Thursday, January 5, 2017

The Great Cookie Caper - Results

Well, hello 2017.  Nice to meet you!  It's been 5 days so far, and it's already shaping up to be a fine year - a few nice runs, seeing a few out of town buddies, and even going back to work (fulfilling, even if it's hectic!)

The new year, to me, is a chance to reboot.  Now that I'm an adult, I miss the freshly sharpened pencils and brand new binders that came with the clean slate of September, so it's good ole January 2 when I make my resolutions (too much pressure on January 1).  And, like so many people that are shaking the hangover off that is 2016, I've got a few improvements in mind.

But first, let's revisit 2016 for a minute.  I owe you an update.  On black friday, I threw down the gauntlet.  5 weeks.  All the cookies.  175 miles.  For the first time, I decided, fuck the sensible eating.  Even the 80/20 I usually follow.  And I was going to eat all the cookies.  And run the 175 miles to offset the "5 pounds" we all gain during the holidays.
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I hid the scale.  Ok, it actually broke on December 1, so that was pretty convenient.  And for the entire holiday season, I ate.  And drank.  Wine. Pierogies.  Fudge.  And cookies.  OMG the cookies.  I think it's safe to say I averaged at least 8-10 cookies per day.  No, I'm not kidding.  For the woman that basically, in the past, has looked at a cookie and then had it attach itself to my ass, this was so. liberating. And 100% enjoyable in the moment.

And I ran.  Aside from the week I got sick, I clocked 6-10 per day, 5 days a week.  They weren't fast.  I learned that speed work and cookies....don't mix.  And some runs after a night of indulgence....were super rough.  But I did it.  On December 31, I did my final 8 miles and hit 175.

So, on January 3, I stepped on the scale.  The results?  I don't really want to tell you!  Yep.  You guessed it.  I actually lost two pounds.  WTF.  Not that I'm complaining!

Do I recommend the cookie diet?  Oh hell no.  I sort of felt like Morgan Spurlock for the last few days - note that I didn't mindlessly shove cookies down my maw, but OMG cookies are so damn good.  And I did actually eat well about 75% of the time.  Which I didn't even realize I did - Greg pointed it out when I laughed about the results.  Standard oat bowl for breakfast, veggies, whole grains and lean protein for dinner, and usually yogurt, fruit and a sandwich for lunch.  My usual fare.  But the sweets were just uncontained.  Which, I suppose does NOT mean you can out exercise a bad diet.  Just a semi bad diet.

Do you want to?  Probably not.  I has the whole post holiday hangover in full force.  Cookie hangover.  And while I'm not jumping into any strict diet (seriously, how do people cut carbs?  I'm weak) I am certainly a fan of the January grocery sales.  Greek yogurt.  Mixed kale salads.  Tabbouleh.  Sweet potatoes.  Apples.  And plenty of green tea.

For the first time in my life, it would seem I don't have to watch everything I put in my mouth.  Or exercise every day to fit into my skinnies.  But....I'm gonna.  Because it feels best for my body.  What a bunch of crap, right?  You heard it here first, folks!

The cookie diet.  Perfectly acceptable for December, to be swung back into the new year with green veggies and plenty of H2O.  And a strong running base for 2017 :-)