Fat Girl Runner: February 2020

Friday, February 28, 2020

The Warrior

I feel like this is one of those blogs that needs something more than words and pictures. I mean, some random fat chick talking about her food/body struggles every week can get pretty boring. So I think I need to jazz things up with a theme, like a weekly mind/body positive theme thing. I think I like that. I'm a pretty creative person. This could get fun.

This week, I wanna celebrate our INNER WARRIOR. Yes, all of us have one. It's that thing inside us that makes us get out of bed when it's gross outside, the thing that gets us going when the going gets tough. Your inner warrior is the badass inside you that makes you keep pushing when all you wanna do is give up.

Truth? Marathon training isn't all fun and games. Don't get me wrong, it can be loads of fun under the right circumstances (and minus total burn-out) This round has been the absolute most challenging--mentally and physically--thing I've done recently. Yes, including training for and completing the half Ironman in Augusta last year. The burn-out has gotten super intense. Things hurt that weren't supposed to hurt. Even the short runs became a challenge. I've cried. I've gotten pissed off. I considered dropping down to the half because things just weren't coming together the way I needed them to. I even completely pulled away from social media. I stopped sharing my workouts to Strava because I wasn't proud of anything I was doing. Which is really stupid if you think about it. The sheer will to keep going is enough to be proud of, but I think you get the point. It's been a freakin' struggle.

With the Little Rock Marathon coming up this weekend, the song of the week HAS to be 80s, and I'm gonna be a whole lot extra and pick "The Warrior." If you've ever heard/seen me cross a finish line, you would understand this. Beyond that, I think it takes tapping into that warrior spirit to conquer these huge goals and finish things that are hard. A warrior heart can conquer an antagonistic brain every time!

Since the big race is fast approaching and I didn't stumble upon this IF thing until it was too late, I've decided not to fast Saturday or Sunday. I'm doing the Totally Awesome challenge again this year (the 5k Saturday and the Marathon Sunday.) Because who goes to Little Rock and doesn't race both days? Pft.

I also decided to start reporting the changes in my body measurements here as well, because isn't that what we all really wanna see? Does IF work? How well does it work? And can I maintain my present level of insanity with it?

After this past weekend, I've come to the conclusion it is entirely possible to do pretty strenuous activities fasted, but I feel like adding in the BCAAs was important. Fatigue wasn't nearly as bad Sunday as it was Saturday, which is kinda backwards if you think about it. After 10 miles in the woods, my legs should've been boat anchors, but they weren't. When I get back from Little Rock, I plan to play around with some things as far as fueling goes. One thing for sure, I'm going to keep using the BCAAs during my workouts.

WEEK ONE STATISTICS:

Weight: -2lb
BMI: -.10
Hips: No previous measurement
Waist: No previous measurement
Bust: No previous measurement

DAY FIVE - Sunday 2/23/20:

I didn't take any pictures today, so there's really nothing fun to share here. Unless you guys want to see a screenshot from Training Peaks... Yeah, I know. No one wants to see that.

This morning has been different than the previous mornings. I wasn't starving when I got out of bed. It wasn't like I ate a ton the night before. I threw a couple of Morningstar Spicy Black Bean burgers in the air fryer for me and the hubby for dinner. I think I ate a handful of White Cheddar Cheetos with it, but that was it. I honestly don't think I heard the first growl until around 8:30 (and I woke up around 4AM. Don't ask. It's stupid to be awake that early when you don't have to be.)

Nothing much to report, other than all my workouts were done fasted. I knew I would be close to home for my run, and in my garage for the rest. That felt safe. I didn't start feeling depleted until the end of the TABATA ride (which significantly kicks my ass on a good day.)

Today's workout: (all fasted with 1.5 servings of BodyTech Ultimate BCAA)

DailyBurn 365
3 Mile Run
35 Minute TABATA Ride

DAY SIX - Monday 2/24/20:

My body is definitely getting used to this madness. I haven't been starving in the mornings, and those early evenings spent watching TV with my husband doesn't include snacking anymore, which I'm not missing too badly today. Though, that bag of white cheddar Cheetos is calling my name. Seriously, if you haven't tried those things, you're missing out. I can't even eat the orange ones anymore.

Today's workout:

DailyBurn 365
20 Minute Stair Stepper Intervals

DAY SEVEN - Tuesday 2/25/20:

So this is totally cool. It's been exactly one week since I started this fasting experiment. It all began on a taco Tuesday. And what is today? Oh, yeah! #tacosarelife

Morning seem to be getting a lot easier. At least today they are. My body doesn't seem to be demanding food as soon as my eyes open. So that's a win. Pretty proud of my food choices during the day.

My husband made the BEST shrimp tacos and mango salsa for dinner. It was delicious and I felt completely satisfied... until like an hour later. It took a lot of will power to resist the urge to munch. If only I'd had that willpower when it came to working out today...

