HalFitness
- Thread starter BananaHands
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Spoilered pic of my belly. I'm not skinny. But I'm liking where things are going. Nearly 35 lbs down.
November update: 216lbs (98kg, 15.4 stone) , Just a few ounces shy of 40 lbs down.
Meanwhile, I gained back the weight I lost because I just gave up on eating better. Haven't been exercising as often, either. I really fell off the wagon. I'm back up to around 240 lbs.
But I've also been stressed and depressed in the last few months. Best I can describe it as is "functionally depressed." I'm still going to work, but that's pretty much it. I'm finding no joy in anything.
But I've also been stressed and depressed in the last few months. Best I can describe it as is "functionally depressed." I'm still going to work, but that's pretty much it. I'm finding no joy in anything.
I was more than halfway through today's ride when I starting thinking "boy, my right pedal feels really odd, I wonder what's wrong?" I look down and realize that it's nearly broken in half. There was enough of it left that I was able to get home without having to throw up the white flag and call for a ride. Unfortunately, it does mean no big rides until I get it fixed. I was hoping to get a sense of how hard touring would be by doing another long ride tomorrow, but that's going to have to wait.
62.8 miles (101 km) today
62.8 miles (101 km) today
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Still losing about a pound a week. Down to 213.
So, I've been wearing the same pants...I figure they aren't worn out, and why buy new jeans if I'm still losing weight. Well, I sent out some pictures from Irish music last Sunday and someone really didn't like how baggy my jeans were. So they got me some. 32" waist and they fit! they're even a little loose.
I don't think I've worn 32" jeans since the 1990s
I don't think I've worn 32" jeans since the 1990s
I had a good ride yesterday in spite of discovering a problem 1 mile from my destination:
The only alternative to bridge would have been a 60-mile detour, which, considering I was already 50 miles into the day, was not a viable option. It was a relatively ambitious day for me, just not that ambitious.
Since I had to change plans, I went looking for birds in the middle of nowhere:
The only alternative to bridge would have been a 60-mile detour, which, considering I was already 50 miles into the day, was not a viable option. It was a relatively ambitious day for me, just not that ambitious.
Since I had to change plans, I went looking for birds in the middle of nowhere:
Down to 209
Down to 203....I haven't been under 200 since my 20's. But it's in sight.
I biked about 16 KM today. Filmed the whole ride, but I tried something new this time.
I would get off my bike at certain points, set up the camera in different spots, film myself biking past, then turn around to retrieve the camera.
I've seen other cyclists with GoPros do it, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'll put the footage together tonight and see how it turned out.
I would get off my bike at certain points, set up the camera in different spots, film myself biking past, then turn around to retrieve the camera.
I've seen other cyclists with GoPros do it, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'll put the footage together tonight and see how it turned out.
Goal achieved--please try to ignore my ugly toenails lol
Way to go!
Well done!
In the meantime, despite having a week where I went bouldering, biked to work twice (2x23km x2 = 92km , I know it's not exactly evilmike numbers but still), did HIIT 2x for 45 minutes and did separate exercises every day, and didn't drink alcohol, eat any snacks or any desserts, I'm still stuck at 88kgs (~194lbs), up 15 kgs (~33lbs) from last year.
I've been trying to lose weight for 4-5 weeks now and have absolutely 0 to show for it, except that the weight gain at least seems to have leveled off a bit.
It's not that I want to get back down to my wedding weight, but I'd like to at least look somewhat in shape and get back down to somewhere around 80kgs (~175lbs). That shouldn't be this damn hard.
In the meantime, despite having a week where I went bouldering, biked to work twice (2x23km x2 = 92km , I know it's not exactly evilmike numbers but still), did HIIT 2x for 45 minutes and did separate exercises every day, and didn't drink alcohol, eat any snacks or any desserts, I'm still stuck at 88kgs (~194lbs), up 15 kgs (~33lbs) from last year.
I've been trying to lose weight for 4-5 weeks now and have absolutely 0 to show for it, except that the weight gain at least seems to have leveled off a bit.
It's not that I want to get back down to my wedding weight, but I'd like to at least look somewhat in shape and get back down to somewhere around 80kgs (~175lbs). That shouldn't be this damn hard.
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Hey now, getting out on the bike at all means that you are doing great!
If you're exercising every day, I can promise you're losing fat and gaining muscle. Which will look like stagnation or weight gain, because muscle weighs more than fat. Just keep at it. It's not a fast process. Even with chemical help, it's taken me like what, a year, to get here?
Yup! If you are actively exercising and not just cutting calories, the number on the scale will mean far less than just something as simple as a waist measurement. If you want to see noticeable progress, I recommend taking a picture of yourself on a regular basis to compare to, because it's really hard to notice when you see yourself every day.
