intofitness.net

Background:
Back in March 2008, I had been in a weight-loss plateau for three months, weighing in at 193 pounds and having a body fat percentage of 15%. Despite my intense exercise routine, I was not able to lose the desired remaining weight consistently; however, my body fat percentage was also decreasing slowly.  I suspected that I had been eating too many calories for weight loss, and was simply maintaining my weight.  I knew that if I wanted to go below 10% body fat, I could lose about 20 more pounds.

Results Summary:
I started using MyFoodDiary.com (MFD) on March 31, 2008 and reached my goal of 175 pounds and under 10% body fat on August 6, 2008.

What is it?:
MyFoodDiary.com is a web-based calorie counter and exercise log designed to be used as part of a weight management program.  Most users of this online service use it to assist with weight loss.  The site tracks calorie intake (diet) and calorie expenditure (exercise).  Then based on the user’s physical statistics and goals, it calculates how many calories must be consumed and/or burned to either lose one to two pounds per week, maintain weight, or gain weight.  Users can monitor on a daily basis two factors involved in weight management: food intake vs exercise.  MyFoodDiary.com supports the basic weight loss premise that one must consume less calories than the calories expended.  For example, in order to lose one pound per week, one should create a calorie deficit of 500 calories/day.  Over the course of seven days, the deficit would be 3,500 calories, which is approximately equal to one pound of weight loss.

You can watch a video overview here.

Target audience (Who is it for?):
MyFoodDiary.com is best suited for the disciplined person.  Ideal users are those who are willing to record what they eat on a daily basis (using the site’s online database of over 50,000 food items), record nutritional information for the foods not in the database, and record calories burned through activity and exercise. Users should be goal-oriented, motivated, determined, and persistent.  The service is best applied by those who want to change to a healthy, active lifestyle.  I would not recommend this service to people looking for a quick fix to their weight problems or those who just want to change their diet without exercise because losing weight in a healthy way is not just about food or “starving yourself”.  Additionally, I believe the service works best in conjunction with the use of a heart rate monitor during exercise to monitor the exact number of calories burned.

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Yesterday’s Shelter Island 5K was most definitely a very cool event.

Big time amenities:

• Flat course - thank you, I appreciate that!
• Free champagne brunch for the participants
• Cool t-shirt

Not so fun:

Only one downer — the weather was a little on the cool side, not so cold that it was uncomfortable while running, but mainly after the run when my sweat was drying really fast and cooling my body temperature.

Kathy Loper typically hosts some great events, and this was no exception.  With adaptive therapies for injured soldiers as the cause, my wife, son and I were pleased to participate in this event with our entry fees benefiting such a worthy cause.

Results: (Also, check out my runningahead.com results summary.)

• Official time = 21:56
• Unofficial time = 21:54
• Age Group (40-44): 12/46
• Overall: 73/920

I’m pleased with my results considering it’s my first race ever, and after only four weeks of running.  I entered the race with three goals:

1. Beat Trainer Murray
2. Finish in under 22 minutes
3. Beat my fastest time

I accomplished two of the three, but did not beat my previous fastest 5K practice time of 21:42.

I am amazed at how fast people can run, even in their old age.  There were some 50+ year olds who had faster times than me and faster than people much younger.  The winner was 36 years old with a time of 16:02.  The first three finishers in my age group finished around 19 minutes.  My son was saying that running speed at this level is almost independent of age, and with people in their 30s through 50s running at these times, I have to agree with him. 

What I learned:

1. Save some gas for the end.
   I definitely came out of the gates way too fast.  My one-mile time was around 6:40.  Strangely, it didn’t feel like I was running that fast.  By 1.5 miles, I met my milestone marker of being under 9 minutes, but by the last half-mile of the race, I was tired.  I tried sprinting for the last half-mile, but my legs and lungs rebelled.  I did, however, sprint the last quarter-mile, but by then it was too late to beat my previous best time.
2. Stick with a routine with eating.
   I really liked how I did not drastically alter my pre-race breakfast: cereal with non-fat milk, fruit, and coffee (grande, iced skinny vanilla latte from Sbux).  The only new item I added to my pre-race diet was a free drink mix sample I received called CytoMax (Cool Citrus flavor).
3. Be sure to get to bed early the night before.
   I went to bed at 10 PM.  I probably could have gone to bed at 9 instead.  Because I was excited about the race, I didn’t sleep very well.  I might consider taking some Melatonin next time to help me sleep.
4. Enjoy the improvements and gains made while training.
   Hard work pays off.  And while I may not have reached all my goals, I am content with my progress in learning this new sport.