Today's workout:

I'm a total slacker. Don't judge me.

DAY EIGHT - Wednesday 2/26/20:

I think work from home days are especially hard because all the things I want to eat are right outside the office door, and I know they're there. Like those stupid White Cheddar Cheetos. Seriously, never ever ever buy them. Once you start, you can't stop.

We're stocking up on the carbs and protein in preparation for race weekend. Hubby cooked steak and baked potatoes tonight. It was incredibly filling. I had a handful of vanilla cupcake goldfish right before the fasting window started again. What? I wanted something sweet. #dontjudgeme

Today's workout:

DailyBurn 365
3 Mile Easy Run

DAY NINE - Thursday 2/27/20:

Oh. My. God. I'm sooooo hungry. This morning was bad again. I counted down minutes and the clock wasn't going anywhere. My stomach rumbled sooooooooo loudly. Ugh.

I got so mentally invested in my work project that didn't eat until around 10:20. Obviously, my tummy quieted down, but I couldn't tell you when. Probably when I stopped thinking about it. That's the trick, you know?

Maybe I'm losing my mind, but I feel like I'm already seeing changes in my body composition. Keep in mind, I've been doing a lot of HIIT, TABATA, and core work since January 1, but I still feel like fasting is making a positive impact on my weight.

Today's workout:

Rest

DAY TEN - Friday 2/28/20:

So far, so good. Still fasting. I did a little carb loading last night with pizza from Pyros. It was fabulous. Woke up still feeling pretty good. I'm going to break the fast tonight so I can properly fuel for Saturday and Sunday, but I plan on going back to this diet on Monday! I really like how I feel and the results I'm seeing.

I wanted to get this up before hitting the road to head to Little Rock. Kinda like having all my work wrapped up before heading on vacation. I don't like to leaving things unfinished. If all goes well, I'll have a fun story to tell about my 4th marathon! Wish me luck!

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Long Time, No See...

Wow, it's been a hot minute, hasn't it? Last time I talked to you all, I was going into training for my second full marathon. A lot has happened since then. Not only did I finish that bad boy, I finished a third and began training for my fourth. #oneanddonemyass #theytoldmeso

I also became a triathlete and finished my first half Ironman. (Augusta 70.3 is a story for another day.) Crazy stuff though, right? It's been a wild, fabulously torturous adventure. So much fun, in fact, that I've completely burned myself out. Yeah... totally. I had planned on doing my first 50k after Little Rock this year, but I decided against it because my heart just isn't in. I was training hard and everything was going great, then I got a lower respiratory infection that put me out for two weeks and messed up my long runs. I got discouraged and sorta gave up (still trained, but meh.) I'll pay for it March 1st. But that's not why we're here.

During all that hardcore endurance training, I STAYED hungry. Like all the time. See food. Eat food. And because of the burn-out and the fact I was still doing something, I gave myself license to eat what the hell I wanted to. This is a trap a lot of people fall into. You ran fifteen miles, eat an effing cupcake.

Can I just say Frost Bake Shop makes the best cupcakes in the 901. Don't believe me? Try them.

I digress. The point was I completely tanked my weight loss. Well, maybe not completely. I did manage to stay under two hundred pounds, but I'm getting to a place I don't like and it's ruining my run fun.

BodyFast App

As a subscriber to like every major fitness/running/healthy food blog/app/whatever, I get daily emails with catchy headlines about eat this and don't eat that, or do this workouts to boost your (insert whatever goal.) One came through a few weeks ago about intermittent fasting. It totally caught my eye, so I read it.

My brain very literally said to me, "but wait, Allison, you do all that endurancey crap. How can you fast?" So again, I took to Google. What I found was there are people in this wild universe who do IF and endurance running. A lot of super fit, super lean, long time endurance athletes whose bodies are consistently trained to do all this stuff. They weren't 40+ plus women with an excessive BMI and mad hankering for all the sweet things. Totally not applicable to me.

I'm piece-milling all the things I've found from the different sites and what I know about running and fueling and dieting, or at the very least what I think I know. I'm not certified in anything related to this blog. I'm an IT nerd. I sit at a desk all day and stare at screens. Though, in my defense, I have a standing desk and a balance ball chair.

So... consider this a science experiment, a diary of trial and error, with me being a willing guinea pig. I plan to share what has worked as far as fueling and what hasn't, all the emotions and how I feel physically during this madness and of course any positive and/or negative changes. Also, you guys are going to help me stay accountable. I plan to be very real with y'all, so that means I have to be very real with myself, and y'all know how hard that mess can be. I hope everyone finds this content helpful... or at the very least, entertaining to read.