This one's special. The route itself is one that traveled a number of times with only slight variations. Long rides can be like that. There are some stretches, especially between cities, where only one option exists, or where one is far superior to the alternatives. And on this ride, it was very much about the destination, not the journey. The journey was nice regardless, but that was a pleasant bonus. The destination in question happens to also be bike ride. Specifically:
I first found out about the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive about 30 years ago from my Uncle Neil. When my Aunt Mona and Uncle Neil would visit, we would travel to all of the bird watching spots in the area. The Wildlife Refuge at Merritt Island was always the highlight. The Blackpoint Drive is 7 miles long and runs through unspoiled tidal wetlands. It exists in symbiosis with the space program, the undeveloped area providing a natural security buffer to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. It is a haven for birds. Egrets, herons, spoonbills, several species of gull, and a number of other shorebirds are frequent sights. Any number of migratory species spend the winter there. A few of the ducks have even decided that migration isn't worth the trouble and stay there year-round.
Sunday was a good day at the refuge. Snowy egrets dotted the landscape. Along the drive, tricolor herons were frequently perched on the mangrove adjacent to the trail. The ducks were not as numerous as they would have been in the peak of the season, with a number of species already migrating north, but there were still some blue winged teal and scaup. Spoonbill flew overhead, the bright pink of their feathers in stark contrast to the blue sky. White pelicans were not a frequent sight, but when they did put in an appearance, they were spectacular. Early into my trip, I was treated to an overflight of at least 30 of the bright white birds swirling around, soaring in a thermal.
As I travelled along the drive, I thought about the times I had made this journey, not by bicycle, but by RV. After they retired, my Aunt and Uncle spent much of the year travelling by RV and staying in and around refuges. One of my favorite memories is that of sitting in their RV near the halfway point of Blackpoint in a wide spot on the trail, having lunch, and taking turns staring through the spotting scope at a bird that may, or may not, be a lesser black-backed gull. The differences between it and the greater black-backed gull are subtile and hard to make out at a couple of hundred yards. It was potentially a "lifer", a new species, for my Uncle. By the end of lunch, the evidence remained inconclusive, and we had to assume it was the more frequent greater gull. That didn't make it any less of a great day.
My Uncle Neil passed away on Saturday. He was 93. My ride on Sunday was for him. I had already planned the trip for Sunday before I got the news. It wasn't just because it was a perfect day for bike riding, and that there would be a lot of birds. I going to write my uncle a letter afterwards, not only to share the birds that saw, but to convey how much his visits had meant to me. Unfortunately, the letter to him was not to be. So, I decided that I would still write about it, sharing the day and my Uncle with everone.
I biked to work for the first time this year. Took my longer route around Lake Banook. I definitely overdressed for the ride in this morning, but I'm sure glad I had all my rain gear for the ride home tonight!
It's about 6.5 KM one way, so that's about 13 KM ridden today.
It's about 6.5 KM one way, so that's about 13 KM ridden today.
Good news from today's checkup. Everything on the metabolic panel was in the green
Started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) again roughly a year ago, after three years on the couch due to the pandemic (if you're unfamiliar with BJJ, it's impossible to train with any kind of social distancing). Here's a pic of me just before the Holidays, when I'd just gotten my second stripe on my white belt:
I'm about 235 lbs there.
I just got back from my doctor for my check-up (which will now be annual, because I'm 44 and I've been stupid for way too long).
I'm down to 220.
I didn't start training again to lose weight, but dang, that's a nice bonus.
I'm about 235 lbs there.
I just got back from my doctor for my check-up (which will now be annual, because I'm 44 and I've been stupid for way too long).
I'm down to 220.
I didn't start training again to lose weight, but dang, that's a nice bonus.
Took the long way to and from work today. So about 13 KM biked today.
I also did the DDP Yoga Wake Up work out this morning (10 minutes) and DDP Yoga Energy (20 minutes). Trying to get back into doing DDP Yoga again. It's hard because I'll be gung-ho with it for awhile, doing it every day, and then something happens that throws off my routine or I take a hit on my mental health, and I completely fall off doing it at all.
I also did the DDP Yoga Wake Up work out this morning (10 minutes) and DDP Yoga Energy (20 minutes). Trying to get back into doing DDP Yoga again. It's hard because I'll be gung-ho with it for awhile, doing it every day, and then something happens that throws off my routine or I take a hit on my mental health, and I completely fall off doing it at all.
That's a long way travelled at 0 mph.
I kid, that's an astounding distance even on a good bike.
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I have the same struggle there. Any crick in my workout schedule cancels it for too long.
Thanks!
That reminds me. My ride on Easter:
The unusual bit for this ride was that almost half of the ride (27 miles / 43 km) was off-road.
Maintaining my fitness streak on my apple watch is the only thing that keeps me going somedays. My record was 109 days of all three rings closed last year. I'm up to 17 so far. It's HARD - life comes at you with interruptions, meetings, illness, everything. Last year I remember running on the treadmill with a massive fever, or being at a work conference, running at the lunch break, and then going back to the conference. And then once I stopped, it took me 6 months again (And 15lbs) to even get started again...