The Fat Guy

Weekly Average Weight for August 23, 2008

David Crowell — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:42:58 GMT

My average weight for the week ending 8/23/2008:
240.9 lbs

Down from last week:
2.5 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
55.0 lbs

I feel good with my progress.

Over 1000 Miles

David Crowell — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:29:26 GMT

It's hard to believe it, but I've ridden my two bikes a total of 1044 miles since I bought the first one in late April. When I first got the hybrid bike in April, several miles was a ride. a dozen miles was downright painful. Today, I rode about 18 miles, including some killer hills, and I feel great. The 18 mile ride is a short ride, I have ridden a 50 mile ride.

Of those miles, about 650 was on the recumbent. The rest was on the hybrid.

I'm still pushing myself to go farther and faster. I'd like to measure my rides in hundreds of miles. I'll need to be in better shape, and have some time off of work for that though.

I Guess I'm Staying Under 240

David Crowell — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:59:34 GMT

Three days in a row now, my weight has been under 240 lbs. Tonight's weight was 238.6. I only have 63.6 lbs to go. I've already lost 57.8 lbs, so I'm nearing the half-way point (60.7).

I only rode my bike to work two days this week. I don't really have any good reasons for that. I need to buckle down and ride more. I still rode almost 100 miles this week though, due to other rides I went on.

I've been doing some minor weight lifting with dumbbells. I've found that light lifting actually helps my neck/shoulder/back/arm pain I've been dealing with for months. I don't know if it's due to strengthening the muscles, or keeping everything flexible, or both.

I'm also moving the progress pictures to their own page, and linking to it on the right.

Gotta Work to Make Progress...

David Crowell — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:34:45 GMT

I've been meaning to do some exercise besides bike riding. I still haven't done much. I also didn't ride my bike very much this week so far, until today.

I rode to work and back on my recumbent with the clipless pedals today. The ride in was great, the ride home was windy and slow.

After getting home, I rode my hybrid bike to the grocery store. There was another guy there with a similar bike buying groceries, but he didn't have a rear-rack or bags, so he was tying the plastic grocery bags to his handlebars.

My weight tonight was 239.2! Under 240! It was just July 27th when I dropped below 250. I don't know if I'll gain a little, and have to wait a little longer to stay under 240 or not.

175 -- here I come!

A Little Exposure at Work

David Crowell — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:01:12 GMT

I started this blog to document my weight loss, and publicly embarrass myself. I knew people from work would see it. Other than comments that I should wear more in the progress pictures, the comments at work have been positive.

A few weeks ago, I had a little media exposure, and that really got people at work talking. Today, my company blogged about the TV spot featuring me.

I really feel bad now.... I didn't ride my bike to work today. I haven't ridden to work yet this week. Oh well, there are still three more days in the week.

I Salvaged the Day

David Crowell — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:15:18 GMT

I was pretty bummed that I didn't ride to work today. I planned on taking a quick 11-mile ride after work, but first, I wanted to fix the flat on my hybrid bike.

After removing the tire, and inspecting it for debris, I discovered a large tear in the sidewall. Well, I had a spare tube, but not a tire.

So, instead of an 11 mile quick ride, I went on a 28-mile round trip ride to the bike shop to buy a tire. It's also the first real ride on the recumbent since putting on the clipless pedals. I did great all of the way to the bike shop. I pulled up out front of the building, stopped, and with a sinking feeling, realized I hadn't unclipped. I fell to the right. I scraped my elbow a little, but nothing serious. I actually started laughing at my timing. The whole shop had seen it happen.

I bought a tire, and headed for home. I'm glad I have good lights, as it got dark before I got home. I've ridden around town at night before, but this was the first time on the highway at night.

In all, it was a good day, and I still got my exercise. Now I need to make sure I can get myself on the bike in the morning...

Best Laid Plans...

David Crowell — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:06:46 GMT

I fully intended to ride my bike to work all five days this week.

I installed clipless pedals on my recumbent, but haven't got around to riding it yet, and I'm not ready to ride it in traffic until I get used to them. So I got on my hybrid bike this morning, and headed for work.

I got about 1/2 mile away from home when my rear tire blew out. I could have fixed it in about 30 minutes, but I went home, and drove to work instead.

At least I know what I'll be doing after work today.

A Tandem Bike in My Future?

David Crowell — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:08:05 GMT

My daughter and I rode our bikes along the Louisville Riverwalk on Sunday. It was a beautiful day, and she is a bit of a stronger rider than she was last time.

