20/20 Diet: Phase 2... Dieting, Running, and Life

Phase 2 of this diet is also 5 days long and I get to eat new food. I am SO excited about getting to eat avocados!

For those that missed the lead in post to this, this is Dr. Phil's 20/20 Diet. I checked his book The 20/20 Diet out from the library. The recipes I'm using are from that book. I've made some minor modifications in that sometimes I've omitted ingredients that are not to my tastes but I haven't been adding anything. For instance, he uses whey protein in some things like the oatmeal. I'm not a fan of whey protein so I don't use it. There are a whole bunch of other recipe choices in the book but I selected the ones that I would eat. The calorie counts are for what I've actually fixed.

Tuesday Feb 6, 2018
Starting weight this morning is 134 lbs.

Breakfast - Blueberry Almond Oatmeal: 1/3 cup steel cut oats, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts.
315 calories, 49 g carbs, 9 g protein, 11 g fat

I was happy to eat something I was familiar with as this is typically what I eat before my long runs or on race mornings, minus the almonds. There were too many blueberries too so I'm going to cut it to 1/2 cup blueberries next time I make this.

I ate breakfast at 8 am. By 11 am I was ready to chew my arm off. I put chicken breasts in the oven to cook for dinner and made my snack.

Snack - Peppery Avocado Chickpeas: mash 1/4 avocado with 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper and sprinkle of black pepper, then stir in 1/2 cup canned chickpeas.
190 calories, 22 g carbs, 7 g protein, 9.5 g fat
Ate it with 2 rye crisps, 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, and 1/2 cup baby carrots for a total of 315 calories, 58 g carbs, 9 g protein and 9.5 g fat

Peppery Avocado Chickpeas

Surprisingly I was no longer ravenous after only a couple bites of my snack. I made two more servings of the Peppery Avocado Chickpeas to put in containers and an egg-avocado spread to put on a sandwich for dinner tonight.

So... by 2 pm I was hungry again and started looking forward to my next meal. I had Run Club practice tonight so lunch was my biggest meal of the day.

Lunch - Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta: cook 2 oz of veggie pasta (actual recipe called for whole grain rye pasta which I could not find, and I don't like whole grain pasta so I got Barilla veggie pasta and called it good.) Sauté 1/2 cup cut up grape tomatoes and 1 1/2 cup spinach in 1 teaspoon olive oil seasoned with 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic. Mix in 3 oz of diced cooked chicken breasts. Toss it all together with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and black pepper to taste.
430 calories, 48 g carbs, 37 g protein, 9 g fat

It was delicious!

Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta

On to Run Club. Workout was a 2 mile warm up, 90, 75, 60, 45, and 30 seconds of running at 90% with equal recovery times, a 3-5 minute recovery (which I took as a half mile recovery jog), 2.5 miles at "pace" (which for me was around 9 min miles), then a 2 mile cool down. 8 miles total. I didn't die. Phew! Temps were in the 20's and I did get cold though and afterwards I did get pretty spinney while laying on the floor of the Runner's Forum stretching out. Kind of a pleasant warm spinney sensation. Once my head righted, it was off to the Y to shower and pick up G.

I ate my post-run peanut butter Muscle Milk Bar as well as my snack, more Peppery Avocado Chickpeas with 2 rye crisps. That got me my correct number of post-run carbs and protein.

So two other "additions" to the diet this week. We were suppose to come up with a non-food related reward for ourselves. I decided I'd get a massage. There was a woman at the Y last week who was absolutely raving about the massages she gets at Foot Finesse down the street from the Y so I called to make an appointment for Thursday evening. The other addition is that we get to have a "sensible splurge" once a week. This is a food related snack of about 100 calories. Something to look forward to.

I had dinner already prepared but by the time I got home from Carmel I still wasn't very hungry so I ate a Honeycrisp apple and called it good.

Totals for Day 6: 1600 calories consumed, 241 g carbs, 79 g protein, 45 g fat
I expended 2000 calories for a deficit of 400 calories.

Wednesday Feb. 7, 2018
Today was a rest day from running. I was also going to have my "sensible splurge" today too so I wanted to make sure I got some kind of exercise in. My initial plan was to check out the rowing machines at the fitness center...

