Stop Telling Me What to Eat!

OK, this has been a long time coming. I get it. I talk about health and exercise often to my friends and family, so perhaps I bring a little of this upon myself.
As far as my eating, I do occasionally fall off the wagon, but I always get back on. It's cyclical... kind of like what pro athletes do in the off season. Maybe it's not on purpose, but truthfully it's what happens to me. And truth be told, each time I make a comeback I end up in better shape than I was in previously.

Think about this. If you knew I only ate loads of veggies and protein, you'd say... wow, that's so healthy. If I eat the same thing and say I'm eating low carb... suddenly I'm eating horribly. I don't really understand this way of thinking.
I don't 'tell' people in general that I'm eating low carb. I don't tell them anything.  It's when someone is like, "Hey you want a half a bagel?" or "Why did you take the bread off your burger?" that I finally say something about cutting down on my carbs.

I've been eating a primarily low carb diet for almost 12 years. I have annual checkups and all my blood work comes back excellent. Cholesterol perfect, blood pressure perfect, sugar levels perfect... yada yada yada.
So, why is it if you order a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and I order a bacon cheeseburger with salad and no bun, I'm considered the unhealthy one? Just look at the calories alone. Even if you had salad too, the bread is just wasted calories.

What brought this on? I've been hearing stuff for years, and never got this off my chest. 
Here's what broke my silence -
I have a friend who recently pronounced his disdain for my way of eating (not his first time either – it’s constant). He is a person with a fast metabolism, that can eat whatever he wants and maintain a tall slim stature. Sure he may gain a bit, but no one would notice and he is NEVER at risk of getting fat.
He works out, he eats chocolate and desserts almost every time I hang out with him, but he eats his veggies and fiber before his main meal, so he thinks his way of eating is the right way. So to reiterate, to him I guess eating fried food, pizza, deserts, and veggies is a healthy way of - but get that veggie fix in first. Oh, yeah he'll substitute white rice for brown. Seems like a feeble effort if you ask me. My point - The guy can eat like a garbage truck and you would barely notice it if he stopped working out.
Oh, but he's cut back on alcohol... which he is also constantly preaching to me.

I find myself constantly having to defend myself. Unlike my guitar player 'Alex' who can eat literally anything he wants and stay skinny due to a hyperdrive metabolism, mine's more the speed of a turtle.
I have a slow metabolism (which I take meds for). I've of course mentioned this particular fact to my friend who expressed scornfully his low opinion of my way of eating. I've told him that what works for him doesn't work for me. I've told him (on numerous occasions) I've tried other so called 'healthy' was of eating and they didn't work for me.
I'm disciplined. I’m in the gym 4-6 days a week. I eat fish, meats, cheeses, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts... and more. It's not ideal for all since we're all addicted to carbs, but it works for me. Oh, and still I am fighting the obesity battle. If I changed any one of these things I'd blow up. My metabolism just plain sucks!

This one friend was really the breaking point for me because not only has he been harping on me for years, but so have others that find out I'm 'low carb'. In some cases I actually think there's a bit of jealousy that I have the discipline to stick with this way of eating, and they feel badly when they splurge on carbage. But, on the other hand I also think these people think that what works for them is going to work for everyone. I’m wrong – they’re right.

This mentality is ludicrous. We're all built differently. We all metabolize differently. We all have different areas we need to work on.
Example - This friend has to work twice as hard in the gym to build muscle than I do. Genetics play a huge part in that (See, I can accept genetics as a reason for this, but he can't apparently grasp that concept). I could probably also attribute some of that to his diet, but of course he would deny. I have a definite solution that would help him, but he hasn’t asked my opinion or for advice, so I keep it to myself. (cough… a lot more lean protein…cough)

Look, I wish I could eat like the rest of you. I wish I could eat Pizza every day to eternity. Honestly, I never get sick of pizza ... and ice cream. I do allow myself to indulge at times; Holidays, Birthdays... and sometimes a random cheat day/weekend, but I have to come back to my way of eating or I blow up.

