August 28, 2014

The Beard Challenge — Day XXXX

Weight: 162

Time just sorta rolls on, don't it?

My cholesterol is high. My backfat is starting to roll. I think I have another chin under the beard. None of this is shocking since my body fat is about 21%. Running sucks more than ever and I can't do a single pull up for the first time I can remember.

You would think that it would be enough to elicit major changes. But so far it hasn't. Doesn't mean that I am quitting, either.

This has been the first week of revised eating habits and, other than a couple of desserts, it has gone well. I have done some workouts, and actually got on the mtb for the first time in forever. (It was pathetic.)

My move to sloth didn't happen overnight, and I can't expect to change that quickly. It's coming. It is, as I have said before, just a matter of ingraining the changes I need to make to get me back to where I was. Or better.


August 18, 2014

The Beard Challenge — Day XXX

Weight: 160.4

As I run out of projects to work on at home, I find that I am compelled to do other things. Wii Harry Potter for example. Beat it yesterday. That's right, I did it. Well, Smarty Pants and I did it. Kid is ... smart and saved my bacon a couple of times by easily figuring out sections I was struggling with. Okay, I should have been doing something more active. But we were having FUN! And having fun with my best little friend is vastly more important than almost everything.

All is not lost. Thanks to watching what I am eating and a moderate amount of exercise, I am down a tenuous pound. Which leaves only five more to go. The same five I have needed to lose for months. It'll happen.


August 12, 2014

The Beard Challenge — Day XXIV

Weight: 161.2

I need to pick it up or else I will be forced to increase my knowledge of Roman numerals.

The reason my weight has not ebbed is because I have done NOTHING to reduce it. Nothing. Well, I ran one day last week. Why? No good reason. I've been doing stuff like finishing out the basement, removing some wallpaper, and trying to save my zucchini plant from whatever is killing it. But I still have time to exercise. Like I said, no good excuse. So, I still have this rotten beard. But I am running out of shit to do, which is awesome.

Like I keep saying, it is about habit. Breaking old ones and starting new ones. I would like to say that signing up for a race would motivate me, but I doubt it would. Not to any degree anyway. It just has to come from inside and I guess that I just haven't found the mojotivation to get after it adequately. That said, I am starting to get a fat roll on my back. Like sort of higher up, below my lats. If that, plus my backfat, plus this hot, sweaty dust collector on my face isn't enough then I can't imagine what will be.

I'll think about it whilst running today, weather permitting. It has been a mild summer...

August 1, 2014

The Beard Challenge — Day XVIII

Weight: 161.8

I will run today. I will bike tomorrow. I will bike Sunday.

In between basement painting sessions, of course.

Biking will be much easier now that my road bike is all freshly cabled and bar taped. Work performed by yours truly. I say that biking will be easier now, but it isn't like I couldn't have ridden my mountain or cross bikes... I also installed a shorter stem in the hopes of being just a little more comfortable. I still think that both my road and cross bikes are too long for me. 53.5 cm top tubes and my short torso just don't match. I am now using 90mm stems on both. Maybe if I rode more my flexibility would improve, but a couple of years ago when I rode LOTOJA I don't recall it being much better. I miss my Lemond Zurich, that bike fit well.

Nothing new to report. Sloth has been somewhat effectively offset by menu choices. Seven pounds seems so within reach. Just working on consistency. I finally did one thing that will help: I wrote up a weight routine. Now, in the mornings when I am in the fog of sleep still, I can just look at this paper and hopefully get going instead of feeling so overwhelmed by the million exercises I could do that I do nothing.