Day 62: Spreading my little wings

Today I had to drop something off downtown, so after work I biked to the spot, and then justI had fun pedaling around.

There's so much freedom when you're on a bike!

Distance: 10.8.

Day 60-Weigh-in Day: 338.8lbs

WEEK 9

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 347.4

Current Weight: 338.8

This Week’s Weight Loss: 8.6lbs

Total Weight Loss: 26.6

Miles Biked this Week: 36.80

Total Miles Biked: 447.68

Miles to Go: 7052.32

GEOGRAPHY (Where I'd be on the map having started at my house in Salt Lake City, Utah, heading for Tokyo):

Jean Airport, Nevada on I-15 (South of Las Vegas)

TODAY:

I am so excited to see this big amount of weight come off! 8.6lbs! I think after getting back from Vegas a week ago, and getting back in the groove, my body is happy. The other thing is that in 2 months, I’ve lost 26.6lbs!! Man that is right on track to meet my goal next year. I know that as I get closer to my goal, that losing weight will become harder and harder. However, we are prepared to go the distance.

As a side note, today our family had a garage sale. We got rid of a lot of stuff! We’re in the process of making some changes in our everyday life. There is something spiritual about losing weight, and losing stuff out of the house. I know that sounds funny, but there is something exhilarating about simplifying. This whole experience is about change, right? Well, somehow I’ve noticed that already, little changes in my weight are having a parallel change in other areas of my life. I don’t think there is any accident.

My wife just made me a yummy smoothie this evening! She is a great support to what I have embarked upon. Also, my daughter told me she is afraid to see what her skinny daddy will look like, because she’s never known anything besides a “big daddy.”

LEARNED:

As you recall, the other day on this blog I talked about riding into the wind. It seems that 3 of the days this week were windy, and it was tough. But that additional resistance I think has made a difference. Yes, my thighs are sore, but that resistance is having good results.

EATING:

Some days I am just sick of chicken and veggies! It’s like gee, can’t I just have an Original Tommy Burger?! But, most of the time I’m fine. I haven’t been counting calories as much, as it seems like I know what my portions and nutrition is as it goes in my mouth. I admit, I did have a piece of pepperoni and sausage pizza the other day. It was left over at work. I started to feel guilty, but thought, “Hey, it’s just one piece for crying out loud!” And then I was fine.

Today we went to a buffet to eat, but I focused on a huge salad with tons of veggies, with some grilled teriyaki on top. Then I grabbed a few dabs of this and that just to make life a little better. Total calories? I don’t know. But I know I ate healthy…and I didn’t over-eat. The mindset at a buffet for me is usually, shove as much as I can in my pie hole! But now the approach is to enjoy the diversity of healthy food.

FILM:

Well, I cancelled my interview shoot with my DP this past week due to weather conditions. We’ll get the interview done and b-roll footage taken this week.

My mission companion posted this picture of me on Facebook the other day. This is when I was on my mission in Japan back in 1985. I hadn't ever seen this picture and it was a total shot in the arm as far as motivation. I left on my mission a little chubby. This is what 6-months of bike riding did for me!

Day 58: Biking against the wind

I haven't blogged this week yet. Sorry. I'm still pedaling to work everyday. I didn't ride yesterday as I had too many errands to do.

Today it was a bit windy on the way home...and of course the wind was not blowing at my back. As I pedaled and mumbled under my breath at having to ride into the wind, the thought came to me that this is a good thing. Who knows, maybe on my ride to Mount Fuji the wind will be blowing against me. So Mother Nature was just adding a little resistance to my workout today.

Here's a picture of a meal I had in Vegas last week. Ahi!

Distance this week so far: 30 miles

Day 53-Weigh-in Day: 347.4lbs

 WEEK 8

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 345.8

Current Weight: 347.4

This Week’s Weight Loss: +1.6lbs

Total Weight Loss: 18.0

Miles Biked this Week: 15.17

Total Miles Biked: 410.88

Miles to Go: 7089.12

GEOGRAPHY (Where I'd be on the map having started at my house in Salt Lake City, Utah, heading for Tokyo):

Las Vegas, Nevada (I-15)

TODAY:

I put weight on. Why? Well, I spent 6 days in Las Vegas at a convention. Sitting in classes for 8 hours a day, and eating out every day, including the 2 days after I returned. I can say that for a week straight I ate dinner outside of my house. That may sound bad, but I felt that I ate like someone in training. Well, at least most of the meals. I do admit that I had 2 scoops of ice cream this week. Do I feel guilty? No. I think after 7 weeks, that is something not to worry about. And I did get on the bike 2 out of 3 of my exercise days, while out of town, but didn’t get back on for the 2 days after I returned. Well, I’m back in the saddle on Monday!

