Lesson Learned: Never, ever wear your glasses to a hair appointment, because they will make you take them off while they cut your hair and when you put them back on again all your hair will be gone.

I hate it.

It’s NOT an inverted bob, even though I told her to keep the same shape, it’s just a regular bob and it’s short. Too short.

Whatever, it was only $10, now I just need to pray for my hair to grow. And fast.

PS: My 10K race report is coming tomorrow; for those who were asking about it!

After my whiny, feel-sorry-for-me post last Friday I couldn’t very well go without updating you on my progress, could I? Last weekend I bought this magazine . See, I’ve gained SIX pounds since January. That’s about a pound a month and I couldn’t figure out why, I mean, I’ve been running like crazy and doing way more exercise than I’ve ever done before, so it didn’t make sense. This article put it in perspective for me:

“There is this myth that anytime you train for a race, all of a sudden, the weight’s going to drop off,” says Sue Abell, a personal trainer and owner of the Tread Powerfully fitness group in Burlington, Ont. “They think, ‘I’m training now, I’ve burned all those calories, so I can eat whatever I want.’”

This was SO my problem. I would be starving after a long run, naturally, so I’d stuff my face and think it was OK because I’d just burned anywhere from 1,000 – 2,000 calories. But then I’d inhale 3,000 calories without even blinking an eye. The article made me realize just because I’m logging some serious miles and time at the gym does NOT mean I can eat whatever I want. It also pointed out that I should have something within 30 minutes after a run or workout. If I did a long run and didn’t have something within 30 minutes it wouldn’t matter what I ate the rest of the day, I would still feel hungry.

So, enter Spark People. I was hoping that once I got to a place of maintenance I would be able to stop tracking every morsel I eat. But, clearly that is not an option for me since when I quit recording what I eat, I overeat and then gain weight. I’m pretty sure I will have to use some sort of device to track my food for the rest of my life. Oh well, I’ve been doing it on and off for 1.5 years, I’m getting used to it.

All week I have been tracking my food and watching what I eat. I got up at 5 am, three mornings in a row to workout. Two runs and one spin class. By yesterday morning my body was SORE so I slept in and snuck out of work mid-morning to do an hour-long, gentle yoga class. Back to the gym this morning for strength! I’m getting back into a regular routine, slowly but surely.

I’ve really been focussing on what I eat. Not depriving myself, but not stuffing myself either. I was cooking supper the other night and went to grab a handful of wheat thins out of the cupboard to munch on. I had to stop and remind myself I was about to mindlessly eat 90 calories. Not a lot, but it adds up.

I’m also working on revamping my meals. I have a sweet tooth, there’s no point in fighting it, so I’m allowing myself three deserts a week, but in order to get desert I have to be willing to eat a skimpier dinner. Here’s what I made on Wednesday night:

1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup sliced strawberries, 1 tbsp chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of granola. Yes, it was still 400 calories BUT a regular banana split from somewhere like DQ is around 800 calories! Next time, I’m going to only have half a banana too because a full one was a little much. And all I had for dinner Wednesday night was chicken and salad so I allowed myself a treat afterwards. Last night I had veggie pizza and salad, so no treat. It’s all about balance.

My official weigh-in isn’t until tomorrow, but as of yesterday morning I had lost 2 pounds! My goal is to lose about 1 pound a week, I want to take it off slow and steadily.

Tomorrow is that trail run that I signed up for–6.5 km (4 miles) of mountain-running. I’ve heard that the first hill is so steep that people had to use their hands to get up it last year! I’m really looking forward to it though, now that I’ve been joining these local run groups I will know quite a few people there so it should be fun! Here’s a picture from the first trail run I ever joined, it was my favourite one so far because of the gorgeous view of the city!

I’m the one with the brown pants, white shirt and red hydration belt! Beautiful view, hey!

So, I’m curious, does anyone else out there find that they have to keep track of everything they eat all the time? Or do you just do that when you want to lose a few pounds? Hit me up with some more healthy recipes, dessert ones are especially appreciated

PS: LG; I have been trying to email you r.e. online dating but it keeps bouncing back to me! Could you send me an email please amber (at) girlwiththeredhair (d0t) com. Thanks!

I was flipping through some old photo’s last night and got the wake up call I needed:

Me at my biggest, September 2007:

Me at my thinnest, July 2008:

I NEED to get back into my gym/healthy eating routine. I NEED to start recording what I eat and be diligent about my eating. I NEED to start getting back on track because I’m already 10 pounds more than I was in the second photo, which is only 15 pounds away from what I was in the first photo!

I’ve tried Body By Glamour, it’s how I lost my initial 25 pounds, but I don’t really like the new version. I tried Weight Watchers, it didn’t seem to work for me. I was constantly going over my points and when I wasn’t going over my points I was STARVING.

Any good tips for something I can use to track my food intake that might work for me? I’m also still on the search for the perfect strength routine at the gym!?