Beer Drinker Appreciation/Accountability Society 3 - Closed (Page 37)

Originally posted by MOlsen

Speaking of swimming, 1400m in the pool today. For some reason, of all three triathlon disciplines, despite my love of water I find it hardest to stay motivated when swimming laps in the pool. I'm working on drills so my workout has some structure to it however I find myself dragging mentally by the end.

Any suggestions?

Originally posted by MOlsen

Speaking of swimming, 1400m in the pool today. For some reason, of all three triathlon disciplines, despite my love of water I find it hardest to stay motivated when swimming laps in the pool. I'm working on drills so my workout has some structure to it however I find myself dragging mentally by the end.

Any suggestions?

Originally posted by Qua17

Let's spend some time talking about eating well. I know a lot of you including myself are trying to eat better in order to lose some weight. What are some issues you have with food? OR What would you like advice on when it comes to healthy eating?

Originally posted by Qua17

With another 6 inches of snow on the way (Charles - I feel your pain!), I got my swim and PT workout in early. I only did 1200 - but I had the strangest pain in the back of my left knee. Every time I kicked down with the leg leg, I felt that slight ache/pain that I've never felt before. I tried stretching - but that didn't really help. Has this happened to anyone else?

I love running in the snow - so I plan on heading out and getting in 4 miles this afternoon.

Originally posted by Qua17



I'll tee off on this one first. My biggest problem when it comes to food is that I eat compulsively when I'm stressed. For example - during this job search, I have actually managed to gain weight despite working out more than a hour and a half each day. I find that once i start eating poorly, its off to the races. I'd like to be able to stop before things get out of hand. Any thoughts on this one for me?

Originally posted by mirthfuldragon



I wish I had a solution for you - it would probably be one for me, too.

I weigh-in on Fridays, following the same protocol each Friday for consistent numbers. Last Friday, I saw 183 and change - my lowest of the year, and two consistent 1.5+ pound losses in as many weeks. A good number, and proud of it. So I celebrated it by eating a whole pizza - and they screwed up my order (I like extra sauce, not half sauce), but I still ate it anyway. Saturday I ate well, and Sunday I screwed it all up again.

I think it is a combination of things with me. First, life stress translates to food, and I hate that link. Right now, my wife and I are having some troubles - she's gained back most, if not all, of the weight she lost about a year or 18 months ago (like 70 pounds), and she struggles with all the related issues that occur. She fell off the training wagon, and we still ate together - when I was training for my olys and marathon and averaging 12+ hours per week of training. She feels crappy, so she eats, and she feels crappy because she eats, so she doesn't work out, which makes her feel crappy, which causes her to eat . . .

Now she's considering bariatric surgery, which is a huge lifestyle change, but probably the only real, long-term solution for her. It breeds other issues though - for the first few year or two after the surgery, she'll only be able to eat an egg-size portion of food at a time, and won't be able to drink and eat at the same time.

That impacts our relationship - I love to cook, and I love food, and one of the ways I express my love for her is through cooking and dinner - and now it looks like I'm going to lose that venue. Great meals, like a Brazilian steakhouse or the Italian place we went the first time I told her I loved her - those would be a thing of the past. All-inclusive trip to Mexico - what's the point if you can't eat?

Then I have to stop myself - in all these things, my mind equates gluttony to pleasure and value. That's f*$%*# up. Going to Mexico for a vacation, and all I can think about is eating and drinking? Not about spending time with my wife, or snorkeling, or seeing Tenochtilan or Ixtapa?

Like today - lunch at Panera - Cobb Salad, no dressing (dressing is a distraction when there's avocado and bacon on the table) - a perfect meal: 600 calories, 49g(!) protein, 10g fiber, all kinds of good fats - and it's delicious. And in my mind, it's still a poor substitute for a burger and fries, full of cholesterol and white carbs. The salad is the "other," even though, given my choices for lunch today, it was probably the tastyiest thing available. It was good, good for me, and fits perfectly with my goals - and it's still labeled as a substitute, and thus inferior.

I used to joke that my body was a fast-moving food dumpster - and I am struggling with the realization that joke is the truth.

I know I'm the outlier - I've lost over 100 pounds, and kept it off for going on two years. Statistically, that puts me in a group with less than 3% of those that have lost the weight. Weight loss has a lower long-term positive outcome percentage than most cancer treatments.

