable
4oz sweet potato or rice

Dinner
4oz of protein
 4oz of vegetables

Last snack of the day
 protein shake
 1/4 cup yogurt or cottage cheese.

After a week of this diet, I lost 5 pounds. I finally broke through my plateau. I now weight 147 pounds. I am very excited. I am still nervous that if I cheat, I will gain it back. It has been a long time since I have been this weight. I plan to continue this diet even though it's getting boring already. I need to remember that I am nourishing my body and it doesn't matter the taste. I need to do this to lose another 7 pounds and then I will feel comfortable. I thought that it would be great to be 145, but after being only 2 pounds away, I know I still have a lot to lose. Yes, I am finally saying my weight. That is really hard to admit, but now I am in a confort zone. I can start seeing the definition on my arms better. Finally, my hard work is paying off.

I know in a last blog I started to do raw food. I was able to follow that plan for a week. It was just too cold to stay raw. I was able to finally lose the holiday weight and get back on track. Now I am in a zone.

 After several blogs about diets and what I was following to lose weight, I feel like a hypocrite. I am constantly changing my mind to find what works for me. Everyone is different. Everyone's body responds to different foods and different diets. Life circumstances can change how you eat. I am trying them all. I will reach my goal. I might constantly vary my program but I will do what is right for me. For now, the above diet is working like a charm.

Half Marathon Relay

Over the weekend, we ran our second race of the Will Run for Beer series. We traveled to Milford, NH, which was an hour and a half away. This was the first indoor relay that we participated in.

Scott, Marcia, Gano, and I revived the Weekend Warriors. We pulled out our green team shirts with a viking on it. We donned our viking hats that we received from the Warrior Dash last year, and proceeded to the starting line. We each decided that Marcia and I would run 16 laps which was 3 miles. Gano and Scott would split the rest at four miles a piece. I lined up with all the other first leg runners. "On your mark, get set, Go," exclaimed the announcer. We were off. Since we needed to finish the race in under two hours, because another race would start, there was no slacking. I needed to run under a 10 minute mile. The track was springy, which made it easier to run. My splits were about 1:50 and under. The first half of the race went by quick. I scanned the monitor after every lap to keep count of what I ran. Wow, I ran faster than normal. The crowd cheered the runners on at every corner. Music blared in the background. The announcer announced the team as the runners crossed the timing mat. It was exhilarating to hear the race in progress. I looked down and realized I didn't have my running belt on. Coming around the corner, I spied Marcia. "I need my running belt," I exclaimed. My belt had our racing numbers on it. Off she went to retrieve the belt. Next lap around she handed my the belt. However, I had to hold it because I had the baton in my hand and couldn't put the belt on. Scott cheered me on with 3 more laps. Two more laps, faster I ran. One lap faster still. I was to hand off the baton to Marcia to run the next lap. I came around the corner and saw her waiting in the relay zone.  Breaking out into a sprint I chased her down and passed the baton. I stopped with exhaustion. I ran the 3.2 miles in under 30 minutes. I did it. My leg was done.

After catching my breath, I proceeded to the front lines to watch Marcia run her laps. She was in the zone. We had to call her to look up and smile for a picture. Next, Marcia handed the baton to Gano. He was a faster runner, so he was able to make up some time. We were an hour into the race with 6 miles down. Gano had a head cold and after 14 laps, he was done. His head was pounding. Scott rallied to the cause. He took the hand off and off he went. He was running 1:40 splits. We put him at the end because he can run the fastest and farthest. If my knee gave out, he was able to run the extra. He was calculated to run under 5 miles. The last 3 laps, he broke 1:35 splits. I yelled, last lap. He ran faster still. I was standing at the finish line. "Scott, your done", I exclaimed. I scanned the monitor and we completed the relay in 2 hours and 1 minute. We did it. We finished our half marathon relay in excellent time. I looked up to congratulate Scott. He was still running. Marcia and I looked at each other. "Isn't he done? What is he doing?" we called. We had to laugh. I guess he wanted to get the 5 miles in. The announcer called Weekend Warriors are finished. However, Scott was already half way around the track. He thought he had to complete the 69th lap but he didn't. He was a trooper, a warrior to the end. We completed our second race.

