210AGAIN

210 Again Part 2

May 1, 2015 (Starting Month 2)

Weigh-in Month 2: 347.8

Start Weight: 367.8lbs

Last Month Weigh-in: 367.8lbs

Current Weight: 347.8lbs

This Month’s Weight Loss: 20lbs

Total Weight Loss: 20lbs

To Go: 75lbs

Miles Biked this Month: 51.9

Miles to Tokyo, Japan: 5472

Total Miles Biked since Spring 2012: 3165.94

Miles to Go: 2306.06

Better sit down, this is a long post…

As I wrote in my previous blog post, I am back in the saddle, and have been for one month. You can read my adventures of weight loss by going to the beginning of my blog which started in March of 2012. It seems like a long time ago in print, but it only seems like yesterday that it all started. In a nutshell, I challenged myself to lose over 150 pounds in an 18-month period, by riding my bike the virtual distance from Salt Lake City, Ut to Tokyo, Japan. Then in August of 2013, I literally flew to Tokyo and did a bike ride to Mount Fuji, and then climbed to the top of Fuji.

Did I hit my goal at that time? Well, while I was in Japan, I weighed about 270lbs. Almost 100lbs less than when I started, but still quite heavy, and 60lbs away from my ultimate goal. When I returned from Japan, I slipped little by little, thinking I’d get back on the bandwagon, but never really did.

I tried over and over to get going again and stay and eat consistent, but got so far away from my good habits that I just gave up I guess. I never admitted it, but it happened.

I’m embarrassed to say that I put all my weight on and a little. And as of April 1, 2015, I weighed in at 367.8lbs.

So the bad news is, I’m starting over. But I guess that can also be good news. So the good news is, I’m starting over…or I have started!

I will be weighing in here on my blog on the first of each month. I might occasionally add a blog post a few times a month, but checking in with all the details weekly like I did in 210 Again Part 1, was a tad much. Fun at the time, but this time around will work much better monthly.

So let me share what has happened over the last month, what seems to be working, and what my goals and plans are for the next little while as I work to get back to 210 Again!

On April 1, 2015, I began my journey again, and this journey ends when I die. In other words, this is a lifestyle change. Before I started, I have continued to look into what works and what seems to not work for weight loss. It seems there is great mystery behind weight loss, and thus the thousands of books and diets that have come about.

On April 1, 2015, I began eating different than I did during “Part 1” of my challenge. In Part 1, there was a time that I was restricting myself to meat, beans, and veggies during the week, and then having a free day on Saturday. So imagine being a drug addict, and staying “sober” for 5 days a week, and then on Saturday, partaking of those drugs. That free day is so gratifying, but psychologically devastating on the next day when you go back to being sober. That is the feeling I had. I’d eat great 5 days, go hog wild on Saturday, and then struggle on Sunday, getting back on the bandwagon, and then thinking about how long it would be until the next free day.

That has changed for me. I don’t believe in “free days” any more per se in the context of getting one every week. For now, there are no free days for the time being. I am focused on 210lbs, and that means that holidays, birthdays, special events, eating out, parties, etc., will present me with an opportunity to find the things that will help me get to my goal.

Also, the big thing that everyone hates when doing a diet is the feeling of an unhappy stomach, growling or hurting because it’s not getting fed. Also who wants to feel restricted from eating a variety of foods? Even some that may not be considered A-list foods, but still bring joy to eating?

So here is what I am doing with my eating now, and I believe is working very well, and is sustainable for the very long term…over a lifetime.

Are you ready for the secret? I know it’s going to sound really unorthodox and strange to all of you on special trendy diets. I am sorry to dash your paradigms! I am now eating in reduced portions! Yeah, portion control! And I am eating around 1500 calories a day, occasionally a little more. Rarely this month have I exceeded 2000. I’ve been focusing on hitting about 500 calories a meal. Now for me a man that’s basically a 350-pounder that is perfect. For a small-sized person, that might be too much.

Also, Rice has become a very good friend of mine. Yes, I can hear some of you now saying, “But rice wasn’t cavemen food! The government says we shouldn’t eat very much of it!” I don’t care! The government told us we should be eating a ton of grain, and avoid fat years ago. Now the entire nation is obese. That’s what you get for listening to the government’s food advice. The Japanese and Chinese eat rice at ever meal, and are some of the trimmest and healthiest people on earth. The reason I have added rice to a few of my meals every day is because it gives me that natural full and satisfied feeling. And that feeling stays with me for hours after my meals. There have been a few times during this past month where my stomach just started yelling at me, and within a minute or two of a few bites of rice, my stomach’s happy.

