Diet Day 4 (of 9)

Today is the 4th day of my cleansing diet. I'm not supposed to eat real food on the "cleansing" days (days 3 and 4) but the way I see it, the human body needs more than 500 calories a day. Therefore, I ate 6 boiled eggs yesterday to supplement the "dog treats" and liquid they give you. I have given up all processed foods and alcohol, but I'm still having my coffee. You can't take that away from me. I guess my body will be free of toxins (except caffeine) after this diet, but my cholesterol will be sky-high. The hardest part about yesterday was sitting at my desk all day. I actually felt better when I walked to the gym at lunch and wailed on my chest and triceps and when I rode the rollers last night. Thankfully I do not have to work today and can keep myself occupied and my mind off food.

I'm not really doing this diet to lose weight, although I hope that it serves as a jumpstart into some better, more healthy eating habits. And I have to be honest here, I could stand to loose a few pounds. Back when I was a runner I weighed between 115 and 120. I had the skinniest legs around and my abs weren't too shabby either. At least you could see them as they weren't covered in the layer of fat they currently reside under. Oh, and did I mention my bra fat, you know that fat roll you get from your bra? When I took up cycling in 2006 I had no power. Not sure if this was a function of weight or not training hard on the bike. As I transformed myself into being more of a cyclist I started gaining weight (now about 130) but along with the weight came more power. With each pound gained I seemed to be able to stay with the pack a little longer until I finally worked my way up to not getting dropped at every darn race. I was even gaining weight while training harder on the bike, but of course, running less. It seems with cycling, at least around here, you don't need to be as concerned with weight. Yes I know, people spend all kinds of money on lightweight components, but unlike running, you can get by with a few extra pounds. Every pound in running is an extra 6 pounds of pressure on your knees. And it's not like we are scaling the Col du Galibier in our races. Except for a few of the road races around here, everything is pretty much flat.

So I'm not saying I'm fat or out of shape, but herein lies the problem... none of my clothes fit me anymore. I've had to wear jeans to work because they are the only thing fitting right now. None of my suits will fit over my fat a$$. I've even been wearing Sonja's pants because (gasp) they fit me... a little long considering she's 4 inches taller (yet only 10 lbs heavier). The prospect of buying a new wardrobe is quite an expensive one and I've got my eye on a set of carbon tubies so I don't want to buy new clothes when I have perfectly good ones already. And not to mention how much I hate shopping when it's not done in a bike shop.

I think 125 would be a good weight for me. I just have to be smart about it and not lose any power while I'm at it.

Anyway, I can see that I'm rambling and it's time to get ready for my ride.