Some thoughts on today's food

Health Iowa is offering a program on campus this semester called Passport. Each week there are nutrition and fitness goals. Reaching goals earns points, and if at the end of the nine weeks enough points are earned you get a prize! So of course I signed up.

This week's nutrition goal was to take in the recommended daily amount of fiber, which is 25g-35g. I knew I wasn't getting enough in my diet before. So this week I started keeping a journal (mostly just in my head, though I did write down a few days) of what I was eating. I tracked calories, fiber, and protein. 

Why these three categories? I've mentioned before that I have a problem overeating every now and then. For my age, weight, and activity level I should be eating around 2000 calories per day. I surpass that quite often. I wanted to see where my calories were coming from throughout the day. Then I tracked fiber for two reasons. First, I wanted to keep track for the Passport program. Second, I know that fiber is important for a healthy digestive system. My boyfriend has health problems with his gut, so healthy digestion is important to me. And finally I decided to track protein because it is necessary for muscle development and recovery. It's important to consume protein after a workout, and it will become more important in my life as I slowly overcome my fear of the weight room. 

Let's take a look at today's food.

Total calories: 2580

Total protein: 99g

Total fiber: 24g

...yeah. 

There were successes today. I got pretty close to the recommended amount of fiber. I know better than to dive right in and consume 30g after not eating much. It can cause some intense stomach pain and bowel issues. I'm on the right track by building up to it. 

Downsides? Oh, lots of downsides. 

First, let's start with the calorie intake. I went over by nearly 600 calories. Let me tell you how: donuts. About 10 minutes before I left work tonight the local donut shop sent us over a box. I had a "few." There's my overeating coming in to play again.

Second, let's talk protein. I overdid it. The fitness community I hang around (www.reddit.com/r/fitness) likes to recommend you eat your body weight in grams in protein. That's all broscience. There's actually a nifty little equation found here to figure out roughly how much you need. Someone like me really only needs 45g per day. I doubled that. Why so much? As if all those donuts weren't enough after work I also took home an extra large order of chicken strips. They fit my calorie goal but they pushed me way over the edge for protein. I guess I didn't realize just how much protein things like milk and cheese contain.

These will all be lessons to learn from tomorrow.

* Further information on how much protein you need
* And some information about fiber

Fear

Such a chicken in the weight room

Health Iowa visited my Personal Fitness class today. Health Iowa is associated with Student Health and offers many fitness related services on campus such as fitness testing, goal planning and evaluation, and personal training. Today we did some fitness testing. There were three main areas of evaluation: cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility.

For cardiovascular fitness we first took a resting heart rate then did a step exercise for 3 minutes. We then took another heart rate to see how our bodies handle the stress. I scored in the average range.

For strength testing we did grip strength, upper body strength (pushups) and abdominal strength (curl ups). All the females were forced to do kneeling pushups. I did 35 before I got bored and stopped. I scored well above average for that category. For abdominal strength we did as many curl ups as possible in one minute. I took it easy (because I HATE crunches and anything that resembles a crunch) and scored above average. I scored average for grip strength. 

For flexibility we took a few different measures: trunk lift, trunk extension, toe reach, and arm reach. I scored at the upper end of average in all categories except the toe reach in which I scored above average. 

After the fitness testing our class headed out to the track to either run or walk. I ran 1 mile in 7:23, my fastest timed mile!

When class ended I went up to the weight room. I wanted to do some upper body work and then try the deadlift, which I chickened out on last time. I started off okay. I did some machine chest flys and some lat pull downs. But then I spotted Tyler. Tyler is in my Personal Fitness class and he definitely intimidates me. He's very buff and works around the machines and free weights like a pro. I hate to say it, but I was embarrassed to work out in front of him. I was afraid he'd judge me for only squatting 65 lb. So I finished up with what I'm familiar with and left, tail between my legs. 

I need to make myself familiar with the weight room machines, norms, and etiquette and grow myself some confidence. I can't let fear of judgment get in my way of a good workout. 

Join the club!

Today my mom told me that my little brother wants to take up running. He isn't so little. He's 18 and a freshman in college, the same college I go to. He lives out in the countryside with my parents so he'd start running on some pretty intense rolling hills. I think it would be fun to go on a brother-sister run on campus some time. Maybe we could even run a race together this summer!

