6 months of 200

Weigh-In: 202.2 lbs

I figured I'd update my blog today since it's been so long. In doing so I just noticed that's its been over 6 months that I've maintained a weight right around 200 pounds. I'm really happy about that, but I'm already thinking about how I'm going to keep it up once winter comes around. That's always been my biggest concern because in the past I would become less active and put on a few pounds. I don't want to allow that to happen this year.

My plan of attack is as follows:

-Keep riding my bike as long as there is no snow on the ground. Currently between commuting and recreational riding I'm putting in about 150 miles a week. I'd like to maintain that for as long as possible. I think it will go a bit lower in the winter so..

- I'm going to start running on the treadmill again in the winter. I enjoyed it and it has taken a back seat to riding this summer, so it will come back.

- I'm going to start lifting again. 3 days a week. There is no time like the present.

- I'm going to start doing 200 push-ups a week. I need to start this now. In fact, hang on....

ok, I just did 4. 196 to go.


I eat OK. I think caloric intake is inline with how many calories I burn during the day, but I'm not always happy with the quality of those calories I'm consuming. I need to do a better job to eat things that are good for me and that aren't swimming in sugar and preservatives. After all, the overall goal here is to live longer, not just be thin. It's easy to forget that once you're in decent shape physically.

Anyhow, I'm on vacation next week in the Outer Banks North Carolina so maybe I'll actually have some time to post some more. I plan to get in a bunch of riding,a bunch of relaxing, and a bunch of seafood (the healthy kind of course).

I hope every else's summer is going well.

-Brian

MS 150

Hey guys,
I'm riding my bike in the MS150 City To Shore ride in September. It's a two day event, 75 miles each day. I have to raise $250 in donations for the event, so if anyone would like to contribute, no matter how small, it would be greatly appreciated.

To do so use this link.

Anything you could mange would be a great help and go to a great cause!

Thanks in advance

-Brian

1 Year Anniversary

It was one year ago today that I made my very first blog entry. It was one year ago I decided it was time for a lifestyle change. On that day, July 24th of 2007 I weighed 296.5 pounds.

Today, one year later, I weigh 200 pounds and have been 200 pounds plus or minus 5 for almost 5 months now.

I'm too busy to post much more at this time, but I just wanted to call this out. I'm proud of what I've accomplished this past year. Now it's time to keep moving forward and meeting goals.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Update

My weight finally went back down to 201-ish. Today it's back up to 205 but I attribute that to a late meal yesterday. No biggie.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and is back at it working towards your goals.

For me right now, maintenance is an accomplishment so that's what I'm working towards.

I don't know...

...what I weigh.

Yea, for the first time in a while I decided to ditch weighing myself for a few days. Why?
Because I got frustrated. My weight suddenly went up 8 pounds for some reason and no matter what I did I felt like I couldn't stop it. That annoys me. So, I struck back. I ate more. And I stopped weighing myself.

I needed a mental break from wondering what my weight was every day. I figure, if I look in the mirror and I think I look like I did the week before, I'll be OK.

Tomorrow I'm going to go back to weighing myself. I'm hoping I'm back down to where I've been since March or so..203-ish.

I ran again today. It felt nice. Instead of jumping on the treadmill and trying to see how fast I could crank out a 5k, I ran a few intervals, and then I just ran at a steady 5-6 mpg for 20 minutes or so.

Eating has been pretty good today. Like Bill and some others I do end up indulging on alchohol on the weekends and I'm of the mindset i want to have fun this summer and not limit myself everywhere. So since that is the plan I'm trying to keep my weekdays extra clean and healthy in order to prepare for the deboucherous weekends. Hopefully this works out.

Well, that's all I really have to say about that..

Since I don't like posts without images to look at, here's a picture of my dog Bella with a bowl on her head. This one is for you Melissa.

The Dude Abides

Weigh-In: 205 lbs

This week has been funny weight-wise. I've eaten pretty well, biked about 70 miles since Monday, lifted weights on Tuesday, and yet I'm up several pounds. I'm assuming its water weight , or maybe muscle?

Who knows.

Anyway, here's a random pic from my bike trip last month. You can get an idea of the crazy looking recumbent I ride when I go on bike tours.





Funny lookin' eh?

My pictures tend to be pretty boring, but if you want to check out the rest of them from that trip, they can be found here.

I don't really have much else to say. I'm just trying to maintain my weight, and hopefully slowly build some muscle. I'm trying to stay active.

Hope everyone else is going well and meeting your goals!

A Little Reminder

You know, something happens after you've lost a bit of weight. You forget what you were before. I would even go as far to say that you might get comfortable in your new "skin". That's where things get dangerous for a lot of people I guess. They tend to slowly fall into their old habits and start to become mirrors of their former selves.

To combat this I like to remind myself of what I used to be by looking at pics, or even just thinking about some of the meals I used to eat and consider normal fair.

This time a year ago I would have found myself content on with a dinner of Bubba Burgers. I use the plural sense because I'd probably have two burgers with dinner. Mmm, Bubba burgers. Those are great arent they? My love for them have not changed.

This year I might have the same cravings, but I remember all of the hard work I put in in the last 11 months. So I won't have a bubba burger, or if I do I'll have a low fat version, and only have one, and probably go for a jog or a bike ride the next morning because I feel guilty , or maybe just afraid of becoming what i once was.

The urges are still there, I still love that food, but I now have an arsenal of things to combat that.

-I like a lot of healthy food. I love sushi, vegetables, water, fruit. I'm happy to eat those things the bulk of the time.

-When I'm no longer hungry I know now I no longer need to eat. Portion control. Learn it.

-Guilt. I have guilt whenever I indulge. Maybe not right away. I can still enjoy foods that are bad for me, but sooner or later I'll be thinking about what I just consumed, and taking the proper steps to ensure it isn't going to lodge itself onto my love handles.

-Exercise. I've come to really enjoy it. I don't like when I go a long time without it. I like to stay active. I like to do things. Hopefully this never changes, because I feel like when you slow down, you die. I don't ever want to die.

So back to a year ago. Reminders of what I was.

This is the closest I can come in a pic, July 4th 2007:



Is that me? Oh that's right. It used to be. Wow, I think I'll pass on that Bubba Burger.

Sometimes today I forget what i was like, and maybe I get a little hard on myself because I havent worked out for a while and maybe my eating wasnt the best. So, let's take a picture from today and compare, just to be sure we're not falling back into BurgerLand:



ok so maybe I need to learn to smile a little better, and is my hairline receding? What the hell is that about?

But the plan worked. That is not the same person. Try a body shot if the face shots aren't working. Maybe I'll do that next time.

So here I am, plodding along. Still living with my new identity , maybe a few reminders of my old one. But I'm doing OK.

-Brian

NOTES:
You'll see I took a run yesterday on the treadmill (my time is posted on the right). This was the first time in..I don't know, 2-3 months that I've run? I still ride my bike and I'm active, but there really is no way to keep in good running shape unless well, you run. I wasn't too hard on myself with my 25:53 5k time though. Sure I've done better, but I'm still in the respectable range as far as I'm concerned. My legs are sore today though.

I think you have to keep yourself in check and keep challenging yourself. I think that is one of the keys to staying in shape. I'm hoping it is anyway.

Oh and I do still have goals. I'm starting to lift again. I'd like to get some more muscle definition. I want to be able to do a few more pull-ups.

But tonight I think I'll have a Bubba Burger, think about what I used to be, then maybe go for a bike ride and know that I'll never be that person again.

OK, I'm partially kidding. I probably wont have a Bubba Burger.

Maybe Nachos...