A different kind of streak

The emphasis I placed on running streaks is a non-ideal way to force yourself into a consistent pattern, says Coach/Shaman/Guru Tony (more on this later), and reporting mileage to someone else is better because I can have external accountability for consistency without losing the benefit of rest days.

Thus, Tony said, "the first order of business is to abandon the mile-a-day streak."  Co-coach/shaman/guru Herb agreed. Fair enough. These guys tell me what to do, and I do it.

Buffalo chicken slices

They don't, however, tell me what to eat. Or how much to eat.

Myoplex

In the past, the only times I have been successful losing weight is when I have logged every calorie.

Pastrami on Rye from Katz's deli

My tendency to overeat and/or snack was overwhelmed by the relatively tedious task of logging the calories.

Chicken sammich with a small salad

Not only did it prevent me from overeating, it kept me eating foods where I could easily determine the caloric content - avoiding restaurants.

Chicken Parm

And it always worked for as long as I was logging every calorie.

Homer Simpson Special

Problem was, I never was able to maintain it for more than a few weeks.

Honeydew, Cucumber

The rare times I did maintain it for 2-3 weeks, the amount of weight I lost was dramatic.

Carne Asada Fries

Suddenly, yesterday, it hit me. My pattern in running was the same as my pattern in eating.

PB on Toast, Apple

I needed some sort of structure to force consistency.

Sweetheart Deal, Dinosaur BBQ

And - a streak - where I can say I logged 1 mile every day for x days, forced consistency in my running.

Two hot dogs and a sunday from Stewarts

The parallel should be obvious here.

Cracker Barrel Breakfast

So, today, Monday May 24, is day 1 of my logging-every-calorie-I-eat steak.



And, by the way, this gallery of food I ate should leave no doubt in anyone's mind as to why I'm over 300lbs. These are typical meals for me. Most are not "treat meals," whatever that means.



New entries for Steve's blog are published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00am NY time