My eating is still out of control. That ends today.
I’m going back to smaller portions, lower carbs, and better decisions. I’ve been eating too much “because I want to” instead of “because I need to”.
I’m giving up beer permanently. I will finish off the two six packs in the fridge first. :)
I had a muffin and a banana with my first coffee this morning. I had chili and unsweetened tea for lunch. I had a bagel for a snack (oops). I cooked two hamburger patties on the grill for dinner, and ate them with onions and tomato. I did not have bread.
I am drinking a beer as I type this, but, as I said, once these beers are gone, that’s it. My wife doesn’t think I’m going to follow through with the no-beer thing, but I am.
When the RCCS holds another “brew cruise”, I’ll just drink water.
I’m sitting in the hotel in DC between sessions. My flight home leaves later this afternoon. It’ll be good to be in my own bed with my wife. It’ll be good to see the dogs again.
My eating on this trip could have been better, but I still did much better than the old Dave that I used to be. That Dave would have eaten several plates at each meal. I generally had normal size meals. I did have some unnecessary snacks. I had a few beers. I haven’t exercised at all. I could have, there is a fitness center here. I’ll still be eating lunch here, and probably getting something to eat at the airport, but I’ll keep it light.
I’ve been thinking a lot about re-focusing on the fitness and weight loss. I have gotten fatter. I hate having a gut that hangs over my belt. At one point, I was well on my way to not having it.
There will (probably) be a fun bike ride tomorrow. There will be drinking, so it’s not a healthy ride, but I will practice moderation and make the purpose of the ride social rather than enjoying too much food and beer.
After that, I’ll probably go some time without beer. I also need to clean up my eating again. I need to avoid ice cream completely. During my weight loss, I was able to limit myself to a single scoop of ice cream. Every time I’ve had ice cream recently, I’ve had entirely too much. I’m not sure why I have less self-control than I use to.
EDIT: Nasty weather has cancelled my flight, and a bunch of others. I’m stuck in DC for another night. I really hate air travel.
I’ve been riding a lot of miles. I broke a few records on Sunday. I’ve ridden two centuries in a little over a month. I hit 3000 miles of cycling for the year during my commute today. I’m well on track to get 5000+ miles for the year.
The depression that was really affecting me earlier this year has gone away. I’m sure it’ll come back again some day, and I’ll have to cope. Overall, I’ve been feeling really good recently.
Bad Stuff
My eating has been crazy. It’s partially from being hungry from riding. It’s partially due to treating myself to beer, pizza, ice cream, steak, and similiar items much too often.
I haven’t had any real weight loss since March of 2009! That sickens me. I know weight is just a number, but I still have a gut. I feel like I’m way too fit for this gut. I’ve got to lose the gut. Damn the gut!
I’m having comfort issues on my newest bike, Surly Sue, the LHT. Although I’ve ridden two 100-miles rides on that bike, the recent rides have left me with possible ulnar nerve issues in my left hand. I also have some saddle issues to figure out. As such, I’m riding Oria, my recumbent, more often, as there is no pressure on the hands. I will get a bike fit to help get comfortable again, but in the meantime it’s nice to have another option.
What’s Next?
I’m trying to get my eating under control. I had started my “food diary” back up a while ago, but that didn’t last long. I need to track what I eat.
I’ve decided that I need a fast bike. Both my current bikes are designed to be comfortable for hauling stuff long distances. Neither is really designed to be fast. After much thought, I think my fast bike will be a recumbent. Probably a Bacchetta Strada. It won’t be until at least next year until I can afford one, but that’s the plan.
Last Saturday I rode a Century. I rode my bike to work and back 4 out of five days this week (I overslept on Thursday). Most days this week were calling for rain, but I avoided it each time, other than a few sprinkles.
My commuting for the week racked up 140.5 miles on the bike. I’m not doing any big rides this weekend. I may not ride at all. I have a lot of “domestic” stuff to do.
