Carrying that Weight - 21 Days to GO!

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anaïs Nin

It started with a photograph. My friend Peter shot a picture of me leaving the water at the Half Ironman in September of 2013.

There I was running for the transition area where my bike was waiting for me.

It was there, clear for everyone to see. I had a tummy.

"Psst, hey, this is our little secret. No one needs to know, right?" 

That was the what the voice in my head said.

I'm 5' 7, so I should weigh between 154-159. So what if I was 165? What's 6 lbs between friends?

I was 45 years old at the time. Being 6 lbs over was pretty good.

BUT...I hate dishonesty. Especially when it is coming from my own head.

I had been lying to myself. 

"You're a triathlete, you can eat anything you want."

NO, I could not. I was 45 & it was time to be honest about what I was doing.

I was eating with my eyes & not using my head.

On Saturdays, I would consume 750-1,000 calories for breakfast at Synagogue.

Then I would go home and repeat the same eating...grazing at lunch.

Peter's photo inspired me to make a change.

I was going to make smarter choices.

When given a choice, I would choose lean proteins vegis over processed carbs.

When I had to snack, I would eat a ClifBar instead of a whole box of cookies.

I would limit my meals to one serving...not three.

Result? I dropped 10 lbs in 3 months. 

              I went from this:                   To this: 

                                

The problem became, trying to keep the weight off. I started weighing my self every day. I started substituting coffee for food. 

When my weight hit 149, my wife started to worry.

I decided to gave up the scale.

The question then became, "What do I eat?"

I went back to my training as a coach. What had I been instructing my athletes to do when they were training?

A yogurt for breakfast.

A banana for snack.

A sandwich for lunch.

A plate of proteins & veggies for dinner.

Some hummus & chips for late night snack.

(So how has your weight been for the last 18 months?)

Between 160-163. In the last 8 weeks of training, my weight dropped to 158 & that is ok. That's what the post workout pizza is for.

As long as my pants fit, I'm good with what ever the scale says I weigh.