258.6 - w/Photo

Just finished a sprint triathlon in the gym (just the distance, not competing with anyone).
.4 miles swim
14.1 mile bike ride
3.3 mile run
(above are the distances for the LA Triathlon - Sprint Course in October. I'm considering entering, but I'm very likely going to be called to work out of state during October).

Total time 2 hours 8 minutes (that includes the transition times, which were taking the elevator up two floors, since the pool is on a different level than the rest of the gym).

I'm guessing it was at least 25% easier in the gym than it would be outside, but it sets a starting time to work on improving. Swimming was harder than I remember.

Here's what I looked like at the end.

Exercise log for the last 4 weeks

There's some info missing, and the full 4 weeks doesn't end until tomorrow (that is my rest day though), but here are the numbers from my first 4 weeks of tracking my exercise:

Bicycle: 318.66 Mi - 25h 25m 23s (all while commuting to and from work)
Run/Hike: 24.77 Mi - 6h 41m 11s (about 10 miles hiking, 14.77 running)

Not bad for a fat guy.

Actually, last night while I was running and convincing myself to keep going, it occurred to me that running continuously for 5k (3.1 miles) would have seemed impossible. I knew I could build up to it, but the first time I tried running around the block, I made it 1 block. Not once around the block, but one length of one side of the block, before I had to take a walking break. Then there were weeks of only being able to run to the corner and back before needing a break.

I've been fairly active most of my life, but have never been near the condition I'm in now. The last time I ran continuously for 3.1 miles was when I was 12 or 13, and I think I only ever did it once without having to walk large portions of it.

So, as much as it sucks to feel heavy and slow, I occasionally have to remember how far I've come and how quickly I'm progressing.

Here is my 5k route.

259.6

Crossed into the 250s. If I can hold below 260 through the weekend, I'll consider it official.

I ran 3 miles last night, it went way better than the last time I ran the same route.
Here is my GPS info from the run:
41 mins, 00 sec
3.1 mi
Average speed: 4.5 mph
Max speed: 9.1 mph
Pace: 13:13 min/mi
Altitude gain: 43.0 m

I changed my blog format...

Some people find it annoying to read white text on a black background, so I'm trying a more "normal" setting. Also changed the font to the one that appeared easiest to read.

261.6

Last nights bike ride home was the hardest so far. You would think that 4 days off the bike would have rested me up, but it didn't work out that way. I also probably didn't eat enough carbs yesterday. I was only 12 minutes slower getting home, but that translates to a lot of slow, exhausted peddling up even slight inclines.

This morning I had oatmeal (1/2 cup of dry oats), 1 egg on a small piece of toast (60 calorie per slice), 2 tbsp of low-fat cottage cheese and about a 1/4 cup of 1% milk in my coffee/tea blend (I mix coffee and tea 50/50 to get a light but not weak sort of coffee). My ride in this morning was one of my fastest (maybe the fastest, but I started my timer and then messed around with something before leaving).

Here are my GPS stats for the ride:
43 mins, 35 secs
Average speed: 14.0 mph
Max speed: 28.1 mph
Pace: 4:16 min/mi

262 - w/Photos

Got back from a 2 day trip to Dallas last night. The first day I spent with my grandparents, the second day was a business meeting.

Usually when I visit my grandparents I just give in to eating unhealthy, and try to manage portion sizes. They only know one way to cook and that is to fry as much as you can. Anything you can't fry can be soaked in butter or sugar. And nothing should be eaten without a biscuit. Actually, by southern standards, my grandparents are reasonably healthy as they don't add gravy to every meal.

By my significant weight loss, combined with my grandma watching a lot of The Biggest Loser and my grandpa being told to stop eating fried foods, I was able to talk her into baking catfish. The funny part was that catfish has been a large part of their diets their entire life, with it being a daily food for the last 30+ years (when they moved to a lake-front property and kept their deep freezer full of catfish at all times), but in all that time, my grandma had never baked it. She had never tried preparing it in any other way than fried in a cornmeal batter. Considering how good it is like that, I guess I don't blame her.

