Saturday, June 13, 2009

Running Lite

Since I'm getting more thematic these days, I thought I'd run with this idea.
I just got off the phone with my Dad. We had, like, an hour long conversation. That fact in it's self is story worthy, because who talks to their Dad that long? I'm lucky that I can do that. However, that's not what I'm going to write about.
During one of our many conversations the issue of "My Diet" came up. With blushing and humbleness, I've gotten a few wonderful people fooled that I'm a skilled runner with worthy advice. Among those people are some of my Dad's training buddies. He mentioned to me today that during a long run he was asked about my eating habits and how it pertains to my running. "What does Lacy eat?"
I thought it would be fun to list the normal daily menu for all those inquiring minds.
Fair warning though, I'm not recommending anything. I'm just telling you what I do and that's all.

An important note to factor in is that I used to be overweight. During the first year of my marriage, then my pregnancy, and my post-delivery years, I put on a nice chunk of weight.
To be very honest, I gained 15-20 lbs in the first 6 months of marriage. I gained 60 lbs during pregnancy, getting me up to 200 lbs on my 5' 7" frame. I only lost 40 lbs after Judah was born. So, I walked around at about 160 lbs for the first 2 years of Judah's life.
Most people don't believe me, so I thought I'd post some proof.

Believe me now?
Long story short on Mother's Day 2005, I started a diet. I counted calories using this formula.
Females: take your desired weight multiplied by 11. Males: desired weight multiplied by 12.
I wanted to weigh 120lbs. So, 120 x 11= 1320. I ate a diet of 1320 calories a day. No exercise, no adequate water intake, no focus on balancing food groups, just counted calories.
Since my goal was to lose weight, I was successful. May not have been the healthiest regime, but it worked. It worked so well, in fact, that I went over board. I was wearing sizes I'd never imagined and I took it too far. I reduced my calories even more and was very unhealthy. I was essentially battling an eating disorder. I was cranky, tired, and gaunt looking.This is a random picture of me. I look rail thin. What's more telling is my meal. It was the end of the day and I hadn't eaten a thing. I'm eating a 100 calorie soup and drinking a bottle of water. This was a typical day for me during this time period.
Thank the Lord that this didn't go on for too much longer. Not long after this picture was taken, I had a binge. I ate way too many animal crackers in the middle of the night one night. I woke with the guilt that many bulimics or anorexics refer to. Instead of doing something harmful to myself, I dug around in my closet and found the closest thing I could find that resembled a running shoe. I put them on and told Kenton, "I'll be back soon."
I was back in a matter of minutes, sweaty, panting, and falling on the floor. I'd barely made it around the block. But I think we all know what happened from there. To my surprise, as I type this, I'm realizing that, that event took place nearly 3 years ago to this very day.
It's been a learning process learning how to deal with body image, weight, diet, running, and burning/consuming the right amount of calories. I've been wrong, right, and somewhere in between. I can proudly say that I have maintained a healthy weight for nearly 10 months now. The best part is that I've maintained it by eating right, key word being EATING!

Okay, so here you go, here's my weirdo diet. There's still many crossovers from my dieting days. (I was not blessed with a super metabolism, so I don't get a free pass!)
TYPICAL DAY'S MENU
64 oz. of water before lunch

Lunch:
Salad with carrots, cucumbers, and celery.
2-3 Slices of Turkey
Fat Free Balsamic vinaigrette dressing OR salsa as dressing
1 rice cake (I can't eat gluten..so no bread for a normal sandwich)
1 piece of fruit. (Usually a grapefruit or orange)

Snack:
Sometimes I get a snack in the late afternoon. If I do, it's usually a piece of fruit. Sometimes it's a rice cake, or even a few pistachios.

Dinner:
It varies, but it's very common for us to have:

2 egg omelet with lots of veggies. (Broccoli, spinach, onions, bell peppers, anything in season)
Salsa to top it.
Piece of fruit

OR

Grilled chicken breast
Grilled veggie (like corn, squash, or zucchini)

Most of our dinners are light. Kenton's trying to lose weight, so I try to support him by eating the same dinner as him.