Yes, that's the other argument I get... once you go off low carb you blow up. Yes, that's true, I do. But before I did low carb and tried to eat what others consider 'healthy' I also blew up. Eating low carb I dropped 65 lbs. I was extremely heavy... I was fat. This friend made horrible comments when I was fat some 12 years ago. I dropped 65lbs within a year. I made my goal weight. I have stayed within 10-15 pounds of that goal weight since (most of the time at or near goal). That 15 pounds is when I fall off for a month or two each year. Then, I tighten the reigns and get my shit together. Instead of a nice comment all I hear is unsolicited negative feedback about my diet. STFU already!

I have a family member who also gave me a lot of flak about my way of eating. Then he tried it. Of course, like anything else you have to follow a set of rules. He decided his way of going low carb was to buy a box of low carb chocolate bars to fight the cravings.  This isn't a bad idea really. I mean, you want something sweet, but don't want the carbs. These bars are filled with mallitol, also known as 'sugar alcohols' in place of real sugar. Sugar alcohols are sugars that end in a "ol", like malitol and sorbitol and have a negligible effect on blood sugar.  Your body can't digest them, so they usually end up in the intestines are digested by the microbes living there.   Well, that process causes an incredible amount of gas and if you eat too much, explosive diarrhea. That's why they put a caution on the label of those bars. Well, he didn't heed the warning and ended up with gastrointestinal distress to the highest degree. I felt bad for his wife and kids from the detailed story he told me. Cramping, bloating, exploding - repeat.

He went on to tell me this low carb diet is crap (literally for him it was). I of course told him he brought it upon himself. Whatever... He then said this way of eating isn't sustainable because he has kids. I don't buy that argument. You make a sandwich for the kids with turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato.. you have the same thing rolled in turkey over salad without the bread. How difficult is that?  He’s still extremely overweight.
I didn't push it any further.

Matter of fact I don't push my way of eating on anyone at all. If people ask me I'll give them advice, but otherwise I don't say anything to anyone. So why do people feel like it’s OK to push their diet advice on me?
At the end of the day, this is what works for me. Please stop telling me how to eat. When I want your advice I'll ask for it.  Unsolicited criticism even from friends with good intentions isn't nice. I know you care about me, but c'mon... who asked you? I have enough self-image issues without you harping on me.
Friends are supposed to build you up, not tear you down. It's not like I'm huge or anything. It's not like I look like I'm unhealthy. So cut it out!

I was going to stop there, but hey... it's my rant so I can keep going right?

The other criticism from this friend - You can't drink at all.
Yes, I should probably cut back on alcohol at times, but none at all says the friend who still drinks when it's convenient to him.
So I told him... you know, I've made sacrifices. I cut out foods I wish I could eat. All my favorite things. I exercise a LOT. I take the time to ensure I'm doing all the right things. I swim, run, weights, treadmill, cross train. I've made more sacrifices in that regard than most people have to in order to stay fit. With my routine most people would be in ridiculously good shape with 6 pack abs and chiseled everything else.  So, yes... I allow myself to drink sometimes. Back off already!

I get the concept of calories in - calories out. A low calorie diet basically sells itself fairly easily. You have less calories to burn therefore you burn fat. This is short sited. In the long term your body starts to think it's starving and begins to store your calories. Also, this would depend on what type of calories you're consuming. Carb calories or protein calories. I won't bore you with more on this topic. Just know I've tried it.

Hey, think about this… bread and pasta don’t exist naturally in this world. It’s man made. Early man ate meat, veggies, nuts and fruit. Bar the fruit (I have some berries), I’m just taking it back to the basics. The things that man was made to eat and digest. Corn chips no matter how ‘all natural’ the bag says they are is just not natural.

That's all for now. I'm happy to reply to any comments to this.

Rix

Still reading? Really? I didn’t already bore you enough with my verbal diarrhea? Actually, now I’ve used the word diarrhea 3 times in this blog. I had to look up the spelling though. I just never get that one right. I think diarrhea (that makes 4) should be spelled the way it sounds – diarea (does that count a 5?). Like bologna should be baloney.

Later!

The Marathon Man...

"The grin on my face spreading from ear to ear."

So, it's been just over a week since I completed the New York Marathon.

