About Me

Welcome to “The Art of Eating Well”… I am Darlene Nyce, your host into this journey into striking a balance of what is healthy fuel for the body with real life cravings for yummy food that wants to be eaten.

A little about me before we get started.  First, I have been battling food since I hit puberty.  It’s been 15 years of struggling with my weight – the desire to be happy with my figure versus wanting to eat cookies and sit on my ass watching TV.  Trust me, it’s not been a very fair fight.  Those are tough cookies.

In the past few years, I have gotten off my bum and been working out.  Although, that may be the understatement of the year.  After gaining 30 lbs in the year after getting married, I decided enough was enough and starting running.  When I started, I could barely run for a minute at a time.  Literally.  Somehow that morphed into my first sprint triathlon in August 2007 and got hooked.  I am now a full-fledged triathlete having competed in over 30 events – with the latest being a 1/2 Ironman (1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, 13.1 run).  This year is my 3rd full tri season with two major “A” races – the White Lake Half IM (my second 1/2 IM on May 1) and the Chicago Marathon (my first marathon on October 10).

With all that swimming, biking and running I have lost most of those 30 lbs – and replaced the rest with muscle.  You think that’d be the end of that, right?  Ha!

I have come a long way.  I weigh 167 lbs.  I’m a size 8-10.  I’m fairly happy with my size.  (In fact, 5 years ago, I wouldn’t even have said my weight out loud, let alone post it on a public forum.)  I can run and bike many miles at a time, now.  I can swim fast.  In fact, I love my muscles.

BUT, I run a 12:00 – 12:30 minute mile for longer distances and I want to be faster.  I want to do more than just finish a race– I want to be able to excel.  I want to do an Ironman.  I want to be more than fairly happy with my size.  I want to sit on a beach in a bathing suit and feel comfortable.  To do that, I need to conquer my issues with food.  It’s time.

That is where my journey begins.  I have realized I look at food the wrong way.  Food is the fuel that gets me through my workouts.  Food gives me the energy to do all things I want to and still be awake at my desk at 4 pm on Monday afternoon.  (OK, that may actually be coffee — but, we’ll call that food, too!)  I need to look at food as a way to make me better.

I have been spending YEARS focusing on what I should not eat.  I am going to spend the rest of this year focusing on what I should eat.  I am going to find a healthy balance between food, health and cravings.  Because, let’s be real, I’m not giving up cookies for good.  So, yes, even Girl Scout cookies are ok… it’s all about a balance and fueling your body first.

So, here we are.  This blog is going to be a triathlete’s journey to tackling the art of eating well – balancing what is good for you with what is good for the soul.

Enjoy.

PS.  Here I am, with my hubby, Tim:

MBA Graduation - Dec 2010