2011 was not really a stellar year for weight management. I started the year at around 165 (what was my definition of "ideal weight" at the time) and kept my weight in check until early May. After my trip to Hawaii in mid-May, I came back at 178. I got back under 170 in July and back to 165ish in August. Post wedding/honeymoon in September I was mid-to-low 170s. In November that moved to mid-to-upper 170s eventually hitting above 180 after Thanksgiving. I went back to tracking my calories on Lose It, was back to 175 by Christmas (bouncing around between 174 and 176 the week before), and finished the year around that (more bouncing between 174 and 176).
Late in the year, I started to question if 165 was truly my ideal weight. When I was around that weight, my 5K time was 4-4.5 minutes slower. I think this was in part due to training, but it seems like something else was a factor. That factor was either that I was too light and weakened myself or that I wasn't eating enough to fully energize myself.
To address this in 2012, I intend to experiment to find my ideal weight. I will set less aggressive weight loss goals, I will lighten up on restrictions near races, and I will reset my plan/target weight after races.
I'll start the year with a target goal of 171.5. I hope it hit this goal by mid-January, and then maintain that weight until the Folsom Super Bowl 10K Run on February 5. I imagine I'll attempt to shed a pound or two after, but we'll wait and see. The only thing I know for certain is that I need to keep my weight under 175.
A key to keeping my weight under control will be to prevent myself from going back to "full calorie" sodas (Pepsi, Coke, etc). Both of my big "blow ups" in 2011 were during periods of time that I let myself bring way too many of these colas. I'd like to think that I could have one every once in a while, but I think in large part that's how it all starts.
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