Weight loss strategy.. haha

I my last post I discussed how I was involved in an RTA. I wont rewrite the events, hunt around if you want to read them, but the net effect of the accident was 14 weeks off the bike, 36 pounds in weight gain and the cardiovascular output of an earthworm.

So I went from a lithe 142 pounds to a pant tightening 177 pounds. I thought it would be worthwhile describing how it feels to be a skinny bloke in a fat body.

Awful, it feels awful. I went from people saying “ you look slim” or “ you look skinny” to “hmm that is a belly” or “ you look stocky”.

Truth is even at 141 and 5’9” I still had no six pack, I was lean but not superduper Bruce Lee lean. Functionally at 141 I was a mountain goat, very handy living in the Grampians. The effect of the weight was to retard my hill climbing by a painful chest bursting amount.

So I needed to lose the extra poundage. But how?

Now dont get me wrong I am not a fad dieter or a starver. I spent years cycling to build good thighs and I don’t want to crash diet and lose the muscle.

So i decided to ride it off. 3300 calories a pound, so I just need to start cycling. I did so and found that the broken elbows might have healed but they didn’t work as well as previously. Riding the drops revealed that my arms are now different lengths, that the triceps hurt like hell most of the time and that getting fit was going to hurt. But I do like a little pain ;)

I set about cycling, January 668 miles, February 553, March 698, April 682, May 829, June estimate 880. Did it work, hmm, unfortunately my appetite has risen, my legs are perpetually tired and I am a moody discordant individual. But yes the net effect is I weigh 162 pounds, 15 pounds of fat dropped. I can see the mountain goat returning more steady than fast. The data, I am anal about data, says Jan 25k calories burned, Feb 16k, Mar 20k, Apr 20k, May 25k, and Jun 25k. Success yes but I long for the day when I can again ride 100 miles on oxygen, 3 bananas and a few litres of electrolyte, come home eat dinner and go out for another 20 mile cruise with the CTC. It will come, but no point rushing, another 6 months and I should be another 15 pounds lighter with little or no muscle loss. 147 pounds would be a great Christmas present.

I am motivated and habitual, I just need to remember to take it steady and that is the hard part.. I don’t do steady or should I say I didn’t, the crash and the events after changed my thinking. Now I can do steady I just have to want to.