However... I was completely wiped out when I woke up this morning. In fact, I barely got out of bed by 10 am. I missed my window of opportunity for any kind of morning workout as I had to go pick G up from school at 12:15 for her PT appointment. Plan after that was to go straight to Carmel for dance and I wouldn't be home til 9:30 pm so I had to pack food for the day.

Breakfast  - Mexi Omelet: 1 egg cooked with a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and some minced garlic, a cup of spinach and 1/2 a cup of frozen corn, then topped with 1/4 am avocado. Ate it with 1/2 a slice of rye bread. It sounded better on paper than it actually tasted. It was pretty bland.
310 calories, 36 g carbs, 13.5 g protein, 14 g fat

Packed the avocado-egg salad spread that I didn't eat on Tuesday night with a slice of rye bread and a cup of carrots as well as a chicken corn salad to take with me.

Got to the PT appointment, then found out we were there on THE WRONG DAY. Arghhh!!!
Ran through the grocery store instead, then back home to eat lunch, then back in the car to go to Carmel.
Nothing like running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day...

Avocado Egg Salad on Rye

NOT the best thing I ever ate; probably will not be having this again

Bottom of the bag carrots...

Finally back at the Y. I perused my choices of activity and decided to try out a 45 minute long "Strength and Endurance" class. I imagined it would be hand weights. I was half right. The first 10 minutes were all leg work - squats, lunges, wall sits... My legs were burning and I was worried this was going to impact my long run the next day, but I was here now and stuck. I lived. I didn't sweat either. I was planning to have my "sensible splurge" today - Starbucks - so I wanted to make sure I was burning enough calories. I did another 30 minutes on an exercise bike. I estimated I burned at least 300 calories doing those activities.

Dinner - Chicken Corn Salad: 3 oz diced baked chicken tossed with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup corn and 1 cup of salad greens.
372.5 calories, 21.5 g carbs, 30 g protein, 20 g fat

Next I added up my calories and figured I could safely have my "sensible splurge" - a short (8 oz) Starbucks coconut milk mocha macciato
130 calories, 19 g carbs, 2 g protein, 5 g fat

Skipped a snack today.

Totals for Day 7: 1112.5 calories consumed, 123.5 g carbs, 55.5 g protein, 52.5 g fat.
I expended 1500 calories for a deficit of 387.5 calories.

Thursday Feb. 8, 2018
Today was long run day. 15 miles on the schedule. Originally I thought I had all afternoon to do it, however now I had to take G to PT since today was, in fact, the correct day, I'd have to run in the morning if I was going to do it. I couldn't do it in the evening because I already had my massage scheduled.

I reminded myself of all the times I'd gotten up at 4 am in the past to run 19-20 miles before going to work. So much of distance running is mental. I've done this before. Just get your butt out of bed and do it!

Alarm was set for 6 am. Got up, had Blueberry Almond Oatmeal for breakfast.
Got to the fitness center shortly before 8 am, got on the track, hit cruise control and prayed for flow. Lewis Howes and his School of Greatness podcasts chattered away in my ears as I found my rhythm. My quads were still a bit heavy from the strength class and I could especially feel them going up stairs but thankfully it was all good until the last mile when my right hamstring started pulling. Got it done though. Yes!!

Got home and realized I only had time to either shower, eat, or stretch. I picked the shower since I wasn't going to be home again til 9:30 pm. Thankfully hubs agreed to cook my pasta while I showered so I could eat too. Had Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta for lunch. I'm glad I cooked a bunch of chicken breasts ahead of time or this would have never happened. This also gave me about the right amount of post-run carbs and protein so I didn't need a post-run snack.

G's physical therapist is a sweetheart and had me stretch while she worked on G. Then it was off to Carmel again. Had my snack - Peppery Avocado Chickpeas with a cup of grape tomatoes - after I dropped G off.