But I couldn't stop her from serving french fries, but she did bake them as well. And I'm not sure what is in her coleslaw, but she also insisted that there was "nothing bad in there".

My plan was to eat somewhat large meals, because it is hard not to without upsetting my grandma, but then keep myself busy so I only eat 2 main meals a day. I only spent 1 day there, but I did so much I felt like I'd been there for a week. I replaced some missing boards off of the dock, cut dead limbs of of a large tree and trimmed the trees/bushes along the 100 yard driveway (which required a ladder for the trees). I probably ended up doing 6 hours of manual labor. I also caught 3 fish, a turtle (which I was able to get off the hook unharmed) and a 4 foot piece of metal chain. The biggest fish I caught by accident, throwing in the net to catch bait fish and I hauled up a 3 or 4 lbs catfish. I would leave my hooks in the water and then run around doing other things and come back to check on it.

I also saw my first water moccasin. I was at the end of the dock and saw it moving in the water closer to land. I walked down the dock to get a closer look, but lost sight of it while walking. I was standing looking out into the water when I looked down and found the snake had swam right up to the rocks below me and was looking right at me about 3 feet away. He then ducked back into the water and I didn't see him again. It gave me plenty of reason to never go swimming in their lake again.

After the meeting the next day, I had about 4 hours until my flight. I had cancelled my 24 Hour Fitness membership, but they make you pay a first and last month when you join, so when you call to cancel, you still have a month. It doesn't expire until May 5th, so I looked up the nearest location in Dallas and got a good workout in. I did 15 minutes on the eliptical, then a 3 mile run on the treadmill at about 5 mph (I fluctuated between 4.8 and 5 for most of it, then did a couple minutes of 6 mph). I wanted to go longer, but I didn't want to push my luck with my flight time. It was good I left when I did, because I hit heavy traffic and got to the gate with only 15 minutes until they started boarding.

Anyway, with all that going on, I still managed to lose weight. I think there is still some extra sodium and other junk in my system, so I'm thinking I'll be below 260 before the end of the week.

Here is the turtle I caught.

262.8

Went out to eat and then to a bar. Only had one (large) beer, but the combo of the dinner and beer probably made this the highest calorie day I've had in a while. Decided to punish myself with a 3.3 mile run at midnight. The first half was a lot of walking to keep from throwing up, but the 2nd half went pretty well.

263.4 - w/Photos

No change in weight today, I also didn't run last night. My legs needed a mid-week break (translation: I was feeling lazy). I put together a better comparison photo, wearing the exact same thing. Still not the best, because the starting photo sucks, but you get the idea. I think the window light is also helping my chin look thinner than it is, but I'll take whatever I can get.

263.4 - w/Photos

I thought a photo comparison was in order. Both of these photos suck, but I think it gives a general idea.

The photo on the left is me at around 320. The one on the right is from today (263.4). I know they don't make the best comparison because the 2nd one is from much closer, but I didn't have anyone to hold my cell phone. I'll do a better photo later.


I only look like a glass-eyed pig half of the time. The rest of the day I'm beautiful.

263.6

New lowest weight in many years. Although I'll have to stop saying that, because with any luck that will be every day.

Had a rough time getting home last night. Each bike commute is getting harder and harder. I thought it would get hard, then I would get used to it. But after 2 1/2 weeks, it seems I need to adjust my diet a little to be able to make it home each day. I don't mind pushing myself past my comfort zone, but I find it gets a little too dangerous in the last few miles of my return trip each night. I start trying to make moves around cars in traffic, but my reaction time and judgement aren't at their best. I've had a few close calls in the last week (not that close, but I've had to slam on my brakes or pull to the sidewalk suddenly).