I refuse to Give Up Running

When I signed on for a bodybuilding competition, I originally planned to compete in October. But I really wanted to do it sooner. So when I asked my trainer and she said I could be ready by July, I was excited. I wanted to get to the diet down portion quick. I wanted to start seeing my muscles pop out from all the hard work I've been doing. However, I also planned on running the Will Run for Beer series in the winter. This included a half marathon in April. Under normal circumstances, that would be doable if the competition was in October. But it is in July. I had it in my head that I was going to do the half marathon even though I never wanted to do a half before.

During last summer, Scott and I decided to run new route. Scott ran with me for the first 2 miles and then he broke off at a faster pace. I was feeling energized and invigorated.  Going through Old Mill, I took a shortcut to try to meet up with Scott.  We finally met up for the run back. He was exhausted. He had on new shoes and his feet were really bothering him. He had to keeping walking and couldn't understand why. I looked at the time and we ran for an hour and a half. We were shocked. We didn't realize we ran for that long. Later we drove the car to record the mileage we ran. I ran 8.5 miles and Scott ran 9.5 miles. No wonder why he was exhausted. He was running at a 5K pace for 9 miles. Poor Scott, I couldn't do anything but laugh in awe that we jogged that much. Ever since then, I realized that I could run a half marathon and that's all I wanted to do.

So, back to the present. I know everyone says that I cannot run and bodybuild at the same time. I get that. But I want to do it all. Why can't I do it all? If I train for the half marathon until April, I still have 4 months to lift heavy to gain muscle. I might not be as muscular as I planned. The running might eat away at some of my bulk, but I think I will be more well rounded. I will be fit all around. I don't want to be out of breath going upstairs, or having trouble running after my kids. I want it both ways and I plan to get it. I still want to do more triathlons and I plan to do the Disney marathon in January. I will continue to do both for as long as I can and then decide what I want to pursue.

Great Week

This week has been a great week. My diet was almost perfect. After tracking my diet on myfitnesspal.com, I have been under my calories all week. I tried so new recipes this week to start the transition to eating healthy again.

I added shrimp and steamed okra to my meals this week. I lightly sauteed them with no oil and added garlic to taste. It is very low is calories.

Homemade burritos made a great tasting dinner. I used ground turkey with burrito mix and sauteed red and yellow peppers and onions. I added some black beans and mixed it all in a bowl with a little of avocado and cheese on top. I didn't use tortillas because it was to high in carbs.

Carb-less homemade lasagna was a wonderful substitution for the real thing. Instead of noodles, we used eggplant as a substitute. Low fat ricotta, sugar free fat free tomato sauce, and ground turkey with low fat cheese on top make my taste buds water just thinking about it. I enjoy it with loaded with spinach as well to get the moist calcium from the dish.

It is easy to stay eating healthy when the food tastes great. Since I eat 3 egg white in the morning, I have switched to buying the egg whites in the carton. It saves a lot of money and space in the refrigerator. For 1 carton of 20 egg whites, it cost $3.49. That's the price of a dozen eggs. I add mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions, and spinach to my eggs topped off with garlic salsa. Salsa is also a good substitute for salad dressing.

 I have been tracking low in my protein column. I had to add a protein shake after working out to increase my protein.

It was a good feeling to get on the scale again and the extra weight is starting to come off. It gives me hope again. I feel slimmer after losing 2 pounds this week. I am really excited to finally start seeing the definition in my arms.

God Led

After spending the weekend and holidays with a good friend, I believe our friendship was God led. Scott and I moved to Maine 13 years ago. So did my friend and her husband, however they moved from Colorado. We only met them 5 years ago at our office as patients. We immediately hit it off. After spending many months at the office with her, we started talking about triathlons. We were both really interested in doing them but never have. Neither of us were in "shape"enough to do it. So, we decided to train for a local triathlon together. We both spoke with our husbands and neither were very excited to do it with us. They were very supportive of us though. After several talks with them, the men agreed. We were going to do our first ever triathlon together. We started training mostly by ourselves or with our spouse. Occasionally, on weekends, we trained with our friends. During the summer, every Monday and Wednesday we went to Spring Hill to swim and bike. We over trained the route of the triathlon and we were becoming bored. Finally, the day arrive. It was beautiful. The crowds were roaring. The athletes covered the once empty field. Soon, we will be able to call ourselves triathletes. The race was exhausting but it was exhilarating to come across the finish line knowing that we completed a hard earned goal. We signed up for the Pumkinman again next year.