Next it was massage time! It was wonderful. I really felt like I was cheating on my massage therapist though... but he is in Greenwood and only has daytime hours... and this was on the Northside, open til 9 pm... and $30 for a full hour. Foot Finesse is technically a "foot spa" because their employees are not certified massage therapists. You still get a full body massage though, with your clothes on. It was a wonderful feel good massage; not the I-think-I-might-die-this-hurts-so-bad-I-need-a-towel-to-chew-on kind of massage I had been getting (and which I'll continue getting from my regular massage therapist). I'm definitely doing this again! Think it will be my long run day reward.

Ate dinner after I got home. Tuna Salad Over Greens: 4 oz canned tuna, drained, mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (I used a basil and oregano mix), 1/2 cup Minute Rice multi-grain medley (brown rice, flaxseed, red quinoa, and chia seeds), and 1 cup salad greens.
220 calories, 22.5 g carbs, 23 g protein, 5 g fat

I wasn't hungry after dinner but somehow I just wanted to taste some more food. I got over that by brushing my teeth and going to bed.

Totals for Day 8: 1355 calories consumed, 186.5 g carbs, 78 g protein, 34.5 g fat.
I expended 2700 calories for a deficit of 1345 calories.
Woohoo!! Normally I would have eaten a 1000 calorie meal (like half a pizza) after a long run so I'm happy I controlled myself.

Friday Feb. 9, 2018
Another day that didn't go exactly as planned but I managed to salvage. I had a  5-6 mile run planned today. I also had to go to Bloomington in the morning for what I thought was going to be a one hour training session.

Had an Apple Walnut Parfait for breakfast and hit the road. Unfortunately my training session lasted 2 hours, putting me back home at noon. Originally I was going to go to the fitness center to run as soon as I got home but now it was time to eat again. I had to go to work tonight so I really needed to get a nap in too.

Ate a snack of an apple, hard boiled egg, and two rye crisps, and decided to try and nap first.

Nap didn't work out too well. I never got any deep sleep. Gave up after nearly 3 hours and got ready to go run. Got to the fitness center and discovered it was closed for the day for an event. Ugh!! Normally at this point I would have bagged the run. However, today I went back home, changed into warmer clothes, and ran 5 miles on the road. Got. It. Done.

Lunch - Sautéed Greens over Baked Cod .

Packed another Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta dish for dinner, as well as a cup of grape tomatoes and a hard boiled egg as snacks. I was worried about getting hungry. My shift tonight was from 7 pm to 7 am. Normally I'd be sleeping and not eating during that time but now I'd be up. I think I needed the security of having a snack with me.

Ended up eating dinner around midnight. Had the grape tomatoes a couple hours after that but didn't eat the egg. I was hungry for dinner. I'm not sure I really needed the snack. So much of what I eat while I'm at work, especially towards the end of my shift, is more to keep me awake rather than nourish me. Usually when I have to drive home late at night from Bloomington I end up eating the entire hour drive home just to stay awake.

Totals for Day 9: 1430 calories consumed, 154 g carbs, 92 g protein, 56 g fat.
I expended 1700 calories for a deficit of 270 calories.

Saturday Feb. 10
I slept until almost 1 pm, then had an Apple Walnut Parfait for breakfast.

Made a grocery list as the family needed to eat too then went to the fitness center to get my run in before they closed at 5 pm. Ran 6 miles.

Picked up my weekend papers at CVS after my run with a 30% off coupon, then on to Meijer for my groceries. I'd forgotten what a zoo Meijer is on Saturday afternoons. It took me almost as long to check out as it did for me to pick out my groceries. Final stop was Aldi to pick up chicken breasts as they had the best price this week but they were already sold out so I left empty handed.

I was starving by the time I got home. Definitely did NOT get any food in an hour after my workout. Thankfully I had baked a whole pan of cod when I made my lunch yesterday so I quickly threw together a Cod Salad for lunch.

One of the things that has been reiterated to me several times these last couple days is that it's SO SO important to have the food you should eat prepped in some manner and ready to eat in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the tendency is to grab whatever you see when you're hungry. I've been baking pans of cod and baked chicken breasts and keeping them in a container where I can weigh out what I need for my meal and not have to cook it every time I need them. Meal prepping has been REALY REALLY key.

Dinner - Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta.

Totals for Day 10: 1095 calories consumed, 114 g carbs, 82 g protein, 39 g fat.
I expended 1800 calories for a deficit of 705 calories.

Logged a 40 mile run week too. Definitely feeling pretty good about things!

Sunday Feb. 11
So this morning was the moment of truth. Weigh in day for Phase 2. I've been paranoid all week that the 4 lb weight loss from Phase 1 was not real and that I'd gain some of that back this week.

132.5 lbs.
I weighed myself 4 times. It ranged from 132 to 133 so I decided on 132.5.
So, not as drastic as a drop but, more importantly, I didn't gain any weight. I'll take it.

Today starts Phase 3. It's a 20 day Maintain. Lots more food choices and the goal is to maintain your weight. There is definitely a less structured menu in this phase so hopefully  I can "maintain."

Take aways so far...
Portion control is key.
When you're really tired and hungry, GO TO SLEEP rather than scrounge around for food.
Keep "good" food handy.
Brushing your teeth after you eat really helps.
Take your time eating and try not to do anything else while you're eating.

Wish me luck "maintaining"!

20/20 Diet: Phase 1

So this is the start of my 20/20 Diet that I spoke of in my last post. I picked it because it was easy and told me what to eat. The diet itself doesn't require you to count any calories but I did it cause I wanted to know. This is what I used for my calculations...

My Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the number of calories you burn by simply existing, is 1200 calories.
This is calculated by multiplying your ideal body weight (in pounds) by 10. I used 120 lbs as my ideal weight.
You are suppose to add 30%, 40%, or 50% to this depending on your activity level however I did not add this in my daily calculations. I figured they would all be bonus calories burned.

My daily carb needs are 3 g per ideal body weight, so 390 g.
My daily protein needs are 0.6 g per ideal body weight, so 72 g.

Post exercise, the recommended carb to protein ration is 3:1 in the first hour after exercise.
I try to get 20g of protein in so I also need 60 g of carbs.

I give myself a credit of 100 calories per mile run.

The nutritional information came from either the food packaging or calorieking.com.
I drank water, sparkling water, black coffee or green tea with my meals.
The only modification I made to the diet is that I allowed myself a post-run nutrition bar after each workout so I had some hope of meeting that one hour post-exercise carb-protein requirement.

I weighed myself as soon as I got up in the morning on Day 1.
138 lbs. Blahhhh...

Thursday Feb. 1, 2018
Breakfast - Apple Walnut Parfait: 1 diced Fuji apple, 1/4 chopped walnuts, 1 container (5.3 oz) Siggi's Icelandic style (skyr) vanilla yogurt, sprinkle of cinnamon
405 calories, 39 g carbs, 20 g protein, 20 g fat

Apple Walnut Parfait

Once I counted up the calories I thought this was a hefty breakfast. I wasn't wrong. Turns out this would be the highest calorie meal in this Phase.

After breakfast I made roasted chickpeas. One can made three 1/2 cup servings. Basically drained the can, tossed it with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a little minced garlic, then baked them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I let them cool and put them in little containers.

Next I hardboiled 8 eggs. Cooled and peeled them. Made two servings of egg salad in more containers by stirring together 2 teaspoons of mustard, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and a chopped up hard boiled egg in each container. Saved the rest of the eggs for later.

Since I'm suppose to eat every 4 hours and I had breakfast at 8 am, I had my snack at noon.

Snack - 1 Fuji apple, 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas, 2 rye crisps.
325 calories, 61 g carbs, 8 g protein, 7 g fat

I flip-flopped my lunch and my snack as I wanted more of a meal (calories) before I went running.

Lunch - Sautéed Greens over Baked Cod: 4 oz cod, baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sautéed a cup of kale and a cup of spinach in a bit of olive oil then spooned it over the cod. Topped it all off with 1/4 cup chopped almonds and squeezed a lemon wedge over it all.
330 calories, 16 g carbs, 27 g protein, 20 g fat

Sautéed Greens over Baked Cod 

I actually cooked several cod filets and planned to put them in containers too. Good thing I did. G came home from school and decided she wanted to eat the same thing.

Drove G to Carmel, then ran 8.5 miles.