On another note, it's my boyfriend's birthday today! We've had sooo much food today. I picked up Dairy Queen for a snack (a medium Strawberry Cheesequake blizzard for him, a mini Reese's blizzard for me) and then an apple pie. We both had a slice. Then I picked up Outback Steakhouse for dinner. I definitely indulged with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. And I ate all of it. Regrets? Maybe a little. But it was all delicious and for a special occasion.

I'm feeling horrible about my diet

I've long had a problem with overeating. It's not so obvious by looking at my body. But it's there. I had this problem in high school where I would eat an entire box of Ho Ho's. The problem got worse when I got to college and had my own apartment. I now routinely eat a box of Kraft mac and cheese for lunch, or eat six chocolate chip cookies for snack. Just a few weeks ago I ate five donuts in one afternoon. Five.

I have a serious binging problem.

To me, junk food is a compulsion. If I see it I have to have it. Leaving it, or not eating it, simply isn't an option. I take home pizzas at work so they don't get thrown away. Any time we have sweets in the house I devour them all often before the boyfriend has any. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that he doesn't like sweets. I know the cookies aren't going any where, and that I can always make or buy more, but I feel the urge to eat them all NOW.

Why? Why??

I have two theories. First, my dad and brother ate a lot of sweets when I was a kid. A double batch of chocolate chip cookies only lasted two days in our house. So I ate as many as I could because I know they wouldn't be there long. Perhaps I'm still afraid someone else will eat them first, even though I know no one will (the exception being at work)?

Second, and what's probably the real culprit, is that I'm addicted. It's been shown that fatty foods release dopamine in the body. Here is a study where people were shown pictures of fatty foods and their brain activity was recorded.

"In the junk food eaters, the decision-making area of the brain (the orbit frontal cortex) released a surge of dopamine as they looked at high-fat foods. This is the same reaction drug users get when presented with cocaine."

Further, a study was conducted on rats.

"They discovered that when the fatty treats were presented to the rats, they began binge eating them, even though they had an unlimited supply of nutritional food." 

According to the research, my brain reacts to fatty food the same way a drug junkie reacts to cocaine or cigarettes. And even though I have plenty of healthy food at home, my addiction keeps me binging on fatty foods. There's only one way to break an addiction, right?

I got a library card today

My Human Sexuality class requires four books, and papers to be written about these books. I checked out the prices on Amazon and in the bookstore and weighed my options. I could pay $50 or so to get all the books. Or I could just get a library card, which I've been meaning to do any. I went with the library card. I haven't had much time for free reading this semester, but hopefully I'll be able to squeeze some in!

Today's workout: my personal fitness class did run/walk intervals on the track. Everyone else eventually quit running, so I ran a couple laps on my own. We then did supermans, wall sits, leg raises, and crunches. I hate crunches.

Funny running sayings

Click over here for some hilarious shirt suggestions for runners.

My favorites include:

• It's cheaper than therapy.
• This isn't sweat, it's liquid awesome
• And on the seventh day God did an easy three.
• I like running because I really, really like dessert. (I have this one on a water bottle!)
• If you see me collapse, pause my Garmin.

Second trip to the weight room

It's Valentine's Day...and I just got out of the weight room.

Tuesdays are long for me. Thanks to my commute I leave home at 8:30am and return around 9:30pm. I have two classes in the morning followed by a six hour long break, then a night class. Here in a few weeks my personal fitness class will end so I'll have a seven hour long break. I spend the afternoons working out when my fitness class isn't hard enough, studying, and lounging.

Today in my fitness class we talked about nutrition instead of working out. It was all very basic stuff, such as how much fiber you should have in a day (25-35g), how big a serving of meat is (similar to a deck of cards), and why vitamin D is important (helps your bones absorb calcium). So afterward I went to the weight room.

I was still pretty scared and unsure of what I was doing but this time didn't have my teacher to cling to. I started off with an easy 7:40 mile on the track before heading upstairs. I did 3 x 12 leg curls with 40 lb weights, 3 x 20 calf raises with 15 lb weights, 15 lunges with 15 lb weights, and a progression of squats. I started with just the bar, then added 10 lb, then added another 20 lb. I wanted to try the deadlift today but chickened out. I'll definitely get it next time.

Later tonight my boyfriend and I will celebrate Valentine's Day. He's going to make spaghetti dinner and he has a gift for me, presumably roses.

Not a very healthy day

I had to stay late at work last night. My restaurant had a corporate inspection this morning so I had to make sure everything was cleaned properly. I didn't leave until 3am! I then had to wake up early to call my doctor. So I only got about five hours of sleep. That certainly isn't good for a person!

