Weighing Myself

Today is an off-day from running.  I can tell I'm really in the swing, because taking an off-day really bothers me.  However, at this level of fitness, taking 2 rest days a week is pretty much exactly what I need to do.  My tentative schedule is to run Sat-Sun-Mon, take Tuesday off.  Run Wed-Thu, take Friday off.

I still have the 3 or 4 strength sessions during the week.  I'm thinking of moving the recumbent bike somewhere where it'll be more convenient to use.  (In front of the TV in the cabin house is what I'm thinking at the moment.)  I know that weightlifting constitutes a second workout, but I like having two different aerobic activities as part of a workout regimen.

So long as you pick activities that are sufficiently different, they hit different muscle groups, improving strength and balancing your muscles out.

I can't afford a rowing machine just yet, but until I do, I think the recumbent bike is fine.  It's a meaningful workout that is on the easier side.  I'll probably try to do that 5 days a week as well.  Maybe I can talk my brother into helping me move the thing this week.

The tough part of taking days off is that it gets harder to hit a calorie deficit.  I don't agree with folks who think that if you're running, you can eat whatever the heck you want.  I think you can run and still gain weight.  However, burning 700 extra calories a day really does give you some wiggle room.  Honestly, you could eat a big mac, and from a caloric standpoint, the 700 calorie burn from a run negates the calories of the Big Mac and then some. 

(I don't advise this, though.  The glycemic load, the sheer volume of unhealthy fat, etc., mean that a Big Mac is a lot worse for you than the calories, alone, suggest.  A Big Mac has fewer calories than 4 ounces of almonds, but the almonds are nutritionally beneficial.  There's nothing beneficial about the calories you get from a Big Mac.)

Today, I also have Rotary, which means the catered lunch they usually have.  They always have a salad.  So, I'll get some lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.  However, the rest of the thing reminds me of a wedding buffet.  It'll be stuff like mashed potatoes and pork chops.  It's hard to eat healthy at the buffet.  I could skip the meal, entirely, but for the most part, I am trying to make a diet fit my lifestyle, not vice versa. 

So long as I don't dive off the deep end all the time, my diet can survive the Rotary Buffet.

Got some VERY encouraging news today when I stepped on the scale.

I have 3 distinct weights throughout the day.  The first is the "step on the scale after peeing in the morning".  This is my 2nd lowest weight of the day.

The next one is my "dehydrated, after my run" weight.  This one is tricky because I don't want to avoid drinking water just to get a low post-run-weight.  So, I have to make a rule for myself that I still need to drink normally throughout the run.  Really, though, as much as I sweat, it's almost impossible for me not to lose water weight while running.

This weight is generally 2-ish pounds lighter than first-morning weight.

The last weight is my fully-hydrated, evening weight.  Usually in the few hours before I go to bed.  Typically, it's about 5-ish pounds heavier than my first-morning weight.

So, that's a swing of as much as 7 pounds or so throughout the day, due to mostly just to hydration.

The weight I keep track of is my post-run-dehydrated weight.  It's consistent.  So, I know I'm comparing apples to apples. 

I try to keep track of the low points.  For instance, I'll hit 193.5.  I know that I seldom will lose weight the next day.  In fact, next day almost always is a heavier weight.  However, eventually, it breaks through to a new low and after a week or so, it hits 192.5, for instance. 

Today, though, I hit 193 on my first-morning weight.  That's an all-time low (this time around... I weighed less than this 10 years ago, and when I was in my teens and early 20s).  Pity I'm not running today because I would almost certainly hit an all-time post-run low. 

I ran a huge calorie deficit yesterday, though.  So, this isn't surprising.

I have Arabic class this evening, and Rotary for lunch, though.  So, it's going to be darned hear impossible for me to have a good day today, especially since I'm not running.  I'll track it all in calorie tracker, but I may not be able to run a calorie deficit for the day.  We'll see.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's run.  So, my brain finally switched over.  I have tried, unsuccessfully, to get into this frame of mind for a long time, now.  I think getting the trainer and hitting the gym is what did it for me.  I needed a little boost to get going, and that's what did it for me.