302.5

That’s what I weighed in at over the weekend. More than three hundred fucking pounds.  Three bills.  That’s the most I have ever weighed — officially, anyway.  I’m fat, slow to move, break a sweat just walking down the block.  Way too over-indulgent lately.  Way to under-exercised lately.  Not a good combo.

So — I’m going back to what worked *really* well for me three years ago:

1. Aerobic workout every morning.  45 minutes minimum.
2. Logging ever morsel of food I eat into the LoseIt! app on my iphone.

Today is day three.  Sticking to plan so far.  Thought I’d dust off this old blog and start writing about it. Perhaps that will help keep me honest.

Cold, wet, and… days are getting longer.

It’s cold and wet and dark when I go to work (by car), but the days are getting longer and I’m getting excited about biking again. I have managed to lose 55 pounds since the end of the summer. Crazy. I have 25 or so to hit my target, at which point I might not qualify as “clydesdale” class anymore. Hmmmm…

Although I haven’t been biking, i have been “fantasy-shopping” on ebay and elsewhere for internally geared hubs… and wheels… and other component parts to turn my bike into a 3-speed. I am favoring the idea of old-school Sturmey-Archer hubs. Starting to explore Shimano… and should look at them all….

I *did* buy some bike shoes and pedals on clearance sale a month ago. So far only using the shoes for an occasional spinning class and once-every-other-week solo workout on the spinning-style bike in the corner of the workout room at the gym. So far, I like ’em.

February is the teaser month with hints of spring coming… Daffodils starting to peek… Days getting longer. This is when I start to get excited for summer. WAY too early, of course, which may help explain why I tend to be all grumpy and edgy when mid-April comes around…

Spinning

I did the “studio cycling” (aka “spinning”) class at the gym this morning. One word: OUCH!

I did better than I thought I’d do, but the (virtual) steep hill climbs and sustained off-the-seat business toward the end nearly killed me.  I resorted to sitting on the saddle whilst the hardcore fitness types around me stayed on their feet.

A few hours later — I have sore muscles where I don’t care to have sore muscles.

We’ll see how the weekend goes — not so sure I will, but I think I’ll try it again next week.

dusting off the cobwebs

FINALLY pulled my ‘cross bike off the hooks on the garage wall yesterday morning to go for an hour long (cold!) bike ride yesterday morning.  I noticed cobwebs on the spokes when I was pumping up the tires.  Realized my bike isn’t so new anymore, and my big plans to spend lots of time on it this past summer… didn’t really pan out.

That said, it was great to be in the saddle again, especially since I’ve lost close to 30 (!) pounds since I bought the bike — thanks in large part to the LoseIt! iPhone app and a heavy almost-daily regimen of cario exercise at the gym.  I found the daunting hill-climb part of my favorite ride wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered it to be, and continued the hill-climb further on a new route that I’ve avoided due to the hills… so, it was quite fun.  Sad in hindsight that I didn’t also take advantage of Saturday’s nice weather, as I find myself jonesin’ for another bike ride.  Perhaps this weekend?

Sad that my weekend was too busy to make it to the annual Oregon Manifest hand-crafted bike show over the weekend — made it a couple of years ago, which helped stimulate my renewed interest in bikes and biking.  Now the big question: Am I ready to give the bike-to-work idea another shot… now that the days are short and the weather cold-and-crappy?  Hmmm… getting there.  I’ll have to keep an eye on the forecast and my schedule (work and family) and see if I can squeeze in one day this week or next.

After taking in the first Cross Crusade race of the season a few weeks ago, I was pretty sure I WOULDN’T be attempting my first cross race this year.  Now that I’ve been out on my bike… I might have to rally to see if I can do the beginner class out at Portland Int’l Raceway this Sunday. That sounds a little aggressive… but might have to give it a try.  More on that later.

Holy Crap!

I haven’t been here for a while.  My big commute-by-bike plans haven’t panned out… but I haven’t given up hope… yet.  So I crashed mid-summer and had to recover, then it got TOO HOT (100+ degrees) for a week or so, then we went on vacation, then… then… I sorta fizzled out on this whole commuting idea.

I *should* have jumped back on the plan at the beginning of September.  Now it’s mid-October and getting down right wintery around here, which takes the wind out of (or puts too much into) my sails.

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I have dieted off-and-on throughout my adult life.  I used to not think about it too much — I would always be really active in the summer and get relatively light, then pack some pounds back on during the winter.  Over the years I tended to add a few more pounds in the off season than I removed in the active months, however, so over the years… thicker and thicker.

I love to eat.  Really. That said, I’ve pursued a mostly-vegan diet this year.  Some fish once a week.  A slice of cheese here-and-there.  A bratwurst on vacation.  A big home-made bacon-and-(bleu)cheeseburger when we had some friends over this summer.  Other than that, I’ve been quite good about what I’m eating… but I haven’t been losing.