Why did I have to call my doctor so early? Well, look back at this post where I mentioned some pain. I had the same pain back in October, and again about two weeks ago. It was off and on during those months. Each time it seemed to come after intense physical activity, such as a long run or heavy lifting.

I saw a doctor at the free clinic after that post only to be told that my IUD was missing! Her first thought was that it had travelled somewhere beyond my uterus and that I would need surgery to have it removed. I was terrified. Beyond the prospect of possibly being pregnant, I may now need to have surgery? Yikes. I went to the hospital for an xray (after a negative pregnancy test, of course) to see where the IUD had gone. Nothing was found on the xray. I called my gynecologist, not the free clinic, and she talked to the technician who did my xray. She wondered if IUDs would actually show up on an xray, but decided it must have slipped out.

Well. After I went to the weight room yesterday I had that same pain. What's going on? I was told the thing had fallen out. I decided to check it myself only to find that the IUD was actually in place! I had it removed this afternoon. Hopefully that takes care of the pain issue. If pain after physical activity persists I'll now know that it's due to something other than my IUD. I have to keep in mind, though, that I may have some pain in the next month due to my uterus recovering from having the thing yanked out.

Thanks to all that I didn't work out today. Plus my food choices were atrocious. I had: two clementines, three slices of pizza, four Little Debbie heart cakes, three small pieces of chicken breast, homemade potato wedges, and a bunch load of chocolate chip cookies. Ugh, my tummy aches.

I could probably eat an entire box in one sitting

Tomorrow it will be far too cold for an outdoor run, but I will do some kind of exercise at home.

Adventures in the weightroom

Junior high P.E. was a blast. It was before my rebellious days of refusing to dress out in high school. In high school I would 'forget' my clothes then sit grumpily on the bleachers reading books while everyone else threw straight and could run laps without dry heaving.

Junior high was different. In junior high everyone was energetic and wanted to have a good time. There were no favorites on teams because jocks hadn't yet come to be. We all participated in some after school sports (for me it was a short lived week in track, and then a year of cheerleading) so when it came time for P.E. we all played together. We had lessons on the rules of football, dodgeball, hockey, and jump rope. And then there was a two-week lesson on the weight room. Even in the carefree days of junior high I was intimidated by the weight room. I tried the bench press. I tried the overhead press. But I found myself most comfortable with leg exercises. My friends and I spent the two weeks hanging out on the leg press and leg curl machines.

I've been wanting to try weight lifting for some time now. Every now and then I do some exercises at home with dumbbells. But I know that to increase my performance with running, and to do a handstand press, I need to do weight lifting. Resistance training in general is so good for the body. It increases muscle endurance, build muscle mass, and increase bone mass which can prevent osteoporosis.

Yeah...not nearly that much weight

For the first time today in over a decade I went to the weight room. And I was so intimidated. I just stared around at everyone, my classmates included, moving around with ease and comfortable with what they were doing. I clung to my teacher like she was a lifeboat guiding me to safety. She showed me a couple different machine exercises such as chest flies and lat pull downs. She had me do the familiar leg curls. And then we moved on to squats.

I know squats are one of the most important exercises out there. Along with bench press and deadlifts they make up the core of most weight lifting routines (see Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe). These are all known as compound lifts. Unlike curls which isolate and work only one muscle, compound lifts work multiple muscles and therefore accomplish more. A curl will work the bicep, but a bench press will work many muscles in the chest and arms.

I've done body weight squats at home but have always second-guessed my form. So my teacher walked me through how to do squats with a barbell both over the shoulders and in front of the chest. She said that for the most part my form is good, though I do have a tendency to cross my toes over my knees. I did 3 sets of 5 with just the bar (45lb) then added on 10lbs for another 3 reps.

While I didn't do many lifts, today was a huge step forward to me. Hopefully next time I step foot in a weight room I won't feel so intimidated.

It's a beautiful day

It's supposed to reach the upper 40s today! However, I won't be running outside. Boo! 

I had it all planned out to run outside today. Go run at 12:30 which would give me an hour to run and stretch. Come in and shower. Leave for class in time. But for some reason I just wasn't hungry today. I could still go for my run at 12:30, but I know it's a bad idea to run on a completely empty stomach. I've done it before, and those runs just don't go over too well.

So instead of running this afternoon I'm eating a giant bowl of steamed broccoli and working on some readings for class. I'll run on the indoor track in between classes tonight.