The Rut

I'm in a transition period in my program. I've lost most of the weight to get to my goal, only 3 or so pounds to go, and while there is some major firming up to do, I'm really pretty pleased with where I am. Athletically, I have a good way to go - still slow as heck on runs, still not as strong or as firm as I want to be, still don't have the endurance I want, but in reality I don't need any of those things to be healthy. I got my weight to a healthy state and my diet in good balance, so I don't have any cosmic imperatives.

Workouts are starting to bore me. Swimming yesterday for 40 minutes was a struggle, like I was dragging some sort of huge anchor behind me. I'm still committed and addicted to the process, so quitting isn't an option yet, but my overall motivation seems to be waning, and combining motivation and metrics was how I was able to succeed in the first place.

So what to do? I think the 10K and then the triathlon are good motivators for me, so whereas I originally was going to do them to amuse the readers of the blog, I now see them as ways to motivate myself to continue to get better. I can now see why people do these things for "fun" and hobbies - they seem to be good ways to motivate yourself to continue to get in shape and continue to be healthy. And this whole thing is about embracing a new lifestyle.

One thing I did realize yesterday during my swim is that I'm still slow as heck. There were guys in the pool that were crushing me even with my new stroke, and when I upped my pace to keep up with them, I noticed they were holding one of those floaty things in their legs. In other words, they were just training their arms, and I was swimming with everything I've got. Yikes. Still got a good workout in though - swimming faster is a lot more work, and I feel it when I get out.

Dinner last night was simple and extremely low calorie. So much so that I was looking to add calories. Roasted an ear of corn, and splurged with some butter on it (150 calories). Steamed some broccoli and cauliflower and tossed that in half a tablespoon of olive oil with S&P (100 calories). And then made a phenomenal seared scallop with Caribbean black bean sauce. Recipe as follows:

1 lb large Sea Scallops (fresh is better, frozen works) (375 calories)
1/2 tbsp olice oil (60 calories)
Jerk seasoning
2/3 can black beans (200 calories) - gave the other 1/3 of the can to the kids
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp or more habanero sauce to taste
1 clove garlic (used pickled habanero garlic)
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp molasses (50 calories)

Coat scallops with jerk seasoning and sear in large non-stick pan in olive oil. Meanwhile heat beans in pot, and then add everything else, including more jerk seasoning. Blend with immersion blender until smooth (make sure you blend the garlic clove good so there are no garlicky surprises). Plate bean puree under scallops. About 350 calories per serving, serves 2.