The next challenge began when I ordered Fun Passes for the year. (This is a coupon book for the Seacoast area where you buy an adult pass and a child gets in free) On the Breathe NH website, I saw a bike tour. I always wanted to do a 100 mile two day bike ride. I was excited to accomplish this tour. It was either one or two days. I approach my friend Marica with it and she agreed that would be great to do. Since we never rode that long before, we decided to do the 42 mile one day tour. Now, to talk the boys into it. Scott had no desire to ride a bike that long. He didn't like biking for the triathlon. That was his worst event, beside throwing up while swimming. My friend's husband was willing, so we had to convince Scott. Eventually, peer pressure won over. So, the following May we climbed on our bikes and rode. PS: I was pregnant and Scott had a herniated disc. But we still did it.  The ride was great. We started in Portsmouth and rode to Rye Beach and up the coast to Ogunquit. The most exhausting part was the hills in Kittery. They were constant. By the time we rode into York, we were hurting. York Beach is pretty flat but our legs were on fire and it was hard to enjoy the scenery. We finally came to Nubble Lighthouse and took a long break. After resting, we proceeded to our final destination. Crossing Route 1 we can hear the chorus of voices cheering us on to complete the last leg of the tour. Again, it was exhilarating. We did it! Another accomplishment down. However, we still want the 100 miler and may sign up for the Patrick Dempsey one of these years.

That same year we were signed up for the Pumkinman, but Scott nor I could race that year because of our conditions. Our friends still continued to enter the race and finish. We were very proud of them. We signed up again for the bike tour in May and I decided not to do it because baby Ella was too young and refused to take a bottle. I couldn't be away from her that long. So the boys did the tour and the girls stood back this time. It was good that we didn't do it because it rained most of the time. They finished first in their tour. We would have held them back so I'm glad they were able to put up a great time.

Scott and I wanted to sign up for the Seacoast Road Series this year. But trying to convince our friends was a little more difficult. She had knee problems and hated running. However, peer pressure wins out again. They signed up. We ran 6 out of 8 races with Market Square Day being a 10K and all the rest were 5K. Our first race was slow. I think we were about an 11 minute mile. By the end of the series, we broke the 10 minute mark. We were thrilled. Scott also broke his time of 24 minutes. Market Square Day is a race that I won't forget. Scott pushed Ella in a stroller and at the first corner the stroller wheel fell off. Marcia and I stopped to help put it back on. After about 3 minutes we started to run again. Scott took off to make up time. Marcia and I started out at our 10 minute pace again. We found out the Scott passed Gano on the run and made record time. He was fast. We weren't. Marcia wanted to walk around the five mile mark. We walked for a minute until I realized she wasn't in pain. She had to persevere and I pushed her to run again. She completed her first 10K race.

Since we were injured for the Pumkinman, we were able to move our entry to the following year. Our friends joined us again. We trained for the swimming together and ran sometimes together. But we didn't train as much as we could have. I still had some baby weight on and couldn't keep up with Scott on the bike. The year before biking was so easy, but not with extra weight. So I didn't want to bike that much. I mostly ran for the series and swam once a week. About a month before Pumkiman, Marcia wanted her chance to challenge me. She wanted to do a bodybuilding competition. She thought I would say no. However, I was all in. I always wanted to be a fitness competitor but didn't have the gymnastics background. So I never pursued it. But when Marcia approached me, I was all in. The next week I started my P90X program and there was no turning back.

We did finish the Pumkinma strong. I beat my time from last year. I am interested to see what my time will be if I enter this year. I wasn't planning on doing the tri, but with the weight lose and the added strength, I might kick some butt. We'll see.

So now, you are up to date with how our friendship started. We each pushed each other to go farther than we have before. Would we ever have thought about a triathlon if we didn't meet each other? Only God knows. Would I ever be training for a bodybuilding competition,only God knows. So after Marcia stated the she didn't know why God led her back to Maine, I was just kidding when I said it was me, but after thinking and charting our journey together, I know it has to be God led. We have both helped each other grow in a uncharted part of our life.I am blessed to have them as friends.

After the Holidays

January 2, 2012 is the start of the New Year. Last week I started to kick it into gear. I ate much more raw food than I have in a while. I made raw Pad Thai, which was fabulous. that is Scott's favorite raw recipe. He had 2 helping. Unfortunately, it has a lot of calories because of the almond butter. But it tastes just like Pad Thai. I also made raw enchiladas. I was very impressed. It came out very tasty. I will have to keep that recipe on hand. I also  juiced every day to get those vital nutrients in my system.

