Every Wish That We Put Into Motion.... (comments welcome!)

[avondale]

I hear you on the perimenopausal weight and changes... for me, big changes in that sense coincided with the year after the pandemic started, when social things were still really restricted and a lot of work from home (so not as much motion). I don't have the "having babies" excuse, either. I'm still working on it, so I have no secret suggestions. Also, I have a gag reflex to the taste of most vegetables, which doesn't help, LOL.

It's definitely a lot harder when you have to set an example. When I was a tween and teenager, I tended toward the chubby side of things naturally because my mother had no idea what healthy eating was really like (in
order to cook that way), my father had very specific ideas of meals (must have meat and potato at every meal), and my father's genetics tend toward obesity - I have those genetics, mostly. At my age, of course, I wanted to be thin. I found a small (laughably small by today's standards) listing of calories in various servings of food and used that as a bible to calorie count my entire way through high school. I ate maybe 1200 cal/day (using the listing). My mother made no attempt to discourage me from doing that (my father was completely oblivious - he was a jerk, honestly). To this day (I'm 52!), I cannot look at any food without mentally estimating the calories and what it's going to "do" to me. Recently, I asked my mother why she ever let me calorie count like that, and thus develop such a bad relationship with food, and she said, "I never thought you'd stick to it like that!" Well, that's my personality. So.....long story to say that, yes, your example and guidance to your kids is really important.

Sounds like a good plan for you to take some time off from running and give yourself time to figure out what you want to do next.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Welp. When you get back into the sub pool at the school and teachers are immediately walking up to you saying "Are you back?! Today isn't a one-time thing?" And then the principal is calling and texting you about "an opportunity" over the weekend.

Long story short, one of our kindergarten teacher's husband is nearing the end of his life and she is obviously out of the classroom to be with him (and deal with everything that comes after.) And now I'm going to be subbing in her classroom for the next 2 weeks at a minimum. They are going to work around my basketball schedule (school lets out at 4, and I have several games that are nearly an hour drive away) so that I can leave about 15 minutes early when I need to and someone else will cover the end-of-the-day packing up.

Send vitamin C. Send zicam. Send zinc. Send margaritas because I don't take kindergarten jobs as a rule.

Guess this is my springboard into meal prepping since I'll need to take a lunch and also work basketball 4 nights this week and would rather not exist off popcorn, hotdogs, celcius, and snickers bars in the evenings.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

HC,

Not sure exactly what to say such that I don't sound like a nitwit. But as Ron White says, I have the right to remain silent, but not the ability....
1. I definitely hope you can take whatever break you need and regroup. You certainly have a lot on your plate with kids and work.
2. I have a friend of mine who started the 1500 cal/day thing about ten months ago and has lost about 80 pounds. I sure can't do that, as I would definitely be a certain dwarf to be around. It has taken me 6 years to drop about 19 pounds, which has been by cutting carbs and sweets, plus with my half@ssed amount of running added in. I've tried the LoseIt app, and failed to be diligent in logging my food. and I've definitely lost some of those pounds multiple times. So just stay at it with whatever works.
3. As for taking a break from training, I'd say take a break from training for a specific goal or race, but IMHO keep doing some sort of walking or jogging for mental health. I'm to the point where I get real antsy if I go too long without something, even if it is just a walk. And I know that I'm saying that as someone who isn't having to chase after and shuttle kids as much as you are.
4. I'm not really any faster than I was 5 or 6 years ago. I've done a couple of all-out races for POT, but it seems my pace is my pace and I might be able to finish a race a handful of minutes faster if the temperatures are favorable, but that's about it. I hate that I won't be getting back to my sub-60 minute 10K times, but I am getting older and it is what it is.

Good luck with it, and know that you bring a lot of life to this board and that you're a hoot in person, and that we'll all be rooting for you.