The Cost of Getting in Shape: Fueling the Fire
Here's a quick update: I signed up for Chicago's 8K Shamrock Shuffle (anyone else running it?) and am following Hal Higdon's 8K training program in addition to yoga 4-5 times per week. I had an honest discussion with myself and decided that as of now, Crossfit isn't something I want to pursue. I discovered Nike Training Club, an app akin to torture through medicine ball maneuvering (in such a good way). As far as total cost analysis, I'm finding that $120/month and 6-7 extra hours/week of workouts is well worth the time and money: my clothes fit better, I'm sleeping like the dead, and I have a noticeable boost in energy. Thing is, I haven't lost any weight. Not an ounce.
Why? I've been putting anything and everything I want to eat and drink into my mouth. Giant bowls of cheesy pasta. Giant bottles of delicious red wine. My true weakness in this world: ICE CREAM. For now, I'm ok with this: after all, one habit to form at a time, right? But as of February 1, something's gotta change with my eating habits or I'll never see the results I want. Question: how extreme do I want to go, and what will I spend getting there?
I've never been one for no-carb diets. They make me mean and dizzy, plus they inevitably lead to an all-out guilt-ridden carb binge followed by eating an entire bag of spinach to "cancel out" the "mistake." Dukan may work for Kate Middleton, but no thank you for me. I also can't stand programs like Weight Watchers, mostly because of: a) the constant calorie (point) counting; b) the push toward "low-fat," ridiculously processed food; c) they actually have Weight Watchers brand ridiculously processed food, which disgusts me. Coming from an extremely French family, I like scraping dirt off vegetables, putting effort into a real meal, and indulging in Camembert from time to time. So beyond consuming "100-calorie packs" of crap or 8 chicken breasts and bacon for three meals a day, where do I go? Caveat: I also don't eat meat, which throws a giant wrench into the whole "consume your weight in animal protein" thing (I do eat fish).
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2. Don't be silly; go eat some meat. Your ancestors would have died had they not eaten meat. Your teeth are not set up for a veggie diet. You have canines. You are a carnivore. Deal with it.
Re:2. Our ancestors also sacrificed the most supercilious members of the pack to lions. Read the National Geographic article on it. Deal with it.
My Point? Learn to actually cite something.
I have to fundamentally disagree with the idea that exercise doesn't lead to weight loss - it's a simple thermodynamic equation - even if the body is annoyingly adept at learning to adjust.
@Thomas: Simple: You eat more when you exercise more. Unless you have superhuman self control, which almost none of us do, you can't "burn more calories" and not eat more, and that's why exercise doesn't work. For men, there is a cosmetic benefit to adding muscle (shrinking fat because muscle is fed first), but that doesn't reduce total weight.
I'm licking my canine chops here at what this opportunity to turn Spend Matters into a new site could bring ...
Meat Matters?
Vegan Wars?
MeatMiner?