A few fad and/or real diets have done good for me from time to time.  About five years ago, the then-trendy Atkins was great for me until I ended up in the hospital with diverticulitis (I’ll spare you the TMI about how that happened).  Weight Watchers was a great system I did a few years ago, and worked really well… for a while… at least… until… I just grew tired of the card-stock spin-the-wheel calculator and the “points” tracking cards that were easy to lose and then having to go to the damned meetings to weigh in… and spend the money on the program.  Tiresome.

Heading back into the “off” season, especially with the holiday months coming up around the corner, I’m thinking my “active” season didn’t do much for taking the pounds off.  That, and the big four-oh coming up next year… time to do something.

This time, there’s hope.  I just started a diet in the middle of September, and almost whimsically.  Strangely, it’s working, and I owe most of it to technology: LoseIt.  On a whim I was looking at diet-related apps on the app store.  Saw LoseIt! was highly rated and free (!), so I installed it.  That happened to be on a Sunday.  I happened to go to the gym the following morning, and happened to remember to step on the scale… and then… well… first about LoseIt!.

LoseIt! is really really really great:

1. Quick and easy set-up: enter your starting weight, your goal weight, and how many pounds you want to lose per week.  LoseIt! calculates a per-day carlorie budget based on your weight.  It assumes you have a relatively sedentary lifestyle — which you can adjust in the settings, too.
2. Quick and easy logging of caloric intake:  Every time you eat something, you enter it with a click on a little “+” icon, followed by a quick search for the food (or ingredient) in a database of generic foods, brand name foods, restaurant foods, recipes, and/or your own foods that you have defined (which is also easy to do: give it a name, serving size, and calories).
3. Simple logging of exercise:    When you exercise, you log the activities (same simple “+” and quick search for activity type) and it’ll add calories to your daily budget.
4. Simple logging of weight:  Step on the scale.  A couple of clicks to record your weight – daily, weekly, whenever – and then LoseIt! automagically recalculates your calorie budget.  You lose a pound and you get fewer calories in your budget, because you’re carrying around less weight, of course, so you’re burning fewer calories.

LoseIt! Summary: easy to set up, easy to log consumption and exercise info, and no-thinking required to calculate your daily budget and track your weight.

Bottom Line for me:  Unlike the questionable Atkins or the pain-in-the-arse Weight Watchers, LoseIt! promises to work long term.  I always have my iPhone with me, so it’s always easy to track the calories.  I have been using LoseIt! for almost four weeks.  I have been exercising a lot.  I have lost about 17 pounds so far.  I’m feeling great.  Still have lots more to lose… but confident I’ll get there.  With LoseIt!

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I might make it back on the bike this weekend after a month or so since my last ride… we’ll see if the weather holds up.

Building up

30 minute ride around the ‘hood this morning… mostly to get my stiff legs loosened up.  I think I’m ready for the commute this week.  I’m thinking about cheating – bringing change of clothes to the health club the night before, so I don’t have to carry a load the first day.  We’ll see.  The general plan is to carry the change of clothes, bike to the health club (a few blocks from work), change and head to work in my work attire, then back to the health club at the end of the day to change back into biking gear and head home…. 8 miles up hill.  Ha.

Maiden Voyage

This morning. 8 miles.  Three miles flat-ish to mild climb, followed by one steep.  Rest.  Two miles downhill glide, two flat.  Home.  Could have gone more… but no time.

I know I’m not in shape, but daydreaming about biking lately… being out of shape hasn’t been a part of those daydreams.  Good kick in the pants to get with the program today.

I don’t think I’m ready for the commute.  A couple more practice runs… and I’ll be there.

Hello. Here we go. On the road… almost.

So, I’ve been a big guy all of my life.  I have been a bike-lover since my oldest brother let go of my training-wheel-free banana-seat bike when I was about 6 years old.

I have owned only a few well-used bikes in my life:  Two-or-three hand-me-down or garage-sale single-speed-with-coaster-brakes until age 13.  A brand new Blue Schwinn Varsity. A brand new Bianchi mountain bike that I saved long and hard for at age 17.  A borrowed (and returned) Schwinn Typhoon during college years.

Then… career… house… kids… found that my bike stayed in the basement or shed or garage for months at a time — pulled out for family vacations or occasional weekend rides.

I bought a new cheap schwinn cruiser on a whim a few years ago when my kids were learning how to ride their first bikes.  That combination brought the love of biking back.

Now:  Lack of exercise and poor eating habits and a sedentary job — I’ve become a really big guy.  I need to exercise more.

I just ordered a new bike online (BEFORE reading mixed reviews about the online bike store).  It arrives in a couple of days.  I will begin a commuting adventure.  Goal is to get more exercise, get more enjoyment, and get started getting fit for… Cyclocross!

I have never been in an official bike race.   This fall I will.  I think.  Cyclocross.  Beginner class?  Clydesdale class? Master class?

This is my story starting June 1, 2009.  My new bike should arrive June 3.  Assuming I can put the parts together… my commute starts… June 4?  Stay tuned.