April 18, 2016

Summer plans

No run today. I'm not following a particular schedule right now, but my legs felt tired this morning, so I thought a rest day would be good. Jerry was off work today, so we planned to get some stuff done around the house while the kids were at school.

Jerry went for a run this morning, though--he's actually been running quite a bit! He tends to go through phases of running often, and then he just stops for months and months. I told him a couple of months ago that he should start focusing on just three days a week, 1-3 miles at a time, rather than immediately start running five days a week, 3-6 miles each. I think he just needed to establish a habit. And so far, it's working out well for him.

I was surprised that he even ran a couple of times while I was gone last week! Right now, he's building a base (about 10 miles per week). Then, in mid-June, he'll start training for a half-marathon. It will be his second half marathon (his first was last May, when he ran Indy with Rik).

Jerry and I are going (with the kids) to Virginia Beach over Labor Day weekend for a From Fat to Finish Line community meet-up. A lot of people are running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon (I won't be running, but I'm excited to go meet up with people); and this will be Jerry's goal race. (He's not aiming for a particular time, but he'd like to be well-trained before doing it.)

There will also be a screening of the documentary, From Fat to Finish Line, which should be fun. It's open to the public, so if any of you want to head to Virginia Beach for Labor Day, it should be a great time! (Speaking of the documentary, the producers finally have a release date--I'm not allowed to say anything about it yet, but I promise that as soon as I get the go-ahead, I will announce it.)

Anyway, while Jerry was cutting the grass this morning, I headed out for the necessities--you know, like my free panties from Victoria's Secret ;) I had a coupon that was going to expire next week, so I wanted to use it. I love getting those free panty coupons in the mail! I just wish that we had a VS closer to us.

I also went to Sam's Club while I was out. They have these Chicken Melts in the freezer section that are surprisingly very good, and they only have 160 calories. I like to keep them in the freezer for when I'm starving and need to eat something quickly. It's a lot cheaper to get them at Sam's than it is at the grocery store.

While I was there, I noticed that they are getting all the summer stuff out! Beach towels, summer glassware, bathing suits, seasonal beer, etc. Summer is the most difficult time of year for me when it comes to keeping the weight off. If I wasn't concerned about my weight, I would love to just sit outside and drink margaritas all evening (chips and guacamole would be great, too... and ice cream for dessert!). But I've tried that approach in the past, and I gained weight--can you believe it?! ;)

I can't think of margaritas without missing my Sole Mate, Bonnie!
I am more determined than ever to keep the weight off this summer. I have a bit of a cushion under my goal weight (well, the cushion is smaller now that I went on vacation--haha!) but I am still under my goal (I'll officially weigh in on Wednesday). I will be very happy if I can go into fall at or under my goal weight of 133. That means I'll have to be very choosy about how I splurge through the summer--no margaritas on the daily, or bike rides to the ice cream shop (a leisurely three mile bike ride doesn't burn off the calories in a peanut butter cup hot fudge sundae, does it?).

A couple of years ago, I made a goal to go an entire season without going to the local ice cream shop, and I actually did it. I'm making the same goal this season--I haven't gone since they opened, and I don't plan to. I don't mind going to the dairy farm for ice cream (it's 30 minutes away, so I only go a couple of times a year), but the local ice cream shop is so close to my house that it's easy to swing through on my way home. I could easily gain 20 pounds in the summer months from flurries alone.

Since the Virginia Beach meet-up is at the end of summer, I am keeping focused on that as my goal--I want to be at or below my goal weight when I go to Virginia Beach. Who knows, maybe I'll even be drunk brave enough to wear a bikini! Probably not, but I'm not discounting it just yet.

Anyone else have a hard time during the summer months? A lot of people say that they lose weight best in the summer, because they are more active; but I find the opposite to be true for me. All the good food and drinks are summertime hurdles!

18 comments:

  1. The hardest thing about summer for me is staying active when it's 100°+ for months on end. I feel like once I start sweating I can't stop. Bleh, Texas summers! The winter here is fantastic though!

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  2. Had a question I thought maybe you could help answer. I am currently training for a half marathon that is about a month out and am contemplating doing several more this year. I have been going by Fitzgerald's 80/20 HM plan 1 and running 5x a week. I really enjoy the concept but feel that with the abundance of recovery runs 2x a week that my mileage is suffering and my long run ends up being a huge percentage of my weekly base which is around 24 a week. After this coming half marathon in May would you say it would be a bad idea to stop all speed workouts and train solely at maf? I would definitely like to focus on building a solid aerobic base and with the 80/20 plans there isn't a lot of training at that zone other than the weekly long run and the warmups that are tied to the speed days.

