Day 130: Could I Do A Du?

Update: 208.2 lbs, 50 lbs so far, 50 lb Goal Reached Day 124.

In my current contemplation of where to go from here, I had a new wild hair come into the radar. I wonder if I could actually pull of a duathlon? This may be the craziest idea I've let enter my big mushroom-haired head in a long time.

I've never had any desire to compete in any kind of endurance athletics before in my life. I'll be honest, until recently, playing 18 holes of golf would wear on me...and that's with riding in a cart. Going up a flight of steps or two could get me breaking out in a subtle mist, and frankly I think I could work up a sweat just eating. More of a FlabbyMan, than an IronMan for sure.

Lately though, I've really been loving the bike, and getting in 12-20 miles every other day, and sometimes every day, is becoming the norm for me as I continue to work exercise into my normal routine. I still don't love running, and actually can't even really run right now, it's more of a fast walk / job combo thing I've got going on. And forget swimming of any sort, it just ain't gonna happen for reasons too many to list. But since a duathlon is comprised of biking and running I thought maybe, just maybe I could put one of those on the radar for some future date.

I was reading about one in Portland that is 3 miles running, 15 miles cycling, then 3 miles running again. The 15 miles cycling is no problem, I'm doing that now. But the running would take some training, and I don't know how long it would take to get from the burning feeling I have in my lungs now when I run for more than a couple hundred yards, to being able to run 3 miles without stopping. Hmm, now that I put it that way, I'm not sure I even want to go down the path to get from point A to point B there....that's a lot of lung burning in the process. They DO have team duathlon options too...maybe that's the route for me. No pain, no gain and all that.

Anyway, still thinking....

Hasta.

Day 129: Balance Daniel-san, Balance!

Update: 208.2 lbs, 50 lbs so far, 50 lb Goal Reached Day 124.

I've been looking to the inner-Miyagi for guidance in today's posting. Looking to offer you, the loyal readers, a little 'balance Daniel-san, balance!' So you don't end up all wet behind ear!

Yesterday was a crazy day. Up at 5 for a quick ride before I was even really awake. Then home to get kids moving and off to school. Then down to the office first thing for a big project that was due, where John and I were until about 11 pm last night. I stayed within my target calories for the day, but the eating was sporadic, and I felt like I was on a food rollercoaster...getting pretty good and hungry, and then jamming a bunch of food in. Yesterday was a special case, but there are definitely days where I know I'm not doing myself much good, even if I think I'm eating well.

According to an article I was reading on MSN this morning, - The Skinny on Fat - I need to really find some more balance in my eating. By running out first thing and burning a bunch of energy, without the fuel to really power it, apparently I run the risk of just burning up muscle tissue. Then when I come home and eat more than enough calories to fuel it, I'm storing up fat! Not the best way to keep my eyes on the prize. Author Lou Schuler says:

We try to run on empty for hours, then dump in more fuel than we can handle. Benardot's research shows how self-destructive this strategy is.

Let's say you really want to lose fat, and decide to jog first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. "The easiest way to get energy is to break down muscle mass," Benardot says. Your body can convert specific amino acids the building blocks of muscle to glucose, the sugar that powers human activity. "Someone running before eating may actually be breaking down the very tissue he's trying to improve. Sounds counterproductive to me."

Call it the "muscle loss" diet.

The second way is probably more typical of most of us. You can call this one the "fat gain" diet. You wait a long time between meals, and then, when you're ravenously hungry, you wipe out an entire buffet line. This guarantees that you'll get a larger surge of the hormone insulin than you ordinarily would. That means more fat storage.

And you can probably combine the "muscle loss" and "fat gain" strategies and turn your body into a perfect muscle-burning, fat-storing machine. Hard exercise slows down appetite in the short term, but as you get used to it, your appetite matches your exertion level. So if you go out and run 10 miles on an empty stomach, then eat enough to fuel a 15-mile run, the net effect is that you've lost muscle on the run and gained fat from the postrun meal.

He then goes on to give a few tips, which make a lot of sense:

1. Eat as soon as you wake up in the morning.

2. Make sure you eat something before you exercise, no matter what time of day it is.

Not only does the food prevent your muscle tissue from becoming cardio chow, but it increases the number of calories you burn during and after exercise. A 1992 study at Arnot-Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, New York, shows that exercise following a meal enhances metabolism.

3. Eat soon after exercising, when your body has depleted its energy stores. Act fast, or you'll start burning muscle for energy.

4. Eat a total of five to six small meals a day.

I've been pretty good about trying to do #4 above, but making sure I'm fueling up at proper times hasnt' been high on my priority list. Sadly, I think I fall into that category of becoming a muscle-burning, fat-storing machine. And honestly, I mastered the fat storing thing a long time ago, so I don't need to work harder to just do that again!

So today, I had my peanut butter and honey toast FIRST THING, as I type this up for you today, and am going to try to fuel up at all the right times. Now if I can just catch a fly in my chopsticks, I'll be good to go!

Bonzai!

Day 128: Where To Next?

Update: 208.2 lbs, 50 lbs so far, 50 lb Goal Reached Day 124.

So, I hit this goal last week, and I still can hardly believe I did it, but sure feels good to set a goal and get there...especially one that basically removes a panda-sized amount of fat from my body. So after taking two days away from the blogosphere, the question is...where to next?

I spent most of my rainy morning ride contemplating the next goal. After hitting 50 lbs I realized I've still got a decent amount of baby fat going on...as in "oh baby, that's still a bunch of fat hanging around." Of course, I feel great, and feeling better all the time, but I think there's still a little work to be done. When we got married, I was in that 185 range, but I'm not sure I'm gonna get all crazy like that about it. At the same time, I am still riding as close to every day as I can, and counting the calories, so who knows for sure what will happen by end of summer. Some of that fat should be replaced by muscle, which can/will actually weigh more, and that's actually cool with me too.

I think for now I'm setting a new mini goal -- getting under 200 lbs. I think it's been at least 10 years since I was under 200 lbs, and maybe even longer. That's just an 8.2 lbs loss, so I probably need to shoot for 198.2, so I will have lost an even 260 lbs, and then actually reach two mini goals in one effort. Also, the LiveStrong is now just about 3 months and 2 weeks away, so I need to start getting some longer rides in for training as well, and it turns out that one of the rides I was looking forward to as part of the effort -- a 40 mile round trip with homemade scones at the halfway mark -- is no longer on the table. Sorry to break it to the other half of team N-Lo, but I just recently heard that lady is out of the scone making business. But I think there's still a Circle K along the way that has 3 for 1 corn dogs.

That's it for me, big project due, kids to get to school, and the sky is grey not blue, so good day from me to you.

Hasta.

Oh yeah, how do you celebrate a 50 lb weight loss goal? A weekend of 36 holes of golf, 50+ miles of riding, and of course, Paddingtons. Ah yeah.

Day 125: What 50 Pounds Looks Like

Update: 208.2 lbs, 50 lbs so far, 50 lb Goal Reached Day 124.

I'm not sure why, but every time I Google weight amounts, I always get pictures of fish. And for some reason, I just think picturing me strapping one of these babies on makes a lot of sense. That one to the left is some grandmother who apparently has a habit of catching fish larger than 50 lbs, and that's a 50 lb king salmon. Yep, I was carrying around one of those on me for a while.

I also found a few other 50 lb images. Some more fish of course, a panda bear, and a 50 lb pig, which I think is also appropriate.



I also found a link to some software guys who dropped a 50 lb glob of silly putty from a 7 story roof. Worth taking a look at. And an article on the worlds largest burger at 50 lbs as well. But just in case you're wondering, I'll put up the before and afters. The first is from me when I was rockin' it at just under 260, and the latter being me in my fake bike jersey (can't bring myself to spend the $90 for a real one yet) -- but don't worry, no bike shorts, I promised I wouldn't post those quite yet. (It might be illegal in some states, I'm not quite sure....)


Sorry for the classic JC Penny catalog pose once again, but that's just how I roll. That's it for today, gotta get an early start on the day's events. More thoughts on the 50 lbs later on, and maybe a Paddingtons celebration on Sunday. Whoohoo!

Hasta!

Day 124: Right.On.The.Money - 50 lbs!

Update: 208.2 lbs, 50 lbs so far, 50 lb Goal Reached Day 124.

Well, butter my (50 pounds lighter) buns and call me a biscuit...again! The elusive last pound finally gave up the ghost, and I hit it right on the nose today. Which of course means tomorrow I'll waffle up again - maybe in more ways than one..hmmmm, waffles....but for today, my official scale weight is 208.2 baby!

124 days ago I set out to lose a few, and really though getting down to 220 - or a weight loss of 38 lbs - would be a task, and believe me, it was. But then 220 still left me fairly chubbilicious, so I figured we might as well go for the full 50 lb goal, which proved to be even more difficult, but I was in it for the long haul. Yes, plenty of days where I was frustrated because I was working my booty off and not seeing the results as quick as I wanted, but as Michael and the Slowski's pointed out - "where's the fire?" I finally got to the point where I figure it'll happen when it does, and I know I can't go all summer riding 15-20 miles at a time, and not get to an ideal weight somehow. Well, unless I get a special rack for my bike that holds a personal sized Humdinger for every ride....

So now, the next, more informal goal (at least for now) is going to be to get down to 200 lbs, another 8.2 lbs away, and since that will be close to a 60 lbs loss, I'll probably just bump it to 198, so I can just lose 60 lbs. But honestly, I'm going to take what I can get from here and see where it goes...at least, that's what I think today after hitting this goal. We'll see. Having the goal definitely gives me a focus.

Now, on another related note, today's goal gives Nick the victory in the Starbucks Challenge. And how fitting is that, since it's his birthday today - so everyone give Nick a birthday shoutout. Thank you to all of those who kindly guessed the earlier dates...I truly tried to do it for you, and sorry to everyone who I "stopped short on" - you should have invited me over for more cake, ice cream and pizza and kept me all fatted up!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll put up the requisite 'what 50 lbs looks like' comparison pictures. As my wife pointed out, 50 lbs is like taking just about half of her, and sticking it on me. Ha! In one way, it is like I lost a friend, a little 50 lbs friend who was all fat! Thanks again for all the encouragement along the way. Here's to the next round!

Hasta!

Day 123: Folding Up The Treadmill

Update: 209.0 lbs, 49.2 lbs so far, 38 lb Goal Reached Day 74. - 0.8 lbs to NEW 50 lb goal.

If you ever have one of those dreams where you feel like you're trying as hard as you can, but you're running in slow motion, and whatever is chasing you is most definitely going to get you -- that's how I feel running down this last pound. Just.can't.quite.get.there. If I can squeeze in a ride somewhere today, drink all the water I should, and eat right for the day, Nostradamus Nick may just have some Starbucks on me for his birthday.

Between the rain and the crazy end of the school year schedules, finding time for riding has been getting trickier. The past couple days I haven't been able to get out and really ride, and I'm itching to get back out. Even though I got in 18 holes on Monday, and went out with the Mrs. to the driving range for two hours last night (she's a natural,) it still feels like I haven't really exercised for couple days. Last night I thought "well I do have the old Nordic Track Walkfit out in the garage....," but I just couldn't bring myself to climbing on. In fact, I folded it up the other day to do some cleaning in the garage, and it may just stay that way for a while, tucked away in the corner.

Keep in mind that the old Walkfit was my faithful companion during the early days of my calorie cutback. Every day, or every other day, I'd get out there, fire up some movie or tv show on the computer, and put in 20-30 minutes of walking, working up a big old sweat and really feeling like I had accomplished something. I did accomplish something of course -- prior to that life was pretty much sedentary. But now I prefer to be moving for 60 minutes or more, and usually at 15 mph or better. I think once I finally got off the couch and out the door, I've just appreciated getting out for a little bit, while burning off some calories. I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same about a bike trainer - not really into it as much as being able to just get out and get going.

When you're inside the garage, you miss all the good stuff. You miss the guys who like to drive close and scream at you, the dogs who like to chase you down, the front porch tv watchers, the llamas, the people on motorcycles who pull up and ask if you want to race, the Largest Black Cottonwood in North America, the burn of going uphill, and the thrill of flying down another, and everything else that can happen on a simple little old bike ride. I think the weather may hold out long enough this morning to let me make a quick run at The Loop, and if not, good thing I had them put fenders on!

Hasta!

Day 121: Vive La France!

Update: 210.2 lbs, 48.0 lbs so far, 38 lb Goal Reached Day 74. - 2.0 lbs to NEW 50 lb goal.

Sorry for the lack of weekend updates, a fairly busy weekend, and the normal Crazy Sunday posting time was taken up with me picking up 25 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. In the old days of course, that would not sound so out of place. However, I did let all 25 dozen make it home unharmed, and let the one free sample at the counter be my treat for the day. Well, until the next two called my name at church later on.

So day 120 came and went, and I crossed the 4 month mark without hitting the elusive 50 lb goal. I'll give all you Calorie Commandos out there a little hint. If you do a Starbucks Challenge, and are within just a pound or so of the goal, and someone in the challenge invites you over for a party -- watch out, it's a trick. All of a sudden they start pimping the cake, ice cream, pizza and special "sweet and spicy Tabasco sauce" on you. Actually it probably wasn't the one day that got me. From Thursday night on, it's been a daily attack of cheesecake, pizza, more cake, chocolate covered popcorn, Krispy Kremes, and more chocolate cake. I've been like Jack Bauer taking on a Willy Wonka turned evil terrorist cell...and I'm in the part of the series where I've just been taken hostage. Even the 72 miles riding during the same timeframe barely held off the poundage put-on.

Anyway, today I'm thankful for the French. They've given us some great things to be thankful for - French Fries, the Statue of Liberty, French Fried Onions...and the reason I write of them today, the French Press. Yesterday the Mrs said "I think we ground the coffee too fine this morning, it's all over in the coffee." However, turns out our little silver screen filter has a slice in it, and is letting the grounds through. I was bummed out at 6 this morning when I wasn't going to be able to brew up a pot, when I remembered the old French Press down in the cupboard. Ahhh....enjoying a nice rich cup of joe thanks to the old Frenchies!

Hasta La France!