It's that time of year...

You know what I'm talking about. It's race weight time!

(Insert groan and sniffle here.)

That's right. I waited until now because I wanted to test the waters of bike racing before starting any serious dieting regimen, since I didn't want to end up seriously underfueled and seriously grumpy. That and holidays like Valentines Day, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Robbie's birthday, et cetera, have been happening the last few months. But no more! The last of the Reeses and Cadbury eggs have been eaten, the raisin bread polished off, and the refridgerator all but empty. Perfect time to start.

I decided that the fastest way to shed the last couple of pounds before tri and non-collegiate seasons start is to just cut out all candy, chocolate, and baked goods (bagels excluded for obvious athlete on the go reasons) for a month. Since I eat like crap right now, I figure that's anywhere from 400 to (pathetic) 800 calories a day that are going tobe getting cut, replaced by whole grains, extra protein and fruits. Kill me now.

I've been saying for ages that I need to improve my nutrition. This time, I mean it!

So, this means:
1. No baked goods, no candy, no chocolate through May
2. More protein, more fruit, more veggies
3. Keep a food diary for this month
4. Actually get on a scale weekly

I should explain: I loathe scales. With a burning passion. I used to not mind them, when all I cared about was maintaining a decent shape. But since I got serious about training, I tend to put on weight instead of losing it, and I tend to not lose it very easily. The problem, of course, is that I gain muscle mass really really quickly, so it's frustrating to lose inches but gain pounds. Ideally though, I'd like to drop about 5 lbs before the end of the month. It's just hard when training and racing so much!

It's also tough when sharing a fridge and pantry with 5 other guys, especially when there are shows at the house. This means a)people eat my food, b) I have minimal storage space, and c) the kitchen is gross as all hell. I cannot wait for June when Robbie and I can have a nice, neat kitchen where we can keep all of our food, as opposed to now, where we have to hide stuff in our tiny tiny room.

So yeah. Any motivation would be appreciated, and apologies to any of you that I see on a regular basis- anything I do in the next month is under the influence of severe lack of chocolate in my bloodstream!