The WBW Project Week 5: Of weight loss, running and contradictions

Question: Why am I gaining weight during marathon training? I thought I would lose weight when training for a marathon, but I actually have gained weight! Why is that?

Answer: You’re not alone. Some marathoners-in-training hope to lose weight during their training, but they’re surprised when they actually gain a few pounds or hit a weight loss plateau.

via About.com.

Huh?

Dear reader, read on…

This week’s results:

Week 5 (February 8, 2011, Tuesday)

Up a pound and a half from last week. That after running 16 kilometers last Sunday (granted, it’s not a full marathon, but still…). Is it “in spite of” or “because of”? CRAZY.

Alright. Positive thinker hat on. At least it’s not four to six pounds, right? I’ve read from some online sources that that’s the average weight gain for runner who cover long distances. (Try it. Google “post-run weight gain”.) Yes, I consider 16 kilometers to be a long distance.

Or maybe it’s because of the little cheats I had over the course of the week: a bottle of beer last Friday with the balikbayan Ish (Just one! That’s an achievement if you know me…), a piece of pork chop last Sunday for a post-run lunch and a slice of New York’s finest pizza for Jason’s birthday yesterday (I knew I shouldn’t have given in…).

Damn.

I have to lose between four to six pounds this week to make up or this weight gain. To add to the challenge, it’s Valentine’s day this coming Monday.

So I guess I’ll be having the salmon. Rawr. I was really eyeing that gorgeous steak.

Double damn.

Postscript:

I went to Banchetto with Ish, Mara and Kara last Saturday dawn. Guess what I got? A glass of calamansi (key lime) juice. Yun lang. At Banchetto.  Doesn’t matter now, does it?