What was I thinking?
I guess I never thought I'd actually get into the marathon. It seemed like a pretty safe bet to put my name in the lottery. Thousands try to get in every year and thousands get denied. Of course when I was actually selected I was shocked and excited. Then of course I got a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach.  One of those..."shit, now what am I going to do?" type feelings. I started training.

I won't go into too much detail about the training except to say it wasn't without it's challenges.  From a torn calf muscle early on to IT Band syndrome in both of my knees it was a wild ride.  I mean, I was only running between 2 and 5 miles max back then.  Within a few months of the marathon (a year later) I had run up to 18 miles pretty successfully. I did a couple of half marathons leading up to the full one as well. A couple of cortisone injections in the knees for the pain and I was ready to take on this NYC Marathon!!!

One additional note about training - if anyone reading this is actually interested in running the NYC Marathon, make sure you do a lot of  hill training. No one tells you there is so much up hill in this run... or I chose to ignore it.  If you train for half to be uphill at various inclines you'll be fine.

2 weeks leading up to the Marathon I threw my low carb diet out the window in exchange for some complex carbs, breads, pastas, and fruit. Alcohol was also almost non-existent at that point. Matter of fact I went to my HS reunion the night before the marathon for a couple of hours. I can't remember a social event when I didn't have 1 drink to loosen up... and seeing all my old HS peeps is definitely a good occasion to throw a few back.  Still had fun, but had to get home to rest up for the run.

Marathon day goes like this.  Wake up at 4:10AM - just before the alarm.
Shower, shave, put on Body Glide (deodorant like protection stick that you rub over areas that often get chafed from running a long time), and rug up.  No jackets of course - runners use old throwaway sweatshirts and such so they can peel off layers as they go along their way.  Cool fact - All the clothes that runners discard are collected by NY Sanitation and given to the needy.
4:45 AM - It's cold outside, pitch black, and there's not a lot of people about.  I'm to get the bus right near my apartment over by the NY Library.  On my walk  over I see drunk people just heading home from a night of debauchery.  I remember thinking to myself, "hey - that's what I'm usually doing. What's wrong with me?"
Honestly - what am I doing up at 4 something in the morning getting a bus to go running. Seriously!

As I get to the bus I see  hundreds of athletes and idiots like me getting ushered into lines to get on the buses to Staten Island. I met some dude in line who's run about 10 of them with his brother. This year his brother just got over heart surgery and was still going to run it.  We talked for the entire bus ride over which helped coax my nerves a bit. I felt inspired.

So, now that I hurried up to the start it was time to get over to the 'Green Zone' at Fort Wadsworth Park.  The ground was wet from frost the night before. It's about 6:30 AM... 4 hours from starting time. There were a few hundred of us at that  point, and it was freezing cold.  Dunkin Donuts was handing out free winter hats which I gladly took and put on my cold shaved head.  It was freakin' cold at the park! There was free coffee, bagels, Powerbars, water, and Gatorade all over the shop.  Most people just wanted to find a dry place to sit or lay down.  I found an unused table and sat there. As the park filled with runners I got to talking with a woman from Ireland (now a NY'er) who had run the NY Marathon 4 times and 1 Marathon in Berlin.  She was really great to talk to about what to expect and honestly, she took me under her wing for the next few hours while we waited for our start time.

When it's time they herd you into a corral like a bunch of cows. Thousands upon thousands line up to get to the starting line.  Then you wait.  The heart is pounding, the sun is out, people shedding their additional layers of clothes.  There's a DJ making announcements, but honestly I can't hear him. All I'm thinking about is getting this thing started already. C'mon already!!! 1 minute count down and then BOOM... a cannon marks the start.

I was near the front of the pack to start. Not because I was running fast or anything. Just happened to be where I started. I remembered hearing stories about people who start off running faster than their pace due to the adrenaline rush. It was easy to see how that could happen.  I chose purposely to go slower and take it all in.

The first mile over the Verrazano Bridge is all up hill. The bridge is huge and beautiful.  There's no bystanders, just runners. The sounds of sneakers hitting the pavement and breathing are all you hear. It's pretty surreal - A sea of bodies waving and bobbing up ahead. I did the first mile in 11 minutes...slow! The next mile over the other side of the bridge is all downhill and I made up plenty of time with an 8 min mile.  I realized I needed to pace myself a lot better.  I won't give a recount of every mile... you'd be bored, and quite honestly some of it's a blur to me.  I just ran, and ran, and ran (queue Flock of Seagulls).