Depression
I’ve had a depression issue for most of this year. It lifted mysteriously on Thursday, May 27th. I’ve been almost giddy ever since until yesterday (the day I didn’t ride) and my mood darkened. I rode again today, and things are well again.
Does riding fix the depression? Is the cause more subtle than that? I don’t know. I do know that it’s hard to get on the bike when I’m depressed.
Diet
I’ve been eating better, other than Wednesday where I went out for lunch, and again for dinner. I overate to the point of discomfort at dinner. I hate it when that happens.
Weight
My weight is still bobbing around between 200 and 210. It may linger there forever, but I now know that I must monitor my weight regularly and watch what I eat for the rest of my life. This isn’t negotiable. If I fail to do this, I will gain every pound back.
My goal weight is still 175. It may take a long time to get there. It seemed to be in striking distance at one point, but the loss has stalled.
That’s not the way I did things. I started with the diet, then exercise, now I’m hoping to lose more weight, but trying not to gain more.
When I started this adventure my BMI was about 41. Standard medical procedure for someone like me would have been gastric bypass. I’m glad I didn’t go that route. I rather like having a complete GI tract. My BMI is now about 28, which is still considered overweight, but I would no longer be considered for surgery, and that is a very good thing.
What Now?
I got a bit lazy after losing 100lbs. I started to indulge in the foods I love. I thought I could still do it, because I’d already lost weight, and because I ride my bike… a lot!
Well, that’s not the case. I went two months without weighing myself and gained almost 10 lbs.
I’m back to keeping a food diary. I am weighing myself daily again. I’m making more appropriate decisions about what I eat and drink.
I may have to give up beer. It’s a weakness for me, and I often go to a wonderful food establishment just for the beer. Then, of course, I partake of the food also. I really wanted to go again today. I didn’t. I stayed home and ate sensibly. If that particular establishment is off-limits to me, and I quit drinking beer, it would be easier to stay on track.
I used to track calories, but figuring out how many calories were in everything I ate took some time and guesswork. I quit doing it due to the hassle and began to gain weight.
I’ve started a “food diary” now that doesn’t involve calories. It’s simply a list of everything I’ve eaten. I can look back at previous days and determine what I did wrong and what I did right. It’s just a tool for me to keep track. Unlike calorie counting it doesn’t give me a goal, just a reminder.
Here are the first two days of the food diary:
6/1/2010
Breakfast
shredded wheat w/milk
banana
Lunch
turkey sandwich w/cheese
3 boiled eggs
2 string cheese
banana
blueberry bread
Snack
frozen coffee treat
canoli
Dinner
t-bone steak
milk
6/2/2010
Breakfast
grape nuts w/ milk
banana
Lunch
2 boiled eggs
2 string cheese
turkey sandwich w/cheese
banana
Dinner
peanut butter sandwich
milk
Yeah, I’ve been eating a little weird. I really need to visit the grocery store soon or it’ll get even weirder.
I did ride my bike to work today, for a round trip of 34 miles. June is off to a good start.
I’m at my gate at Dulles Airport. I’ll be home this afternoon.
I’ve made a concerted effort for most of my trip to keep my eating under control. That didn’t stop me from enjoying some great food, but I tried not to overdo it. I’ve also been staying away from beer, at least since Friday.
I do have new resolve to lose weight. I don’t want to be “The Fat Guy” any longer. I’ll leave you with a picture of an SR-71 Blackbird, one of my favorite aircraft.
I did visit a bike shop on Saturday, but I was just looking around. I have done some walking. ”Playing pedestrian” is a nice change of pace.
Kristy and I drove the rental car from Herndon to DC and back yesterday. Parking in DC itself is crazy. I would have rather been on a bike.
After eating entirely too much on Saturday and hating myself for it, I ate better yesterday. It’s still early today, but I’m determined to get my eating back under control, whether or not I’m traveling. I haven’t weighed myself since April 1st, and I’m a little scared to step on a scale again. I will weigh myself on June 1st, but not before.
That said, I am enjoying playing tourist and spending time with my wife. I fly out tomorrow morning, and will spending some time at the Detroit airport. If I can avoid some of the food, and concentrate on just getting home, that will help.
Okay, I’ve been back at work since Tuesday, but I’ve been awful busy. I thought I’d post some pictures and diet updates.
Diet Progress
I haven’t been watching what I eat or weighing myself. I’m taking a break from the weighing and trying to focus my energies elsewhere.
I ate what I wanted on vacation, and have pretty much kept doing that in the few days I’ve been home. Losing weight is still important to me. I just need to focus on it again.
Bicycling
I rode a little over 45 miles on vacation. Thursday of last week was a short but hilly ride. Sunday was about 25 miles and several thousand feet of climbing. I think I prefer riding in the mountains over really flat terrain such as I did in Florida in September. On Monday on the return trip I rode down the mountains from the highest point of highway 442 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park down to Gatlinburg. That was a fast 15-mile ride.
My wife dropped my bike and I off at work on Tuesday, and picked me up after a partial ride home. I was too tired to continue. Wednesday I rode my recumbent to work and back. It felt good to be a bike commuter again. Today, I overslept and my wife dropped the bike and I off at work again. I intend to ride the whole distance home this time.
Vacation Pictures
I took a lot of photographs on vacation. I’ll just share a few.
The mountains are quite lovely.
We went canoeing on the New River outside of Boone NC.
Mountains in the evening are great for photographs.
Riding in the mountains is challenging but rewarding.
This was a very picturesque area that I wasn’t able to explore by bike, but was driving. If I ever go back to the area I will ride there. Steep gravel roads with switchbacks and stunning views.
Kristy and I took a helicopter ride on the way home.
Sometimes I’m a geek on a bike. Other times I’m a geek in a helicopter. :)
I haven’t been posting much recently, but life has been busy, and I’ve got a few things to post about.
Weight and Diet
I haven’t been tracking my eating or weight since I got back from DC. I’m trying to concentrate less on that, and spend more time enjoying life. Practicing moderation is still hard for me.
Riding
I’m still riding a fair amount. I went on a 50-mile mixed-terrain ride with Tim on Sunday. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful area. See a few pictures below. Also check out Tim’s post with pictures. Yes, there was a stream crossing. Yes, there was an off-road section. Yes, we were both riding LHTs.
I didn’t ride to work on Monday, but I did ride on Tuesday. My wife picked me up from work on Tuesday, so my mileage isn’t quite where it should be.
Encounters
While I was standing outside work waiting for my wife to pick me up yesterday, Adam approached me about my Surly LHT. He apparently has been, or still is, bicycle touring across the U.S. I didn’t have enough time to find out the details, but we talked bikes for a few minutes. He’s touring with Dwight, and they are documenting their travels online. It seems they haven’t updated the blog since last month though.
Vacation
My wife and I are leaving today for a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina. We’ll be bringing bicycles, but that’s not really the point of the vacation. With luck I won’t have cell reception. :)
My daughter will stay home to take care of the dogs and go to school, so this should be a really low-stress vacation. I’m looking forward to it.
Mental
When I initially lost a lot of weight it gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, that fades over time. I’ve been fighting with depression again. I’m not sure of the best way to deal with it. I’m not a believer in medicating for it. Writing about what I’ve done and where I’m heading is probably the best tool I have to keep the depression at bay. I do have to say that today is much better than yesterday.
This past week has brought a lot of changes. Some of them positive, some of them not.
Diet
I believe the paleodiet works. I think it could work for me. However, it’s a trial and error process to get there. Since I started the paleodiet I’ve been suffering depression and lack of energy. I’ve also had dizzy spells. I don’t have the drive to figure out how to adjust the diet, so I’m switching back to my previous diet. I need to watch what I eat. I used to track calories, but I’m not going to this time, unless I start gaining weight again.
My new-old diet has helped me feel better, mostly. My energy level shot back up quickly. The depression is fading, but not quite gone. I’m still having minor dizzy spells.
Biking and Travel
I’m writing this from a hotel room outside of Washington DC. My wife is here for work, and I drove to meet her. I’ll be heading home in a few hours.
I brought Nermal with me to ride around DC. I’m glad I did, but I’ve had some mechanical problems with the bike, and may be retiring it soon. Kristy joked that I should have a “funeral” for the bike, and make an ID card identifying the bike as a “parts donor”.
I rode just over 30 miles on Friday, and did some sight seeing around the capital. It’s Cherry Blossom time, and a beautiful spring day, so the crowds were out in force.
On Saturday, I only rode about 10.5 miles, because I turned back due to the mechanical issues I mentioned. I didn’t want to walk back to the hotel. I spent most of that ride in Alexandria.
I have to admit that the Mt. Vernon trail is rather nice. It was heavily used while I was out. There were many cyclists, runners, walkers, and what not. I saw three trike riders. I stopped and talked to Michael riding a Greenspeed X5. He was kind enough to let me take it for a short spin. Now I have another item to add to my wish list. :)
I’m a bit underwhelmed by the “bike friendliness” of the area. Although the trail was nice, getting off the trail and unto a major artery in Alexandria was met with much honking, yelling, and even the flashing of a badge. I later looked it up, and I was allowed in the road.
In the part of DC itself that I rode in there weren’t actual bike trails, but simply wide sidewalks that were also used as bike paths. This was not ideal, especially with the crowds. In fairness, it was faster than attempting to ride in the streets, where traffic was mostly stationary. I also managed to fall over while coming to a stop in front of hundreds of people. That was embarrassing.
There is a bike/pedestrian path along the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. This path makes it possible to easily ride from Alexandria VA over to Prince George’s County MD. I wasn’t able to find any good bike riding on the Maryland side. There were a lot of riders going back and forth across the bride, many of them with children.
Bicycle Indecision
I’ve put a lot of miles on the new Surly LHT I bought in January. I’m still having comfort issues with it. I’ve ordered a new stem from Bluegrass Bicycle to raise the handlebars (I’ll be picking it up on Monday). I’m hoping that it will help. I rode the recumbent to work on Wednesday, and had forgotten just how comfortable it can be. I can ride many miles on the Surly, but do I want to? I can climb steeper hills with the Surly, but I can climb most hills on the ‘bent, and walk the ones I can’t ride up. I won’t be buying another upright bike until I’ve made up my mind about this. Poor Nermal (the cheap hybrid that is now broke) will not be replaced.
Bicycle Commuting
Kristy will be home on Monday also. I’ve ridden a lot of miles while she was gone. I can’t let that stop. I love the way riding makes me feel. It isn’t even just about weight loss anymore. It’s a combination of things.
Weight loss
Save money on parking and gas
More freedom from car issues
Sense of accomplishment
Endorphins!
I get cranky when I don’t ride, so to be a better husband and father, I must ride often!
Weight
My weight had dipped when I started the paleodiet. It’s now gone up a little, but seems to be holding steady now. I haven’t been weighing as often. I’ve actually quit focusing on weight as much as I used to.
I’m trying to find a healthy balance in my life for everything. I tend to obsess over things, so I’m taking a temporary hiatus from weighing myself.
Video
I shot the following video of a plane coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. There is a park along the Mt. Vernon Trail with great views of the planes.
I rode my bike to work every day this week, except on Thursday. I feel good about that, but haven’t been feeling good in general. More on that later.
$30 worth of rubber, wasted
Monday I rode the long way to work. A beautiful route through Utica with lower traffic volume than the normal route. The ride home was cut short by a large nail, and I called a friend for a ride.
Tuesday, I took a wandering route that was longer than my standard commute, but not as long as the Utica route.
Wednesday was the full Utica route, without a tire failure this time. I’m really enjoying the longer days than we had a few months ago.
Thursday I didn’t ride to work, but I did ride a few miles to get pizza and beer.
Today, Friday, I took the direct route to work and back. It was cold and windy this morning, and slightly less cold and windy this afternoon. I throughly enjoyed the ride to work, but the ride home was a slog.
I’m not planning on riding tomorrow, as I’ve got a lot of other things going on, but I am planning a 55-60 mile RCCS ride on Sunday.
That will push me pretty close to 200 miles for the week.
Weight and Diet
My weight is fluctuating around 200 lbs again. My eating habits aren’t where they should be. I’m drinking a beer as I write this. I’m seriously considering giving up beer for good.
My paleo-diet idea is currently just that, an idea. I’ve been consuming pizza, brownies, ice cream, beer, chips, and other things that I shouldn’t. I think I need to reformulate the how and why I eat. I can better change my behavior if I understand it.
Mood
This has been a rough week. I’ll write a seperate post about it when I can put it into words that don’t come out sounding whiny. I went too long without updating here because I didn’t want to post something that basically means “Whaaaaaaaaaaaa!”.
I’ve been doing a lot of research to guide my diet. Everyone knows that too much sugar will cause weight gain. It’s worse than that.
The video below outlines how fructose (from high-fructose corn syrup and plain old table sugar) really destroys the human metabolic process with chronic usage.
Glucose, a simpler sugar, can cause weight gain, but without as much other damage. How do you get glucose? By eating starchy carbs. So, a piece of bread, which I generally avoid, is still better than a comparable number of calories of sugar.
You don’t believe it? Watch the video below. It’s 90 minutes, but is completely worth it.
My “paleodiet” avoids the issue neatly by avoiding most carbs, including sugar and HFCS.
The biggest change you can make with the smallest effort is give up all drinks except milk and water (and unsweetened tea or coffee). This means no fruit juice too folks.
No, I’m not hungry. Quite the opposite actually. My weight has been trending downward recently, and I’ve been poised to drop under 200 lbs again. I weighed in this morning at exactly 200. I figured tomorrow would be the day.
I had a large-ish lunch of salad, steak, and steamed broccoli, but totally within my diet. It was dinner that was totally out of line. I took my daughter and one of her friends out for pizza. I had entirely too much, and a couple of good beers. Pizza and beer really doesn’t belong in my diet, except in small amounts.
I ate so much that I was uncomfortable and had to lay down when I got home. My stomach has been rumbling and gurgling trying to handle all this crap floating around.
So, tomorrow will not be a sub-200 lb day. Maybe in a couple more days. Why do I do this to myself?
I bought some meat a while ago and froze it. I don’t remember if it was several pieces of roast, or several thick steaks, but in any case it was relatively inexpensive beef.
I put them in a with a small amount of olive oil, put a slice of onion on each, sprinkled with garlic, salt, and pepper, and cooked on a low heat while covered.
A while later they were done (actually slightly over-done). I served with brussel sprouts, and it was good.
I fasted for 24 hours, from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon. I figured I would “break my fast” in grand fashion.
I had read about meatza, a paleodiet-friendly pizza with meat instead of crust. I used the general idea from here, with my own changes.
My “crust” was ground beef and eggs mixed together like meatloaf. I fried some sausage as a topping. I sauteed onions, green peppers, and red bell peppers for more toppings. I mixed tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepper, and oregano for sauce. I made the meatza from these ingredients, and broiled it until it was done.
I had mixed some olive oil, dried red pepper, and parmesan cheese as a thick sauce to add after the meal was cooked.
It turned out delicious! It is filling so I have leftovers. I didn’t take any pictures of it, or measure anything, so I don’t have a true recipe, but I’m going to do it a little different next time.
I had a (mostly) paleo dinner last night, and it was good enough that my daughter liked it.
I cooked mashed potatoes with the skins still on, covered them with onion and green pepper sauteed in butter. I then had two pan-fried pork-chops with red pepper served on a bed of fresh spinach. I had a large glass of water with it.
It was an easy meal to prepare. Although the potatoes provide some carbs, I’m mostly just giving up sugar and grains. I’ve found a way of life that is more sustainable in the long-term.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my new eating habits are based upon the paleodiet. Although it took some initial getting used to, I now feel pretty good, and the weight loss has continued. My weight this morning was 205.0 lbs. That’s the lowest since August.
The advantages of this diet:
No counting calories or restricting myself
Better for long-term health (supposedly)
I can have a juicy hamburger, without the bread, or big piece of meat
The disadvantages:
Finding a restaurant to eat at is difficult
Cooking is required much more often (rather than convenience foods)
Initially I had a lack of energy and carb cravings; that has passed
It can be more expensive to eat this way
There is a long list of items that shouldn’t be consumed, including beer.
Once my lack of energy subsided, I was able to ride my bike to work and back again. I rode the full way on Monday, the full way there (but got a ride home) on Tuesday. Wednesday I drove. Thursday I rode a partial-commute each way. Today, I’m driving because of weather.
I haven’t left the house yet this weekend. I will later today for some grocery shopping, but I’m driving rather than taking the bike. I have a lot to buy.
I’m also spending much of the weekend doing this that I’ve been putting off too long. The house is a mess. I have a lot to do.
I plan on commuting to work by bike as much as possible this next week. Not only does it help me lose weight, but it clears my head. I may have to take a day off to drive to my brother’s funeral, but that’s not been completely decided yet.
I am working on learning, and eating, the paleodiet that I mentioned before. I think I’m going to end up doing a modified version of it, getting a few carbs here and there from potatoes. I’m avoiding nearly all grain products. The worst part is that I’ve given up beer. Not to say I won’t have one beer on a rare occasion, but it’s no longer a regular thing for me.
One of the advantages of this diet, is that I don’t have to measure and track calories. I have found that I occasionally binge on too much meat, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Most people who follow the paleodiet don’t eat dairy products. I still haven’t given up on my cheese though.
My weight is slowly trending downward again. It could take me a while to get below 200 lbs again though. This time, I don’t ever want to get back above 200 lbs. I need to be healthier. I need to eat better. I need to exercise more.
When I lost most of my weight is was with a low-calorie diet. I had to track everything I ate. I’ve had more problems doing that now with much more going on in my life. I’m busier, and more likely to “grab and go” rather than think, eat, and write it down. This has led to some weight gain.
I did some reading and found the paleodiet. It certainly sounds good. It would mean I don’t need to track calories. I can eat a lot of good food. This diet may actually work, but apparently not for me.
My problem is carb-cravings. I’ll do well for a few days then I’ll binge on high-carb food. One of the main points of the paleodiet is to avoid the carbs. I seem to have issues doing so.
So now I’m faced with a new decision. Do I:
Work harder on the paleodiet, and control my eating?
Start tracking everything I eat and control my eating?
Either way, it appears I need more self control. Self control isn’t fun. Why can’t it be easy?
Blah.
Oh, it isn’t about exercise. I get a lot of exercise these days. I’m a bit bummed out that I’m not riding my bike to work tomorrow, but I really don’t want to get stuck there with snow on the ground. My wife is out of town until at least the end of March, so she can’t pick me up if weather gets bad.
I met up with five others today for the Ghost Bike Memorial Ride. It was a cold day for a ride, but I was dressed well enough. After the ride, Tim and I continued on for a few more miles (after a stop for coffee) bringing the total to 19.
After arriving home I cooked a nice healthy meal of chicken tenderloin with red pepper (I overdid the red pepper), brussells sprouts, and a bottle of Schlafly’s Coffee Stout. Thanks Tim!
After re-reading my previous post about the year in review, I realize the problem.
I started a true lifestyle change back in 2007. The changes were drastic, but effective. I lost weight, and got much more fit. The changes centered around eating sensibly and getting exercise.
I realize that although I’m still much healthier and fit than I was when I started, my eating habits have slipped gradually back to horrible. Overall, I’m still doing well due to the exercise I get but I need another lifestyle change.
I’m considering a six-day diet. A strict low-carb diet six days per week, then eat what I want on the seventh. This will allow me to lose weight, yet still go out with Kristy for dinner, or have a beer or three.
The low-carb, high-fat, high-protein diet is a bit controversial, but will be easier to fit-in with Kristy’s cooking habits. It’s also similar to what I was eating during my best period of weight loss.
I still need to track everything I eat, and weigh regularly. Both of those things mostly disappeared for the month of December.
I re-read a previous post “Shifted Priorities“, and realize I was in the middle of a mistake at the time.
I had talked about the fact that I ride for fun rather than weight loss. I was dreaming of buying a new bike, though I have two perfectly usable ones.
Since then, my mileage is way down, and my weight is up. I can make excuses about being busy, but the truth is that I haven’t been trying hard enough recently.
I do spend a lot of time thinking about bikes. I spend more time thinking about bikes than riding them. I have spent very little time thinking about my eating habits recently. I haven’t been tracking my calorie consumption or my weight very regularly.
This has led to a 20 lb weight gain over the last five months. So, I lost 100 lbs, but gained 20 of it back. That is frustrating. I feel like the “Fat Guy” that I used to be.
Not Totally Negative
I did ride to work yesterday. Then I ran some errands around Clarksville Indiana by bike. I traveled Eastern, Lewis & Clark, Greentree, and Veteran’s Parkway. I have never considered riding those non-bike-friendly-roads until yesterday, but it wasn’t as bad as I imagined (even with holiday shopping traffic), and I had a good time.
My ride terminated at Feeder’s Supply where I bought 50 lbs of pet supplies, and waited for my wife to pick me up in the truck. I had 32 miles for the day, not bad for simple utility cycling.
Now What?
Ride more, eat less! I need to start carrying around paper and pen to write down everything I eat. I normally track it on my computer, but if I’m not near a computer, it may not get recorded. I need to track it even I don’t have time to calculate the calories. I need to hold myself accountable.
I briefly considered posting everything I eat here, but that would truly make this a (more) boring place.
I need to post here more often. Writing about my weight loss attempt keeps me focused. It keeps my goals at the front of my consciousness.
Merry Christmas everyone! I’ll try to keep my snacking on sweets to a minimum.
I’m not a big fan of snow, but the little bit in the grass this morning doesn’t bother me. The roads were mostly clear.
The snow did help put me in a more festive spirit, which matched the Christmas lights I put on my bike yesterday. My daughter snapped a couple of pictures before I left. One is with the flash, my reflective bits are very visible, but the Christmas lights aren’t. The other is without the flash, but the lights are very visible. Either way, motorists should be able to see me.
Still Struggling
I’m still not losing much weight, mostly because I’m still eating too much. We had a birthday party for my daughter on Saturday, and I consumed way too much food. I need to stop doing that.
I took the week off from riding to work to let my ankle heal. It seems to be better now, which is good, as I’m planning on riding about 50 miles tomorrow with Tim.
I got Nermal back from the shop yesterday, with a new bottom bracket. The front brakes weren’t working well, so I pulled them apart, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted everything. They seem to be working better now.
My daughter wanted to spend the night at a friends house, but wanted a ride. She wasn’t certain where the house was, but with a little prodding, she rode the 2.6 miles with me on her bike… after dark… on a Friday night. It was fun, but I think she was terrified. She has lights, but is uncomfortable in traffic.
I went against my own judgment and stopped for food and beer on the way home. I really don’t need the calories, but good beer is worth it.
