We headed to the girls this morning, got there a little after eight and I did a 35 minute swim. It was a great swim. Only issue is that I had eaten my oatmeal beforehand and kept burping it up. Nothing like burping while swimming . . . not so good!

I know I have said this before but I really love swimming. lt is just me and the water, no other sounds. No impact. Nice and quiet and just womb-like, I suppose. I enjoy the stretch it gives my sides, and always feel as though I have had a good workout when I get done. I’d like to have an accurate way to count calories, just out of curiosity, to know what you really burn when you swim. I know some great formulas for figuring this out when running and walking but not with swimming. If you have one, let me know!

The girls had fun in the childcare center. I’m going to miss the gym when we move, and it is funny because I really wasn’t sure I was going to join the gym at first. I figured it would be a waste of money, but I use the membership constantly.

Afterward I took the girls to the park and we had a picnic. We ran into a friend of mine who lives a few doors down. The girls had fun, and it was great to be out of the ’sick house’ and into the sunshine for a change. We saw a few blue birds, smelled some roses, and played on the slides.

So I looked around a lot lately and realized what my blog is missing: Photos! So I thought I would start adding them to my posts. I realize that I am more attracted to blogs with photos.

I’m going to do a photo documentary of sorts. First, the things that I will miss most from here: At least those that I still have time to photograph.

Then: Our trek across the country. I thought it would be fun to show and share all of these things with readers! I hope you enjoy them.

In the meantime, I’m taking some ideas from one of my favorite blogs, Fab, Fit and 40, and incorporating some food photos for you! I figure since I’m food journaling this week, it may be fun to share what I eat. (I am addicted to food lol. I read food magazines, watch food on television, love to look at pictures of food . . . you could say it is somewhat of an obsession of mine! I enjoy the kitchen almost as much as running . . . but not quite!)

My Food Journal!
I was bad today, pigged out on the chocolate chip cookies we baked! I am not a sweets person, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE warm chocolate chip cookies! I just can’t resist! Once they cool down, I don’t eat them. But when they are warm and they are sugary and chocolaty and OH MY GOSH! So we baked some today. Want to know how they turned out?

Here they are on a plate:

And here is what my wee one thought about them! (She ran to her chair when I asked if she wanted one!)


Breakfast: (Pre Swim)
Oatmeal
Almonds
Honey
Bananas

Snack after swim:
Tiger Milk Bar
Apple

Lunch:
Pita bread, turkey, cheese, avocado, pretzels

Snack:
Half a banana with peanut butter

Two (and a half!) cookies (and some cookie dough!)

Dinner:
Fresh snapper with lemon
carrots (steamed, fresh, baby)
pierogies with sour cream (2)

According to Spark People I only ate 1700 calories today. Weird, felt like I ate more than yesterday! Maybe it was that sugar.

I swam for 35 minutes, and according to Spark People burned 210 calories for that 35 minutes.

So, total calories consumed (minus the workout) is only 1490.

Hm, maybe I should hit that cookie plate again! Nah, they are cold now . . .

Off to do some reading. The kids are both in bed, husband is home and relaxing, so maybe we can have some nice quiet time tonight.

Here’s hoping everyone sleeps all night long again!

I am one who has had trouble throughout the years with keeping a good weight (meaning not being too thin). I think the issue has a few underlying causes: first, I have a very high metabolism; second, I am and have always been really active; and third, I don’t really take the time to count calories the way that I should.

When I start training for distances, my weight instantly drops. In the past I didn’t pay much attention to this but, let me tell you, once you get close to forty you don’t want to be uber-thin. Wrinkles show much easier when you are older and skinnier.

Actually, much like friends of mine who have been unhappy with an extra ten or twenty pounds, I am unhappy having to always work on keeping my weight up.

So, now this has become a concentrated effort on my part. As I train for this next marathon, I need to make certain I keep my weight steady.

For some reason, in Georgia on our house hunting trip I lost a few pounds. I don’t know if it was the heat, the humidity, or the fact that I got so sick that day. Since being home, I have not done any long runs (I was supposed to do 11 yesterday morning but since the wee one was sick I did only 4 miles). Still, my weight has not gotten back to pre-Georgia weight and is hovering at 134. I was at 135, but in all reality wouldn’t mind going up a few more pounds.

I thought I’d keep a journal of all I eat and how much I exercise to see what I can do to increase my weight at least by four or five pounds. Maybe keeping track of it will make me more able to see what it is I need to be doing to push that weight up. I know I could always add a high-caloric snack or two a day, but in all honesty I’m not a sweets eater, so that is tough. I also don’t like red meat, and generally eat fish or chicken, and some meals keep vegetarian with lots of beans. The beans make up my protein but, of course, don’t add a lot of fat or calories to the meal.

So, here goes my attempt at food journaling. I have been bad about this in the past, but this is my goal.

According to my Garmin, I burned 1880 calories last week running and 1600 some this week running. I haven’t been swimming and biking, so that would add another 300-600 calories burned per week.

I have found that Sparkpeople.com really is a great way to keep track of calories, so that is how I am going to do this. I’ll list my foods that I eat and the exercises I do here, and I’ll keep track of calories by using Sparkpeople to add them up. I have a tendency to snack all day here and there, a handful of nuts, a banana, a hard boiled egg, so I’ll try to be really careful to write it all down so I have an accurate account.

I’m wondering if any other people out there who have this same issue – keeping weight up with a highly active training schedule – can offer some advice as well.

So far today, which is my day off from exercise, I have had:

Breakfast:
bowl of oatmeal at Cornery Bakery (strawberries, bananas, apples, oh yum!)
piece of rye toast
two cups of hot java!
few bites of cinnamon muffin

Snack:
Homemade apple sauce (my daughters and I made it today after watching a show the other day where they made it – it was yummy!)

Lunch:
Turkey and cheese sandwich, cup or so of grapes

Snack:
Banana with peanut butter

Dinner:
Chicken breast (grilled) sandwich
fresh tomatoes and basil from garden (yum!)
fresh cucumbers from garden
carrots
french fries

UPDATED:
I put in my food for the day at Spark People and this is what I found:

I ate a total of 2,267 calories today.
345 carbs/68 fat/ 86 protein
This breaks down to : 59% carbs, 14% proteins, 26% fat.

I probably had a bit more than this, as I know I snacked on a handful of nuts here and there, but without having a chance to write everything down as I do it, it is hard to go back and remember.

So, to maintain my weight I would need to remain around 1500-1800 calories. To gain a pound, I’d have to add 250 calories each day to that amount, 3,500 calories per week, or around 2000 or so per day.

The issue is that I always burn at least 250 a day and most days much more-anywhere from 300 (half hour run or swim) to at this time in training 1,100 (11 mile run). I just don’t know how to get those extra calories in the diet. I already eat constantly as it is!

I wound up doing my ab and arm exercises today because I am hoping to get up early tomorrow and do a seven mile run (or so). With that I doubt I will have time to come home and do abs and arms. No cardio today, other than playing soccer with the girls! And that wore me out!

Now, I’m off to bed. We have had such a busy week with the sick wee one that I need some rest!