The rest of the week was not as much raw food. I love eating eggs in the morning. I use 1 egg and 2 egg whites. I add spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and salsa to taste. This makes the eggs much more filling. Occassionally, I added ekekiel bread since my trainer says I need carbs in the morning to help my muscle grow. After looking at the calorie difference of one whole egg versus just egg whites, I couldn't believe the difference. 70 caloies for 1 egg versus 48 calories for 3 egg whites. So I switched to just egg whites. I miss my yolk but not enough for the extra caloies.

I also like to eat deli turkey (I know, it has many nitrates and is not good for you) rolled in low fat swiss cheese. I try to keep this to a minimum, but its a great snack when I get really hungry and don't have the energy to make something. I shouldn't say energy, but when I get hungry, sometimes it just hits me and I need to eat immediately. Scott can see the difference in me when I get famished. I get light headed and really grumpy. (Yes, more grumpy than usual,lol) I snap at the kids for no reason. So, I try not to become that hungry but sometimes it happens when I have to take care of the kids first.

I mentioned in a last blog that I wanted to be in a better mood. Since cleaning up my diet, it has helped. As a friend says, my anger pie is not full or overflowing anymore. I am able to remain more calm with the things the kids do instead of blowing up at them. It still irritates me when the kids whine about doing school work but I try not to get so angry. If they just do what I say then the angry pie will remain empty. But kids will be kids and I love them dearly.

First Run of the New Year

Feeling the heat of the sun beat down on us as we waited for the horn to blare to start the race of our first run of the New Year was exhilarating. The temperature was 51 degrees at the start of the race. The layers that we had piled on were removed due to the warm weather. The skies were clear and crystal blue. It was a gorgeous day. I can not believe it January 1st, 2012. We had  hats, gloves, outdoor running clothes, and jackets. We were prepared for 20 degree weather. When we left the house, it was 27 degrees. The roads were still slippery. As we drove farther south, the sun came up and warmed the earth.

I dropped off my bag at the baggage area after waiting in a long line. I walked out of the building peering into the crowd to find Scott.  I couldn't find Scott and my friends in the crowd. The announcer called 10 minutes to the start. They were no where to be found. I proceeded to the race area scanning the crowd for red jackets and white hats. Little did I know, there were many people wearing the same red jackets that we earned for the Seacoast Road Series. And the white hats were give aways for this race. I walked past the start of the race constantly looking for them until I reached the back of the line. Still, they were nowhere.  "5 minutes to race time" Still no Scott. Finally, above the crowd I saw an orange hat of my friend Gano and flagged them down. They sauntered over to me. Marcia was very happy to find me since we are running buddies. I felt relieved to finally find them. They were waiting outside the door when I came out but I never saw them.

After the panic was over, the race began. We started about 1 minute 10 seconds after the horn went off. There were over 1,000 runners trying to get over the starting pad. It was slow going at first. The route was very mild. One small hill emerged at the beginning of the race and after 1.5 miles, we ran along the Pawtucket River. Since I haven't ran in a month, I thought I was jogging slowly. However, we had a 10:15 split and finished the race at 32 minutes exactly. About 1.5 miles in, I had sharp shooting pain in my lateral knee. Slowly the pain moved medially but continued to be excruciating. After having to walk during the last race due to my knee, I wasn't going to let it stop me again. I know I would be more miserable psychologically if I walked than if I just dealt with the pain. I was very depressed after having to walk, that I didn't want to do that again. I felt like I let myself down not running the last race of the series. I know many people sign up to be walkers, but I feel that to say that I ran it I have to run the whole time. Otherwise, I would complete it but not to the best of my ability.

 So, at the 3 mile mark I was ready to kick it into gear. I tried to coax Marcia into increasing our speed. She did a little bit. After the last turn I increased my pace and unbeknownist to me, my knee pain went away. I couldn't believe it. All my knee pain was gone. So I cranked it up more and crossed the finish line. I received my medal which was I wine bottle topper which is perfect for me.  I grabbed a water and went to find Scott. My knee still did not bother me. I prayed a thank you to God and enjoyed the after glow of finishing the race. Of course, this is a Will Run for Beer Series and it wouldn't be a race without the beer.