Post-Run, had a Chocolate Sea Salt RX bar - 210 calories, 24 g carbs, 12 g protein, 9 g fat

Had dinner after I got back home from Carmel.

Dinner - 1 Fuji apple, Egg Salad, 2 rye crisps.
245 calories, 43 g carbs, 8 g protein, 5 g fat

...and G decided to eat the other egg salad I had prepared.

So, totals for Day 1: 1515 calories consumed, 183 g carbs, 75 g protein and 61 g of fat.
I expended 2050 calories for a deficit of 535 calories.
I didn't come close to the amount of carbs I was suppose to consume but hit my number on protein.
Didn't get enough carbs or protein post-run either.
Overall didn't feel too bad though.

Friday Feb. 2, 2018
Breakfast - Apple Walnut Parfait.

Went for my run after that and ran 10 miles.

Post-Run, had a Peanut Butter Muscle Milk Bar - 190 calories, 22 g carbs, 15 g protein, 6 g fat
Also had my snack - 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas and 2 rye crisps.
This combo gave me a total of 420 calories, 60 g of carbs, 23 g protein, and 13 g of fat so I hit my post-run carb and protein numbers.

Lunch - 1 Fuji apple, Egg salad, 2 rye crisps.

At this point I decided I had eaten more apples in the last two days than I had in the last 6 months!

Dinner - Sautéed Greens over Baked Cod.

Totals for Day 2: 1400 calories consumed, 158 g carbs, 78 g protein, 58 g fat.
I expended 2200 calories for a deficit of 800 calories.
Again, low on the carbs but hit the protein.

Still not feeling too bad.

Saturday Feb. 3, 2018
Breakfast - Spinach Egg Scramble: 1 1/2 cups of spinach sautéed in a bit of olive oil, then scramble it with an egg. Plus another Fuji apple.
185 calories, 26 g carbs, 8 g protein, 5 g fat

I decided to change things up with a different breakfast. Then I tried what was suppose to be an easy 6 mile run. I think my lack of calories at breakfast plus the overall calorie deficit plus the 10 miles I had run the day before caught up with me. I felt like death. I was on the treadmill and had to slow to a walk at times because I was lightheaded. Finally squeaked out 3 miles total... at an average pace of 11:26. Blah!!

Post-run I didn't feel hungry and literally had to choke down my food, which included my snack - Peanut Butter Muscle Milk Bar, 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas, 2 rye crisps.

Lunch - 1 Fuji apple, Egg Salad, 1 rye crisp.

Dinner - I had to work the IU-MSU basketball game in Bloomington in the evening so I packed my dinner.
Cod Salad - Flake a 4 oz baked cod filet and mix with 2 teaspoons of mustard (it's a darn good thing I like mustard!) and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Toss with 1 1/2 cups chopped spinach and 2 tablespoons chopped almonds. Plus I had ANOTHER Fuji apple and 3 rye crisps.
400 calories, 58 g carbs, 26 g protein, 8 g fat

Cod Salad

I ate my dinner in the car then picked up J from her dorm to take to the game. She hadn't eaten so I bought her food at the game. Papa John's pizza. I wasn't hungry but the smell of garlicky dough made me want to eat just to taste the food.

By the time I started home, I was freaking HUNGRY! Luckily I was too tired to do anything about it. Got home at midnight and flopped into bed.

Totals for Day 3: 1210 calories consumed, 178 g carbs, 64 g protein, 31 g fat
I expended 1500 calories for a deficit of 290 calories.

I've pretty much decided I'm not going to hit my carb number on this diet. That was my whole issue about dieting while training. I didn't think I'd get enough carbs to fuel my workouts. My priority now is weight loss though so I guess my workouts may suffer a bit.

I was pretty much wiped out today.

Sunday Feb. 4, 2018
Today was my rest day from running. Knowing I wouldn't have the extra calorie expenditure I made a conscious effort to curb my calories. Ate a "big" breakfast though because I was so wiped out on Saturday. I also slept in and didn't have breakfast til 9:30 am so I ended up only eating three times.

Breakfast - Apple Walnut Parfait.

Lunch - Cod Salad with 1 rye crisp.