We had a picnic lunch, enjoyed the ride, and saw other cyclists. We even saw a guy on a recumbent. I wasn't riding my recumbent at the time though.

When we returned back to the Waterfront Park area, we noticed the bike rental shop had tandems. I have never ridden a tandem, so we decided to give it a try.

The bike was a single-speed, coaster-brake, cruiser style, and needed a little maintenance, but we were able to ride it without too much difficulty. It was a blast.

So, maybe next year, I will buy a tandem for my daughter and I to ride together on. It will also be handy if I meet "that special someone" who's into biking.

Weekly Average Weight for August 16, 2008

David Crowell — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:53:48 GMT

My average weight for the week ending 8/16/2008:
243.4 lbs

Down from last week:
1.7 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
53.0 lbs

My eating habits slipped up again in the last few days, but I'm still losing weight.

Still Plugging Along

David Crowell — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:58:39 GMT

I'm still working at my weight loss, still losing weight, and still riding my bike. I feel like there isn't a lot to post about though.

Anyway, I'm only riding my bike to work three days this week. I rode yesterday, today was a "lazy day", I have other plans tomorrow and I need my car, and I plan on riding Thursday and Friday.

My weight has been hanging right at 243.6 lbs for three days. There is no fluctuation at all.

I've been better with my eating, but I have had a six-pack of beer over the last four days.

Sometimes when there doesn't seem to be much going on, I feel like I'm not making progress. Then I pull up my spreadsheet, and I can see that I'm down 52.8 lbs. I can also see that I'm down 16.6 lbs since June 30th when I started tracking my calories again. So, really, I just need to keep doing what I'm doing for another 68.6 lbs.

No Car-Free Month This Year

David Crowell — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:56:44 GMT

I mentioned before about making September a car-free month. It's not going to happen this year.

I was unable to convince myself to ride to work on Friday. I was really sore. On the bright side, the rest on Friday allowed me to ride over 50 miles on Saturday. I'm also not riding today (Sunday). I do intend to be back on the bike first thing tomorrow to ride to work.

My First Group Ride

David Crowell — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:52:18 GMT

Saturday morning, I got up early, and rode to Sellersburg to meet up for the "slowspokes" ride. They are organized by the Southern Indiana Wheelmen for slower riders.

I met some friendly people, got some tips for my commute to work, then we were off.

The "fast pack" quickly lost me. I tried to keep up with them, but it didn't happen. The slower riders fell far enough behind that I didn't see them anymore. I was riding alone.

There was a truck stop along the route that I thought was a regroup area, there was nobody there.

I finished the 28 mile ride without seeing anyone. The cars for the faster riders were already gone. Still no sign of the slower riders.

I waited 30 minutes, and with no sign of the slower riders, I rode back home.

I was a bit disappointed that the ride turned out this way, but I still had fun, and enjoyed the route. The cue sheet was easy to follow, and the route was scenic, if a bit hilly.

Neat Snack

David Crowell — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:38:14 GMT

Blueberries are in season! Okay, they have been for a while. I've been buying them for over a month. I usually just snack on them plain, but I thought of this:

I mixed 1 cup of fresh, rinsed blueberries with 1 cup of vanilla yogurt. It made a healthy snack that comes in at 283 calories.

Weekly Average Weight for August 9, 2008

David Crowell — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:31:44 GMT

My average weight for the week ending 8/9/2008:
245.1 lbs

Down from last week:
3.6 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
51.3 lbs

I rode my bike to work a total of four days last week (same as last week). I also rode a group ride, and several errands around town. My on-bike total for the week is 176.8 miles. This is the highest per week mileage I have ridden.

My weight loss is continuing nicely, but I did buy a six-pack of beer that I'm still working on.

Donuts, Bike Fuel, Dog Food, and Wedgies

David Crowell — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:52:04 GMT

Car-free weekdays are getting a lot more common for me. Most days that I ride to work, I'm too tired to do anything else. If I have to make a grocery run, I do it on the bike, as the store is less than two miles away.

When the weekend comes, then I end up using the car. I (obviously) use the car when I decide not to ride to work. However, I rode four days last week, and I'm still on track to ride all five this week.

My food is my fuel for most of my travel now. After a healthy breakfast this morning, I rode to work, and was famished. There was a package of donut holes in the kitchen. A serving (four holes) is 260 calories, so I grabbed a single hole, and ate it. It's not the highest quality fuel, but it was only 65 calories.

