Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Still Sugar Free- Going Strong

So-  there is still a bit of debate over whether or not the RDA 25 grams is processed sugars or total sugars including those in fruits, vegetables and milk.  But- I figure that as long as I stay away from processed sugars, avoid caffeine and such and stick to just whole foods like fruits veggies, whole grains etc- that I'll be abiding by the sugar fast guidelines.  Ive asked around multiple times and keep getting differing opinions on what the RDA means... but since I have no dietitian friends, I'll stick with whats working.

It's amazing the kid of food amnesia we can develop.  This summer- in the midst of crazy summer term insanity- I was drinking Starbucks  every day-  and sadly- sometimes twice a day- once in the morning on my way in to work and on my way home- to keep me pumped long enough to rip through the 200 + pages of reading I had to do, or finish whatever paper I had.  I was getting probably five hours of sleep on a good night, and then waking up and doing the same thing again.

I'm quite certain my adrenal system was in a constant state of flux.  Between the caffeine highs ( my drinks of choice:  Sugar Free Vanilla Iced Coffee from McDonald's in the morning)  and an Iced Caramel Machiatto from Starbucks on my way home.)  and the inactivity between work and coming home and plopping my butt in front of the computer to do homework, it's no wonder I've taken two giant steps backward.

Now- the Sugar Free Iced Vanilla Coffee only has 4 grams of sugar in it-  however, if on the occasion where maybe I ordered a Large Vanilla Iced Coffee and forgot to say "Sugar Free"  it jumps to a whopping 41 grams of sugar and 230 Calories

Now... the Iced Caramel Machiatto... Im actually afraid to look up, but I will, because well, that's what this is for... it's a come to jesus post on what a bad bad summer Millie has had.

Venti (yep- the big one)  Iced Caramel Machiato-  are you ready?  ...  its bad...

330 Calories (ouch)
and 44 grams of sugar.
But surprisingly, it has 14 grams of protein in it..  that's good right! :)

So,  it was most definitely  a never ending yo yo of ups and downs of the caffeine merry go round.

Three days in the books.  No caffeine, no pop, no processed sugars.  So far so good.  Right now I'd kill for some ice cream, but since its almost bed time I think I can ignore it for another hour of so before I nod off for the night.

I had a great swim this morning. A great swim.  There was no one in the pool for the first 45 minutes of my workout.  I did end up taking in a lungful of water again today-  and now I know it had to do with poor form and body positioning.  But, when I'm paying attention to what I am doing and don't completely check out, I'm fine.  If you are just starting out swimming -  if you really focus on your body positioning, pull your abdominal muscles in and keep your body just barely under the water, it is far less exhausting than if you allow your middle to fold and droop into the water.    Once I finally checked myself and took in the proper form I was making excellent time.

I didn't do a "check" 400 today because I figured instead I would work on speed- so my workout consisted mainly of drills (25s, 50s and 100 meter sprints)

I noticed yesterday that they changed the swim course for the Triathlon.  In all the Tris Ive participated in - in Naperville- the swim course has always been the same-  a snake back and forth along the lanes of the   lagoon-  with there being some shallow water- where you could actually stand and run around the buoy to the next lane  and then some deep water.

This race, instead they have us swimming out to the deepest section of the water all the way in the back of the lagoon and racing out there  in the deepest of the deep water.  I'm not gonna lie- I'm a bit freaked.  There are a lot of novice swimmers for whom this is their first foray into Triathlons- and they grab and shove and kick-  I'm so afraid I'm either going to get a lungful of water, a kick to the face, or heaven forbid have someone wrap their arms around me and take me down with them.  I'm sure it will be fine- and I always find something to stress over-  but it definitely has me a bit freaked.

Saturday is finally my first meeting with Brutus at his new gym.  We had to reschedule from last weekend because there was some kind of function being held at what was supposed to be our training time.  So, yeah, Millie won't be able to walk for the rest of the weekend, I can feel it!

3 comments:

Jeannie said...

Yep, positioning is something I need to constantly work on with swimming. Making myself as small as possible so I can glide through the water. Great job on the. Nutrition changes so far! Yes, I used to be addicted to the mocha light frappuccinos. Less fat and calories but still tons of sugar and caffeine. That's what I replaced with Shakeology and now make my own version of a frappiccino.

Unknown said...

Swimming is a contact sport I tell you!

I remember one of my worst tri outings was when another participant's stroke came repeatedly came in contact with my thigh. With the added drag from this girl and my wetsuit, the swim portion seemed neverending.

See Millie Tri said...

I know! My very first Triathlon I took a foot to my kisser in the first ten or so yards of the race. And then got bottle necked behind some slower swimmers- so it ended up taking me 15 or so minutes for the swim, when I had been hoping to do it in 10 or 11. But, this is a self seeded race, so I may just hang back and seed myself in the slowest heat so that I can have some space to swim.