Okay, I'd be happy to...

One problem with taking the batteries out or hiding the scale is that you probably were still thinking about the scale. Who was the first person you kissed? Probably brought back some memories - memories you haven't thought of in a long time. Back then, you probably thought about it a lot. The point is, thoughts are habits. The more you do them, the more engrained they become and establish entrenched patterns in the brain. If you stop the pattern, millions of connections will die. Which is good when wanting to unlearn a maladptive habit and learn a new one.

So, you have to engage in thought stopping and mindfulness strategies. One helpful strategy is when you think about weighing yourself, say "stop" out loud. This draws your attention from your thought to the external environment. Whatever you can do to focus your attention from internal (thought) to something else, the better. Count backwards from 100 by 3s, stretch, engage in deep breathing exercises. Also, it is often helpful to simply remind yourself that your are probably just a little anxious and it will pass - just like when you stub your toe...just grip it and hang on. The point is, not weighing yourself is not what this is about, it is simply a physiological habit (anxiety). Anyone who has smoked has had to grip through a nic fit...it passes. It's physiological. So is this. Try wearing a rubber band around your wrist. Notice when you might feel a little anxious and have the thought of weighing yourself and when you do, give it a little snap - this draws your attention from thought to external. It also stops the chain of thinking, emotion, behavior.

These are a few ideas, I hope it helps some. Sorry if it was long winded.

X2

Thanks Chris, that was a very useful post.

Its about 9 degrees outside and I have an interval run this morning.  Thinking I may need to hit the treadmill at the gym.

Single digits are about my threshold for needing to run inside.

I have to do a little Mark Cavendish sharing:

Here is waht they suggest for pre and post work out.  It does discuss protein and carbs. Sorry for the misinformation:  As Roger Clemens would say, I misremembered.

ETA - Link: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

LOL

I am also shopping for a fluid trainer (currently own the CycleOps Mag, and I'm unhappy).  Is the KK Fluid better than the CycleOps?    

Flip a coin really.  Whatever you can find the best deal on. 

If you read trainer reviews, the Cyclops and KK both rank very high. I have an old Cyclops fliud that has served me well for many years. I bought a KK (got a good deal, couldn't pass up) but have not taken it out of the box yet. You really can't go wrong with either.

Reason I bought the KK is because TrainerRoad says it's one of the best to use with their program. And I wanted a 2nd one in case my husband decides to train with me some days.

I have a question. I do not belong to a gym, and right now, running (and core work) is my main focus.  On days that I cannot run (due to snow or rain or single digit temps), is it best to hop on the trainer for the same amount of time I would otherwise run, or should I invest in a used treadmill? 

Hey everyone! I finally got caught up reading! Do you guys have jobs j/k?!

So the new year has been crazy! The last two night have been horrible for sleep. Alarm went off the day before yesterday because of a faulty fire/smoke detector at 4am. Then the little guy wakes up in a fit at 3:00 last night and I had to console him. He wanted nothing to do with his momma for some reason :/ So I had to do my workouts at night. Interrupting my sleep kills morning workouts for me. So last night I go to the pool to do my 3x800 test and get throught two of them and then was informed the pool was closing! I had no idea it closed 30 mins before the Gym does, so guess who gets to do that one all over again next week...

I have a z1/z2 ride followed by a zr/z1 run I have to get done today. Luckily there is no more Christmas decorations to put away so that should free up some time.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Some good news is my Master's coach was there last night and said I was much improved from last year

Work on the bike has a postive synergistic effect on the run.  You can huge do amounts of aerobic conditioning on the bike that will benefit you on the run -- with regard to aerobic conditioning your body doesn't know that its running or biking, it knows that its pumping blood and oxygen through your heart and lungs.

That being said there are run specific adpations your body needs to make that can only be done on the run.  Swapping out an aerobic run for an aerobic bike works, swapping out other types of run work outs gets a bit more difficult.  In addition running on the ice and snow (with yak trax or snow shoes) is one of the most beneficial things you can do for run form.  Having a slippery surface under you essentailly forces you to land on your forefoot, shift forward at your hips and maintain a proper center of gravity.  You run with good form or you fall on your face. 

You don't need a treadmill -- invest in some yak trax and get on the bike if the weather is really bad. 

I have a newbie question about trainers... I just got a trainer, the CycleOps Fluid 2, over Christmas -- my parents had two and weren't using one of them, so I asked if I could try it out for the winter. 

I've never used a trainer before, so I don't know what to expect, but it seems louder than I thought it would be. It's like a high pitched whistling or whirring sound. Is that normal? Is it possible that I have it set up wrong or something? My parents didn't have the owners manual anymore, so I just used youtube videos to set it up. 

It's possible that it just sounds loud to me in my small apartment, and I've never heard any other trainers to compare it to. 

Like some others in the group, I have a CycleOps fluid trainer that is several years old but still going strong.  I have found that's a good workout if you can overcome the boredom.  A lot of people watch old TdF videos or such; the last few years I've picked a single TV show and watched all the episodes on NetFlix.  I can't stand network TV because of all the commericals; this solves that problem.  (By the way, I still haven't picked a show for this year.  Any recommendations?)

The other trainer suggestion I have is buying an inexpensive rear tire to use exclusively for the trainer.  The trainer burns through tires much faster than riding on the road, and I don't want to wear out my $80-a-pop, smooth-as-buttah Vittorias in the basement.  Changing them out also forces me to practice changing flats - a useful skill to have on the side of the road.   

Got back from Georgia last night, and the trip wasn't as bad as I feared from a missed-workouts perspective.  I missed one run on Jan 1 because it was 40 degrees and raining all day.  Got in one run and three swims otherwise, though.  It's a good thing, too, given all the eating I did.  With all the diet discussion in this group, you dedicated folk are making me feel guilty...  

The one I have is pretty loud in my confined basement, but it is the only one I've ever had so the sample size is small.  I have to turn the TV up pretty high to be heard over the trainer.  I usually just run the closed captioning so I can make sure I can follow what's going on.  I'm guessing what you're describing is pretty normal. 

These are my favorite trainer shows (I may be on my 6th or 7th time through the firs 2 seasons of Game of Thrones):

Game of Thrones

Sports Night

Freaks and Geeks

Mad Men

Community

Arrested Development

Sopranos

X-Files

I just started watching 30 Rock - how could I have missed that show, it's hysterical!

Weeds is also a really good show.

I'm drawaing a blank, I'll post more if I remember...

Also, on the tires wearing out, I bought a cheap wheel, cassette and tire just to use on the trainer.  I'm not good at changing flats, so this is much quicker for me.

My old Cyclops fluid seems pretty quiet to me, but I do have to turn the TV up pretty loud.