Thursday, October 8, 2009

Stress or Hibernation?

WOD:
400m run
40 air squat
Time: 16:15

Nice WOD today. I was so happy that my hamstring did not bother me a bit. Clearly, the rest has been good. Can't wait for jello legs in the am.

Stress and Hibernation
The last month has not been easy and I can feel it physically. It is month 14 without Chip, new job, prepping for Germany, lawsuit crap hanging out there, plus nagging injuries. Oh, and it is fall.

Fall has always meant weight gain for me. It is like putting on puffy winter coat. It starts in October, peaks in February, then when my clothes don't fit I get really mad, workout like crazy and eat 1200 calories a day until summer clothes fit. Sigh. It is repeating itself. Why is is happening again? Stress or Hibernation?

I know that stress can causing bloating and increased weight gain around your middle due to increased cortisol levels. Stress and depression can screw with your hormones. Stress makes me eat more. I swear thought I haven't eaten myself 5-7lbs heavier in 6 weeks. My stress levels are really lower than they have been in years...it just different kinds of stress now. Do I feel like crap because of stress? Or am I a bear?

Bears eat a ton then hibernate through the winter. Being from the midwest and growing up with bitter cold winters until I moved here in 2001, I swear I might have hibernation tendencies. My body just wants to put on that puffy layer.

I know if you've read this far, you're thinking. "she's crazy". Yea, but you don't suck in your stomach all day so your clothes fit, that size 6 dress is still hanging in the closet, worn once, since it doesn't fit anymore, my jeans that I thought would be falling off me this winter are all kinds of tight in the waist...

Enough wining here now--this does not get easier. I'm moving to Germany and will be faced with yummy pasteries and bread, beer, and more beer. CARBS. No CFOT. No running buddies. Self-motivation and wise food choices are not strenghts of mine. So what's a girl to do?
Here is the plan:
Food diary
No dairy for 2 weeks (after I eat most of the perishable diary in the fridge)
Limit carbs to 100-120 grams per day
veggies
veggies
sleep
hit as many metcons as possible

Any other suggestions??

2 comments:

Tamara said...

E ~ Consult a nutritionist. You are putting in large amounts of high intensity workouts between crossfit and running. Your body NEEDS a sufficient amount of carbohydrates and healthy fats to provide itself with energy. Yo-yo'ing what you are eating in terms of calories and calorie sources at the same time you are doing high intensity, calorie burning activty causes your metabolism to slow down and go into starvation mode, and therefore add on that protective fat when you are in fact trying to do the opposite. Even the Crossfit main website says you should be getting 40% of your daily calories from carbs. Are you really only eating 1200 calories a day? NOT HEALTHY, GIRLFRIEND!!!

Remind me to lend you a book when you're over on Sunday.

Christine said...

I TOTALLY buy the hibernation theory being from the snow belt. It is even more classic for me... It starts in mid August when the nails start chipping and breaking. Then in September I swear hair is all over the bathroom floor and then my body tries to put on an insulation layer for the dead of winter. So you are NOT crazy, or we BOTH are.

I have no clue how much a kettle bell costs, but I think having one on deck in the 36lb variety before your movers show up would be a good insurance policy against LOTS of things.

And I grant you ONE, and I mean ONLY one piece of Christmas Stollen. After that you earn your dessert. As my dh did back in his (ack!) soda drinking days... scale down today...drink the pepsi... scale up drink the diet pepsi.

So after that piece of Christmas Stollen (which you'd better eat in honor of my bday) you're done until the scale moves down 1 lb. No options, no exceptions, no footnotes.. other than you can save that dessert/cheat for a future date and combine with future losses... so you get the beer and the stollen (yuk!) next time.