Sunday, December 30, 2012

Background on my journey


This all started Thanksgiving 2010 when I got was having problems wearing a pair of my nice dress jeans that was a size 46 and they were even to tight. And I was also wanting to wear a very nice western shirt that the snaps kept unsnapping and that shirt was a 2X. I made up my mind that was it I was going to lose the weight. I dusted off my scales that I had not been on in who knows when and almost maxed the damn thing out, I weight a whopping 285 pounds. To go a lot farther back I will say that when I went in to Navy boot camp way back just after my 21st birthday I weighed 167 pounds and was measured as 5 ft. 11 in. and a waist of 28 inches. When I finished boot camp I was measured as 6 ft. 1 in. and weight 210 with a waist of 33 inches. To me I had a fat belly and was not in as good a shape as before going into boot camp. My 8 years in the Navy was always sating a work bench or a desk in a class room. I was not made to exercise much at all. By the time I got out of the Navy at the age of 29 I was weighing 230 pounds and my blood pressure was marginally high. Within a year after that I was taking medications for my blood pressure.
I failed back in love with the bicycle and was riding at least on the weekends with my son. We started riding organized rides. And was doing 100 miles on Saturday or Sunday regularly. My weight never did really drop very much I remember weighing around 225 to 235 all that time. And even with that I was never able to get off the blood pressure medications. I believe that was mostly due to eating habits. My wife and I were both working and we were very busy, we ate out most of the time and when we did eat at home we made hamburger helper most of the time. Then in 1991 while riding my bike up a really steep hill I made a huge mistake and missed a gear and almost destroyed my manhood. And I stopped riding my bicycle and even gave it away. I did not start riding a bike again until Oct 2011 when I got my new bike that I am riding now. I do not ride as much as I would like but I do love to ride and feel so free when I am riding. My issue is that I need to ride more and also I need to learn to rest and just how far I can ride without pushing myself too far.
Now to the plan I started with January of 2011 was the following. I was not on a diet. I was on a journey to a better life style. I was not going to be in a rush, it was going to take me the rest of my life to get to where I wanted to be and to stay there. I was not going to stop eating what I loved to eat. I had to learn to eat the correct amount and to exercise the correct amount. I was going to have to learn how to balance work, family and my needs for my health. This is an ongoing process that I have to modify almost daily, weekly, and monthly.
Now to what I have learned. That our bodies are always changing. What we can eat today is not what we can eat tomorrow sometimes. We have to learn to listen to our bodies, it will tell us what it needs. We have to be selfish and do what we need to do for ourselves everyday of our lives. A healthy body is a happy body most of the time. We need strength, endurance and meditation to balance ourselves for the rest of our lives. So, we cannot have a on track exercise plan. I know that is something that I did to myself and I have learned that does not work. We have to eat real food. Depending on diet pills, or diets of any kind in general is setting yourself up for failure. Also something else that I have learned that is the BMI chart is not what you want to follow, it is not how large your waist or butt is. It is about are you healthy and fit. Ever body is different. We all have a different shape. If you to make a goal that should be the correct way find out what is a good percent of fat range for your body and make it a goal to get into that range. Also schedule your exercise on your calendar and make it as important as keeping a date with your partner or business client.

Ok to sum this up, set a reasonable goal. That goal should be a healthy percent of body fat. Have a plan to get there. Schedule your exercises just as you do your business appointments. Eat real foods. Stay away for special diets. Make time for yourself. Even if you are called selfish for doing so. It will work and you will be a healthier and fit person.


For the ones that will ask, I now can wear 34 jeans, and a size large shirt.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

New Year's Resolution


I have been thinking about my New Year's Resolution, and I am going to make it simple. Stay fit, and not gain weight. Plenty of walking and bike riding when I have the time.
I would like to ride the Round Rock Outlaw ride again and do better than this last year.
I am going to stay with trying to walk 10K steps a day, and when the weather lets me I want to ride my bike at least 3 hours a week. 
I am also going to try and get off the water pills that I have been taking for over 30 years. My doctor believes that is possible. And I am so tired of the dried skin at my ankles, forehead and elbows, which my doctor says is caused by the water pills. 
Here is the plan starting the First of the Year I am going to take my water pill every other day for a few weeks and see how it goes. Then if that works go to every 3 days for a few weeks. Then after that only as needed. 
As for as my weight goes I would like to get down to 189 but I am going to be realistic and say that I will be satisfied with 197 or below. (Note my doctor would like to see me fully clothed at 197, so I will be changing the way I weigh myself)
So expect a large jump in my weight on New Year’s Day as I will be weighing in full clothed and that will be my new weight. Then my goal will be 197 down to possibly 189.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy 65th Birthday to me


Losing weight can be easy at first then the closer you get to where you need or want to be the harder it becomes to lose it. And we all get to a point that we just stop losing anything. Well I have come to believe that is our bodies adapting to what we are doing and it is happy with that. So we have to change or plans and either eat more or less or exercise more or less. There is not a formula for this. I have come to find out that even my doctor does not have the answer to it, his explanation is to experiment. And that means as I said above change something. Now I do not think you should change everything all at once. I believe you need to make a single change and see how the body reacts to it.
To summarize this we cannot stay with what worked last week or the week before if we are at a standstill with our weight loss. We have to be willing to make changes. Sometimes the change is just to take a week or two off and relax and rest. Sometimes it is more exercise, and sometimes it is more calories eaten and other less calories eaten. And I have found that even a vacation can make the difference.