Also, my bike gears have been slipping, and I think my handle bars are a little low. I took my bike over to Highlander Bike to have things fixed up. So my bike has been in the hospital while I was out of town.

LEARNED:

While in Vegas, despite going to 2 all-you-can-eat buffets, and many other restaurants for dinner every night, I stayed on track. I made choices to eat lots of veggies, seafood, and chicken. No breads, and no visits to the dessert bar. I had fruit for dessert instead. It’s about making conscious choices. I don’t think I put weight on because of the food, I think it was for lack of a full bike workout each day. I also realized that by eating lots of veggies up front, I got full faster, and didn’t have the nagging desire to keep eating.

EATING:

There are 475 calories in 1 pound of crab legs. 1 pound of crab legs includes the shell, so you could actually eat more than that and still be under 475. If you dip them in butter, you could almost double your calories if you’re not careful. Crab is great without butter! So, enjoy a good pile of crab legs occasionally. Yes, they are expensive, but if you’re in Vegas, go to the Bellagio Buffet. Their crab legs are big, fresh, cut in half lengthwise for easy eating…and yummy!

FILM:

I have my next video shoot Monday morning. Finally, my first official interview since I started the challenge.

Crab Legs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. One of the few things you can eat
without feeling guilty.

Day 50: More quick spin biking

Another quick workout on a spin bike. Not far, but got the work done! :)

Distance: 6.5 miles

Day 49: Spin Bike

Had a chance to get on a spin bike this morning. Very enjoyable.

Distance: 8.67 miles

Day 47-Weigh-in Day: 345.8lbs

WEEK 7

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 347.6

Current Weight: 345.8

This week’s weight loss: 1.8lbs

Total weight loss: 19.6

Miles biked this week: 54.15

Total Miles biked: 395.71

Miles to go: 7104.29

GEOGRAPHY (Where I'd be on the map having started at my house in Salt Lake City, Utah, heading for Tokyo):

20 miles North of Las Vegas, Nevada (I-15)

TODAY:

Well, I am just short of having lost 20lbs in 47 days (6 weeks). That averages out to be about 3.26lbs lost each week! Again, I am getting more and more comfortable on my bike, although, my butt still is sore. I hope that doesn’t continue to last. I’ve been venturing downtown this week, and have gotten as high as 900 East. I’ve just tried to stretch myself a little more. As you can see, I have not gotten to 100 miles a week yet. I need another week or so to just keep riding, and then I’ll see if I can adjust my bike routes to get me riding about 20 miles a day.

LEARNED:

I have officially mapped out my course across the Pacific Ocean. On my virtual bike ride to Japan, I will first hit the Hawaiian Islands. Then I will stop at the Midway Islands, and then the Wake Islands. If I hit each of those islands during the trek to Tokyo Japan, that will total about 7500 miles. Then I will literally fly to Tokyo and make my 60-mile bike pilgrimage to Mount Fuji.

Also I learned that my bike route to work is actually downhill. It’s taken me about 10 days to realize that. I’ve been so focused on just pedaling my fat bod down the street that I didn’t notice that I can actually coast a little. It doesn’t work that way on the way back though.

EATING:

It’s okay to eat one M&M when your 7 year old shoves it in your mouth. No need to panic that you’ll gain 5 pounds. I’ve faithfully eaten around 2000 calories everyday.

FILM:

Shot some GoPro footage. Will post soon. I’m going to get my brothers to write some music for some of my video posts.

If you were to head west from where I'm at right now, you'd bump into this quaint little
place on Extraterrestrial Highway just outside of Area 51. 

Day 46: Taking this blog to the next level

I have been pondering about what the purpose of this blog is. Up until now, it's been a journal tracking my progress. I want it to be more than this. Over the next few weeks, I will be adding some new encouraging and motivational tidbits Maybe some recipes for those wanting to eat well, yet healthy, and more videos.

