I can make a million excuses to how work screwed me over in 2006. Crazy projects that worked me seven days-a-week. And fed me as much food as I wanted. Projects that were so stressful that I had to go drink beer with friends to feel alive. I can make these excuses and they might even be valid. But I have to live with the results, and my work doesn't pity me.
My peak fitness, scary enough, was in 2003 when I weight 165 lbs and felt like I could do anything.
I recall that year fondly. The weather on the frontrange was very mild-- a drought I believe. I rode to work every day, did night rides a lot and rode hardcore rides every weekend. I was in a constant bike high were I needed to ride and couldn't eat enough food. It was euphoric. It was even obsessive
However, that year, I broke my collarbone and lacerated my kidney riding my bike. The mentality that made me think and feel I could do anything, got me way over my head. I want to get to that fitness level but not at a cost of injury.
It's amazing the small things that can knock you out of that rythym. Accidents take time to recover from and ruts appear. The weather plays a huge factor when you are in a rut. It's so easy to make an excuse.
So last spring (2006), I started really losing control. I was working all the time and never riding my bike. I ramped up to 185 lbs and lost my fitness. With a breather from seven-day work weeks in May, tried hard riding again but by the time I went on my work trip in July, I really just maintained my fitness. That trip was full of stress and lots of food to make one forget about the stress. I have a personality where when I'm under stress, I seek food for comfort.
So here I am facing the Holidays being 195 lbs. I think this is the most I have every weighed and it sucks. Based on my top fitness, my current weight is equivalent to carrying an extra bike on my shoulders during ride. There is no wonder that climbing is such a chore for me.
I can make the excuse that it's the holiday and put this off, but I decided that I am going to do something starting NOW. If I put it off till January, then I will be in a deeper hole, have one less month of time to get fit for spring riding and show that i don't have the discipline to this. There is no reason to put this off and every reason to do it.
So here is how I will update my blog. Very simple. Everyday I will try to post my weight (which will fluxuate like crazy) , the number of calories I ate (estimated) and any exercise I do. I have a good estimate of 50 cals per mile I use for riding my bike. It's not necessarily accurate but, hey it's something.
I'm posting this on my blog as a self-motivational tool. I hope it can inspire others but it's mainly to put it out there and force me, under the spotlight, to achieve my goal. So throw cyber tomatoes at me when i start slipping! ;-)
My goal is simple; Lose two pound per week with a goal of 170 lbs by March 1. I expect if I make that goal I will automatically be in prime fitness for mountain biking season so that is not really a goal, just a consequence because a large part of my effort will be exercise that I will try to make at least a 500 cal/day workout.
Once-a-week I will look at my progress and try to determine if I am ahead or behind my schedule...and a decision to whether I will modify my goal.
The stumbling blocks will be the week of xmas when I go to visit family and I have a work deployment coming up in February that might really throw a wrench into my schedule.
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