My two dogs eat a fair amount of dog food. I usually buy a 40 lb bag to limit the number of trips to the pet store. A 40 lb bag of dog good is large, yet I've lost more weight than that. It still surprises me. Based on the progress pictures, human fat is denser than dog food.

I rode my "wedgie" bike yesterday. It has fenders, and the weather forecast was calling for rain. On the bright side, I didn't get caught in the rain. On the not so bright side, I rode that bike for no real reason. I'm 2-3 mph slower on it, and the seat hurts me. I never wanted to be one of those recumbent riders who swears off traditional bikes, but I can't imagine taking a long ride on a traditional bike.

What I Eat, A Typical Day

David Crowell — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:23:04 GMT

What I eat now is a bit different than what I was eating before I was bicycling. Also, much of my recent content has been bicycle related, and that's not what this blog is really supposed to be about.

Today I consumed about 1720 calories:

Breakfast:

Kashi GoLean Crunch w/ skim milk
Banana
Vanilla Yogurt

This is actually a bit heavier than my normal breakfast. I do find the fiber in the cereal to be good for keeping me full. It also has quite a few carbs for energy. Bananas provide potassium, and the yogurt gives extra calcium... and I really like it.

Lunch:

Sliced chicken lunchmeat sandwich on rye bread w/ swiss cheese
A bunch of grapes

Yes, I have some lunch-making supplies at work. I usually have a sandwich and fruit. Sometimes it's grapes, sometimes it's bananas. The sliced chicken, cheap lunchmeat crap is too high in sodium, but I like it.

Snack:

Twix Ice Cream Bar
Gatorade

I picked up this snack at a convenience store on the way home. I was riding my bike, and I felt I needed a little more energy. I also drank some water from my water bottle.

Dinner:

Small pork chop, grilled outside
Brussell sprouts

I need protein. I love brussell sprouts. It was a quick easy meal. I need quick easy dinners, as I don't have a lot of time after getting home before I go to bed.

I also drink black coffee from the time I get to work until around 2 p.m. I drink water all day long. I occasionally drink beer, but didn't today.

Supplements and drugs:

Fish oil pills
Multivitamin
Metamucil fiber supplement
Aspirin (or acetaminophen if pain is bad)

The fish oil and vitamins started before the weight loss to help deal with depression. It seems to work for me, and has other health benefits. I used to take the fiber regularly, but I don't do it as often now due to gas. I take aspirin most days for its health benefits, or, if I'm in pretty bad pain, I'll take acetaminophen.

That is a list of everything that I consumed today. Today was typical for a weekday. My calorie intake does vary. Sometimes I go out to lunch. Sometimes I eat a very light dinner. On weekends my eating is all over the board.

Car-Free Month?

David Crowell — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:22:51 GMT

I'm considering making September of this year car-free. I haven't yet committed to doing it, I'm trying to determine if it is feasible for me yet.

If I do it, and it goes well, I may do it for September of every year.

Weekly Average Weight for August 2, 2008

David Crowell — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:27:49 GMT

My average weight for the week ending 8/2/2008:
248.7 lbs

Down from last week:
4.0 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
47.7 lbs

I rode my bike to work a total of four days last week. I also rode the bike for quite a few errands around town. My on-bike total for the week is 137.7 miles.

On the downside, I did very little riding this weekend, and my weight is up to 250.6 lbs.

I intend to ride to work at least 4 days this week.

Here's a another weight chart, only using weekly averages:

Gotta Watch the Calories

David Crowell — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:43:07 GMT

My calorie intake for the last month is all over the board. I knew that I had good days and bad days, but the chart looks like chaos.

The average was 1988 calories per day. That's not too bad, but I'm shooting for lower than that.

Media Attention

David Crowell — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:28:07 GMT

The "exciting news" I alluded to in my last post is obvious now. WAVE3 wanted to do a story on bicycle commuters, and they found me. I really hate seeing myself in video, but I have to admit that this is cool. I'm just glad that I'm in touch with my geek side, as this news piece really shows it.

Read the story.

Watch the video.

Thank you for the comments and email that I'm still receiving. I just got back home, and it will take me a while to read all of my email.

Damon asked what the bike costs. That bike retails for $1300-$1400. I've got quite a bit into accessories also. However, a recumbent bike isn't necessary for commuting. I like it, but it's probably not for everyone. The bike I originally started commuting on was a $225 hybrid bike.

Whatever bike you use, I recommend a helmet and lights.

Edit:
WAVE 3 pulled the video from their website, so here's a YouTube version: