Month: October 2008

One Year In

On October 31, 2007 I started weighing myself and making steps to change bad habits.  I knew then that it would be a long-term change.  What has changed in one year?

  • I’ve lost 67.4 lbs
  • I’ve been on a 60-mile bike ride
  • I can ride my bike to work (and do on an irregular basis)
  • I can tie my shoes without hurting myself
  • I like what I see in the mirror
  • I have a lot better muscle tone (mostly in the legs)
  • I’ve realized that “fat guy” is not a permanent state
  • I’ve spent way too much money on bike stuff
  • I now know that my goal weight is achievable (54 more lbs to go)
  • I’m not afraid of riding a bike in bad weather
  • People who haven’t seen me in a while are surprised at my appearance
  • My eating habits are much better now
  • I don’t drink soda
  • I drink much more water, and much less beer

I did all of this without any fancy diets, just sensible eating.  No drugs, surgery, or other short-cuts.

On October 31, 2009, I intend to write another post like this announcing that I’ve reached my goal weight of 175 lbs.

Brisk Commute

I rode to work at least part of the way every day last week.  This week, I didn’t ride at all, until today.

The weather is cold, but with clear skies and little wind, so it was a nice ride.  I rode the entire distance on my recumbent, and I’m very glad I did.

When the year started getting later, I was terrified of riding in the dark.  Now that I have good lights, I enjoy the early-morning darkness.  It’s quite peaceful.  It’s easy to look up at the stars while riding a recumbent.  I just need to remember to look back at the road now and again.

Defined by Body Weight?

It took me quite a while into my weight loss process to realize that I defined myself by my weight.  Even the title of this website reflects this.  While reading other weight-loss blogs (mostly the successful ones), I came to the realization that allowing your weight to define who you are makes you not believe that change is possible, because fat is who you are.

Realizing that my body weight does not define me, allows me to feel more comfortable with what I do, and turn the tables, and having me define my weight.  It’ll take time to get to 175 lbs, but I will do it.

I will keep the name “The Fat Guy” for the blog, as a reminder of how I defined myself for so long.

Beer, Candy, and Going Out for Lunch

I’ve been munching on candy around work recently.  Not a lot of candy, just a little bit, several times a day.  I doubt that it’s a lot of calories, but I still shouldn’t be doing it every day.

I’ve had one beer almost every day for the last week and a half.  I’m not going to give up beer, but I still need to cut down more.

I’ve went out to lunch too often recently.  I always overeat when I go out.

I’m not entirely sure why my habits have slipped.  I have been weighing daily.  I’ve been tracking my calories.  I guess I need to “think before I eat”.

Lazy

I had an excuse for not riding today, but it wasn’t a good one.  I ate too much yesterday, and today.  I’m not sick anymore, just lazy.

My weigh-in yesterday was up a little, to 232.6 lbs.  I had hoped to stay under 230 permanently.

I’m considering an 11-mile night ride tonight.  It’s a low-traffic area that will be a lot of fun.  I’ve got some housework I’ve got to get done first… Oh, yeah, I’m at work, so I’ve got to finish up here too.

It’s easy to get lazy when life is throwing curves.

Still Sick

I’m still sick today.  I did get off my lazy butt and go to work though.  I didn’t ride the bike, I drove.

I skipped breakfast, but had two cookies here at work.  Hmmm… now I’m craving the Halloween candy that’s laying around the office.  That’s not good.

There were two cyclists on the Second Street Bridge, as I was driving across.  They weren’t taking the lane, so I was a bit worried someone would pass them too close.  I slowed down and followed them across, so anyone passing would have to pass my car also.  They probably just wondered why I didn’t pass them.

Sick at Home

I didn’t ride much this weekend.  My daughter was over for the weekend, and she wasn’t up for a ride.  We did take a quick trip to the grocery store, but that’s only 1.7 miles round-trip.

I was looking forward to riding to work this morning, even with the cold.  There is no rain in the forecast, so it would have been a nice ride.

I woke up quite sick this morning.  No riding to work… no work, just me in long underwear and slippers.

I rarely gain weight when sick, probably because I don’t eat much, so it shouldn’t derail my weight loss.

Cold, Wet Commute

Today is the only day this week that it rained.  I had also promised myself I would ride part of the way to work every day this week.

I stopped at Target last night and bought a few more articles of clothing to prepare for cold, wet riding.

This morning, I decided to do it right, and I rode all the way from home on my unnamed bike (the recumbent).  I didn’t stay dry, but most of me was warm enough.

The ride was a bit slow, I think it took me almost one hour and 45 minutes.  My bicycle computer quit working less than a mile into the ride (it doesn’t like rain).  It was dark, and visibility was bad.  My jacket hood was up over my helmet, which made using my helmet-mounted mirror difficult.  I arrived at work soggy but happy.

My riding clothes are now spread all over my office drying out.  I hope they dry before I leave work this afternoon.

Not Quite Under 230, but Close

On Tuesday I weighed-in at 229 lbs.  That’s the first time I’ve dropped under 230.  Unfortunately I’ve weighed 230.2 lbs in the two days since.  I know that daily weighings don’t mean much, but it will still feel good when I permanently get below 230.

Overall I’m pleased with my progress.  I’m averaging 5.55 lbs of weight loss every 30 days.

I’d like to get an updated progress picture up, but I need to find someone to help take the picture, and that’s a gruesome task.  🙂

I Started Naming My Bikes

Yep.  I might have cracked.

My hybrid bike is now known as Nermal.  I haven’t named the recumbent yet.  The idea for Nermal came to me on Monday when I was riding it to lunch.  I don’t know why, but it does seem to fit.

I also created a “My Bikes” page.

I’ve been riding Nermal all week.  Since buying the recumbent, Nermal has mostly sat, going for the occasional ride when my daughter was around.  She doesn’t like riding with me when I’m my recumbent, because it’s too goofy looking.  It was time to get Nermal out and about again.

Ride More, Eat Less

As I’ve ridden my bike more, I’ve come to rely on that for my weight loss.  I end up eating more, then if I don’t ride, I’m setting myself up for weight gain.

Over the weekend I had a “back to basics” moment where I ate less – a lot less.  Monday, I ate over 1500 calories (which is still down from my normal 1900 or so), and rode the bike.  I’m not done eating for today yet, but it looks to be a 1300-1400 calorie day.  I am hungry, but as long as I eat small amounts often, I don’t feel weak or sick.

Today’s weigh-in was 229 lbs.  I’m finally below 230.  I hope to be below 220 by mid-December.

Also, this week, I won’t be riding my full commute at all.  I really need to move closer to work.  I’ve been driving to Jeffersonville, IN to park (for free), and riding from there.  I still get a workout, but with the shorter distance (and cooler weather) I can ride in my work clothes.  I also rode in a business suit today (with my tie flapping in the breeze), but that’s a story for another day.

I Have to Ride Everyday

After too many times of not riding, I now think I have to do it everyday, even if I only ride part of the way to work.

Today, I rode from Jeffersonville (on my hybrid bike).  I rode to a local restaraunt for lunch.  After getting home, I rode to the grocery store.  That added up to 13 miles.

I plan on doing the partial commute tomorrow also.  The full commute is a bit too much, so I guess the hybrid bike is going to get some more use.

That Whole ‘Eating Less’ Thing Works!

Most of my weight loss in the last few months has been due to exercise.  When I first started this last year, that wasn’t the case.  I simply cut my food intake dramatically.

I haven’t been exercising much at all for a few days, so I made a conscious effort to eat a lot less.  On Friday my calorie consumption was 1505.  On Saturday I only ate 885 calories.  Today, I’ve eaten 730, but I’m still going to eat something else.

I intend to be back on the bike tomorrow, so I’ll try to eat around 1800 calories or so.

Just a Little Trip

I’ve avoided riding the bike due to my achilles tendon issue.  It was easy yesterday, I didn’t leave the house.

Today, however, I needed to run to the drugstore.  It’s less than a mile away, so I rode the bike.  It didn’t cause any discomfort, so I’ll probably ride to grocery store later today.

I haven’t decided if I should ride to work tomorrow or not.

New Blog Fun

I’ve migrated this blog to a new host, and it’s now running on WordPress.  If you are seeing this post, then you are at the new blog.

All posts and comments have been ported over, but some of the identifying data for comments was lost (email addresses).

Anyway, I’ve kept the design simple, and spending a day porting this seemed like a good use of my time now that I’m waiting for my achilles tendon to heal before riding the bike anymore.

This is Hard Work

I rode all the way to work and back yesterday and today.  I’m tired and my legs hurt.

Here are my options for tomorrow:

  • Drive – be lazy
  • Ride in again – hard work!
  • Drive part of the way, then ride

I haven’t decided which to do.  Driving all the way does require me to pay for parking, and that’s not fun.

I really admire those who live car-free.  I may yet do that someday, but not until I live in the city.

Updates to the Bike for Fall

I installed fenders on my recumbent not long ago.  I also ordered some better tires that are slightly wider.  The bike was in the shop getting everything adjusted one day last week.  I installed the new tires today, and took the bike outside for a few “beauty shots”.

I also took a quick ride around the neighborhood.  The new tires do give a bit smoother of a ride.  They make a bit more noise because they actually have tread.  The old tires were “city tires”.  These new ones can handle rougher terrain, even a bit of dirt if necessary.

I did remove my safety triangle a while back.  I need a better way to mount it.

Here it is, but without the panniers – yes, that is a snow brush handle zip-tied to the bottom of the rack (to mount the tailight)
Here it is, but without the panniers – yes, that is a snow brush handle zip-tied to the bottom of the rack (to mount the tailight)
Rear tire – reflective sidewall
Rear tire – reflective sidewall
Front tire too
Front tire too
DiNotte 140L taillight and PB superflash
DiNotte 140L taillight and PB superflash
DiNotte 600L headlight, and Ion3 spare headlight
DiNotte 600L headlight, and Ion3 spare headlight

Weekly Average Weight for October 11, 2008

My average weight for the week ending 10/11/2008:
234.0 lbs

Down from last week:
3.8 lbs

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

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
5.41 lbs

This is the first time my weekly average is past the halfway point.  I’ve lost 62.4 lbs, and need to lose another 59 lbs.  I don’t know whether it will stay past the halfway point, but I’m working on it.

I Must Avoid the Buffet

I ate at a buffet twice in two days.  I did this right after writing about positive reinforcement. <sigh>

I also didn’t ride my bike today.  The recumbent was in the shop getting adjusted.  I could have ridden my other bike, but I was lazy, and lousy weather is an easy excuse.  I am planning on riding tomorrow.

Positive Feedback Keeping Me Motivated

When I have a plateau with my weight loss, I tend to get a little discouraged.  On the other hand, when I lose a substantial amount, I’m more motivated to work harder and lose more weight.

My weight on Sunday was 230.8 lbs.  I was dehydrated from my 45-mile ride, so I knew it would go up again.  On Monday I weighed-in at 232.2 lbs.  It did go up, but not as much as I thought it would.

I’ve spent too much time in the high 230s.  It feels good to be in the low 230s.  Now I need to push harder to get into the 220s.

I did a partial commute on my bike yesterday.  I rode all the way into work today.  I left at 6:30 a.m. instead of 7:00.  It was very dark, but my new lights lit the way well.  Traffic was light for the first 20 minutes of the ride.  It was quite peaceful.

I’ve been doing better with my eating habits and exercise.  Losing weight will spur me on to continue.