Week 20 Update

There has finally been some positive movement in terms of my weight.  It was stalled at 415 for a few weeks, but I got on the scale and it said 410!  That is a 5 lb. loss and I am happy with it.  That puts me down 48 lbs. so far.

On the movement front I didn't improve on my step average.  Last week I averaged only 4,496 steps per day.  That is below what I was aiming for by a large amount.  This week I will do better.  In terms of calories, I was much better.

Looking ahead it is going to be a busy time as we prepare to move into a new place.  The lease on our current place is expiring the end of July and they are wanting to raise our rent $50 per month.  On top of that we don't need that large of a house so we are looking for a new place and will end up moving in the next 5 weeks.

Week 19

Time is flying by on this personal challenge.  I have been remiss in my duties in staying the course.  I am, again, at 415. This plateau seems to be a semi-permanent one.  I know what I need to do and I am working on it.  My eating has been more lax than it should be to meet my goal and the exercise has been fairly non-existent.  Sure I rode 2 days last week, but that is it - only 2 days.

As of yesterday I have re-focused my attention on my eating and am sticking with my hard limit of 1800 calories per day.  I am also going to up my activity and exercise game.  My average steps last week were only 4,694 per day.  That is less than half of where it really should be.  I need to work on increasing that number in order to have a positive impact on my weight loss.  I can and will do this.

Week 18 Update

My weight seems to be holding steady at the moment.  The scale said 415 again yesterday.  That motivated me to get my butt out of bed this morning and go for a ride.  It wasn't very far or very long at just 3.5 miles in just under 18 minutes, but it was a ride and got me moving more than I have been. I felt pretty good out there.

As for my eating, it hasn't been horrible, I've been staying away from the sugars and the grains and flour, etc. but I have been over my target number of daily calories.  I am going to be much more vigilant this week and that combined with riding every day should reap some results and get my weight once again moving in the right direction. I need to get serious if I'm going to hitmy goal of 378 in a mere 8 weeks from now.

Week 17 Update

No weight to report this week as I have been traveling back to Michigan to see family and celebrate with my nephew and his new bride. In fact I'm writing this as we fly along at 36,000 feet. It was great seeing family and friends I haven't seen in too long of a time.

Our trip was almost non-stop running from place to place to visit. We put almost 600 miles on the rental car in the 5 days we were there. It seemed each gathering involved some type of eating and drinking.  I must say that I stuck to my eating plan and didn't overindulge at all. There were temptations galore but I stayed resolute.

I  have a reason to not get on the scale right now. I feel like I've retained a good deal of fluids due to not taking all of my medication as I should have.  I know things will improve in a couple of days as I get back on schedule so to avoid feeling down at a possible higher number on the scale I will just forego this week's weigh in.

My plan is to really focus on getting in some exercise over the next 8 weeks before heading back to Michigan to celebrate again. It is time for me to get my buttons back on my bike on a consistent basis. 4:00 am and I are going to become reacquainted very quickly.

A non-scale victory this week was the fact I got the seat belt fastened on the plane without using the extender.

Week 16 Update

I'm late this week but that's because of lots to do and so little time.  The good news is that this morning the scale was in a good mood as it showed 415 lbs.  Heading back in the correct direction but I have ground to make up to hit my goal my August 7th. Being very careful with my food has done the trick.  Looking ahead, though, next week might be a challenge in that I am traveling this weekend and it is a challenge to eat well while doing so, but I plan on it.

Things should calm down at home after this weekend as we are taking 3 of the four grandchildren to Michigan for the summer.  It will be quiet at home and I will be able to get back into a routine.  My riding has been non-existent for the last few weeks and the temps are topping out with daytime high in the triple digits so its time to get back to getting up early and enjoying the cool mornings.

Week 15

I didn't get on the scale this morning but as of a couple of days ago, things are static in terms of my weight.  I have been a slacker in the activity department and eating more than my goal, so my weight hasn't changed.  Yesterday I indulged in some cake for my Grandchildren's birthday party, but resisted the pizza and other foods.  I am not stressing about my weight this week and hope to have a good report next Tuesday.  The reason I'm not stressing is because I know what to do and I will do it.

In my mind over the last few days, I had planed on doing a couple of longer bike rides but never got out there.  The first day I didn't go was on Friday when we had winds gusting to 50 MPH.  I just didn't think it would be fun to be fighting a wind like that.  The second day I had hoped to get out was on Saturday, but ended up with little time once my grandchildren watching duties were over.  Yesterday there was everything to do with the party and I wasn't feeling the best with a headache (I think it was from tension from all the noise).  I recognize these for what they are - just excuses and I will do better this week.