"A sea of bodies waving and bobbing up ahead. The Verrazano Bridge."

Brooklyn - Who knew, Brooklyn residents kick ass! What an awesome crowd of people cheering along through the entire borough. The crowds are loud and motivating, putting out hands for high fives and handing out tissues, bananas, gels, etc... There's music on the sides of the road too, and bands.  My only negative comment here is for the bands - stop talking so much. The runners want to hear music, not preaching, not reinforcement... music! The African Drums up in Harlem were super cool, and even with the state I was in at that point of the marathon I could still appreciate it. ...just sayin'.

There's a street in Brooklyn - Lafayette St. that seems to go on forever. It's sort of deceptive as you don't realize at first that you're jogging up a slight incline, but after a while I found myself wondering when this damn street would end.  That was the only point where I put on my iPod and tried to get taken away by some of the music I'd been training with.  It didn't help. The crowds were so loud and energetic that I preferred them to the music.  I just kept on running. I was averaging about a 9 Min Mile overall - exactly where I wanted to be.

At some stage I made it over to Queens.  An odd thing stands out to me and I'm not really sure why.  There was a huge sign that said - "We have Kosher marathon snacks!" and there was a Rabbi jumping up and down and smiling. Maybe I just really wished I tried a kosher marathon snack to see what it tasted like. I'm sure it was nothing like the ham sandwiches they were handing out at the Gatorade booths. ;)
Queens had a lot of people about, but really all I cared about was the dreaded 59th st bridge.  Everyone tells you that this is the one that gets yah. It's really steep up hill and you've already jogged 15-16 miles. I guess since I was mentally prepared it didn't seem to phase me all that much. I slowed down some and dug in. Now I was more interested in seeing my girl and my friends who were waiting for me along 1st avenue.

I was feeling great as I got over the bridge. I had a renewed energy. I knew my time was good, I felt good, my knees really only gave me a bit of pain - definitely bearable and much better than it had been over the previous months.
As soon as I rounded the corner onto 1st avenue there was an eruption of voices, horns, cowbells. The cheering was almost deafening. The adrenaline kicked back in. What an experience.  Honestly, I loved the feeling almost as much as my love for being on stage. What a rush!
I made it up to my friends and gave a quick squeeze hello. Seeing my friends was awesome! The additional support speaks volumes. Anyone reading this - go support your friends if they're running a marathon near you.  They will get such a lift!  Yeah, it's a super brief wave and hug, but it really means a lot.
So, it was a quick hello and then it was time to move on.

Jogging up 1st avenue towards the Bronx around the 18+ mile I hit the wall. Until it really happens to you you have no idea what that means.  You think you're prepared for it and so you'll run through it.  You're wrong.
Cramps - not cramps you've ever had before. I mean cramps in the oddest of places.  My forearms were first, most likely from holding my arms up in a running position. I kept trying to stretch them out, but as soon as I bent my arms again they came back.  Then my abs and butt cramped up at the same time.  I hit the next Gatorade table as soon as I could and also downed a salt packet.  Probably too late, but was worth the desperate attempt to continue. Then my knees started to give in... I'm not sure if my knees started hurting due to a change in form from all the cramping, or if they just finally decided "Hey man - we've put up with this running crap long enough". I hurt so much!  My body was radiating pain. My neck and shoulders stiffened up and my head was pounding. All I wanted to do was get to the end.

For those of you that know me well you'll know I've always been accident prone. I have broken so many bones and had so many sets of stitches. I can honestly say that on this day I was in the worst pain of my entire life.  This hurt more than my multiple broken noses, ankles, wrists, ribs... What's worse is it was self inflicted.
There was a point there when I thought to myself  "This is the stupidest thing you've ever done" (some would beg to differ). I also vowed to never do it again.

The next 4-5 miles were just painful. My times slowed down so much that I didn't even want to look at the clock anymore.  I kept jogging, but not very fast.  Matter of fact at about mile 23 I was jogging so slowly that an elderly woman was WALKING past me.  I looked over at her and said "Something is wrong here. You're walking faster than I'm jogging".  She looked at me and said "It hurts doesn't it?" and passed me by.

