Wednesday, September 09, 2009

MIDWEEK SLUMP

I was blown away by my increased strength and energy levels since Sunday’s breakfast and dinner. I had been eating pretty lean and clean for about 3 weeks and one obvious side effect for me is that my strength is far from its max and jogging is hard work as there just isn’t heaps of fuel in the tank.

So Monday night I went to do my shoulders and arms session (using supersets) and set my weights at last week’s levels knowing that it was a pretty tough workout. To my surprise all exercises seemed considerably easier and I increased my weights and they still weren’t hard, as such. By the end I had made some significant increases in weights just to get the max out of the session. I was pretty impressed with myself actually.

Yesterday morning I headed out for my 40 minute jog and again found a level of energy I just don’t usually have after really sticking to my nutrition plan. I ran the same route as last week’s mid week run and what took me 46 minutes last time, took 44 this time. It felt like I was going faster and the numbers proved it. Funnily enough this time I had good energy to start with and then got tired towards the end whereas previously I’d start slow and find it hard then as I neared the end I’d get a second wind and finish stronger than the start.

Today this is my third day of lean and clean eating and it feels like everything is back to normal and energy and strength are mediocre again LOL. It was fun while it lasted and its highlighted how different I can feel and how I can harness that extra strength and energy into some really effective training sessions in future.

Sadly I feel like I've hit a bit of a midweek slump. I've struggled with motivation for work both Monday and yesterday so today was crunch time as important jobs couldnt be put off any longer. My thoughts are constantly going to food and I'm having little dream sessions about what I want to eat. On the way back from a meeting today I passed our local Bakers Delight and thought back to all the previous times when I'd call in and indulge in a scone or a scroll or a pastry or sometimes ALL THREE. But I forced myself to keep eyes ahead and just keep walking. Or just out of the blue I'd think "mmmm I feel like pasta" when I wasnt even hungry. Has my quest to lose my excess body fat made me totally obsessed with food and eating? I'm sure there's a logical reason for my illogical thoughts but I just cant see it right now.

So tonight I took the best tonic I could think of and knocked out a training session including ab work and my home cardio routine. Feeling better now but have room to feel much better still. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Maybe its up to me to make it so.

Cheers all

Magda

3 comments:

Stephanie Davis said...

hey magda,
i can relate to obsessive thoughts about food, particularly when i used to have the cheat meal as a regular fixture once per week- after about 4 or 5 days clean i would start dreaming about what i'd have for it. So im still playing with what approach is going to keep me lean come my offseason. All you can do is keep going, keep observing your thoughts/behaviours and be patient with yourself xx

Magda said...

Thanks Steph, I'm struggling a bit at the moment and its nice to know that I'm not alone and that others have felt like this too.

Cheers

Magda

Erika said...

It's really hard as the cheat meal/s, extra cals, carbs,protein, fat or whatever has really helped with your 'output' so to speak. But as a binger of carbs myself - well to be honest food - I fully understand the problem.

I don't have answers at all, not qualified, still fat, but boy do I understand. I suppose that's why I am replying, it's not just you Magda that have these thoughts. If binging has been a problem, introducing a 'cheat' regularly - mind says excuse to binge. I'm still learning how to deal with that.

I suppose it's what I was just saying on KatieP's post, fat loss (that's what I'm calling it for me) is more about the mind than anything else. Get that right, and with a few hiccups the rest will follow. But the mind is a hard bugger to overcome.... Erika