2020 Hindsight

Wow. That last post seemed like a few weeks ago… not nine months already. MUCH has happened in that nine months.  Big things:

1. Lost a ton of weight, and it wasn’t that hard. I don’t know what I weighed back in May — but well over 300 pounds.  In late August, I started an mashup of “intermittent fasting” and “keto” (low carb / high fat). I didn’t record get a starting weight, but ballpark 300 pounds. About ten days into it I weighed in at 296… something like that. Now — 5 months-ish later — January 2020 — I’m in the low 250 pounds…. with another 40(+/-) to go.
2. Tinder/Bumble — I set up profiles in August (+/-) and have met/dated a few women. No details to share, but suffice it to say, I’m back in the saddle.

Both-of-the-above seem to have gone hand-in-hand in a strange way. Getting fit/skinnier has boosted the confidence, and getting some lovin’ from the ladies even further and keeps me on track.

I have *not* gotten a lot of cardio exercise, however, so I intend to make that my goal for 2020 (not sure what the goal is, yet, beyond, “Just Do It!”  I’m reasonably active on my day job as a general contractor, but jog a half block and I’m winded. Time to get that going.  I’m planning to join a local gym and then going to squeeze in some morning workouts.  I’ll report back. Wish me luck.

Ahem… (FIVE YEARS go by)

Good Lord. I forgot I even had this site. I was looking for another log-in… and stumbled upon this. Interestingly, I was just thinking it was time to dive in and start doing some personal blogging again — a way to keep myself on track with personal/fitness goals.

So…. what’s happened in the last five years?  I dropped about 40, maybe close to 50 pounds since the last time I logged into this site. That success was enabled by the diligent use of the app LoseIt to record every morsel of food/beverage I consumed — AND — working out at the gym 6-7 days a week, minimum 45 minutes (usually an hour) of intense aerobic interval stuff.

Then… the marriage got crappier (it was always fair-to-crappy… it just got crappier), and I was doing a lot of self-medicating with food and drink. Lots of drink. In early/middle-ish 2014, after losing a less-than-fulfilling-but-well-paying job, my wife threatened divorce. Although she’d done it many times before, this time it seemed like a very serious and specific threat. Knowing NOTHING about the legal complexities of divorces, and knowing that her very well respected attorney/father would pull out the big guns when push-comes-to-shove, I sought legal advice from a very expensive (and worth every penny) divorce attorney. He suggested a few defensive moves to minimize the blood-letting.

I was waiting for the wife to make the first move, but something odd happened during the following months: (a) The idea of *being* divorced started seeming, well, not-so-bad, and (b) I began to see more and more evidence that our crappy marriage was taking a toll on our kids. The latter was an interesting revelation, as I had long ago lost hope that I would find anything close to happiness within the marriage, but I remained committed to it, “for the sake of the kids.”  So, the point at which I clearly saw the damage our relationship was having on the kids — and — the growing idea that *being* divorced wasn’t so bad sounding… in fact it became quite relieving… well, that’s the point middle/later 2014 that I decided to make it happen. I jumped from defense to offense…. borrowed some cash from relatives to pay the hefty retainer to the pricey attorney, and got the ball rolling.

2015 started with filing for divorce. The rest of the year was both crappy (as we continued to live in the same house through the process, for the kids’ sake) and very good, as it was the first time I felt hope and optimism for many many years. We did the mediation approach — somehow managed to get through it and come to an agreement… ended up splitting the marital assets (she got a little more) and evenly splitting custody and parenting time of the kids — without any spousal support payments going either direction. The divorce was official early 2016, we sold the house (and rented it back from the new owners until the end of the school year) then moved into our own rental houses and started our new lives apart (although with frequent contact due to shared parenting of the kids).

The rest of 2016… and all of 2017… and now part of 2018 have been great. I’ve been finding myself again — exploring old long-dormant interests and hobbies… spending time with my kids when I have them, and time as a bachelor when I haven’t. That said, the self-medication continued… eating too much… drinking too much… and too much late night binge-watching Netflix series in my underpants. I haven’t stepped foot into the health club that I continue to spend a crap ton of money on each month… can’t get myself to quit, either, as that would seem to be accepting defeat of long term health/fitness goals.

But… although I can’t show proof, I’ve been gearing up for a change. I bought a scale. I bought a stationary “spinning” bike. I bought a stand-up paddle board. I bought a gallon-sized water jug that looks like a carboy with a handle. And… over the last year, I’ve purchased three or four dozen cases of Pampelmousse (grapefruit) La Croix. La Croix, it turns out, is an amazing tool to reduce consumption of food and drink. I stocked the ‘fridge with La Croix — three cases at a time — and simply told myself that every time I go for something to snack on, or for a beer, that I first must drink a La Croix.  I found out that half the time I wanted a beer was simply because I was thirsty. Food… boredom, more than hunger.

Still… it’s time to get more serious about the fitness side of things. My lower back has been killing me lately, and I’m pretty sure it’s mostly from carrying around too much weight.  Time to shed some pounds.

So… we’ll see. I’d like to get this blog going on a regular basis — even if there isn’t another soul in the world who sees it — just to get words and thoughts down… get some focus… remind myself what I need to get done.

All said, life is good. I think I’ve been a little PTSD over the last couple of years, but I think I’m emerging to a good place, especially as the Spring turns to Summer in the Pacific Northwest. Who knows… maybe one of these days I’ll get fit enough to compete in one of those Cyclocross races.  If I wait much longer, I’ll be able to compete in the OLD GUYS division, as well as the Clydesdale and Rookie. We’ll see.

In the meantime… it’s time to get the heart pumping and the wheels turning and the veggies-eating.

Boom.

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.

Stimulate discussion about public media

Stimulate discussion about public media and community @ OPB’s PublicMediaCampOPB http://ow.ly/2Bwed tues 9/21 #PubCamp

Spring is here. It’s Friday afternoon.

Spring is here. It’s Friday afternoon. I’m a bachelor for the night. Tthinking about dusting off the single speed fixie-wanna-be road bike and taking it for a spin tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know if that happens.

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…

The Clydesdale Cyclocross Champion of the Universe Race

Just saw this and was humored:

The Clydesdale Cyclocross Champion of the Universe Race, 12/12/09 Bend, Oregon

After seeing photos of the guys competing, they certainly don’t *look* like the kind of folks I was *thinking* I might be competing against in the Clydesdale cyclocross class… assuming I ever get around to competing.  We’ll see.

At this point — 2009 cyclocross season almost over — I highly doubt I’ll attempt my first.  That said, if the stars line up, and the weather’s good, and I’m feeling extra… uh… CRAZY this weekend, I *might* consider doing the beginner and/or clydesdale class at Kruger’s Crossing.  *Might* is the key word in that sentence.

The weather’s not lookin’ good, however, so that’s probably not going to happen.

 

 

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.