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy. But tomorrow get back to the plan.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

What the Last two years has taught me.


Thanksgiving will be two years that I have been working on my journey to better health and fitness. It was Thanksgiving Day that I got up and was trying to find something really nice to wear for the family dinner, and everything I tried on was very tight on me. I got on the scales for the first time in more than 5 years and was shocked at what I weighed (285). I started researching on ways to lose the weight that I needed to lose. I knew that it had to be something that I could do and live with the rest of my life. And I really did not know I was on my plan as I was just cutting back and not eating as much from that Thanksgiving Day to this very day. On New Year’s Day of 2011 I made it my goal to lose my weight and to do so by eating what I liked to eat but just not eat as much. Then slowly as I lost a little weight I started to walk more. By March I had lost 20 pounds and I was able to walk almost a mile without it killing me. By our vacation in early March I had given up diet cokes and was drinking a lot more water and also tea without any sweeteners.  After vacation in March I looked around for a gym to go and workout at and ended up joining the YMCA. So I started working out at the Y mainly on the exercise cycles and very light weights and I kept increasing my walking distances and speed. By My physical in July of 2011 I had managed to get my weight down to about 240 and also managed to get off my reflux meds and the cholesterol meds. In late July I found the Loseit site by researching and trying to find an app for my Android phone to log everything I was doing. And I have to say that Loseit is the best thing that every happened to my on this journey. I also found Fitbit due to the Loseit Site. And Loseit and Fitbit has really motivated me to continue my journey and to never give up.  In October of 2011 I got my bicycle and started to ride it and not go to the Y so much, and in November of 2011 I got my weight set for home and started working out at home while still working on my walking and bike riding.  By New Year’s Day of this year 2012 I was down to 208 and hoping to get to 195 and off all of my meds.
This year 2012, I have had a lot of ups and downs. I have tried a number of times to completely get off my blood pressure meds without any luck. I do feel so much better and I have learned so much and I have made so many friends on the Loseit site.  This year 2012 has been really rewarding and also very disappointing; rewarding in that I have managed to do so much more with keeping to this journey and eating correctly an exercising. This year has been disappointing in that I have not been able to lose the weight that I had in my mind to lose. But as we come up to and in to this next year I am armed with a lot more understanding of my body and my determination to keep this weight off and to hopefully finally get to a normal weight for me.
What have I learned?
Never ever give up.
It is all about the plan and the goals.
You have to want it more than life itself.
You have to be selfish in that you are going to do what is right for you and that means sometimes of letting loved ones and friends know that this is more important to you than anything else is.
You also have to educate yourself first then you have to educate loved ones and friends. 

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Here a few questions and answers to really think about


1.       Will I or you ever reach our goal?  Yes if we stick it out and never give up.


2.       Will I or you ever get off the track (have bad days and fall of the wagon)? Yes we will and we have but as long as we recognize it and get back on track we will succeed.

3.       Will I or you ever just want to give up?   Yes I have wanted too many times, but I am still at it.

4.        Do I or you really know when we will get to our goals? No not really and we also have to understand that this whole process is not about getting to the goal, that is only part of the journey the journey is never over, for as you see once we get there we have to maintain it for the rest of our lives. There is no such thing as going back to the way we were.

There is no such thing as going back to the way we were, that is what we really have to remember for the rest of our lives and if that is not what you wanted to here or believe then you will never be successful at losing the weight because as soon you reach your goal you will be back to your old ways and gaining the weight back again. That is why this is about life style changes and not about a diet.

I hope I have gotten your attention.


Doctor’s appointment



October 9, I had my doctor’s checkup for my blood pressure and weight.  I have been completely taken off all of my prescription medications and I do not have another appointment until July next year. I am now on yearly physical checkups.
I was told that I should not frat over my blood pressure as long as it does not go into the high range (140/100). I asked what my weight should be and he said that I was at my high end of good (208), and it would be great if I could get done to 196-198. This weight is by his scales and being fully clothed. So I said that I would do my best to get there by my next appointment next July. That means that I am working to 189 by my scales weighing the first thing in the morning before I get dressed.
I have finally getting my weight to turn around after coming off my meds, mostly a diuretic. You see when I first went off of the meds I gained 8 pound almost overnight. I have now lost about 4 pounds of that again. I have about 14 pounds to lose to get to my new goal. I will be doing it by logging what I eat and keeping my calorie in put down to about 2000 calories and also by walking and riding my bike as well as I am going to start doing some weight training now that fall and winter is up on us. I have gotten this far and I will get to my goal as some point.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Saturday was the Round Rock Outlaw bike ride.