G had a matinee show she was dancing and I was volunteering so I ate my lunch in the car before the show. Then, I had to prep the snacks that were being served during the show. I had to pass on some absolutely lovely black and white cookies that one of the businesses had made for the show. Luckily I wasn't hungry, but normally I would have helped myself to a cookie...or two... for the taste.

Drove home after the show and had dinner.

Dinner - Cod Salad with 2 rye crisps.

I brushed my teeth after dinner so I wouldn't eat anything else.

Totals for Day 4: 895 calories consumed, 81 g carbs, 68 g protein, 36 g fat
I expended 1200 calories for a deficit of 305 calories.

Admittedly, I was hungry at times today.

Monday Feb 5, 2018
So... my health nut 900 year old daughter decided she liked all the food I was eating on my new diet so she's been eating all the same food and I did not buy enough. I ran out of apples this morning. Between the two of us we have gone through over 6 lbs of apples in the last 4 days.

Breakfast - Spinach Egg Scramble

I decided I definitely was not going to go running until I had eaten more so I went grocery shopping instead. Picked up more apples, spinach, Icelandic yogurt, rye crisps and food for Phase 2 that starts tomorrow. I was starving by the time I got home.

Lunch - Sautéed Greens over Baked Cod.

Snack - Apple Walnut Parfait. I ate a big snack because still I was terrified I might crash again on the treadmill like I did on Saturday.

Took G to Carmel then hit the Y for my workout. Got 6 miles in without a problem. Admittedly, I was WAY exhausted afterwards and spent some time lying on the locker room floor.

Post-Run - Peanut Butter Muscle Milk Bar.

I had packed my dinner to take with me to Carmel but I didn't feel like eating much after running and then forgot about it. Driving home though, I realized I was starving.

Dinner - Cod Salad with 2 rye crisps.

Totals for Day 4: 1275 calories consumed, 107 g carbs, 95 g protein, 61 g fat
I expended 1800 calories for a deficit of 525 calories.

I was hungry at times today but, more than anything, was totally wiped out by the time I got home from Carmel and passed out on the couch as soon as I was done eating.

Tuesday Feb 6, 2018
This morning was the moment of truth. I weighed myself as soon as I got up, just like I had done on Day 1.

134 lbs.
NO WAY!! No freakin' way I lost 4 lbs in 5 days... unless it was mostly water.

I weighed myself again after breakfast. 134.2 lbs. Hmmm. Scale must be right but I'm still wondering how much of that is water.

Looking at what I ate every day and the corresponding calorie counts, I can honestly say I had been consuming at least 3000 calories (or more) a day lately. Runner's World recently had an article called "The Common Eating Habit That's Secretly Doubling Your Calories." It's an eye-opener. You can read it HERE.

Today starts Phase 2. Another 5 days and I get to eat different food. We'll have to see if the weight stays off!

Rabbit Holes

Several months ago, while I was sitting in the lobby of the orthodontist's office waiting on my daughter, I read an article in the December issue of Outside magazine on downhill ski phenom Mikaela Shiffrin and was overcome by envy. Not of her ability, mind you, but of her single minded focus. She trains, she sleeps, and she trains. Yes, she has God given ability too, but it's her focus on the sole goal that is important to her is what sets her apart.

Oh, to have that focus...

Life would be so simple.

So here are the updates on my life and all the rabbit holes I have gone down lately.

Running. It's been an on again, off again relationship. I didn't run for several weeks after Monumental. Then the holidays hit as well as the cold gray weather and I just stopped worrying about worrying about when I was going to fit a run in. Come January, I looked at the calendar and saw I had 13 weeks til the Carmel Marathon so I ran 3 miles on January 2nd. Then I got sick.

Running hit the back burner again as I felt crappy, had to work, plus G started auditioning for summer dance programs. I didn't run again until January 16th. 5 miles on the treadmill.

The treadmill. I started listening to podcasts a while back to break up the monotony of running on the treadmill. I think it was a link I saw on an MSN page last Fall, but somehow I had ended up on the Mad Fientist webpage, a site about Financial Independence. There were podcasts there that were fascinating. Good investment strategies as well as my first introduction to travel hacking.