That was the turning point for me.  I knew at some point I'd be coming up on my friends again, and they'd be watching me... watching me getting passed up by old ladies walking (that bitch!).  I couldn't let that happen. This time it was pride and ego, not adrenaline, that got me to kick it back into gear.
I ran all out for the remaining miles. I just ran it out.  Nothing should be left in the tank at the end.  I could hear people yelling  "You're almost there" and "A quarter mile to go"... and in my head I'm yelling "Another quarter mile??? Shit!!!".  Then suddenly I could see it ahead - the glorious finish line.  The grin on my face spreading from ear to ear.  Not sure what happened, but I got my stride back and before I knew it the finish line was upon me. I was so proud and relieved...and and and... out of breath.

...and then there was a person waiting for me with my medal. It was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.  Not just because I ran a marathon, but because I pushed on despite of myself and wouldn't allow myself to fail.  The medal and what it represents to me  is 'Mine' and no one can take that away from me.


Now it's time to train for next year... if I can get in.

"before I knew it the finish line was upon me"

"The medal and what it represents to me  is 'Mine'"

"I just felt like running..."

I ran my first 1/2 marathon yesterday. 
For those of you who don't know it, I'm training for the New York City Marathon, and have been exercising like a fiend. I've been running/jogging, working out, swimming... all in hopes of completing the marathon, and not being in last place. I've joined a Cross Fit gym and an Endurance running group as well. 


So, my first 1/2 yesterday was a bit of a bitter sweet experience. 


I ran the first half of the half very well. I was feeling strong and at about an 8.5 min mile. Somewhere around mile 7 the outside of my left knee started hurting.  I slowed down some, but kept on running. 
The views of the marathon were beautiful along the river overlooking NYC from the NJ side.  I think the views helped take my mind off of the pain for a bit, but it was getting worse as I went.  I must've changed my stride somewhat at that point as I slowed down more.  Then, wouldn't you know it... after 3 more miles the pain somewhat subsided. Guess my body decided if I wasn't going to stop it would have to try and dull the pain itself. All was going well again, though my pace hadn't increased... and then it happened. I felt pain in the same spot on the right knee.  Not as bad, but definitely there.  


Anyway, I finished the 1/2 marathon at about a 9.5 min mile. Not as good as I'd hoped, but considering the shape of my knees I'll let it slide I guess. 
I wasn't winded, and my muscles don't hurt at all today - just my knees are both extremely sore. Kind of disappointing.


So, I did what anyone would do these days - I looked up the symptoms on google and whalla - I have ITBS.  Not to be confused with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome - which also has to do with run's or trots.).  ITBS is Iliotibial band syndrome - a pain from the tendon that stretches all the way down the leg but rubs against the knee causing swelling and pain. 
So, now I have to look at therapy, though so far all the regimens I've looked at take months to promote healing. I'm on a bit of a tighter schedule with the NYC Marathon in 4-5 weeks, so may be looking to find a Dr who will give me cortisone injections just to get me through the marathon. Then I'll be happy to go to Physical Therapy. 




So - bitter sweet.  
I'm loving running, and the rush of the people cheering as you come down the last stretch.  
I listened to a lot of music during the run.  I know some people frown on this saying it takes away from the experience of all the people around you and the crowds.  I agree to some extent, though I found music takes my mind off the endless miles and helps me pace myself.  I take off the earbuds to take in the experience from time to time, but I think for me it's more important to pace than to get too absorbed in the festivities too much. 
Also, I write some of my best songs while I'm exercising.  I imagine I won't be coming up with lyrics and melodies during the marathon, but it goes to show how music can get my mind wandering and avoid the tedious (though exciting and self inflicted) task at hand.


Wanted to mention, it's very nice to see all the people who show up to run, and to support the runners. 
Those who criticize Americans for being overweight need to come out to a marathon. :) So many people in excellent physical shape.  Granted, that's what you would expect at a marathon, no? 
Guess my point is, there are plenty of us out there that feel strongly about fitness and being in shape.  


R