Week 14 Update

Well, the good news is I didn't gain any weight this week.  Of course that means the bad news I didn't lose any either.  I was expecting this, though since I pushed to get the scale down last Monday for the competition weigh out.  On a brighter note, I did ride 5 of the last 7 days which is good.  I had planned on 7 for 7 but it was just too blasted hot during the time I had to ride on both Friday and Saturday, we hit 99 and 97 respectively.

Yesterday we were cooler with only 92 for the high, but silly me, I went for a ride in the afternoon heat.  Made it up one hill and had hoped to go farther when I left but it just was way too hot out there.  I haven't acclimated at all to the warmer temperatures yet this year.  I know in a month or two, 92 will feel refreshing but right not it was just too hot.

One thing I have been fighting has been the temptation to eat everything in sight now that the Biggest Winner competition is over.  This is where I would normally fall of the diet wagon in the past but I am bound and determined to not have that happen this year.  I am going to stay strong and get to that 80 lb loss by August.  I'm also looking beyond that and towards the rest of my life as a healthier individual.

Week 13...Progress and Results

So, I am now 13 weeks into my personal challenge and also we've made it through the 10 weeks of the Biggest Winner competition which is part of the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge.  I certainly had hoped that I could report more progress, but some was made.  OK, I did lose 25 lbs. for the Biggest Winner competition.  According to their scale, I weighed in at 438 lbs. and weighed out at 413 lbs.  I am happy with that, but one of my teammates left me in the dust losing an impressive 41 lbs. over the competition - Well Done Glen!!!!

I would like to believe the scale as accurate, but my weight loss is measured against my personal scale at the house.  When I got home, I weighed myself and it showed 416 lbs.  I'll take it.  that means at the halfway point of my personal 6 month challenge I have lost 42 lbs.  Now I just need to follow through and keep losing more weight.  In the past, once the competition has ended I've reverted to bad eating habits.  I won't allow myself to do that any more.

On the cycling front, 9 days into the National Bike Challenge I have gotten in 9 rides.  Last night's was a late ride.  I realized at 9:00 pm that I had yet to ride, so I changed and headed out for a short ride.  Now, I will be honest here and admit that all of my rides have been short so far, but the important thing is that I am riding.  

Week 12

So, another week has come and gone and I was hoping to report that I have lost all of the pounds gained last week and while that is not true, I have lost 1 lb.  I'm a bit perplexed as to the reason for this as my eating hasn't changed significantly from my successful routine of the initial 10 weeks of this journey.  All I can figure is that I've reached a plateau and I need to work through things and stay the course.  I know that changes will come.  The only disappointing thing is that Monday is the final weigh in for the Biggest Winner challenge and I feel bad that I am not performing better for my teammates.

On a positive note, I have gotten in a couple of short rides over the last 2 days for the National Bike Challenge.  I am very happy that I am out and riding.  Now I need to get into a steady routine and increase my daily mileage.  there is a bit of frustration associated with the challenge as they are having big issues reporting the data they are collecting for the challenge.  The post on the site yesterday says it may take up to 3 weeks for them to fix all of the issues.  Seems like a long time to me.  The good news is, though, it has given me the small boost I needed to get my butt on the bike.

My goal is to stay hyper-focused this week and see if I can't make a decent number on the scale for the weigh in on Monday.  I know putting some time in on the bike will certainly help in that regard.

And so it begins - National Bike Challenge 2016

Yesterday was the start of the National Bike challenge for 2016.  It runs from May 1 through September 30 and the goal is to ride as much as you can, either recreationally or to commute, during that time period. You earn points which can earn you prizes from national and local sponsors of the event.  I got my first ride for this year's challenge in yesterday morning.  It wasn't very long but I enjoyed it and to be honest, it didn't wipe me out as I had feared it would with my lack of riding.

I chose to ride a bit challenging of a route as it was uphill all the way to the turn around.  I spent most of the ride out in one of my lowest gears and just grinding away, but I made it and I enjoyed the downhill on the way back, if I was a bit timid.  I did max out at 24.4 mph but with a stop sign at the bottom of the hill, I wanted to make sure the brakes were going to work well so I used them a few times on the way down. :)

My plan is to get in a ride every day that I can and to do that some days I will be riding before work and some days after.  Today will be an after day as I will be helping my grandson get his tube fixed so he can accompany me on my ride this evening.