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    1. Hey there! I just wrote about this yesterday, actually :) I was planning to stop all speed work and train solely at MAF through the summer--but Fitzgerald mentioned in a podcast that stopping speed work and then starting it again later puts you at risk for injury. So, if your body is used to speed work, then you're better off doing it in the off season (just cut WAY back on the amount--a small amount will be fine for maintenance). Ultimately, it's up to you, though--Dr. Maffetone says to train solely at MAF for as long as it takes; but Fitzgerald's opinion was a little different.

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  3. Summer is definitely so hard! From ice cream shops to patios to summery drinks to all the family get togethersome for mothers day, fathers day, Memorial day. 4th of July, etc. But you can do it! At least the weather is nicer so it's easier (in my opinion) to get outside and run!

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  4. Last year I gained something like 15 pounds over the summer months! I started in again on my calorie counting in September and have dropped those 15 pounds and another 20 since then. I am determined not to gain weight over the summer months this year, so we shall see....

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  5. Summer is easier for me since I'm a teacher and have the time off. I can drink water whenever I want (I know that sentence seems odd to a non-teacher) and get in a full daily workout without having to rush. I'm not counting down or anything.....but 33 more work days!

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  6. Summer is much easier for me since I crave more fresh foods. Even though I don't count calories, I just know that my foods are lower in calories in the summer. The calories I save there can easily be spent on ice cream without gaining. Also I find we move much more in the summer.

    I can see though that if you don't like veggies/fruits it may be a bit harder but you can do it. This is a lifelong process anyway.

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  7. I find Summer to be much harder as well. For me there are so many activities and those activities involve food. Celebrations, parties, baseball games. . . in the winter we are all hibernating and I remain active (I prefer to run in the cold weather) and I don't get tempted with all those activities. I'm also on a mission to do well this summer. I think your goal is realistic and that meet up should definitely be motivation to stay on track!

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  8. Summer is always a toss up for me. On one hand, I am WAY more active in the summer than I am in the winter months (bring on the heat and humidity, I love it!!) but I also love the summertime treats like the ice cream and frozen drinks. I'm just going to focus on keeping active and only splurge on special events. I can't wait to hear about the release of the documentary!

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  9. Summer is harder for me. The kids are out of school and our routine is basically non-existent. I have one child who constantly needs to do things out of the house, which means unless I plan very carefully, we are stopping for fast food a lot. Thats hard on the waistline and the budget! I always feel very successful if I can maintain my weight over the summer.

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  10. I'm planning to head to Virginia Beach over Labor Day and I'm Looking forward to seeing From Fat to Finish Line!

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  11. Yes, summer is harder for me! We spend lots of time at a cabin at night. Lots of social events, travelling to good restaurants, relaxing, eating, and drinking. I'm working hard to lose before that travel time arrives so I am not trying to lose with all those extra temptations.

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  12. I am with you on the summer struggle! To me, Summer is more of a whole "season" than the "holiday season" I too could eat ice cream for every meal, have sugary boat drinks like Pina Coladas and Planters Punch and pig out at Barbecues on Potato Salad, burgers, hot dogs, ugh. I also want to eat out more in general because who wants to be trapped in the kitchen on a nice night when we can dine al fresco somewhere? We have a custard shop that is a 2 minute bike ride or 10 minute walk from our house too! It is a very hard time of year for me and I too am hoping to go into fall at the same weight I went into Summer. We can do it!

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  13. Summer is so much easier for me! The warm weather and constant stream of sunshine is so energizing and I naturally feel really motivated to keep active and moving (winter turns me into a hibernating sloth wannabe). And instead of craving cozy comfort food (as I do in winter), I totally crave salads and fruits and grilled veggies like CRAZY. It's awesome! Bring on summer! I feel 150% more alive in the summer time. :D

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  14. This is the first summer that I will be actively counting calories, and I am a bit worried. All of the baseball games and BBQs and drinking beer on patios sounds dangerous to me! However, I will be interested to see how many calories I do burn, as I also tend to be quite active in the summer. Here's to a summer full of fun, healthy activities! :)

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  15. Hey Katie, I went to Sam's last night and bought some of the chicken melts. I noticed that they have a version with turkey sausage and egg, made by the same company. Have you had that? I love a good breakfast sandwich any time of the day. We decided to try the chicken first to see what we think, but I was wondering if you've had the other one?

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    1. I haven't tried the breakfast ones--haven't even seen them, actually! I've tried the angus burger ones (not available at Sam's, just at the regular grocery store in a four-pack) and they are SO good. I may even like them better than the chicken! You'll have to let me know if you try the breakfast ones.

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  16. I so wish I could go to the FFTFL meetup; I went to the first one in Vegas in November and it is life changing. (I know that sounds so dumb but just wait!) I can't even explain it. I felt so stupid crying as I was waiting for my flight home and then I saw all the others posting on Facebook that they cried all the way home too. My son is getting married on Sept 3 so my Labor Day weekend is booked up with that but I will be following on social media every chance I get!

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