“Endurance is more than just competing, it's
more than just running, it's a lifestyle of no easy options!”
― a runner
I’ve always been a runner, it’s what I’ve always known, and it’s what
I’ve always been good at. Running has
always been there for me. What I’m
struggling with now is how I became an over weight runner. I was cautioned that once I reached my
thirties my metabolism would slow. I
took that warning loosely and now I wish I hadn’t. I’m thirty-three and though I didn’t notice
any difference in my weight when I was thirty years old, I admittedly do
now.
My metabolism didn’t slow;
it came to an abrupt halt like a balking mule.
I went from being able to consume anything I wanted, at all hours with
no change, to blowing up at the essence of Chick-fil-a, like a bee stunk
allergy victim. There might be a slight
exaggeration taking place here, but it sure seems to be this way. I had always been lighter than most, but with
the increase in years in life came the accumulation to my weight.
In middle school I was on
the 80 pounds and under relay team. In
high school I weighed in at a whopping 120 pounds. When I got married in 2009 I was at a
comfortable 150 L-B’s. My racing weight
is right around 150-145. Three years
later I gained 15 pounds and they didn’t go away. Those 15 pounds moved in right above my
waist, where I once housed an envious set of six pack abs.
I’ve tried every diet
under a book sleeve, cut out carbs, and drank my self silly with vegetable
juice cleanses. The latter only lasted a
day before I had to throw in the towel and call up Aldo’s for a meat lovers
pizza. A person could work themselves
right into the looney bin trying to follow all the latest weight lost craves
and diets. I was going mad, mad I tell
you! One diet said to eat eggs but no
beans, while another would declare the opposite, eat beans no huevos.
If you’re curious I
didn’t loose weight with any of these methods.
With each failure came an edacity for food, which brought on an eating
binge of glorious favorites such as previously mentioned Chick-fil-a, the
nuggets soaked in a heavenly Chick-fil-a sauce, accompanied by salty warm
waffle fries, washed down with an iced cold sweet tea with lemon. I wouldn’t stop there either; a couple hours
later I would follow up with either Oreo pudding snacks or Turkey Hill Rocky
Road ice cream.
Now don’t get this
distorted, I don’t think I’m fat, I just feel I had plateaued. I was struggling to get back to my race
weight of 150 lbs. After my last eating
craze I started looking into “Shakeology” a very expensive ($130 per month)
meal replacement shake product by Beachbody, the same company that brought us
P90X. According to www.shakeology.com this product can help
you lose weight, reduce cravings, reenergize, and improve digestion and
regularity, and who doesn’t want better digestion and regularity.
I did my research on the
Shakeolgy line and was convinced that something like this could work, but I
wasn’t about to pay $130 for it. And
then I remembered I was already using a product that could be used in this
manner. UCAN Generation offers a similar
product that I wasn’t using to lose weight.
I was using it as a protein shake after long runs and workouts, when I
should have been using it as a meal replacement.
“Our vision is inspired by a young boy's need
for healthy energy, and that led us to create a new scientifically proven
energy source called Superstarch - the only carbohydrate of its kind that
delivers sustained energy, helps you burn fat, lets you recover efficiently,
and allows you to perform at your peak. We're redefining the world of sports
and fitness with natural, safe, and healthy nutrition. Our products question
the existing approach and inspire a new generation to compete at their fullest
ability and triumph the healthy way” (http://generationucan.com/speedsters/).
Three weeks ago I started
replacing my breakfast with a UCAN shake, chocolate to be precise, with a
tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, one whole banana, and 8 ½ ounces of 30
calorie, unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk, blended with a handful of
ice. The shake is incredibly tasty and
must be working. I’ve lost eight pounds
in these three weeks and am closing in on my goal race weight of 150 pounds. I’m sitting at 157, which is the lightest I
have been in over two years. I’m able to
eat what I want the rest of the day including a few beers on the weekends
without guilt or weight gain.
 |
| My Weight and Muscle Mass fluctuation since November 2012 |
If you’re interested in
trying out the UCAN products I recommend the chocolate and lemonade flavors. Also if you order from our website (by
clicking on the UCAN logo) you will get 15% OFF and the Speedsters receive 10%
back a win win.
Till we run into each
other again…
