It's not you, its the scale!

I made a grave mistake on Saturday that has left me feeling a little down lately. For the sake of full disclosure, it has left me a lot down. As I have mentioned (and will continue to mention) I love to run. Well, one of the attributes of a runner is a slender frame with very little body fat. I have never nor will I ever have the body structure of an Ethiopian marathoner. This is a fact I have long come to accept. I do however want to be the trimmest that my body will allow. Not only because I will look better, but because the smaller I am the faster and more effecient I will run.

I realized last week that my diet (by diet I do not mean "diet" as in Weight Watcher - I stopped that type of dieting many years ago) needed more tweeking in order for me to be more effecient. It is customary for me, once I make my mind up or need information on any given subject, to read and absorb all the information that I can on the subject. After going to my local Borders and buying 10 books (I should have just read them there like everybody else, but they kinda get pissed if you highlight them and don't buy them) I discovered the best book of them all - Performance Nutrition for Runners.

It became clear, my diet up to this point had been limiting me. I obviously enjoyed the tres leches cake I devoured last week, but I also eat a lot of prepared foods both for the simplicity and the cost. I learned this was a big mistake. I should be eating natural foods, not necessarily organic, just natural. And, I should be taking in more protein than I currently eat. Not to mention I am lacking in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids...blah blah blah....

Monday, of last week I went to GNC to get all the dietary ingredients that my body has been missing. I bought Mega Anabolic Whey Protein (60 grams/serving), Sports Complex Amino Acid supplements, Glutamine powder, Green Magma and Vita Green Liquid Multi - not to mention my usual daily dose of multivitamin. I am used to taking numerous supplements, but this would be the most and based upon all the scientific analysis that I read, I needed it all.

I typically run about 60 miles a week. With my feet pounding the treadmill (I bet you thought I was going to write pavement), it causes a breakdown of muscle that requires glutamine, protein and several phytonutrients to maintain its strength. In addition, this additional nutritional supplementation will cause less fatigue and quicker recovery after longer runs. It made sense, so I began adjusting my diet.

It all made sense...until...I stepped on the scale on Saturday morning. 192 pounds! You have got to be kidding me! After all the running I did the past week, 192 pounds - 7 pounds heavier than my average. I only gave myself a two day break after saturday's race - actually a one day break since I always take Sunday off anyhow. Tuesday - Saturday I ran my usual mileage. Surely the tres leche didn't cause me to gain 7 pounds. I worked off any of the calories that were injested during my binge fest. So what in the hell was happening?

I hadn't quite got to the part of the book that made the statement that scales are not an effective method of determining a bodies ability to absorb and burn energy during any given workout and that once you adjust your diet expect your body to absorb more water, your muscles to begin healing by absorbing the protein...

Whew...this explains it all. Unfortunately, I did not get to that part of the book until this morning and I took out all my frustrations on my loved ones all weekend. I have read though that anger burns an additional 30 calories per hour...