THE PLAN:

"The concept is fairly simple: the 16:8 diet is where you eat for about eight hours of the day and then ‘fast’ for the rest of the day." source: Women's Health Magazine

"Suggested benefits of the 16:8 plan include weight loss and fat loss, as well as the prevention of type 2 diabetes and other obesity-associated conditions." source: Medical News Today

According to Gweneth Paltrow's Netflix show, Goop Lab, fasting also helps slow biological aging as well as increasing energy. Just Google it. The internet has a wealth of information about 16:8 Fasting.

Since I have a problem restricting what I eat, I'm not changing my diet. As it stands now, I typically avoid sugary things at least 6 days a week. I use Monk Fruit to sweeten my coffee. I've been breaking my fast with carbs and protein. One of my go-tos is Ezekiel Bread toast and nut butter. I'm eyeing a jar of Pistachio Butter I really wanna try. Friday is typically eat whatever day because Saturday (and likely Sunday) will always consist of a long/longish run. I think I mostly snack and eat smart, so we're going to try fasting and exercise before going too crazy.

DAY ONE - Wednesday 2/19/20:

My husband cooked this!!!

What, you didn't think you'd get through this without some food pics, did you? To the right is the last meal before starting the fast. My husband made homemade tomatillo salsa, pork carnitas tacos, and Mexican street corn. He keeps one-upping his taco Tuesdays. I'm not complaining. It was delicious and left me completely satisfied.

The morning after making this insane decision wasn't horrible. I was as hungry as I expected to be but my inner cheerleader was all "go team go! You can do it!" I was in a happy place with this decision despite my loudly growling stomach. Truth? The growling has been my body's way of saying good morning since I started doing all the physical activity back in 2015. Nothing new or shocking here.

The growling came in waves. I drank water and sugar/creamer free (zero calorie) coffee all morning and avoided people just in case my hangry came out. I broke the fast with Ezekiel Bread toast and peanut butter. Had a salad for lunch about an hour later. I never felt like I was completely satisfied though.

I might have cried a little when my Apple Watch notified me that my eating window was coming to an end.We all have things that move us to tears. Mine happens to be food and heart-jerking dramas with great character arcs... don't judge me. The hungrier I am, the more I fall for broken, fictional bad boys.

Today's workout:

DailyBurn 365
20 Min Stair Climber Intervals
4 Mile Run (BCAA)

DAY TWO - Thursday 2/20/20:

Today was a whole different ball game. I was hungry when I woke up. My stomach was growling and didn't stop growling until I put something in it. I think she's getting an attitude. Gonna have to knock her down a peg or two.

I didn't get to break my fast with peanut butter toast today, because I've been in and out of meetings, but I still grabbed something with Protein. I read somewhere that your body will cannibalize the muscles without protein or something. So I figured this was a good choice... considering my boss fed us pizza today.

I pretty much stayed hungry and a little cranky all day. My husband made homemade Shrimp Scampi and garlic bread for dinner. I was a decent sized plate, and I was hungry thirty minutes after eating. I stayed hungry all night, even started feeling pretty bad. My stomach hated me. Since I started endurance training, whenever I get super hungry, I start feeling nauseous. That hasn't happened in a while, but it happened today. Ugh. Why am I doing this?

Today's workout:

DailyBurn 365
20 Min Stair Climber Intervals
45 minute Cycle TABATA

DAY THREE - Friday 2/21/20:

I can't lie. Today, I was counting down the minutes until I could eat again. It was really hard not to cave today. I had one of those "how bad can one fun-sized Snicker ruin my fast?" You'd be proud. I didn't eat one. In fact, when it came time for my fasting window to end, I was good and had the little snack you see to your right. Colby Jack cheese cubes, coconut walnuts, and honeycrisp apples. Sounds like a ton of food, but it wasn't. Each side of the container is only a half a cup, and it was completely satisfying. Thank gawds, because on my way to lunch I was rear-ended and had to wait another hour and a half or so to even eat a real meal.

I carb loaded and proteined up for my weekend. My husband was craving Central BBQ, and to be honest, as soon as he mentioned it, I started craving it too. I didn't pig out, but was satisfied when my eating window close.

Today's workout:

Rest Day

DAY FOUR - Saturday 2/22/20:

This morning, the growling didn't seem so bad. I wasn't horribly hungry upon waking. I didn't have the guts to start exercising fasted because I planned on going to the woods. Alone. That seemed dangerous to me. I did do my DailyBurn 365 fasted, and it was challenging, but that day's trainer has always been a tough one.

I had two slices of Ezekiel Bread toast and peanut butter (versus the one I typically have) and headed out to Herb Parsons Lake for a run in the woods. These lone adventures have been good for my head, and I think my self confidence. These particular trails are one of the more challenging for me. The pine cones make the floor slick, and with all the rain we've had, the trails were a mess. I focused more on not breaking my neck than trying to go fast, and eventually I made it out of the woods alive. It was a really great morning.

Today's workout: