I Will Ride to Conquer Cancer

I announced back in February that I was going to participate in The Ride to Conquer Cancer.  It’s a 150-mile two-day bike ride from Louisville to Lexington and back.

The ride is this weekend.  I’m behind on the fund raising.  My goal is $3200, but the minimum is $2500.  I have raised just over $1700 so far, so I really need some more donations in the next few days.

If you can donate something, please do!  This is a great cause that will help cancer patients in the community.

Chances are, cancer has affected someone you care about.  That certainly is the case with me.  Please donate now.

The deadline for mailed-in donations has already passed.  Please donate online, or see me personally for donations in cash or check.

Busy Weekend

I intended to complete two things on Saturday.  #1 Go for a 35-mile solo ride.  #2 Mow the lawn.

I started out a nice ride, and ran across three young (and friendly) dogs.  I had to stop to avoid hitting them.  They were quite playful, and didn’t want to let me go.  When I finally did get away, I later noticed that one of them had punctured one of my water bottles, and it had drained.  I shortened the ride to 23 miles to avoid dehydration.

I damaged my mower while mowing the lawn, and won’t be finishing that until next weekend.

Sunday was much better.  I met up with Tim for a 61-mile ride leaving from Sellersburg.  We had advertised it as a RCCS ride, but it was last minute and no one else attended.

After the ride, my daughter and I went swimming at Hardy Lake.  It was a nice way to relax after a bike ride.

I set a new record on bike miles for a week.  My previous record was 186.1, my new record is 201.9.  I’m on track to make June 2009 a record month for miles also.  It’ll probably end up around 560 miles.

I’m not doing my normal “weekly average weight post”, but my weight is down a bit.  My weight seems to just be bouncing around at around 200 lbs.  I eat decently and ride quite a bit, but I could stand to improve both.  It may be that I won’t ever reach my 175 lb goal, but I will keep trying.

200 – Just a Number

The scale read 200.0 this morning.  That’s the lowest yet, but I’m only a few pounds lighter than I was in February.

I’ve been waiting for the day that my weight is under 200 lbs, and it’s not quite here yet.  Why an arbitrary number like 200?  It means little.  Even my goal weight of 175 is just an arbitrary number.

We all need goals, and 175 is my goal.  Nice round numbers along the way are signs of progress.  So I’ll take my 200.

Engaging News

I have written about Kristy, my girlfriend, a little on here before.  She likes to keep her life private, so I can say little.

What I can say, is that I asked her to be my wife, my bride, the woman I spend the rest of my life with.  That wonderful woman said “yes”!

Both of us have some craziness in our lives right now, so we haven’t nailed down a date.

It’ll be interesting to mesh our lives together, and challenging to continue losing weight, as she’s a great cook!

I’ve been walking on air for a few days because of this.  I really feel good.  I’m trying to channel this “excited energy” into riding my bike… as that’s still my only form of transportation.

Which, by the way, I had an appointment with my doctor after work today.  I had to ride there in the rain.  I arrived wet on the outside due to rain, and wet on the inside due to exertion.  It certainly wasn’t  my favorite visit to the doctor.

Re-Thinking Some Goals

Every once in a while it’s good to look at goals, and revise them.  I think it’s time for that again.  This is the third set of goals since I started this blog, and my lifestyle change.

  • Goal weight will remain at 175 lbs (for now).  I hope to reach that goal by the end of August.
  • Ride a century this year (100 miles in one day).
  • Raise $3200 for The Ride to Conquer Cancer, and complete the entire ride under my own power.
  • Learn to ride my new unicycle, and complete a ten-mile ride on it by June 2010.
  • Juggling?
  • Ride to work more often.  I had hoped to average 3 days per week, but I’m not even managing that right now.
  • Ride to work five days a week at least 3 weeks per year.
  • Increase my average speed on the bicycle a little bit.
  • Learn to kayak this year.
  • Get a rod, reel, and fishing license, and spend some time relaxing and fishing.
  • Find new fitness activities.
  • I had made a goal to live-car free.  I think I’m giving that up.  I do want to drive less, but realities of the modern world make this a very unpopular choice.
  • Ride 5000 miles this year.  I’m way behind on this so far.  I’m two months into the year, and I’ve only ridden 541 miles.
  • Get better about riding in cold rain.  I often use this as an excuse not to ride to work, but I have the gear to do so.
  • I had planned to try to drive less than 3500 miles per year.  I’m giving up on this also.
  • Ride in a roller coaster this year.  I’ll actually fit now.
  • Go skydiving in the summer of 2010.
  • I want to be a better cook.
  • I want to find a wonderful woman to enjoy these activities with.

What I’ve achieved

  • I’m no longer obese.  My weight is hovering just above 200 lbs.
  • My blood pressure and resting pulse rate are low.
  • I am physically stronger than I’ve been in years.
  • My pants size dropped from a 44 to a 36.
  • I feel better about who I am, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
  • Others have been inspired others to improve their lives.
  • I am more confident in all aspects of my life.
  • I am usually much more upbeat, happy, and optimistic than I used to be.

What I’ve learned I still need to work on

  • Occasionally, depression still gets the better of me.
  • I’m still lazy by nature, and have to fight this every day.
  • The “I want it now” mentality is still hiding back there, and surfaces occasionally.
  • I am still somewhat self-centered.  I don’t think having a blog helps in that matter.
  • The depression and “I want it now” mentality sometimes team up to hurt my financial state.  I need to get better about that.

If you think I’m going off-topic… I’m not.  What started as a weight-loss effort has turned into a complete transformation of who I am.

A New Obsession

I have a new obsession.  I had been planning on learning to ride a unicycle this year.  Now I can get started.  I just bought this a few hours ago.  It’s just an inexpensive unicycle with a 24″ wheel.

I’ve fallen twice already with no injury, and stepped off of it to avoid falling more times than I can count.  The farthest I’ve traveled so far would be measured in inches.

It’s going to take time to master this thing.

New Pants

I kept putting off buying new jeans.  I wanted to wait until I knew I could wear a size 38 comfortably.  I didn’t want to go with “relaxed fit” either.

I guess I waited too long.  I tried on a few sizes, and a size 36 fit perfectly.  I bought three pair on sale, and will get ride of the larger ones I have.

I’ve heard that the last few pounds are the hardest to lose.  I feel like I’m in that home-stretch.  I only have 33 more to lose.  However, the weather is getting nicer, I’ll be on my bike much more, and I really do see hitting my goal weight of 175 by late August.

That’s Not Going To Help

I was happy to have ridden to work this morning.  My new boots kept my feet warm, so no part of me was too cold.  The wind was harsh, but some days just work out that way.

After work, I was riding home, and although the temperature was warmer, the wind was a lot worse.  The wind was mostly a cross-wind, but it kept changing directions, sometimes pushing me from behind and giving a welcome boost in speed, other times, blowing right into my face and slowing me down horribly.

After 8.5 miles of my 16.5 mile commute I called it quits, and called for a ride.  I could have finished the ride, but I just didn’t want too.  The weather was bad, idiot drivers were everywhere, and I was hungry.

After getting home I went out to (over)eat instead of having a sensible meal at home.

The weather for the rest of the week looks to be extremely cold and windy.  I don’t think I’m riding again this week.

These decisions aren’t helping me with my goals, weight loss, or car-use, but sometimes I need a break.  I’ll have to do a lot more riding to make up for it once the weather warms a bit more.

Back on the Recumbent

I intended to ride yesterday, but I had a headache, and I’m naturally lazy, so I only made a quick trip to the store.  I did take the bike, but it’s less than 1.5 mile round trip.

I wanted to make up for it today, but, again, I’m naturally lazy, and only took a short ride.  I had left Nermal at the bike shop this morning for some repairs and upgrades, so my lonely recumbent (that still needs a name) was the ride for the day.

My goal is to ride 5000 miles this year.  That means I need to average 14 miles per day.  Well, it’s now the second day of the year, and I’ve only ridden 15 miles.  I’m going to have to work on that.

Another part of my goal is to drive less than 3500 miles.  I haven’t checked my odometer, but I know I’m doing poorly there too.  Part of it was the trip to the bike shop though.

For today’s ride I followed my very familiar 11 mile loop, then rode around town.

I found that one of the small bridges I ride over has flat-topped posts that are great for sitting my camera on, and using the timer for a cheesy self-portrait.

 

 

 

A New Year Beckons

I’m starting the new year at around 218 lbs.  While still technically obese (barely), I don’t feel that way any more.  I feel like a different person.  I ended last year at about 270 lbs.  I hope to end 2009 at 175 lbs.

I’ve ridden my hybrid bike 150 miles in the last five days.  I rode to work all three workdays this week, and every commute was great, except the ride home today, which I really did not enjoy.

I’ve ridden my two bikes a combined distance of 2238 miles for the year.  Next year, my goal is ride at least 5000 miles, and drive less than 3500.  That will mean riding to work nearly every day.

I was going to go on another midnight ride tonight to ring in the new year, but I had a rough ride home, so I’m going to sit with my dogs, watch The Dark Knight, and eat popcorn.  Then I’ll get to bed.  I won’t be drinking tonight.

Happy New Year!

Things That Have Helped Me

As of this morning I’m down over 77 lbs.  I’ve still got weight to lose, but I will reach my goal.  I am offering a few things I have done that worked for me.  These ideas aren’t the only way to lose weight, but I’m offering in the hope they will work for you.

Calorie Spreadsheet

I track everything I eat in a spreadsheet, and total up the calories.  This allows me to eat what I want (within reason), and analyze it later to determine what I could have done better.  Early on, I had decided I didn’t need to do this anymore and my weight loss faltered, so I went back to doing it.

Deal with Depression

I’ve suffered from depression my entire life.  It is partly to blame for my weight gain to begin with.  I truly believe my depression is caused by a combination of genetics and dietary deficiencies.  There isn’t much that can be done about genetics (pick new parents?), but I started taking general vitamin supplement and fish oil pills months before my weight loss attempt, and it eased the depression substantially.

Buy a Scale

Small changes in weight add up.  It’s hard to determine what direction the change is going unless you have an objective way to measure it.  You don’t need a fancy scale that calculates BMI (I don’t have one), but you will need something that will handle your weight.  Many top out at 300 lbs, I found one that goes to 330, and that’s what I bought.  I believe it was less than $20.

Quit Drinking Soda and Beer

There is some evidence that artificial sweeteners aren’t good for weight loss.  Play it safe and give up regular and diet soda.  Beer has quite a few empty calories also.  Although I haven’t had a beer in a while, I still haven’t managed to completely give it up.

Eat Breakfast

Having a good breakfast means you need less food throughout the rest of the day.  I don’t follow a low-carb diet, so I have a high-fiber, high-carb, high-protein breakfast cereal (Kashi GoLean Crunch).  Choose whatever works for you, but high-fiber has heart-health benefits.

Bananas

Yum – Bananas.  They are high in potassium, and are good.  They are a great snack when you would otherwise eat something less healthy.  I usually eat two a day.

Yogurt

Calcium, vitamins, low-carb, great for digestion.  Once my diet became high-fiber and had yogurt, I had way fewer issues with, ummm, bathroom stuff.

Air-Popped Popcorn

Air-popped popcorn is another high-fiber snack.  This one does have carbs, but not too many.  Don’t use microwave popcorn or add anything too it.  If you don’t like the taste, keep with it.  You may find many of your tastes changing.

Exercise

Yeah, this is obvious.  Pick something you enjoy, and won’t hurt you too bad.  If you are over 300 lbs, running probably shouldn’t be your first choice.  Lose some weight before doing anything hard on the knees.

I started with an elliptical, which is easy on the knees and back, but I found it extremely boring.  Then I bought a bicycle.  I fell in love with bicycling, but I initially found the saddle uncomfortable, so I bought a recumbent.  I’ve now learned that with the proper saddle, and upright bike can be fine on the rear-end.  You’ll still have more pressure on your back and hands though.

Don’t Give Up When You Screw Up

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve screwed up.  Ate too much at Asian Buffett?  Don’t worry, unless you keep eating too much on a regular basis it won’t matter.  Didn’t exercise for a week?  Don’t worry, just get back into it.  You have the rest of your life to get it right.

Be Careful of Your Social Activities

If everytime you are around family or friends, you eating and/or drinking, maybe you should consider new social activities.  I’m still struggling with this one, as it’s pretty ingrained in our culture.  It is possible to go out to eat, and still eat well, but it is difficult.

Set Goals, and Don’t be Afraid to Adjust Them

Without goals, you don’t know where you are going.  You can set weight goals, calorie goals, exercise goals, or all of them.  However, be sure to revisit them occasionally, and adjust as necessary.

This is for Life

This isn’t a “diet”.  It isn’t a way to look better for hanging out a the beach.  This is a way to change the way that you live.  It will affect your life in many positive ways.  It will take time, and the changes will be gradual.  In November of 2007, I was writing about how difficult it was to tie my shoes.  Now, I can ride my 33-mile round-trip commute to work and back on my bike.  Compared to now, I was an invalid.

Don’t Make it a New’s Years Resolution

Those always seem doomed to fail.  Just do it.  Now.  I started near the end of 2007.  I didn’t have a New Years Resolution.  Just Do It (says the guy with no Nike products).

Remember, the stuff above was just my suggestions.  If low-carb is you way, so be it.  If you’re going to drink diet soda, well, others have managed.  There is no one-size-fits-all plan.  Change your life for the better, and it’ll eventually fall into place.

Christmas Weight

I’m still invited to eat Christmas dinner with my ex-wife and daughter.   I feel much better about that now.  I thought I was going to have to eat a frozen dinner at home.

I intend to ride a short ride around town before riding to her house for dinner.

My weight was 221.4 lbs this morning.  It seems to be stuck there again.  I didn’t weigh-in on Christmas of last year, but based upon other days it appears I weighed about 274 lbs.  So I’m down over 50 lbs in a year.  I’m hoping to be at my goal weight by next Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Weekly Average Weight for December 20, 2008

My average weight for the week ending 12/20/2008:
221.7 lbs

Down from last week:
3.9 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
46.7 lbs

This feels great.  I no longer have doubts about reaching my goal weight.

I’ve ridden my bike less than two miles over the past five days, but by controlling my diet carefully, I’m still losing weight.  I’m not giving up on the bike.  I actually feel the need to get back on it.

One of the issues I’ve run into in the past is that all of my social activities involved food.  I’m trying to change that.  I also seem to have given up beer without even noticing.  I just told myself I’d rather lose weight that buy beer, and after enough times of thinking that, I no longer found myself wanting  beer.  I’m not going too far that direction either.  I’ll still drink for special occasions.

I’m going to restart my push-up plan on Monday.  I did the “test” last night and manged 15 push-ups, which is better than before.  I don’t just want to be thin.  I want to be toned, strong, and healthy.

Just for fun, I’m including a picture of me and my daughter from May of 1995.  I was overweight then, but I certainly wasn’t morbidly obese.  I don’t know what I weighed, but I wish I had never gotten bigger than that.  I was 24 in that picture, my daughter was three.

A Week Off?

My last post made me think more about what I’m doing.  I was considering riding tomorrow, although there is a chance of ice on the roads.  I’ve decided to give up riding for a week.

Once I’m through this winter, I will revisit my decision to not buy studded tires for the bike.  Next winter I may be ready.  🙂

I haven’t had a week without riding since I started tracking my mileage in June.  My average weekly mileage in November and December was 54.  My average weekly mileage for August through October was 91.

I haven’t done any exercise this week.  I feel lazy.  I’ve been considering starting back on my push-up plan, but can’t seem to motivate myself.  I bought a pilates video months ago, and haven’t used it.

However, my weight is doing just fine.  I’m still eating well, and haven’t had beer in weeks.  I’ve been out to eat a few times, and was pretty proud that I didn’t over-indulge.  I will probably be solidly under 220 lbs before the year is over.

Dedication or Obsession?

This morning’s weigh-in was 221.2 lbs. That means I’ve lost 75.2 lbs.  I know that because I have a spreadsheet to track it all.

I drove to work today because we are under a winter storm warning.  I’ve been thinking about my bikes all day.  I know how often I have to ride to work to make my mileage goal for next year.

I can list off anything I’ve eaten in recent history, again because of my spreadsheet.

I’ve probably changed my perception of myself from “fat guy” to “weirdo on a bike who is OCD about tracking things in a spreadsheet”.  How far is too far?  More importantly, what comes next?

I will reach my goal weight sometime in 2009.  I know I have to maintain, but it won’t require as much work.  I will continue to ride a bike as much as possible (I want 5000 miles for next year).

What will be my next big goal?  I need to find something to achieve, or I will feel lost.  Maintaining the goal weight isn’t enough.  It’s got to be something different.

I have some other goals in mind.

  • Learn to ride a unicycle (next year)
  • Be car-free (three years away)
  • Either fix-up my house, or move (three years away)
  • Meet a woman crazy enough to like my lifestyle (never?)
  • Ride a several hundred mile multi-day tour (next year?)

Those are neat ideas, but it doesn’t solve what to focus on.

Mostly, I feel a little lost.  I think people that know me are tired of hearing about my weight loss or bike rides (blog readers don’t count… they just leave when they tire of it).  I really don’t have other things to talk about now.  My life has been consumed with these matters recently.

Coming Down Off of the Plateau

I’ve moaned a bit recently that my weight seems to have plateaued just under 230 lbs.  I appear to be past that now.  Over the last few days, it’s been dropping nicely.  My weight this morning was 224.2 lbs.  My (unofficial) weight this afternoon was 222.4 lbs.  I have less than 50 lbs to go!

This comes in the midst of me not riding enough.  My weekly mileage is down.  I rode a partial commute on Monday, and the full commute today.  So, I’ve ridden roughly 50 miles all week.

What I have been doing better this week is watching what I eat.  I have went out to eat several times for social occasions, but I found myself ordering water to drink, and eating a salad, or a vegetarian pasta dish.

The bike riding and other exercise is important to my long-term mental and physical health, but the eating habits are more important for the weight control.  That will continue to be true after I have reached my goal weight, and simply need to maintain it.

I tried out the shower at the new job today after riding into work with temperatures in the low 20s.  Apparently they only turn on the hot water heater when there is an event going on, so I got an ice cold shower.  It did still help rinse the road grime off.

Monday Musings

Riding

I rode a partial-commute (12 mile round trip) today.  With my new winter gear, I was actually overdressed.  When I left work, I went with one layer less.  I was still overdressed.  I should have checked the weather forecast.

I also ran some errands here around town after I got home.  I park my bike in the grocery store now, but don’t walk around with it, and they seem to be okay with that.

I had a really good riding weekend, and I rode today.  The weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday doesn’t look so good, so I’m not riding.  I’ll get back on the bike on Thursday.

Car-Free

In my previous post, I talk about a future where I am car-free.  I got some comments about that.  It’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone.  I’m not sure it’s for me.  It is a long-term goal I want to work toward.  I probably will have to sell my house and move to make it work.  However, I’ll worry about that later.

Blogging

While on my ride with Tim yesterday, he said that someone else said that blogging is a bit narcissistic.  I guess it can be.  However, I believe Tim and I share the view that writing about what we do (cycling for him, cycling and weight loss for me) is good for others that read the blog.

If I wouldn’t have found some of the other cycling blogs out there, I probably would have never taken my bike into the street.  I certainly wouldn’t have bought a recumbent.  A blog (even a silly one like this one) can inspire someone to change something in their life.

I do know that my posting frequency has gone way up.  However, I don’t think the quality of my writing has.  I’m taking a few days before I post again.  I will keep updating my weigh-in, and respond to comments.

Progress

My weight this morning was 225.8 lbs.  That’s the lowest yet.  It’s probably a temporary dip from yesterday’s ride, but I’ll take it.  I have been eating better over the last few days.  I even went out to eat at Panera Bread and was sane with what I ordered.  I’m cooking tonight.  I’m having a small piece of steak, and brussels sprouts.

Work

My new job is much different than any I’ve had before.  It’s a neat atmosphere to work in.  I do have to dress better, but that’s easier now that I don’t weight 300 lbs.  I will have to be there at 5:30 Wednesday morning for a software roll-out, but that’s a rare thing.  My normal hours are 8:30ish to 5:30ish.

2000 Miles

I track my bike mileage weekly.  Back in August I reached a total of 1000 miles for the year.  Today, the total is 2001.4 miles.

I’ll still get some more miles for the year, but I doubt it’ll be more than 300 or so.  It could be quite a bit less depending on weather.

I have set a difficult goal for next year.  I want to ride 5000 miles for the year.  I know there is a good chance I won’t make the goal, but that is what I will try for.  In addition, I want to try to drive less than 3500 miles to wean myself off of needing a car.

This Week Did Not Go As Planned

This is too common of a theme.  I have not met many of my own goals.  I have not ridden nearly as much as I intended.  I drove my car to work twice this week.  I’ve not eaten well.  I didn’t even weigh myself this morning.

My new job has great facilities for showering and changing clothes though.  There are entire locker rooms.  It’s pretty cool.  Maybe I’ll get to try them out next week.

Sit-up, Push-ups, and Dumbbells

I found the site One Hundred Push-ups that is a six-week program to be able to do one hundred push-ups.  The first part is a test to find out what you can do now.  I did five.  I was humbled by the pushup.

Anyway, I plan on working on the push-up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  I also did arm-curls with a 20 lb dumbbell (two sets of 15 per arm), and sit-ups (25 before I gave up).  I haven’t yet made a plan for the other exercises, but I’ll squeeze them in on the same three days, and have four days of rest.

I get plenty of leg exercise and cardio from the bicycles.

I started my weight-loss for health reasons.  Building muscle will help with my health, and with burning fat by keeping my metabolism ticking along nicely.  Also, burning the fat from behind the skin, will allow what little loose skin I develop to begin to shrink back closer to normal.

Also, being able to “drop and give 100” sounds cool.  🙂

Happy Blogday?

This blog turns one year old today.  Hopefully in another year it will be obsolete.

My focus in this blog has changed over the course of a year.  I started out posting what my goals were, and why I had those goals.  Later it was more of a public humiliation into losing weight.

As of today, I’m down 67 lbs, and have 54 more to go.  I still adjust my goals as necessary, but the why is pretty ingrained in my head.

Many of my recent posts have been out bicycling.  That has been one the major areas of focus for my life over the last few months.  I have picked up a few readers along the way because of that, and probably lost a couple.

I no longer find posting my weight, or progress pictures humiliating.  It’s just part of what I do, almost becoming part of who I am.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Getting Back Into It

It’s been a week since I tracked my calories, I’m back to doing that again.  As of this morning I’m down to 227.2 lbs (same as yesterday).  I’ve lost 69.2 lbs, and have 52.2 left to go.

I rode to work today in mid-30 degree temperatures.  My feet got a bit cold, but the rest of me was plenty warm.  I’m not sure how much I’ll ride this week.  The weather forecast is calling for rain for the rest of the week.  I’m don’t know how prepared I am for cold rain, and I don’t want to risk hypothermia.

Failure

It started Tuesday afternoon, election day.  Rather than ride my bike all the way home and possibly miss the chance to vote, I called for a ride home.

Once I voted and went home, I rode my bike a short distance to buy beer.  Then I ordered pizza.  My ex-wife and daughter came over and brought ice cream.

We all sat around and watched the election results on TV.  I ate way too much, and drank too much.  I didn’t even track my calories.

Wednesday morning I was feeling dehydrated from drinking.  I didn’t feel up to riding all the way to work, so I threw my bike on my car, and only rode a short distance.  I ate reasonably well, but didn’t track calories.

Wednesday after work, I went shopping for clothes, including some more base layers for cold weather riding.  By the time I got home it was late, and I was up too late, and drank more beer.

This morning, I woke up two hours later than expected.  I made it to work on time (barely), but drove the entire distance.

My daily weigh-in has been above 230 for two days in a row.  I need to focus more.

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.

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.