 This ride is not a race but just a day for social riding around the county. The day was mostly cloudy and the wind was out of the South. I was planning on ride 50 miles. We started out staged by the distance we were riding with the 100 milers first, then next the 100K riders. Then I lift with the 50 mile group. I was in the middle of the group. The organizing of this ride was very laid back, but at the same time well organized with sag wagons and rest stops with everything that anyone should need. The route started out to the north north east with the wind to our backs for about the first 25 miles, but there were hills on the route much harder than I have managed in the past and I believe that was what zapped my legs so much. I will say this I did not walk up any of the hills, I did managed to ride up the hills, but I learned the real meaning to my granny gears. And of course with the hills to climb there where hills to coast down and I found that coasting is not always a good thing my legs would want to cramp up when I started to pedal again so I just pedaled up and down the hills. I was climbing a lot of the hills slower than I could have walked up them if I was really strong. I rode up some of them at no more that 4.5 to 6 miles an hour and there was the last hill that I climbed that I was not doing 4 miles an hour on and that is when I decided that was enough and I called my wife to pick me up. What was so sad was that I was less than 10 miles from my home. But I also had a few down hills that I saw 30 miles an hour and that took me back to my child hood days of riding my bike. I did talk to some very nice people along the way and saw lots of them that were very much faster than me and some that were about my speed. But I say very few really young riders and even fewer old riders like me. And I say bikes that looked to be built up of parts that were just laying around, and others that looked to custom made and cost as much as I would pay for a car. And I saw bike shirts and tee shirts that advertised about every business in the area as well as across the state and beyond. I even noticed one man’s shirt was advertising a bike shop from Alaska.
I really enjoyed the ride and I will do it again. And I am already planning to ride organized rides next year that are out of this area even. I guess this kind of riding is in my blood. I know that I am very much older now that when I was riding this type of rides in the past but I really plan to get stronger, and I plan to keep this up.
And to answer the question that is in some of you minds. The ride that I did that caused the 20 + years of not riding was so hard and I pushed myself so hard that I just could not make myself get back on the bike, and so I sold it. And Also in that 20 years I had to change jobs a lot to keep working and lost my first wife to a car accident and just kind of let myself go, and I am now really paying for that.
Also I got on my bike today and rode 14 miles. The ride today was painful but it was something I had to do. For you see I had to get back on the bike and go. I will be riding as much as the weather and my time lets me this winter, and I am planning to increase my weight training and walking to keep me in shape, fit, and hopefully help me improve my strength.
There are 2 days coming up I plan on riding regardless of the weather and that is my birthday and New Year’s Day. 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Saturday Morning Ride

Woke up with a headache and was trying to find reasons not to ride. But as it turned out it was a great ride. The day has been cloudy and the wind was out of the North East ,and about 65 degrees. I started out riding into the wind, and I ended up riding about 20 of the 31 miles either into the wind or with a side wind. I saw about 35 bike riders today at one time or the other. Most of my ride was without seeing any cars which is very unusually.
My bike seems to be set up very well now, I had to make adjustments to my seat height, I ended up with it about an inch and a half higher, after the ride I changed the angle of my stem, by maybe 10 degrees, and I changed the angle of my seat by maybe 2 degrees. My pedals are Okay but the clips hurt my toes and I really believe that I need to change my pedals for a city platform pedal style. I want to be able to just ride my bike with any shoes, are cloths that I may be wearing.
The ride was very tiring, I did manage to finish strong by really backing off and slowing down at about the 25 mile mark. That really helped me be able to finish. I am hoping to ride again tomorrow and I would really like to get the other pedals and ride with them. It is now about 6 hours after the ride and I am feeling much better, but tired. I really believe it has to do with a few things I did right after the ride.
First I had a G Series performance drink. Then I had Greek yogurt with fruit. Then I took a long shower. And for dinner I had 1 and a half roast beef sandwiches with pinto beans, and potato salad. I sure hope I sleep better tonight.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Life is short


I know that sometimes I seem to be down on myself and even others, but I am not really. You see I love life so I am willing to keep after myself to get better, and I am impatient so I do rush things most of the time. But slowly I am learning I just need to relax and take things as they come, for you see stress is the worst thing that any of us can do to ourselves and to others. Most of us eat because of stress, and stress keeps us from resting the way we should, and it causes our blood pressure to be crazy.  I love to walk because it is time for me to be away from my desk and forget about what is waiting for me there, and I can “smell the roses”. I love to ride my bike because it is time for me to “smell the roses”, and I love to go home and set in my easy chair and have my pets, climb in my lap and get their petting. For you see not only do I pet them but they pet me at the same time.
I love my wife and she takes care of me better than I deserve. Life is short my friends so enjoy it while you can and stop stressing over the small stuff, always make time for yourself. But also, make time for the ones you love.