So here is what some of my meals have looked like:

Breakfast:

1 cup of sticky rice, a can of albacore tuna, miso soup (bean paste soup…a Japanese favorite)

1 egg/3 egg whites omelet with bacon, spinach, peppers, and other veggies. A bowl of rice on the side

Lunch:

4-5 oz Grilled chicken breast and a cup of rice. Broccoli, or other veggies.

Dinner:

4-5 oz Grilled chicken on the BBQ, sweet peppers, etc.

Snacks may consist of celery with a little peanut butter, a small handful of almonds, or a Michelina microwave dinner, an apple, orange or other fruit (I eat fruit occasionally).

I just record everything I eat, and am mindful about not going over 1500. It’s not hard. What’s weird is I have been feeling satisfied, and not feeling those horrid cravings of wanting to chomp down on everything, even while eating 1500 calories. And remember, without free days. J

Notice though, that for the most part, refined sugar is not really part of my diet. Yes, the carbs that you eat do turn into sugar, but this is the sugar you need to burn through your day. I believe that getting refined sugar out of your eating has a direct correlation to horrid food cravings disappearing.

Now, I will admit, that I have a weakness for cookies, but I have made a choice that while I am doing Part 2, that I will not eat them, along with cake, ice cream, etc. But, I will allow myself, if I “feel” that it’s in balance with the way I’ve been eating, to eat a half a cookie, or what ever. The other day I had just gotten off a bike ride, and was over at my daughter’s school for an evening activity. They were serving hotdogs, chips, carrots, cookies, etc. Since I needed to feed myself, but wasn’t at home, I chose to eat 2 hotdogs, no buns, carrots, no chips, and a half a cookie. I felt like it was okay, because I had just come off a long ride…and my body was asking to eat half that cookie. It all fell within my allotted calories for the meal. And I was satisfied!

I’ve also decided for the time being while I am focused on 210lbs, that I am not going to eat bread, and other processed flours.

I guess it’s just common sense eating. And this is something that I am making “my lifestyle.”

Now, following this new way of eating for the past month, I lost 20 pounds…and how much exercise did I do during those 4 weeks? Well none, for the first 3 weeks. This last week of this month is when I introduced my bike riding. I simply have decided to ride to and from work. Work is about 5 miles away. During Part 1 when I was training for Fuji, some days I’d get 20-30 miles in. But I am not heading to Fuji right now. Right now I am heading to 210lbs. I am not setting a goal to drive me, I am creating a lifestyle that I will consistently do, that will naturally take me to 210lbs.

So, I will add that we bought a used elliptical machine a few months back that is missing some parts. I will buy the parts, put it together, and then I will add an additional 30 minutes on the elliptical everyday, just to help burn more fat, and mix up my exercise. I plan to change up my routine often, as our bodies begin to plateau from the same workouts.

I don’t know if I will lose another 20lbs in May, or if I will only lose 10lbs. But I don’t really care. What I do know is that the natural laws are working in my favor. If I eat 1500 calories a day, when my BMR is about 3500, I should be losing about a half pound a day. Also, if I ride my bike for an hour a day, that is another 500 calories burned, give or take. So when you add that up roughly, I should be losing about 5lbs a week. And in April, I lost 20lbs…it adds up correctly.

Now, I can hear some of you out there saying, “But you shouldn’t be losing weight that quick…that’s unhealthy!” Well, tell my body to slow down then. I am eating healthy balanced meals, not over-eating, exercising, and feel great! Tell my body to not do what it is naturally doing. Should I reduce my exercise, should I eat more? I am listening to my body. It tells me when I have pushed too hard, when I need to push more. It tells me when it needs a bit more sugar, or when it’s had enough to eat.

Let me end with sharing a very important point in addition to eating and exercise. Again this is a lifestyle change. But I am also trying to get to 210lbs…as fast as I can. To keep me focused, the 3^rd part of all this is self-power and motivation. It took a long time to muster up the power to finally decide to get going again, to make the change. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, it seemed no matter how bad I wanted to get going, the timing never quite seemed right. I don’t know what the magic time is for anyone to get going, but maybe it was finally looking at the scale and realizing that I had passed my previous start weight. Maybe it was seeing other people having success and wanting see success too. Maybe, I’d just finally had enough of all the self-talk, and “wishing” I was healthy. I will say though, that when you finally have that feeling, and you “know” it’s time, to get going, you feel in-sync. I finally got to that point.

Anyway, enough of my blabbing. I don’t know who will read this but I know at least I am discovering things that will work for me, and I enjoy documenting them.

Here’s to another month…I’ll check in soon.

Feel free to add your comments…if anyone’s still out there. I enjoy reading your comments and they inspire me.

Don