Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Injury and Weight


After injury, surgery, and recovery, I’m not surprised I weigh a bit more than my training and racing weight.  I usually race between 128-133 and train between 133-136, but over the past couple months I haven’t been able to shake 148-150.  I know it is healthy to gain a few pounds in the off season, but I don’t feel comfortable being so far off the weight I feel good training at.

I was really motivated to drop some of the extra fat in preparation for getting back to running, but, so far, my body is not budging.  I completely cut out sugar for 4 weeks (quite an accomplishment for me) and tracked my calories. When nothing happened, I got pissed and stopped being so strict.  Not much happened.  Then I got re-motivated and did a juice cleanse for a couple days.  I dropped a couple pounds, but then my weight gradually returned to where it was.  Urggg.

I think the hardest part is trying not comparing myself to other runners.  I feel heavy compared to the women I race against at when I’m weighing in at 130, let alone 150.  I know other women also gain weight , but it never seems as drastic as me nor is it as hard to get off.

I know my body is smart, and there is probably a reason it’s holding on to weight. Such as needing to recovery from surgery….  So, I went and checked in with a nutritionist at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.  She reminded me I’m still at a healthy body weight and having a higher body weight helps your body recover faster.  Weight should come off as I start to run more, and my body remembers there are reasons why it is helpful to be lighter.  But I can also help myself out by minimizing processed body and the empty calories in alcohol.

Being disciplined but not freaking out is the balance I will need to work out the next few weeks.