So I'm going to start the day with a higher carb breakfast (probably oatmeal) and have some high carb item before my return trip. I'm not certain what the return trip item will be, I'm considering chocolate milk or some sports drink. Chocolate milk is popular as a high carb & protein beverage that's a lot cheaper than the various pre-package protein shakes. For people looking to lose weight, the recommendation is to get 1% fat, instead of non-fat, as your body needs some fat to properly process and get the most out of the chocolate milk.

That's a topic I haven't fully researched, but there seems to be a growing theory that non-fat products aren't the best idea. Low-fat items seem to get the best combo of lower calories but still having the benefits of the item you are eating. I also read an article a while back that found increased cancer risk for people who eat a lot of non-fat foods.

I'm sure it's not the end of the world either way, as the one thing I've learned from all the studies I've read, they are all a little misleading unless you understand every factor that goes into the results. And as a casual reader, you never do.

264.4

Got rained on a little on my last two bike commutes, but that's supposed to be the last of the rain. I plan to ride regardless of the weather, but if it rains really hard it will make for a nasty ride since I don't have fenders. For anyone who hasn't riden in the rain, you get a continuous spray of black water whipping off your front tire. It always leads to a spray of road water getting in your mouth.

265

My current plan is to do as much cardio during the week as possible (minimum of 1:40 of cycling just to get to and from work every day), then take Saturday as my rest day, then a run/hike on Sunday. On Saturday I also eat a bit more, still healthy but larger portions and ensure I get enough protein to help with recovery.

So every Sunday or Monday I expect to weigh a pound or so more than I did on Friday, then go down about 3 or 4 lbs during the week.

Here's a photo from yesterday's 7 mile hike. This is at the top of the Burbank hills, at the radio tower.

264.4

This marks a new lowest weight in about 8 years.

To explain that, about 10 years ago I joined a volunteer group that had a military-esque schedule. Working just about all hours that I wasn't sleeping and eating 3 meals a day in a cafeteria. I didn't really exercise, but the constant general activity and strict eating schedule (I could eat as much as I wanted within 30 minutes during those 3 meals a day, but by just limiting the opportunity to snack it kept my diet fairly low-calorie). I lost about 130 lbs in under a year. I stayed with that group for 2 1/2 years, keeping my weight right around 200 most of that time (I'm 6'3", so that's about the right weight for me with average muscle mass).

Then I left, got married and slowly gained the weight back. I had never been in a relationship before, so it was easy to lose myself in doing whatever you think will make the other person happy. So we ate out a lot and both gained a lot of weight over the course of a few years.

So, with the exception of those couple years where I was in a circumstance that is very unusual outside of the military, I've always been 100 lbs overweight. I hit 200 lbs when I was 12 or 13. I hit 300 around 17 years old. My mom said she first noticed I was significantly overweight when I was 4. Oddly enough, I was a very active kid. I went to a boarding school where a retired Marine drill sergeant came each morning and made us run 3 miles (while he drove behind us in his Cadillac yelling various drill sergeant things) and do sit-ups, push-ups, etc. Through all of that I gained weight continuously.

I'm now trying to truly change my lifestyle to that of an active adult. I think my downfall as a kid was improper diet (not unhealthy, as my boarding school didn't allow sugar or any kind of junk food, but allowed me to eat as much fruit as I wanted, which I think was the main factor in my weight gain). Having experimented with a wide range of diets and found what works for me, I think I can maintain this for the rest of my life.

Not that my new level of activity isn't without challenges. I thought the hardest part of riding my bike 11 miles each way to work every day was going to be just convincing myself to do it each day. So far that's been easy, but I've been running into mechanical problems. I broke a spoke a few days ago, had that replaced. Broke a spoke again the next day, found that the whole wheel is going, had that replaced yesterday. This morning right after I got into work, a co-worker came to tell me that my bike had just scared her half to death when the tire exploded. I checked it out and found the valve stem had just about blown off on the new wheel. I'm hoping that these are all related to the original problem and once I replace that tube, I'll be all set for a while.

-Mike

266

The biking to work every day is paying off. I also went to the Burbank Highschool track last night and ran 1.5 miles then power walked .5.

