Up Date

Well, this past week I have droped 2.5 pounds. still have a ways to go to get caught up where I left off but thats ok, I will get there. I am starting to get my training kicked into gear for the up-coming Mountian Bike and Duathlons I want to do. This sunday I am riding in the Tapeworm Time Trials. Tapeworm is the name of one of thlocal trail systems here in the area. Its more of a fun event but still a race. After that will be my very first Dualthlon. It will be at Fort Steilacoom, 3 mile trail run, 15 mile MTB ride followed by another 3 mile run. I am appriehensive but excited about it all at the same time. I will keep you posted. This next week I plan on dropping another 2.5 pounds. Hitting the bike and the treadmill all week. Still have to work on my eating but I can say it is getting better. Thanks for the support!

2011 Stinky Spoke

I rode the stinky spoke this year with my friends from work and we had a blast. I did the longer route this year, 18.5 miles of muddy wet trails. What a great day! It was harder this year than last and not because of the 2 extra miles I did (last year was 16.5 miles). No, it was the extra 22 pounds I have put on since last year. I had hit 238, I am back up to 260. I am struggling. In my last post I talked about setbacks. 22 pounds is a setback. I can point my finger at the holidays and some very stressful situations and yes, there is some validity to that but that is not reason. I HAVE to be honest with myself. It is not my circumstances it is my laziness and choices that have contributed to "falling off the wagon" of my food addiction. So here is my plan. Some sort of accountability here on my blog, better choices about food, better portion control, continued exercise and some goals.

I am going to try to write every night, a journal of my eating that day and the activities. My next race is the Tapeworm Time Trails on Jan. 23rd. I will post some pictures and my results. After that is a Dulathlon at Fort Steilacoom, 3.1 mile run, 15 mile mountain bike, and another 3.1 mile run. There are several more races that I am competing in but I will tell you about them as they come. So, in order to do all of that I HAVE LOSE WIEGTH. Riding my bike and running in this events is sooooo much easier when I don't weigh as much!!!

2010: A Review

I did this more this year then I have ever dreamed I would or could do. A termendously successful year and yet some setbacks as well. This blog is not about work, nor is it about my family. Yes, both of those VERY IMPORTANT areas of my life deep impact my wieght lose and I wil insert Family and Work when appropriate. This blog is about my wieght lose. It is about the Mountians climbed, the bike races, the wieght lose and the wieght gain. Yes, I said wieght gain. I have gained about 30 pounds over the past year. Oh, I have lost but i have gained. Why, becasue food is an addiction and I struggle with it. So, here are some of my success and then lets talk about some of my setbacks;

50 mile Mountain Bike Endurance Race, 6 hours and 38 Minutes. The 16 mile Mountain Bike leg of the Black Diamond Xterra Triathlon, The 15 mile bike leg of the Lake Meridian Triathlon, the top of Mt. Adams, and the 18 mile Mountain Bike leg of the Mountains to Sound Race. The year started with the Stinky Spoke which I wrote about and it just went from there and it was fun! This year I have more races and more challenging activities that I am going to do but, and it's a big BUT, my big butt!!! It has gotten bigger this year. I HATE to say that but I have really really struggled. It's time for change. I know, I know I have said that before but what else can I say. I need to make some changes in my eating habits. The struggle is that I do really good for a couple of days and then I "fall off the wagon". The attitude after that is "I screwed up so I will start again... next week." So now I am back to, "Ok, let’s do this again." I have to be honest I am really tired off fallen off the wagon but it is easier to eat then it is to get back up again. By the way, I am ranting so please just let me rant. My next postings will be about what I am doing to get back into the fight.

The Stinky Spoke

I rode in my very first organized Mountain Bike Race. Well, it was more of a fun ride then a race but I had a race number and 16 miles of riding with 700 other riders and , wow, it was a blast. If you look close you will see a pig on my handle bars, I am riding with a group of guys from work in a couple of races this year and our team name is the Pedaling Pigs. My life style is different but man, it has been a real struggle as I went through the holidays. I got out of the habit of working out everyday and it shows. My eating habits tanked as well, and it shows. I know what to do to get back on track so here it goes. Step 1, admit I have a problem. I have a problem. I am falling back into my old habits, time to stop. I have the will power to do it! Step 2, take action. Today I am writing in my blog, TIME FOR CHANGE!!! Step 3, follow through. Well, you will have to check back in a couple of days and I will let you know. So far today, I am doing good.

