New Year, New Me?

Well, here it is - 2013.  The year I will turn 35, the year my middle child will enter kindergarten, the year I will (fingers crossed) run a marathon.  

It's no secret I've been struggling with fitness, weight, etc.  I have been considering another weight loss challenge for myself, much like I did last spring when I lost 12 pounds.  The thing that has been holding me back is posting my weight; I'm so ashamed, embarrassed, and frustrated that I gained back what I lost.  In the meantime, while I'm busy feeling all those crappy feelings, the number on the scale certainly isn't going down!

There are two things I really need to do.  The first is to lessen my chances of injury (or at least lessen the possibility that I'll aggravate the injuries I already have) so I can complete the marathon.  The second is get eating under control.  Those two things are definitely related.

A couple years ago, I craved pizza all the time; we'd eat it a few times a week.  I decided to try to give it up for a year.  I was successful, and now, we rarely eat it (and I certainly don't crave it). I'd like to do the same with all my problem foods that trigger overeating.  It's a long list, but I really think I can do this.  I know people say "all things in moderation," but that's not how my psyche works.  If I cut out these things for a long time, then I think I'll have a better chance of adopting healthy eating habits.  Here are my trigger foods:

Chips: baked or fried, potato or tortilla, it doesn't matter.  As the slogan goes, I can't have just one!

Sweets: if there are desserts or treats around, I eat them.  If they're at work, I may only have a couple; if they're in my house, I eat them until they're gone, even if I end up feeling sick.  

Cereal: I love, love, love cereal.  We don't keep sugary cereal around at all; in our cupboard, we have Cheerios, Chex, Shredded Wheat, and occasionally Rice Krispies.  However, I never have one small bowl; it's always 2 or 3 big bowls.  Even though cereal isn't horrible for me (much better than, say, chips or sweets), I don't need massive amounts of processed, high glycemic foods.  

Raisins: yup, raisins.  What the hell?  When I'm eating healthy, especially, I tend to overdo it on raisins when I'm craving sweet food.  Like, way overdo it, especially at night.  Just a quarter cup of raisins has something like 160 calories.  Unless I'm eating them specifically before or during a long run, I really don't need them.  

Second helpings: Second helpings lead to third, fourth, and fifth helpings.  I need to slow down, enjoy what I eat, and not go back for more when I really don't need it.


So, back to the first thing I said I need to do: lessen the chance of injury.  I'm already going to Pump, Flow, and CXWORX as often as I can.  I have gotten way better about stretching and using my foam roller after running.  I wear compression sleeves on my legs and braces on my knee.  I'm seeing a sports medicine doctor.  I think the most important and obvious step, though, will be to lose weight.  That would go a long way in helping me avoid injury.  I'm just dubious about putting that as my goal again, since I tend to yo-yo.  However, I think I could lose 15-20 pounds by May 5, the day of the Kalamazoo marathon.  I'm putting a range instead of a solid number because it's going to be very tricky - I need to get enough fuel to do my Saturday long runs and my weekday workouts but still cut enough calories to lose weight.  I'll go back to posting my weight and food diary every Monday.

To recap, I'm setting two solid goals for 2013: completely cut out my trigger foods (chips, sweets, cereal, raisins, and second helpings) and lose 15-20 pounds by May 5.  Anyone else have a goal or two they want to share?