Time for some photos

Here I am getting close with nature on a hike last weekend.



This is me kayaking by myself in the Everglades about 2 weeks ago.

My fastest time yet...

I wanted to see what my best time would be if I pushed myself the whole way. I hit an average number of red lights and other delays, but I stayed in a semi-tucked position for the entire LA Bike path section and much of the streets. I bought longer climbing bars that point forward so I can lean forward farther. I thought this would mainly be for reduced wind drag, but that position seems to help with peddling faster/at a higher RPM.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 10:33:41 AM
42 mins, 33 secs
10.4 mi

Average speed: 14.7 mph
Max speed: 29.3 mph
Pace: 4:05 min/mi
Altitude gain: 186.0 m
Altitude loss: 263.0 m
Altitude change: -77.0 m

267.4

My bike is repaired and I gave it a thorough cleaning last night, so hopefully it appreciated all that. I'm back to commuting by bike.

Not the best day so far...

I bicycle commuted to work every day last week and was planning on doing it again this week, but this morning I broke a spoke on the rear wheel. I'm going to try to fix it myself, but if I have to take it to a bike shop it will probably have to be there a day, which means I'll be driving most of this week. I can go to the gym to make it up those days, but I'm trying to establish the bike as my only mode of transportation.

268.2

267.2

I've got "The Look"

I like to dress like an idiot a lot. Most people in LA have never seen a real-tree camo hat, and definitely wouldn't wear one, so it's extra funny here.

266.4

Almost back to my lowest weight from about 2 months ago. The bicycle commute to work seems to be doing the trick.

267.6

Moving in the right direction.

Hopefully I can keep this up...

Round-trip bike ride to work (10.4 miles each way). Then got home and ran 3.5 miles. Hope my legs work tomorrow.

I shaved a few minutes off my commute already...

• Wednesday, May 05, 2010 9:28:31 AM
• 47 mins, 55 secs
• 10.4 mi
• Average speed: 13.0 mph
• Max speed: 26.0 mph
• Pace: 4:36 min/mi
• Altitude gain: 232.0 m
• Altitude loss: 309.0 m
• Altitude change: -77.0 m

Some of my recent routes...

Here is the GPS map of my bicycle ride into work this morning.

Total time: 50 mins, 25 secs
Length of route: 10.3 mi

Average speed: 12.3 mph
Max speed: 24.5 mph

http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/work-commute-268432/widgets/map/

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Here is the route from my 7 miles hike/run on Sunday:

Total Time: 1 hr, 43 mins, 22 secs (this and the distance are a bit off because I couldn't get cell reception for the first part of the hike to start the GPS tracking).

Length of Route: 6.1 mi (I estimate it was about 7 miles total)

Average speed: 3.5 mph
Max speed: 7.1 mph
Pace: 16:56 min/mi
Altitude gain: 987.0 m

http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/stough-268172/widgets/map/

(The green marker is where it started tracking my route, but the red marker at the end of the hike is where I started from)

269.2

After gaining back a few pounds while traveling, my weight is moving in the right direction again. I'm back in LA and will be home for a month.

I did another crazy hike/run last night. It was only about 7 miles, but I ran 4 and hiked/speed walked the other 3. I ran whole way down (which accounts for most of that 4 miles of running), which is easier than running uphill, but seems to actually be harder than running on flat ground. My knees started to ache pretty bad and the continuous jarring motion of trying to keep yourself at a resonable pace made my stomach unhappy.

But I made it and saw a family of deer (a rare sight in LA). I definitely pushed myself a little too hard, as I almost fainted (or maybe actually did) when we went to dinner after. I started to feel really light headed and sick, so I went to the bathroom so I wouldn't puke on anyone at the dinner table. I just sat in the bathroom for what seemed like a minute or two, but after dinner my wife asked where I had gone for so long. But I lived, so I'll chalk it up to a learning experience. I need to bring water and a snack to keep everything working right.

I want to run a few times a week, then do a hike/run once a weekend. Maybe mix in some kayaking too.