Eating Healthy

In my last race report, I referenced that I had been changing my eating habits.  Because I love food so much, and I love racing even when I suck, these changes have been front and center in my mind.

The last week of July brought three days of meetings for my new job.  One thing I will say about public education, while it doesn't pay well, we typically eat well.  These three days were no exception.  I found myself having tiramisu, brownies, cookies, and then the post meeting happy hour food.  Plus I was going home in the evenings and having chocolate or an adult beverage or something else less than stellar.  Add into that my love of coffee and diet coke.  And the big problem was I couldn't stop myself.  I usually employ these rules:  (1) one small sweet per day or one glass of alcohol.  (2) ice cream only on Sunday evenings and only the good stuff and (2) one diet coke per day.  I believe all things are fine in moderation, but two or three Whole Foods caramels covered in dark chocolate topped with sea salt and a glass of pinot grigio are a bit much (I don't even want to think about the calories!)  Amazingly, the scale did not reflect my eating binge, but I noticed that other things did.  My clothes were tight in the tummy and I could barely get my ring on--hello, bloat!  I was cranky and irritable.  I wasn't sleeping well either.  So I decided rather than try to limit my intake, I would eliminate my intake.

I've "given up" foods before.  Before my wedding to Why? I went on a huge calorie restricted diet that eliminated all sugar and caffeine from my diet.  I lost a ton of weight, bonked hard without the sugar, and found out after the fact that the doctor who was monitoring my diet was giving me ephedrine in those wonderful little vitamins he prescribed.  I've also forgone soda or sugar for Lent in various years.  I can do it.  I've found that typically once I get past the first week or two, the cravings decrease and it almost becomes a non-issue.  The thing that I haven't done is try this while I've been training hard or racing.

You see, I have a confession to make.  Up until recently in my life, to me the phrase "eating healthy" meant getting skinny or losing weight.  Food was, and still is to a degree, a form of pleasure for me.  I enjoy a great meal.  I savor a decadent dessert.  Cooking is a huge hobby.  Plus, when I would give up sweets, I would just switch to Splenda or something else artificial.  The changes were more about weight than healthy living in general.  Right now, I don't really worry about my weight.  I will publicly tell you on average I weigh 135 and I'm a size 4. (WOW!  That's a big step for me!)  I instead worry if I'm fueling my body correctly and if the food I take in will benefit my training and racing.  That being said, I still love eating and great food.

For the last few months, a handful of the ladies I race against have been doing the Clean Diet with mixed results.  One has stuck to it religiously, it doesn't seem to have effected her training or performance.  Two others have gone through the detox portion and are following the guidelines with some modifications.  Another made it a week or two but was so lethargic she gave it up.  I read some information on what Dr. Junger proposes and some of it makes sense.  But I'm also realistic that I work a full time job, have two kids, make time to train and don't have a lot of time to make trips to multiple stores or make multiple meals.  Also, I like the sensation of eating.  I don't want to drink two smoothies a day.  So instead, I decided to look at what my bad habits are.  If I eliminated some of my poor eating habits, would I benefit?

I started with sugar.  I didn't eat my normal dark chocolate after lunch.  I mindfully stayed away from the caramels in the kitchen.  I did great for the first four days.  Then Sunday hit and I wanted my ice cream.  So I had it.  I was about half a cup into my pint of Ben & Jerry's when I started to feel sick.  I put it away.  I will normally eat half of it.  My stomach churned.  It growled.  It gurgled.  It was so bad that Klucker asked what was wrong with me.  I stayed sugar free again until Wednesday.  I wanted that ice cream.  I finished that pint Wednesday evening.  Within five minutes of putting the container in the trash, I was hugging the toilet ridding myself of its caramel, chocolate goodness.  I couldn't tolerate it.

Also on that Wednesday, I introduced my next elimination, soda.  I typically have a fountain diet coke every morning.  It's part of my day.  I did fine without my diet coke, not really wanting it until after I raced on Sunday.  Then I had to have one.  I needed something to comfort my bruised racer ego.  I had one.  I drank a 32oz fountain diet coke in less than ten minutes.  I wish I could tell you that it made me feel bad as well, but it didn't.  Damn it!

Monday started my next elimination, artificial sweetener.  This one is the toughest.  You see, I drink Splenda in my coffee.  I drink Splenda in my iced tea.  I use Splenda to sweeten desserts because I can still have them and say they're sugar-free if I used Splenda.  I'm mid-way through day three of no sweeteners and it is hard.  I have an iced tea in front of me and I'm not really enjoying it.  I want something to drink besides water and unsweetened tea and coffee. (and they would frown on my drinking beer at work)

My main goal in trying all of this to be healthier.  I know sugar and artificial additives are not good for my body.  I know that my body was not meant to run on the diet I've been giving it.  That being said, I don't know how it will be to live without these items in my diet.  It's nice not following a prescriptive plan, because I get to decide what I'm doing and not doing, e.g. still using GU and Coffee Mate.  At the same time, I'm a rule follower and have always done better when I have something to tell what I can and can't do.  I had a list in my mind as to what I was giving up when (caffeine, alcohol, dairy, red meat) but am already making adjustments because of the struggle I'm having this week.  I was very surprised at the negative effects it is having on my riding.  I thought any change would be positive and didn't imagine my body needing to retool.  That retooling is what's keeping me going right now.  I don't want to have sugar because I don't want a setback.  I don't race again until August 27 and I'm hopeful that by then I may have some of my prior energy back.