Travel hacking. What is it? It's traveling for free using rewards points. Of course I fell down this rabbit hole! What's it's relationship to financial independence? Well... seems like many financially independent people travel the world. The key is owning credit cards which offer high value sign up bonus points as well as point offerings for your spending, which in turn can be turned into either airline miles, hotel stays, or, depending on the program, simply redeemed for any travel related spending. Most of these credit cards though require an excellent credit rating (like above 800) and you need to meet minimum spend requirements to get the bonus points. Of course you also have to have the income to pay off your balance every month to make this work but it makes for a very attractive game for the financially independent.

What I've discovered through travel hacking... the hardest way to accrue airline miles is by actually flying them. The luxury lounge passes, the first-class upgrades... they are all free with points. Makes one wonder who actually pays the ridiculous fees. I earned 1000 United Airlines miles by spending $1 for a trial subscription to the Wall Street Journal. In contrast, if I wanted to buy 2000 miles (which is their minimum buy) from the United Airlines website itself, it would cost me $70... or, if I wanted to earn 1000 miles by flying them, I'd have to fly to the West Coast (Denver is 987 miles by air from where I live), at a cost of several hundred dollars. Since I discovered travel hacking in November I've accrued enough airline miles for at least two round trip tickets to Europe plus some free lounge passes. Now to find the time...

The other way I have found to make the miles go by on the treadmill is to watch TV. Not a whole lotta channel choices at the Y but it's better than staring into the middle school parking lot across the street. So... earlier this month I ended up watching the last couple minutes of the Dr. Phil show. His guest was a woman who had lost 80 lbs last year on his 20/20 diet.

The 20/20 Diet. I've needed to lose a couple extra pounds for some time now. Five pounds became ten, then ten became fifteen... and then I actually weighed myself the other day and found myself the heaviest I have ever been. My excuse has always been after this next race as it's tough to reduce your calories while trying to fuel your training. Problem though is I've been eating like I run 40 miles a week when I haven't been running at all. I checked out the 20/20 Diet from the library. What appealed to me is that it was very structured. It told you exactly what to eat for 30 days and the recipes were simple. For the first 5 days there are only 20 foods you can eat. Sounded good to me as anything else so I decided to try it. Day 1 was February 1st. I'll report how it goes. I read the book cover to cover. It seems to be geared toward people who can't see their feet and can't walk more than 15 minutes at a time so we'll just have to see if it works for me.

Minimalism. My wanna be minimalist soul is still working on it. Most of the house was decluttered two years ago and I'm happy to say it has stayed that way. It's the photos and mementos in my office that I'm still working on. Then of course I came across a YouTube channel about a minimalist.

Zoey Arielle. I admit, some of her videos are somewhat ludicrous to me. Unrelatable really. She's a 20-something Canadian that now lives out of two suitcases and travels. Sometimes she talks about her makeup or her outfits and I turn the video off. She's introduced me to some new concepts though. She's a digital nomad. Digital nomad. A term I'd never heard before. Digital nomads make their living working online doing whatever they do, whether it be marketing, designing, coaching, blogging, etc., thus it frees them up to live and explore anywhere they want in the world. It's a very compelling concept.

What I do like about Zoey's videos though are her minimalist views and her goals for herself. She uses her videos to make herself accountable... and I can relate to that. One of her goals this year is to read two books a month and she presented a reading list. One of the books on the list was Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. I found it at the library. I'm halfway through it now and I love it. One of his recommendations was to journal... so here I am, back to blogging.

I find it ironic... I find a book about pursuing less and focusing on what is important down a YouTube rabbit hole.

So what's next?

I'll be rooting for Mikaela Shiffrin when the Winter Olympics start on February 8th.
I'll stick to my diet by reporting on how it's going. My goal is to lose 20 lbs.
I'll run the Carmel Marathon on March 31st. If I'm in BQ shape by then, so be it. If not, I'm OK with that as my priority right now is to lose the weight.
I ran 10 miles the week of Jan. 14 - 20.
I ran 28 miles the week of Jan. 21 - 27.
I ran 31 miles the week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 3.

Onward.