In my End of Season Review, something that I needed to sort out was the weight that I had put on during the season. It had perhaps been creeping up slowly over a couple of years, but most noticeable over recent times. The end result was that I had gained over 10 kilograms.
This was not good for various reasons:
- I was starting to feel sluggish in terms of agility when refereeing.
- I was picking up ‘niggly’ injuries, such as to my knees, due to increased loading.
- I FELT FAT!
It was time to sort this out.
Now, I’d got down to a good weight for me (78 kilograms) before. Judo and weight training combined with around 2000 calories per day. I tracked that with DailyBurn Tracker which was good at the time, and keeping a record helped to keep me honest. This time around, I went with MyFitnessPal which is an EXCELLENT site with a wonderful community spirit. Its mobile apps are impressive as well, and all for zero cost!
To begin with, I tried 1500 calories per day but this was too low. After a few days, I was feeling lethargic and hungry all the time, so I sensibly upped it to 2000 calories. This is a good level for me. If I want to eat more, I simply ‘earn’ the calories through exercise! My Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS / HR watch is brilliant for tracking those bonus calories. This is much better than the horrible ‘save calories to cheat later’ approach that some eating plans advise.
That’s the nutrition side of things. How about the exercise?
I’m continuing the running: A combination of distance and speed training. I’ve also taken up CrossFit circuit training in order to build a stronger and more balanced body. Running is great but it only helps me from the waist down! I’m really enjoying this mixture of activities at the moment. On the running front, I’m also working on transitioning to minimalist / natural running as heel-striking is a horrible way to treat your knees!
So far, I have lost 7.3 kilograms in just over a month. I’m incredibly happy with this progress as it has been pretty quick but in a controlled and healthy way. I feel like I have my body back again, although there is plenty of work still to do.
To me, none of this feels like a diet, more like how I should be treating my body with respect!