A good friend of mine asked me lastnight what Im eating these days. She and I met when we were pregnant with our now three year old sons. So she was with me through this entire journey. She watched me find running and saw me transform my body. She has decided to follow in my footsteps and begin the couch to 5k program! So now that she is running she wanted to know what I was eating. In the beginning I tried the atkins diet. I did experience ketosis and the loss of appetite but I also experienced the loss of some of my hair. I had long beautiful hair and it was coming out at an alarming rate, well after the regular post-pregnancy shedding that many women experience. My body just couldnt handle what I was putting into it, I was absolutly exhausted and as soon as I put a carb in my body Id bloat up like a balloon. So I went along my way dabbling in a few different diets, but I always ended up back with my bad habits. So I tried to just eat healthy. Eating healthy is totally subjective and looking back I can see the effort I put into it but I can also see many places where I could have any needed to do better. Recently a good friend turned me onto the Susan Powter way of getting fit, lean and healthy. Now that sounds right up my ally!! I really dont care about how much I end up weighing, I just want to be healthy and HOT! I know you’re thinking Susan Powter…hmm…the chick with the white buzz cut from late night infomercials circa 1992? Yep, thats the one! I encourage every woman out there to read Susan Powter’s book ‘Stop the Insanity’ it just makes sense! There is a lot of filler in the book- about her failed marriage and what not but it aides in seeing where, when and how she gained and ultimately lost the weight and got fit and healthy. So, what am I eating these days? Low fat! Ive decided that no more than 20% of my daily calories will come from fat. Nothing I put in my mouth has more than 20% of its calories from fat. But what about carbs Shelley?! What about Calories!? Results speak for themselves. I measure myself monthly, but this month I had seen a weight gain on the scale. A few mornings ago I was getting discouraged with my weight. I decided if I weighed over 160lbs I would measure myself a week early. I weighed in at 161lbs. I measured myself and I was shocked. I had lost over an inch from my waist (In three weeks!!) an inch and a quarter from my stomach and just a smidge from my hips (I dont carry much wieght in my hips, Im all tummy) I also lost fat around my back and bust. I didnt measure but I moved from a 38C to a 38B! The most noticable difference though wasnt just in my clothes fitting looser it was in my power while running. Im a slow runner, Im happy with a 12 or 13 minute mile and I usually struggle through that but after just a couple of days of eating low fat and throwing away the notion of counting calories I started to fly. I felt like I had so much more power and energy. I felt like I could blast through my training runs without hardley blinking. Now honestly my times havent improved much but its the feeling that has blown me away. I have energy to spare after my runs, I can come home and be ready to be MOMMY! right away. I dont need to sit down and rest, I usually ice my knees but I do that while tending to my family’s needs.
