Wow. That was hard.

Today is going pretty well. I've done great diet wise despite the temptations. Pei Wei was delivered at lunch. I didn't eat any as I was off to exercise anyway. I did grab a bunch of lettuce they brought for the lettuce wraps and I've been munching like a rabbit on that all day(without the filling of course!).  It reminded me how much I like crunchy iceberg lettuce. I don't eat it much, but it was tasty. I think I'll get some so I can munch it at home and bring it for snacks.

For breakfast I had a Jimmy Dean Light sandwich at 260 cal and a yogurt, 100cal.  I had an apple for snack mid morning.  At lunch I had a banana, 2 string cheese and some watermelon. Now I'm having an orange. Gotta keep those fruits going for Patrick.

I really don't get why some people say working out makes them hungry.  After I work out really hard, I'm not hungry at all. Maybe it's because I drink so much water. Today I had 32oz before and 32 oz after. I went home at lunch and did the C25K week 4 Day 1. WOW. That was hard for me.

Maybe it was the not running in so long. Maybe it was the soreness in my hamstrings related to all the yard work this weekend.  Either way, it was rough. BUT, I finished it. At first I was upset that it was so hard. After all I was up to 30min runs before I got sick. It is discouraging. On the other hand....

I've only been back to real workouts since last Wednesday. It was my first one since being sick and all.  So, really that's only 6 days. AND, I did challenge myself by starting with week 4, not week 1. I knew I didn't need to start the program over, at least I didn't want to. I did 1.6 miles in 30 min. I ran 16 min of that. Intervals were Run 3, 5, 3, 5, with walking between. After, I did some heavy duty intense stretching as my hamstrings were hurting and my iliotibial band can be an issue if I don't stretch.

I was spent. I mean SPENT. I drank and drank and drank. I've had 4 32 oz cups already. Plus my 16oz coffee and a can of diet DP. Total fluids=156 oz so far. I was really thirsty after the weekend. I woke up with a dessert dry mouth this am. YEP. Not enough water yesterday. And I know I had at LEAST 64oz of water.

My body is a sponge. Now I'm wondering how much is enough. How much do I need to drink until I don't want more? Am I addicted to water? I don't know. There is such a thing, you know. Crazy people get it. It's actually quite rare and I am teasing, of course.

But, what I have realized from the experience of going from a heavy exerciser to not exercising is this-for me exercise is key. I've read all the studies on diet and how it is more important in weight loss. To me it is like reading a study that says low carb is better and then another that says low fat is better. Here's the deal. When I exercise, I feel better. I feel healthier. I am more motivated to eat right. I don't want to waste that workout by eating a bunch of crapola.

I have been eating relatively healthy for a long time. The weight loss didn't happen. I was eating  a good healthy diet. I was eating a heart healthy diet. I was monitoring my calories most of the time. I even did WW. No weight loss. In March of this year when I added exercise, weight loss. I quit because of being sick. I was tracking my calories and eating pretty decent as far as amount. No weight loss, in fact I gained. Last week I started working out and upped the water, weight loss.

What more proof do I need that for me, exercise is absolutely necessary to weight loss and healthy living? NONE.  This was the end of the second week of the DDDY challenge with Allan. The first week I was not as committed as I should have been. I had a few diet slips and I wasn't working out. I was up 2 pounds. This last week I ate right, stuck to the calories, drank all the water, I'm down a pound from where I was, which is really a 3pound loss, you get me? For me it takes both diet and exercise to see real results.

I think it is the truth. I've seen plenty of patients who hit the exercise hard, but don't track their food and they don't lose. I've had plenty of patients who track their food and are very strict, but don't exercise and they don't lose.  I really think you need both. And working through your mental issues is helpful too.

It's like depression treatment. We know the medications work. We know therapy and talking it out works. So do other non-medicine things like exercise and good sleep habits. But....doing BOTH has much higher remission rates. Does it mean one approach is better than the other? NO. It tells me we can't ignore either one.

So I know that working out is important for me. For me the endorphins suppress my appetite, in my theory anyway.  Do any of you experience this? Or do you get hungry when you work out?  How much water do you drink during a workout or just after?  If I don't hydrate, I don't recover as well that's for sure.

And so I am pushing on to get myself back to where I was. Tomorrow I'm going back to TKD even though I'm a little scared and even though I know it will be hard. I have to get started again sometime. Not going won't get me closer to my goal. So, I'll go and do what I can. That's all I can do and all I can expect from myself. NOT TRYING is NOT AN OPTION.