Talk about wasted opportunities....
In the past few days, I failed to tell someone a truth that needed to be told.
I failed to seek help from someone in a position to make a big difference.
And I failed to ask someone an important question that could change tomorrow and a lot more.
I have been very weak these past few days.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Weight Loss Challenge
Yesterday I joined a bunch of other nutjobs to do a 50+ mile mountain bike ride for Project Rwanda. It was an awesome event, and a fun but grueling course. After doing the Counting Coup a few weeks ago, which is 45 miles and 8k feet of climbing, I was pretty casual about Rwanda's mere 50 miles and just under a little over 5K feet of climbing. Nope! The route featured many, many short but challenging climbs, plus miles of chattery, rocky trail, all of which really took a toll on my body and mind. Thank goodness for the great support and enthusiasm at this event; I fed off that energy all day.
This morning I saw that friends have posted pics from the event in a few places, and my first reaction was "Holy sh*t I look fat!" It was truly depressing. A few years ago, a photo with some friends had provoked the same reaction, and I did lose weight and took on a healthier lifestyle. But I'm definitely not in my 20's anymore, and simply being very active apparently doesn't make up for eating like a 14-year-old who's parents are out of town. I ride my bike between 1500-2000 miles per year, with most of that being off-road and with lots of climbing. I burn a lot of calories. Yet after losing about 18 lbs in my first couple of years of riding, I've now leveled off at 200lbs and can't seem to drop the next 15 or so that would put me at my preferred weight. I'm starting to build a road bike and hope to add a couple morning rides per week on that, and I'd really like to surf and/or hit the gym a little more, but with work and grad school looming, I don't know how much all of that will happen. Which leaves me one thing: Diet.
I don't cook, which is definitely a problem. Despite that, I've made some progress lately, trying bits and pieces of some new things (whodathunk I'd like California rolls or a spinach salad?) But still, the cravings for Diet Pepsi and baked goods are very strong, and chocolate has always been my ultimate weakness.
Can I do it? Can I alter a life of poor eating habits?
Of course I can.
Will I do it?
That remains to be seen.
This morning I saw that friends have posted pics from the event in a few places, and my first reaction was "Holy sh*t I look fat!" It was truly depressing. A few years ago, a photo with some friends had provoked the same reaction, and I did lose weight and took on a healthier lifestyle. But I'm definitely not in my 20's anymore, and simply being very active apparently doesn't make up for eating like a 14-year-old who's parents are out of town. I ride my bike between 1500-2000 miles per year, with most of that being off-road and with lots of climbing. I burn a lot of calories. Yet after losing about 18 lbs in my first couple of years of riding, I've now leveled off at 200lbs and can't seem to drop the next 15 or so that would put me at my preferred weight. I'm starting to build a road bike and hope to add a couple morning rides per week on that, and I'd really like to surf and/or hit the gym a little more, but with work and grad school looming, I don't know how much all of that will happen. Which leaves me one thing: Diet.
I don't cook, which is definitely a problem. Despite that, I've made some progress lately, trying bits and pieces of some new things (whodathunk I'd like California rolls or a spinach salad?) But still, the cravings for Diet Pepsi and baked goods are very strong, and chocolate has always been my ultimate weakness.
Can I do it? Can I alter a life of poor eating habits?
Of course I can.
Will I do it?
That remains to be seen.
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