Friday Five: Nothing's Changed?

Easy reading is damn hard writing. 

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I don't know how I so much time has lapsed since my last post, but it seems nothing has changed? I am still focusing on my fitness and food. I guess to be a better blogger, I should start by just blogging. Novel idea, no?! The never ending saga. My guess is that since I blog at night and I have been weight lifting at night that I just can't seem to manage both lifting at night and blogging at night. That and my late bloomer self has hopped on the Friday Night Light's band wagon late and have been watching the series on Netflix while I weight lift and after as I wind down. Oooh, and I have been reading more. Without further delay, my Friday Five:

1. I read Bob Harper's Book The Skinny Rules. I wish he picked a different name, someone else published a book by the same title not so long ago HERE. Any way I guess that is neither here nor there. So I read the book and think for those with serious weight issues can benefit from his very simple plan. When I work on my weight I apply many of his same methods, but do not yield the same results....then again I don't stick to them for the blocks of time he suggests. For example there is an initial 30 day phase and then the program changes a bit. What I do like about his book and that I discovered only recently is that he emphasizes eating within 30 minutes to 1 hour of waking and having protein and EVERY MEAL.
2. I was tricked! I am embarrassed to admit it, but I am reading 50 Shades of Grey. People all over the place were talking about how great it was, it was on best selling lists and I thought it was a teenager book when I heard it was banned from a high school reading list. A friend of mine read it and said it was like soft porn. I laughed and thought it was an exaggeration. I figured I'd fine a taboo scene or something, but boy was I wrong. If you are interested, know you will be reading some risque stuff. Fun reading if you are into that kind of thing, but not for the bashful.
3. Eating. So I did great for a while and the energy levels were clearly up with my efforts. I prepped on Sunday by chopping fruits and veggies for the week, during week nights I pre-packed my lunches and wasn't eating after 8:00PM. I updated my fitness pal with more aggressive protein and fiber goals and started to really strike a balance with my food in take. Then Super Hubby went on a fishing trip and I spent a few days in San Francisco and at family parties and suddenly all my pre-packed and prepped life went down the toilet. Ok so I guess that was my fault. Darn food choices. I hurt my neck and obviously the only cure was brownies and cookies.
4. What seems to work for me and what doesn't

• Significantly more water. I was getting 60 ounces on non-work out days and thought I was awesome. 100-120 ounces really makes me feel so much better.
• Protein. I am now eating protein at every meal, not including snacks and I have upped my intake from the basic .8 grams per pound of body weight to closer to 1.3. This tough to do strictly through food so I am on the hunt for a protein powder that does not eat up my 1200 calorie daily in take.Whey isolate, not yummy. Spirulina, yummy. Next on my trial list is whey and casein combo, hemp and pea proteins. Soy is not an option.
• I am lifting. Almost every day. The focus on strength makes me feel fit even when the belly fat doesn't instantly disappear.
• Fiber. I used to get 15 grams. My doctor recommended 25. I find 30-35 is a better fit for me at the moment. My current issue is varying my insoluable and soluable fibers. I tend to get more soluable in my diet than insoluable. Trying to balance insoluable in my 1200 calorie daily in take target is my current challenge.
• What is not working is getting my runs in when Super Hubby is gone. I will be paying the gym day care in the future to make sure I don't have an excuse to skip a needed run.
• What is not working is staying up too late to watch TV

5. 10K Training round 2 is not going as well as round 1. So far week 1 I did my two weekly runs, but missed my long run. Good news is the long run was only 3.5 miles.  Week 2 didn't start off well either. I hurt my neck. It almost felt like whiplash so I had to skip my Tuesday night run and didn't want to push it tonight. I plan to pick back up tomorrow. Good news is that it is a repeat of week 1. It is a slow building 8 week plan and I think I may drop the 10K goal in favor of a local 8K trail run series.

The Big Picture: I still only have 10 lbs to lose, so I can take my time to learn and grow into a normal eater. My brain still thinks I am a division 1 athlete. While that was a lifetime ago, my brain really thinks that I have the ability to be that same girl. I can...if I was doing 3 a days, sure I could be that girl. The goal here is to learn how to be that girl that sits at a desk 8+ hours day and still looks close to the basketball player I used to be.

Why I Kick A$$: I only have 10 lbs to go.

Thankful Three

1. For quick fixes like better hydration and nutrition
2. For time to read again even if it meant a break from blogging
3. For a short work week