I broke down . . .

and ran.  I know it's early, but I was going crazy.  I ran slow (12 - 12:30 minute miles) to make sure little Aidan's head wasn't bobbing around and of course I wanted to go slow for myself.  I know there are plenty of people who want to flame me, but I felt ready, so I went. 

I ran 2.5 miles yesterday with Aidan and 2.21 miles today with both kiddos.  And I felt great both times.  I had been feeling a little down, not the baby blues, but feeling down that I can't get more done during the day.  Aidan isn't sleeping well so I am pretty tired  during the day.  Aidan is also a snuggler which is great because I love to hold him but I can't get much done while holding him (I am currently typing one-handed).  Running has actually given me more energy. 

On the food front, I started reading "The Four Hour Body."  It was back in December, when I was reading a post from one of my favorite blogs that I was introduced to Tim Ferriss.  I was intrigued by the post but didn't want to immediately go out and buy another health book.  So I went to see if the book "The Four Hour Body" was at my local library.  The good news was that it was, the bad news was that there was a long waitlist.  I was ok with a long waitlist since I was pregnant and not into becoming superhuman immediately.  Well I got the book last Friday.  It is quite interesting because it is broken up into different sections.  He just asks that you read the 1st two sections that spell out some of his philosophies and what he is all about.  I did and then I read the first section "Burning Fat."  He calls it the "Slow Carb Diet" and claims that if you follow it you can lose 20 lbs. of fat in 30 days.  What???  I had to read on.  Oh yeah, did I mention he said without any exercise. 

So here is how it breaks down:

1. Don’t eat white foods.Or any foods that can be white. No bread, pasta, rice (including brown), sugars, flours, etc. Cauliflower is fine.
2. Don’t drink calories.No juices, pop/soda, milk, etc. Stick to no-cal beverages — mainly water.
3. Eat the same meals over and over.The idea is that if you simplify planning, the diet is easy to follow. So you map out a few meals and just repeat them over and over. Tim gives three major categories and suggests choosing something from each category to create a meal:
   Proteins:
   Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
   Chicken breast or thigh
   Grass-fed organic beef
   Pork
   Legumes:
   Lentils
   Black beans
   Pinto beans
   Vegetables:
   Spinach
   Asparagus
   Peas
   Mixed vegetables
4. Don’t eat fruit.I don't agree with this but this is his thing.
5. Take one cheat day per week.No holds barred. On Saturdays, Tim pretends he’s in a big, gross eating contest. This isn’t a perk; it’s a requirement. I won’t explain the science, but let’s just say that I agree with the many benefits of a cheat day from both research and personal experience. I’ve annihilated buffet lines in the past during cheats and still lost a bunch of fat. It’s amazing.

After tracking my calories, I noticed I was lacking in protein and even fiber on some days.  So while I am not someone who requires a lot of protein (I know this from experience), adding in cottage cheese, eggs, and beans would probably be beneficial.  I tried  to follow it more carefully for a couple of days, and gained 2 lbs.  Like I said, my body just doesn't need that much protein. 

Since then, I have been eating more salads with beans and some lowfat cottage cheese.  I think that works best for me.