For some reason I enjoy humor. I like producing it, and so you might find some funny things pop up here in the form of videos.

My documentary is about motivating and inspiring through a real life experience, but adding a dash of humor because we all need something to help us keep the focus off some of the inevitable pain.

Please let me know if any of these thoughts would make this a better blog, or what you would recommend.

To start out with, I want to provide a link to a very motivational story about a guy, Scott Cutshall, who weighed over 400lbs. He tried to take his life at one point due to the rut he felt he was in. What's interesting about this guy is that he's a drummer, he was overweight, and he decided to do something about it with a bike...all similar to me. Altogether he lost 320lbs.

People like this are inspiring. Let me know what you think.

Click here for the article

(Copy and paste the URL below if the link above doesn't work)
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/i-lost-320-pounds-riding-bike


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Distance: 11 miles

Day 45: What breakfast looks like

What do you eat for breakfast? Do you eat breakfast?

Here's a sample of what I occassionally have for breakfast. You could cut up some cardboard, put it in a bowl, pour milk over it and have the same taste bud sensations.

But it's full if fiber, protein, low sodium...

Distance: 10 miles

Day 44: Is counting calories a good thing?

Is counting calories a good thing? What do you think?

Feeling very tired tonight...going to bed!

Distance: 5 miles

Day 43: Shooting with the GoPro

Well, I biked around a bit today, and shot a little sample footage with my GoPro. That's basically a tiny little camera you can mount to about anything and shoot 1080p video! It's about the size of a tennis ball. I'll put up a sample soon!

Distance: 13.4 miles

Day 42: Feeling good

If last week was a "breaking-in" week, then today was kicking off a "feeling-good" week. Today I felt like I could have pedaled and pedaled! I booked to and from work today, and rode 3.5 times around Liberty Park. I had to work a little later tonight, so my wife brought my daughter over to the park, we hooked the "Tag-a-Long" up and we spun around the park and then rode home.

Distance: 14.75 miles

Day 40-Weigh-in Day: 347.6lbs

WEEK 6

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 354.8

Current Weight: 347.6

This week’s weight loss: 7.2lbs

Total weight loss: 17.8

Miles biked this week: 59.44

Total Miles biked: 341.56

Miles to go: 7158.44

GEOGRAPHY (Where I'd be on the map having started at my house in Salt Lake City, Utah, heading for Tokyo):

Mesquite, Nevada (I-15)

TODAY:

Looking back at this week, I’ve been very happy with what I did. I worked hard at my eating and biking. I’m sure that some of the weight that came off was retained water as I remember feeling bloated last week. My cough and sickness are going away, and I’m sure that makes a difference.

This week was the first time that I biked to work almost everyday! It hurt, and there was a burn I could feel like I’ve never had before. The bike is feeling more and more natural and riding on the street is not as bad as I feared. I am sure I look funny out there, a big 350lb (hey I’m not that heavy anymore J) guy on a little bike huffing and puffing down the street.

I shouldn’t do this, but I weighed myself everyday after my riding to track the results, and it seemed I was consistently a pound lighter each day. When I got on my stationary bike yesterday, I ramped up the resistance to match the feel of my bike. I think it’s coming down to working a little harder on the stationary.

On my road bike it’s hard to keep constantly pedaling without letting the bike coast for a bit so I can catch my breath, but I am doing better after a week. I’ve been passed by some bikers who just pedal, pedal, pedal without coasting. Hey, that’s in my future! I started this whole adventure out 6 weeks ago with a quote by Abraham Lincoln, “The good thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” It’s easy to compare and to want to be at your goal tomorrow, but it’s all about little steps everyday that will get me to where I want to go.

LEARNED:

Patience. Over the last few weigh-ins I was basically staying static. It was frustrating, but I knew deep down inside I was doing the work. I’ve heard that the older you get, the harder it is to loose weight. For 10 seconds I entertained the thought that maybe I’m too old to do this challenge and that this was going to be impossible. But again, it was a fleeting thought. I still feel deep down inside that I have already made it to Japan, and climbed to the top of Mount Fuji. I’ve spiritually planted that seed with all the blue prints, and now that creation is manifesting itself.