So, the Stinky Spoke. 16 miles of paved trail, some paved roads, single track trail, and gravel road trail. At one point on a long steep gravel road down hill I hit 39MPH. I finished 16 miles in 1 hour 32 minutes total, 1 hour and 25 minutes of pedal time for an average speed of 11.3 MPH. the next race we are preparing for is the 24 hour race in Spokane, the 14 mile leg of the Black Diamond Exterra Triathlon and the 12 mile Kayak leg of the Mountain to Sound 5 Leg Relay.

Keep check in and I will keep you posted! Ha, get it "posted" as in posting on my blog... ok Ted Cooke humor, sorry!

Oh the Hollidays

I love this season of Christmas but I am not sure I like this time of year. Don't get me wrong, the blessing of Thanksgiving and Christmas and the meaning we pull from them are amazing, but... In my job, this is the busiest time of the year. It is amazing how many people actually die during this time of year, a lot. From natural death to suicides, and then of course what we have experienced in the Law Enforcement community this year has been nothing short of absolutely horrific! On a personal level, for those of us who struggle with a food addiction, the holidays are like forcing an alcoholic into a bar and all the drinks are on the house!!! I knew that going into this season was going to be difficult so I decided that instead of setting myself up to fail, telling myself I can not enjoy the season, I would go easy and set an attainable goal. Gain no more then 10 pounds, watch my snacking so it doesn't get out of control and stay away from Fast Food. I decided to enjoy myself at the parties and family functions. So, how did it go???? I was in my Weight Loss Dr.'s office on Monday this week, it had been 2 months, the holidays, and I gained 7.8 pounds, I stayed within my goal. Jan. 1st was the day I would ramp back up, watching my cal. intake and getting my exercise back on track. Since then I lost 2 pounds again and I feel good about myself. It won't be long and I will be back to where I was with 20 pounds to go to my goal!

I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT

Do I sound excited? I should 'cause I DID IT!!!!! The scale read 238.8 this morning when I steeped on it which means two things, 1) I broke through 240 and 2) I am 1 pound away from having lost 150 pounds! Wow, I feel good. When I saw my doctor Monday I asked him about upping my protein intake because I am so active. Protein is essential to losing weight, If you are not getting enough protein your body goes into starvation mod and actually stores everything it can, I was drinking 90 grams of protein a day and when I was riding I would have to stop and eat a protein bar because I was feeling sick. Not a low sugar sick but a lack of protein sick and as soon as I ate it I would feel better. This week I am drinking 120 grams of protein, i have not had to stop and eat a protein bar, I feel better and I broke the 240 mark. If your trying to lose look at the amount of protein you are taking in. The Costco brand ready made protein drink in great. 11 oz of drink, 30 grams of protein with only 160 calories, low fat and low sugar, they are great! Well, only 18.8 pounds to me goal, come on 220!!!!!!

Today is a New Day

Psalm 139 says that every day ordained for me was written in His Book before one of them came to be. This means that today is an ordained day, it has been set aside before it ever started so it is going to be a great day. Everything that happens to us is all relative to how we see it. Really, is it a bad day because bad things have happened, or is it an ordained day. It doesn't mean that what is happening isn't bad because bad things do happen but how I look at those bad things in the light of today itself being ordained will help me cope and live through that bad thing. I think Paul said it will when he wrote, "I am convinced that there is absolutely nothing that can separate me from the love of Christ." When I got on the scale today I really didn't expect what I saw. I was letting discouragement lead me and it almost kept me from stepping on. I was expecting 245, 247 somewhere in that neighborhood, what I saw was 242. Discouragement was telling me that I had lost ground and I was letting it lead me, BUT, today is ordained. I believe that God gave me a glimpse. I have not broken 240, not yet, but the glimpse I saw, latter confirmed while doing my devotions was that I have to choose my out look. I can be lead by discouragement or I can see my ordained day ad see it as a great day. Discouragement would have kept me from seeing what God wanted me to see, discouragement would have kept me believing that I can't do it. Discouragement would have stopped my progress today. But today has been ordained for me, today has been set before it has even started and today I have a choice. To see the day as ordained no matter what happens or be lead by discouragement and miss the opportunity of God. Today is ordained.