Relieving Stress and Going the Extra Mile

Well I was being a real bear-cat today, barking and growling at the kids. Negative stress doesn't sit well with me I supposed.

So at about 4 PM today I decided to hop in the stationary bike and go for a ride. Sorry no can do - batteries ran out. So I drove to the store and bought some replacement D batteries. I started riding around 4:30 and I rode and rode and rode. I rode the furthest distance I have ridden to date and for the longest time. I finished 40 miles in 2 hours 24 mins and 50 seconds. Even though it has been almost 2 hours and a shower later I can still feel the calories burning in the ol' factory. Rachel says I am gonna be up all night now - lol.

According to fitday.com at my current weight I burned about 2,200 calories in that butt wrenching ride - that is right it may be TMI but that bike seat is a violator and after an hour it is extremely uncomfortable. I feel I could have ridden far more than the 40 miles if that seat wasn't kicking my trash for the last hour and a half of the ride. I can't wait till I have a road bike that is fitted for my body, it will be so much more comfortable. Till then I enjoy the benefits of the exercise. I am definitely out of the 2 week stall as I have lost weight for 3 days straight. I love getting on the scale first thing in the morning and seeing the weight come off!

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My Daily Bread

I get asked a lot from friends and family about what has changed in my diet. At almost 6 months out I can say that there really aren't any restrictions to my diet any longer. The first 4 months had very strict guidelines. Now my diet is more about maintenance and lifestyle changes - making good decisions. As a rule I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day at this point. My water intake is about 128 oz a day. I try to get at least 100g of protein a day. I take multivitamins 2 times a day, Calcium Citrate 3 times a day, and B12 sublinguals 3 times a week.

My breakfast today was 6oz of lite, fat free yogurt, and 2 veggie sausage patties for a total of 260 Calories and 25 grams of protein. Lunch today was 2 oz of cheese, 3 oz of carrots, and 3 oz of celery for another 250 Calories and 16 grams of protein.

[Today's breakfast and lunch and some zero calorie vitamin water]

More good news is that I finally had a drop in weight - 2 lbs today WOOOOOT!

I missed riding yesterday but was out shopping and then had a laptop I worked on till midnight - tonight I did get to ride between dropping off Tanner for Scouts and picking him up. Rode 20 miles in 67:30.

Yesterday while shopping I had a great moment. I bought an XL Shirt off the rack at WalMart and some new swimming trunks (size 40-42). That is coming from a 6X being small and size 60 pants fitting tight - see the 'Taco Bell' pic in the Before and After post to see my 6X shirt.

For those that have made donations already I thank you. They should show up in the next day or so on the widget. I forgot to verify my account with PayPal so the funds are showing pending and the verification should be done tomorrow. Thanks again for your generosity.

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Last Few Weeks in Review

In this blog I will be posting a weekly review. Since this is my first such posting I will review the past week as well as some info on the week prior.

As a part of each review I will post weight lost and miles logged on the bike. I may also list struggles, successes, etc.

Last week I road my bike 74.2 miles for a total of 4 hours 32 minutes. I varied the work outs as some were for distance or speed and others had variable resistance.

My weight loss for the past 2 weeks has been pretty much in a stall. Since April 6th I have lost only 3 lbs. Stalls are normal but still frustrating. I am going to need to evaluate my protein and water intake and see if I have been lacking on either. Our bodies like to resist change and so I need to mix things up to break out this stall as soon as possible. My goal weight is 185 and so I have 88 lbs to lose to reach my goal.

Last weekend I went up to the Boy Scout District Camporee at Hardscrabble Mesa. I stayed with Tate, my 11 yr old, and the other 11 yr old Scouts. Tanner, the 13 yr old, was with the older scouts. It was a great experience, except for the flat tire I got.

The weekend before that was our Ward's Aaronic Priesthood Commemoration Campout. I took all 5 boys and below are some pics of that great outting (we did get rain, hail, and snow too).

[Our sleeping quarters - we had 7 people on cots and 2 on the ground]

[My 5 boys - Left to right:Tate, Brigham, Tanner, Kobe, & Corwin]

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