EATING:

I consciously ate very little sugar. I stayed away from honey and other things you usually put on your bland oatmeal to make it taste better. Instead, I am just putting in raw fruit. It works great. One thing I told my wife the other day is that it is terribly difficult for anyone anymore to eat healthy because of the barrage of crap that surrounds us. Look at the grocery store. How much aisle space is given to fruits, veggies, nuts, fish and chicken? How much is taken up by boxes and bags of processed food? Look at the aisle of pop and other beverages! If you’re driving down the road and you want to eat fast food, where can you drive up and get an apple or orange? You can’t. You have to find a grocery store. You have to make an effort to stay in the produce and meat department while there, and ignore all the aisles of carb that are processed and packaged in colorful bags and boxes. Notice how the apple has had the same red wrapper on it for thousands of years. No need to package that up differently. It is beautiful as is, and is guaranteed to give you all the nutrition God intended.

I’ll step down from my soapbox in a moment, but I was also flipping through a medical home remedies book. It talked about how to cure arthritis, help with respiratory problems, fix digestive issues, etc. Just about every remedy was based in some sort of natural herb or food. It didn’t say first thing in the morning eat half a bag of artificially flavored cheese puffs and then wash it down with a diet soda. It said eat this vegetable or that vegetable. Anyway, these are a few observations that I know we all are aware of, but for me, it’s a good reminder that my body will operate as it should with the food it was intended to eat.

FILM:

My wife has been shooting some stuff on her iPhone. I am working on purchasing a Canon XF100 video camera for our home documentation of the journey. I also purchased a GoPro Hero ll with some accessories to shoot some of the action. I will mention here that Doug Monroe, a great DP here in Utah who has helped shoot some of my documentary has invented the “Dougmon” video camera stabilizer. He has been using the “Dougmon” on everyone of our shoots. We’ll also be purchasing a “Dougmon” for our XF100 too! It’s a great little rig for all size cameras both professional and prosumer. He and his “Dougmon” will be at NAB this month ont he expo floor. To get more info about the “Dougmon” visit: http://www.dougmon.com

Day 39: Snowing!

Well, despite it being cold outside I was going to bike to work, but it was snowing. So I did 11 miles on my stationary bike. I cranked the resistance to parallel my road bike. Also, I tried a taste of a workout I saw on the web. You pedal as fast as you can for 10 seconds, then stop for 10 seconds. Then repeat for 10 minutes. I tried it for a few minutes...painful!!

Anyway, It's been a pretty good week, but I still have a long way to go to get to 20 miles a day. But, we'll get there.

Onward and upward!!

Distance: 11 miles

Day 38: Oh my aching legs!

Well, today was an interesting day. I biked to work as usual, and around noon my wife called announcing that I had accidentally taken the keys to my car with me. I had parked behind her in the driveway. So what do you do? Bike back home since I didn't have my car? Sure, why not. Well, I ended up biking a little over 16 miles today, back and forth to work. Gee, it wasn't fun, but I did it.

Something amazing is happening though that I will share with you on Saturday morning.

Oh, my legs are sore! SORE DANG IT!

Distance: 16.04

Day 37: Getting around town

Well, I biked to work again today. I believe it will now be a normal thing to do. Gee, maybe I'll put my car up for sale. During lunch I biked a couple of miles across town. I think I'll explore new routes to see if I can add more mileage into my daily pedaling. Again, there is definitely a burn that is occurring. There is some truth to "No Pain, No Gain!" Sometimes it just hurts to pedal...dang it!

Distance: 11 miles

Day 36: First day riding to work

Well,

I decided to start riding my bike to work. If I do that, that is about 10 miles round trip. Then maybe on a lunch break. on the way home or after work, I can do my extra mileage. Yesterday, I did 3 laps around the park. Today, I did 2 1/2 laps on the way home from work.

Distance: 11.25 miles

Day 35: 10 miles on the road bike

Well, as promised, I got on my bike this afternoon and pedaled down to Liberty Park. No I did not flash anyone in the intersection in front of the park like I did last week. (see Day 32). I did 3 laps, and then pedaled home. I was exhausted when I got home. My wife had me hook the tag-a-long up and go pick up my daughter at a friends house...so, I almost got another 2 miles in!!

Don't worry, I did not eat this today!
This is what I was eating 6 1/2 weeks ago.
This is not even a possibility any more!!

Distance: 10:15 miles