The struggle - the battle - is that I have a problem with food. There is something wrong with me, and screwy in my head, and I don't treat it right. It is an addiction, a destructive force in my life.

Then, on top of all that, I ask my wife what I can do to help and support her - and I know she wants to help and support me, but when she suggests, politely and with love and tact, that I put the crappy pizza down, it made me angry and self-loathing and unhappy.

Between us, I don't know how hyperbolic the drug-addict metaphor actually is - whether we're bingeing on pizza, or passing a needle between our veins, what's the real difference? Both cause huge, drastic long-term health effects, and it's had a huge negative impact on our relationship. The difference is only one of degree, not fundamental nature, perhaps.

These are hard things to write.

As she marches toward bariatric surgery, I am forced to reconcile with the lifestyle changes that will follow, and that I will have to adapt to, and need to confront my own problems. Three preliminary tests and we've hit our deductible and out-of-pocket caps for the year ( f*&^k you Blue Cross / Blue Shield), and she's done a ton of research and read a lot of books on the matter - so for all practical purposes, the decision has been made.

All that's left is to face the consequences. My signature is from Plato - "the first and greatest victory is to conquer self."

Here's another:

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
“It is futile,” I said,
“You can never —”

“You lie,” he cried,
And ran on.

-Stephen Crane

Originally posted by Qua17

Let's spend some time talking about eating well. I know a lot of you including myself are trying to eat better in order to lose some weight. What are some issues you have with food? OR What would you like advice on when it comes to healthy eating?

Originally posted by MOlsen

Speaking of swimming, 1400m in the pool today. For some reason, of all three triathlon disciplines, despite my love of water I find it hardest to stay motivated when swimming laps in the pool. I'm working on drills so my workout has some structure to it however I find myself dragging mentally by the end.

Any suggestions?

Originally posted by kevinbe

I don't know if you remember, but I had a weird knee pain after my 1/2 IM distance in 2012. I trained for that race on the course at 17 mph. When I did the event, I rode over 19 mph. I think a lot of that gain came from pulling up on the backside of my pedal stroke, especially uphills. Imediately after the race, I had a weird pain in the back of my knee that lasted for a few months. I'm pretty sure it came from the pulling up on the backside of the bike pedal stroke, though I can't say for sure. If I were you, I'd take it easy, like with any new pain, could just be a one-two time thing. It could also be a little more serious and require dialing back on your intensities or volumes, or it could be the start of something chronic. Evaluate it closely.

I continue to be impressed with how well you push on through adversity. You get the A+ for that, but I doubt you want to add any more adversity than what your already dealing with.

Originally posted by Burd

I posted this in the regular forums a few days ago and didn't get a reply so I'll copy it and post it here in hopes of getting an answer:

I got my bootay measured on the specialized impression thing at the LBS and it came back my sit bones fit 143mm saddles. Now here is the question: Why are all the tri specific saddles I see only in the low 130s? I used an Adamo road on my roadie and it was perfect in the front and I had zero numbness but it was too narrow and hurt like crazy after a while. I like the idea of the big cutout since it makes sense to me. I see Cobb is in the 130s also. I am getting ready to purchase a tri bike and wondered if since you are down in an aero position does this change the need for a wider seat since the hips are rotated more? Is it because you are sitting different and more on the nose?

Originally posted by Qua17 Mark - I was swimming today and thought about half way through my workout - God! Mark's right! This is boring! So I spent the rest of my swim brainstorming ways to make it less mind numbing. 1) I'm not good at math but if I think how much of my workout I've done in fractions and then convert it to a percent - that keeps my mind off being bored. 2) Nascar - With every length I do - I think of the driver for that car. So, on length 20 - I think Kenseth on length 48 I think Johnson. It helps me remember the cars. Sometimes I even use it to do speed work. For example, I chose a racing organization - Let's say Joe Gibbs. He has cars 11, 18, and 20. Whenever I am swimming a length that is a multiple of that, I will try to go extra fast. I think you could do this with any sport. Just a thought...

Originally posted by Qua17

Today - I did my long swim and manged to finish 1500 despite the fact that I was incredibly tired by the end. If this fatigue when swimming keeps up - I might need to stay out of the pool until my shoulders and lats don't feel so tired. I also got in 20 minutes of PT.

The wife and I are headed out to PF Changs on a date tonight - NO KIDS! Can I get an amen! So, I wanted to burn as many calories as could so I could enjoy myself to the fullest (but not too full). Hope everyone is having a good humpday!