Biking Update - March 13, 2010

This was the big week when I got back out on two wheels! The first ride of 2010 was taken along the Shortline in Stratford, CT. I only managed a little over 8 miles before muscle soreness made it clear it was time to stop, but it was a beautiful ride and even the aches were like an old friend. I have also ridden a bit more on the stationary bike in the attic and am slowly starting to get back into shape. Looking forward to a good riding season for 2010. So far the weight is not responding, but I expect more soon.

But probably no biking this weekend due to heavy rains predicted. We'll have to see if I can sneak in a ride after work some day. Otherwise, I'll be seeing a lot more of the attic.

Biking Update - March 6, 2010

I finally got back on the stationary bike this week, and my weight has responded accordingly. I was reliably below 210 lbs all week, even though I did not exercise every night. And I am looking forward to getting out on the roads shortly! The weather is warming up, and it is about time to get back on 2 wheels.

Biking Update - February 27, 2010

Another work-filled week where I put in 12 hour days on most days. So... no biking still. But soon!

Biking Update - February 20, 2010

Sigh. Work, work, work, work. When is there time to get onto a bike?!

Biking Update - February 6, 2010

This was an eventful week for weight loss, even though I wound up only slightly down from last week. Why so eventful? On Sunday, I caught either food poisoning or an EXTREME stomach flu. It did a fairly effective job of emptying me out ENTIRELY, and left me unable to eat for a few days. Hence, the sudden and extreme drop on the graph. Since then, I have slowly returned to my normal diet, and my weight has jumped back up. But still to a point less than I started. I'll take that as progress. Still have not gotten back on the bike, as my body could not take the extra stress. Hopefully, this week will be the one.

Biking Update - January 30, 2010

Well, it has been a while since my last posting of the graph. I had very little time for biking before and around Christmas, then caught a bad cold in early January. I have not been on the exercise bike or the outside bike in about 2 months. And between the Christmas dinners and travelling, I was not eating as well as I should have been. And you can definitely see it in the graph. Sigh. But I am back on the wagon, and hope to resume biking shortly. Hopefully the graph will again be closer to 205 than 215 lbs.

Biking Update - December 5, 2009

The Good News: After my "free weekend" of Thanksgiving, I am back under 210 lbs and quickly descending back towards "normal", although not near enough to the 205 lbs I'd like to reach and stay at. But with Mom's medical issues, there has been no time or energy for exercise. Maybe this weekend. We are approaching the 1.5 year anniversary of the start of the diet, and we have almost reached the 1 year anniversary of my reaching 210 lbs for the first time since college. These are all good things. But it is hard to believe another year is almost gone.

Biking Update - November 21, 2009

This week I was finally over the infection and flu that has been knocking me back for several weeks now. Have not yet gotten back onto the bike, but it will happen shortly. And my weight has been maintaining at a reasonable level. Looking forward next week to a few Free Days around Thanksgiving however, which will likely have a negative impact on my weight. We shall see.

Weight Log for November 7, 2009

It has been a strange couple of weeks for weight-loss. Last week, I got quite sick with a high fever, and was not able to do pretty much any cycling. Just sleeping over and over. Then, we hit my lowest points of the year, the period from Halloween to November 2 (the anniversary of my father's death). With the health issues and the emotional issues, I decided to make the weekend into "free days" where I ate what I wanted. I spiked up quite a bit, but also came back down quickly. I am feeling better now, but am still easily tired so have not gotten back on the bike.

Hopefully, I can get back on two wheels shortly. I have Veterans Day off on Wednesday, so I may try to do a ride then. Here's hoping!

Biking Update - October 24, 2009

It is nice to be back under 210 lbs every day and inching toward 205 and below. (I hit my goal weight last week, but jumped back over after 1 carb-o-licous meal.) No real biking to report on, other than about 120 miles ridden on the stationary bike in the attic. Darkness, cold, and rain made doing anything outside nearly impossible. Hopefully, this next week will be better for riding.

Biking Update - October 17, 2009

If you needed proof that eating fatty food means weight gain, and exercise means weight loss, just look at this week's portion of the graph. Early in the week - after weeks of no progress despite eating perfectly - I declared a "free day" and had a "lasagna pizza" from Planet PIzza. I immediately spiked up 3 lbs to a recent high of 214. The next day, I got right back on plan and got back to my regular schedule of riding an hour on the exercise bike each night. By Friday, I was down to a new low of 205.4 lbs. That is a variation of almost 9 lbs in a single week!

No real biking this week due to horrible weather (rain and snow, believe it or not). Hoping to ride in the attic every night, and hopefully actually get back out on the roads, too.

Biking Update - October 9, 2009

My back is recovering, so I should be able to get back onto the bike this weekend. Hopefully, that will allow me to restore my weight to stability. I am still in a reasonable range, but there is definitely the potential for significant gain if I don't keep my discipline up.

Biking Update - October 3, 2009

This week started out very poorly for weight loss, despite a return to the bike on Saturday. I was up and actually got above 210 lbs for a few days, something I have not done outside of holidays and vacations (i.e. free days when I eat what I want). I ate nothing out of the ordinary. I think it was the inability to get much exercise due to back pain. Sigh. But by the end of the week, I was back to normal levels.

And it surely did feel good to get back onto my bike for a change. It appears that tomorrow will be rained out, but I am hoping to ride again on Sunday once the storm is past. And if my back will return to "normal", I'll be able to get back on the stationary bike as well.

Biking Update - September 26, 2009

Back pain all week this week - not sure if it started as physical or emotional - meant no biking. Stayed strictly on plan for eating, but weight fluctuated wildly. I am still in my range, but nowhere near where I'd like to be. Hopefully, this weekend I can get back on the bike and start losing again.

Biking Update - September 19, 2009

No biking this week, due to a combination of pulling my back and having very few nights without activities. But weight stayed in a reasonable range. I am hoping that this next week will be better for my life on two wheels.

Biking Update - September 5, 2009

Not a bad week for weight loss. Everything again stayed between 208 and 206 lbs. Not much biking got done outside, but plenty was done in the attic. We're hoping to bike on the Airline Trail today, so we may see more weight loss over the weekend.

Biking Update - August 22, 2009

Another uneventful and bike-free week, due to horrible air quality in the area and the remnants of last week's flu. So, I'll keep this one short and sweet. No biking, but also no major weight gain. I seem to be holding steady between 206 and 208 lbs. I still hope to reach 205 lbs some day - sustainably - but have not arrived there yet. I am hoping to return to two wheels this weekend.

Biking Update - August 15, 2009

Not much to report this week in terms of weight-loss, as I caught a nasty flu and was in bed pretty much from Monday night until Friday morning. No real exercise, other than a bike ride last Saturday. Rather than belabor the point, I'll just post my weight-graph for this week. Hopefully, next week will be much better.

Biking Update - August 8, 2009

This post is a bit late, because I was out of the habit of the weekly biking updates. Last week was vacation, and I chose to include the weekly update in my "things to skip while away". But the accountability of this is very important to my weight-loss and fitness plan. It is easy to lie to yourself. It is hard to lie to a blog audience to whom you have to show your weight-loss graph every week.

It was a great week for biking, while down in New Jersey. I biked every day that we were not traveling (traveling days generally were impractical for biking, because of early wake-ups and early check-outs or late check-ins). I racked up 107.55 miles on the bicycle while we were away! (Plus, 43 miles on the boardwalk walked in Wildwood.) That was between 10 and 18 miles a day, every day. And it was worth it on multiple levels. First, the exploration was great - I saw a lot of wildlife (rabbits, terns, geese, herons, etc.), learned new things about places we had been visiting for years (Wildwood Crest has a wildlife preserve!), and felt the freedom of the road every day (stress melted away). Second, because I was burning so many extra calories while away, I saw very little jump in my weight, despite having pretty much whatever I wanted to eat. I started the vacation at 208 lbs, and ended it at 209.8 lbs. After french fries, motz sticks, and cheese steaks all week! I never did indulge in sugar, though, as it appears my body doesn't crave it the way it used to. I was going to have ice cream while on the boardwalk, but was never in the mood.

Of course, there were costs of going from 20 miles biked per week to 150 miles biked and walked. My knee has been very sore since I got back, and I have small blisters in a number of places on my feet. So, I have been taking it fairly easy on the exercise this week to let the body heal and my diet return to "normal." Because of that, I saw a slight bump up in weight over the course of this week, but it all came back down to lighter than when I left on Friday (207.2 lbs). I am still chasing the elusive 205 lbs, and we'll see how that works out in the coming months.

This next week should be interesting as I get back into the swing of exercising every day. Hoping to have a bike ride today with CRChair, and then ride to church tomorrow on my own. And who knows what the upcoming evenings will offer in terms of weather and conditions. But it was a wonderful vacation, and I feel truly ready to return to "normality", refreshed and raring to go. (Actually, went back to work last week to an incredibly tense week, but still feel refreshed even today.)

Biking Update - July 25, 2009

A very good week for bike riding, but a very poor week for weight loss. Started off last weekend with a long ride along the Stratford Shoreline with CRChair. It was a gorgeous day after several days of rain, with blue skies and high clouds. Then, on Sunday, I did my first "real" ride from my home in Shelton, CT to church in Trumbull, CT. ("Real" because I actually attended church after riding down, then rode back home. Thanks to pastors for helping arrange a shower before services.) If you are from the midwest, a ride of about 8 miles each way might not seem like much. But that is with SIGNIFICANT hills every mile or so the whole way there, and long (but more gentle) uphills all the way back. Then, on Wednesday, we had a good ride up to Captains for Guys Night Out - which may be Bowhunter's last regular GNO with us, as he is moving in August and we are away on vacation next week. Sigh.

The weight-loss front was not good this week, however. After the Sunday ride, I spiked up almost back up to 210 lbs, and never got much farther down over the course of this week, despite eating almost perfectly. Not sure if the extra weight is muscle building (which would be good) or if my body is "off", but it was discouraging. Especially in light of the fact that this next week is a "free week" where I eat what I want, which means guaranteed weight-gain. Still, I am not in this for a sprint, but a marathon, and these setbacks will occur. As Bowhunter reminded me and Nick seconded, it can be dangerous to focus on a single number as a guide for your life. Weight gain is not always fat-gain, and you want to watch your overall health.

This next week will be one of vacation. I plan to ride the bike every day, but also eat pretty much what I want. Don't plan to gorge on sugar or anything, but I do plan to leave my worries behind for a bit. We'll see how it all goes, and I will keep weighing every day. Be watching Mod-Blog for photos of the trip!