If we go out, he' skips the carbs and I get to indulge.

But here's my secret about where I get most of my calories.
BEDTIME SNACK:
I'm nearly ashamed to admit this to the whole world. I eat about 18 quarts of air popped popcorn each night!
I love it and can pack it away!
Again, here's proof. Kenton snapped this at midnight on my 27th birthday. I had fallen asleep with the giant popcorn bowl next to me. I can eat up to three full bowls of that a night.
(18 quarts is probably a giant over estimate, but, it's big bowl and I pack it away!)
Now, I know I eat more than that through out the course of a whole week, but generally that's what I do. I know there's room for improvement. Especially because I need to learn to refuel properly to protect my muscles and restore my body after my runs. And please know that I get to indulge in "bad things" now and then too.
One of Kenton's customers owns a DQ and refuses to let us pay, so the sweet offer of free ice cream calls my name too often these days. Considering it's loaded with sugar, calories, and too many other bad things is one issue, but considering I'm lactose intolerant is another one completely!
So, there you have it. One runner's journey through the food pyramid. It's not perfect, but as my running has shown, it must be working for me!

7 comments:

  1. wow, great story, thanks for sharing...i always love hearing about how other people came to be runners and/or lost weight...do you not eat any breakfast? and popcorn is actually a great late-night snack (not sure about 18 quarts of it but....)

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  2. yes, it's true... I don't often eat breakfast,. It's a horrible habit. I just don't have time for it, plus it's a left over habit from the over-dieting days.

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  3. Melissa Mcfarlane11:27 PM CDT

    thanks for the story Lacey! You always inspire me when I seem to be struggling. I am a emotional eater and right now I am going though a lot so I eat or drink (tea) a lot!

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  4. Yep, thanks for sharing, Lacy! Good for you! And I'm with you on the popcorn habit - I could easily put away a bowl like that every night of the week. Something about that crunch that is so satisfying!

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  5. very interesting and inspiring...the overall weightloss part. I'm over "two bills" now and have never been there in my life - not even 9 months pregnant with each of the boys so this is an all new low (or high technically, lol) for me. I'm also 5'7" and would like to be about 145. After having Isaac in July of 2004 at 196, I finally decided in Dec of 2005 when I was 187 when he was 1 1/2 to get on the loss. I joined WW and got down to 135 by June of 2006. I kept it off for about a year with no exercise and just eating healthy. Toward the end of 2007 life got stressful, moreso than usual, and I began to eat for comfort. It crept on slowly but surely. In October of 2008 I joined WW again at 174. Three weeks later I learned I was pregnant with Immanuel and just quit. The day I had him I was 197. I dropped to 185 after having him but with his heart and all the stress I just didn't care and went right back to eating crap that tasted yummy and made me feel good. Now the fact that NOTHING fits and I disgust myself in the mirror has made me feel not so good so I joined WW again last week. Not to mention that after not weighing myself for 2 months and then seeing that horrid number staring back at me. So here I am, trying again. I know I'll get there. I just hate bein on this side of it and I don't want to keep doing this up and down nightmare for life so away I go. :) Thanks for sharing your story, makes me feel a little less crazy. :)

    PS You looked good holding baby Judah and what a cutie he was! Also, congrats on your accomplishments! Finally, you look really familiar to me now in your first "heavier" pic wit Kenton...like I recognize that person from back in school or something.

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  6. Hi Lacy!

    Very inspiring story. Shows that anyone can do it with the right amount of motivation.
    Just wanted to ask - how long did it take you to drop off those 40 pounds by only counting calories?

    Congratulations again! I'm sure you're proud of yourself, not to mention the extra energy you would've gained!

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  7. Hi "StuckInALoopHole"! I started a strictly calorie counting diet on Mother's Day 2005. Before Halloween I had met my goal. It went pretty fast thankfully!

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