Run, Run, Fast as You Can
I ran again last night. I made my goal as well. It is amazing how a little exercise can make you feel so much better.

I started my new running regime last week. I decided to try it differently this time around hoping it would help me stick with it.

First off, I read that you really shouldn't run every day, but rather every other day. I have been told not to believe everything I read, so instead I just believe everything I read that I want to believe.

Here was my plan. Work up to 30 minutes a day, slowly. When I was in college I ran 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Back then I figured if I missed a day, I was very likely to miss a month. It worked well. I was about 165 lbs at 5'6" and I could eat pretty much anything I wanted.

The first year I was married I quit running. I tried off and on but I couldn't stick with it. For the next 8 or 9 years I gained about 5 lbs a year. That doesn't seen like much but it all adds up. One day I woke up and I was 225. I was wearing 38" jeans and it was time to buy a larger size. I didn't want to do it. That was what motivated me to try to lose a little weight. That was 2 years ago this month.

I decided to try the low carb diet. I liked the idea of eating lots of steak. Mmmm. The first week I just cut out soda. I was probably drinking between 4 and 6 a day. The first week I lost 8 lbs. Just by cutting out the soft drinks. The second week I started the low carb diet. I lost another 6 lbs that week. That was 14 lbs in 14 days. {That can't be very healthly, but it sure was motivating.} I continued to do the low carb thing for 10 weeks and lost a total of 35 lbs. Unfortunately, that is not a eating plan I felt like I could live with forever.

During all that I did a lot of reading. I read Atkins book, I read "The Hackers Diet" {available in PDF format free}, I read other stuff too. I learned a lot from the "Hackers Diet". He explained the daily weight fluctuation very well.

Some things I learned from various sources. A pound of fat is roughly the same as 3500 calories. Eat an extra 3500 calories, you gain a pounds, omit 3500 calories by eating less or burn 3500 extra calories by exercising and you lose a pound. Sounds easy enough.

Not really. The average person supposedly needs 2000 calories a day. I think I must have a slow metabolism because I apparrently need fewer than 1800 calories a day. At 1800 calories a day, I do not lose weight. Bummer.

Say your a 2000 calorie per day person. Say you want to lose a pound. You could lose one pound in a week by reducing your input by 500 calories a day for a a week. But thats just one pound. You could try fasting for two days, but your likely to gain it back if you try it that way.

From the time I quit the low carb thing, till the time I started counting calories, I gained about 5 pounds back. My weight now is pretty steady but it does fluctuate by about 3 pounds a week.

When I first started counting calories, I was obsessed with it. Surprise, Rick, obsessed, no way! I wrote down every thing I ate, and added up the calories every day. Its hard work but it is effective. And no cheating, if you eat the Krispy Kreme donut, write it down. {Seems like those little donuts were like 250 or 300 calories.} Using that method I successfully lost 7 lbs in 7 weeks. Not nearly as fast as low carb, but I didn't have near as much to lose either.

While doing the calorie counting, it occurried to me that the reason low carb diets work is two fold. First low carb diets are actually low calorie. Example: A recommended low carb breakfast was 2 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon. Guess how many calories that is? About 300. If you ate that for 3 meals in one day, that would be only 900, a lot less than the 2000 average.

The second reason is that the low carb diet cuts out sugar. Have you ever noticed how eating something sweet causes you to crave more. If you cut out sweet foods, you will usually cut out food cravings.

The low carb diet works well, but I can't live the rest of my life without bread and pasta! On the other hand this low calorie thing works pretty well. Just think, a ham sandwich on white bread with mustard comes in around 150 or 180 calories depending on what kind of bread you use. Nothing wrong with that, just avoid the chips! A small handful of chips (perhaps about 10 chips) will run you another 200 calories. Perhaps a second sandwich is a better idea.

Enough of that nonsense. As you can tell dieting is/has been a bit of an obsession for me. I do not want to return to the blob that I once was, nor do I wish to remain at the weight I currently am.

So I decided to add a little exercise to my calorie counting. {You will be pleased to know that I no longer feel obligated to write down what I eat. I certainly have a better feel for how many calories I consume now.} I have manged to remain essentially the same weight for the last year. Now about the running.

I decided that surely I was in good enough shape to run for a whole minute. One evening I went out for a walk. I walked a block, and then I ran for what seemed like a minute. That wasn't too bad. And my watch showed it be be 90 seconds. Wow, I am good! It didn't hurt either.

The next time out I figured I would run for three minutes. I mean I practically ran two the first night, and three is only one more. I set the timer on my watch for three minutes. I walked a block, started the timer and ran til it beeped. That wasn't too bad.

The next time out I went for four. Four minutes seemed to take forever. But I ran till the watch beeped! Each time I ran, I ran in a different direction so that I couldn't guage my distance by the prevous nights run. I don't know if this was a good or bad idea, but it was an idea so I did it.

The next time five minutes, and then 6, and then 7, and then 8. On the night of 8, when I started running {perhaps I should be using the word 'jogging' as I am not actually setting any speed records} my pace seemed faster than normal but it felt fine so I just went with it. After what seemed like forever, I had to quit. I only made it 7.5 minutes that night. I was disappointed but I was getting exercise.

The nice thing about it so far is that I haven't been sore at all. Can you believe it? Me either. And I usually feel great after I get out of the shower.

I failed at 8 but I was determined to make 9. And I did. Tomorrow is 10! I am looking forward to it.

I usually run at night. Some time between 9 and 11. I live in a place where I feel safe running at night, so that is good. I have tried running in the morning but my feet don't work in the morning. I have no trouble running at night, coming home, taking a shower, and going right to sleep. Whatever works is what you should do.

More later. The wife just got home from work. I still need to tell you about the evenings events on the back porch.