I’m Still Alive

2017/08/07 at 9:33 pm | Posted in Cycling, Exercise, Health, Life, lifestyle change, Running, weight loss | Comments Off on I’m Still Alive
Tags: cycling, Exercise, running, weight loss

Yes folks, I am in fact still kicking. Since reaching my goal there really hasn’t been much to report. But since I’m here, let’s hop right into it.

In my last post, I had mentioned that my weight had gone up to 231 but later 221 after dropping 10 pounds. Well, I’m back to 235 at the moment and I chalk some of the gain up to having a desk job again and, naturally, age. I’m currently 48 and it’s not as easy to lose weight as you get older (less testosterone and a slower metabolism definitely play a big part).

And if you average it out over 9 years, the time it’s been since I reached my goal, that 35-pound gain is a little under 4 pounds a year or .33 a month to make it look even more miniscule. 

And honestly, I think part of my gain is muscular. Sure my pants size and shirt size have gone up one but other than that, I’m still busy. Here are my stats from this year via Endomondo:

As of yesterday, so far this year I’ve logged 886.29 miles of combined running, walking, and cycling. The numbers inside the circle represent how many workouts you did that month and as you can see, I’m easily hitting 20 or more each month with the exception of February (weather) and April (vacation).

The good thing about these numbers is that the office has a bikeshare program that allows us to check out bikes during lunch and go for a ride. I used them for a bit but have since taken one of my old bikes to the office since the bikeshare bikes aren’t all that great. (Besides, I want to add some personal touches to my bike.) I ride between 3 and 5 a day while at work and they definitely add up, as you can see.

And here I am after Mile 8 during my last Sunday ride, taking a break at the beach:

And this is why I say I think a lot of my gain is muscle. You don’t really see much of a difference in my face as you do in my Progress Photos (unless you count my looking much, much older — and longer hair plus facial hair). Here’s a full-body shot taken recently:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, maybe you can after all. And don’t mind my crazy new pseudo Dave Grohl look. But the point is I’m still active, still doing what I’ve been doing. Oh, and one big switch recently has been abandoning diet sodas once and for all (again). I grew addicted to them once again and decided to drop them cold turkey and replace them with water.

It’s been interesting. I definitely don’t crave them anymore and the times I have tried them, I couldn’t believe how incredibly horrible they tasted (except for Diet Dr. Pepper, which is the only one I’ll have on occasion as a treat). I now get water delivered at home and also drink sparkling water at work as a soda replacement.

So that’s it. I’ve gained some but I’m anything but lazy, especially at the office. As far as events go, I’ll be doing the Long Beach Marathon 5k and bike tour once again this year, my 9th bike tour and 3rd 5k.

Hope you all are doing well!