Mystery Gain Monday

Every once in a while you may feel the need to hire this guy to figure out the mystery of the scale creeping up with no explanation.  I’m a bit befuddled this morning by the tick up on the scale, especially since I was under the 1200 cal mark yesterday. It can sure seem like a mystery at times.

323/196.5/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – None

Lunch – Chicken & Onions

Dinner – Hamburger patties, slice of cheese, salad

Snack – Bacon

Calories – Under 1200

Tip Of The Day

This moment will come to any dieter. You get on the scale expecting a nice happy drop only to be punched in the gut with a mystery weight gain. It’s happened to me many times in the last year and It still ticks me off.

In my case, I only ate 1200 calories. It is absolutely impossible for a pound to appear out of thin air with only 1200 calories consumed. So as frustrating as it is to see on the mean evil scale, I know that I didn’t really put on a pound.

Your body is constantly changing the amount of water kept in your system. Evidently today, my body chose to hang on to more than normal. Not sure why as my sodium intake was normal yesterday. Who knows, maybe stress.  The visit to the emergency room might have stressed me a bit (still appears everything will be fine with my sister).

There is also another explanation for the mystery gain. Muscle gain. I’ve been riding the bike for 8 days. I am definitely using muscles that have been unused for years. The more I ride the more those muscles will increase. At the end of the day, it is much better to have muscle than fat, but it can be frustrating on the scale.  You are losing fat but putting on muscle which keeps the scale from moving down giving you the false sense that things are not working.

You are losing weight. It just isn’t showing up on the scale. Don’t get discouraged at these times. This is why you should measure yourself when you start the diet. Even though the scale may not move each week as you lose fat and add muscle, your measurements should decrease.  I’ve never broken out the measuring tape, but this is a tip that many people take advantage of. It can give you peace of mind when the scale isn’t moving.

Just keep in mind that even when doing everything right, sometimes the scale will not move in the direction you want it to move. Most of the time that is nothing more than a change in water retention, but it could also be an increase in muscle if you are working out. Don’t get discouraged when this happens. Just look back over what you ate the day before and if your meal plan was good, then the weight gain isn’t real. Just water so don’t pay attention to it.

Many people suggest weighing once a week to avoid the frustration of daily fluctuations. This comes down to personal preference. I have more good days than bad so I would rather see daily drops than waiting a week but it does open you up to some grumpy days when things don’t move the way you want. 😀

Bike Riding Update

None. Yesterday was my day off. 😛

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

The Grumpy Man

 

Day Off Sunday

I plan to have a wonderful relaxing Sunday with no bike riding. As I stated before, Sunday and Wednesday will be days of rest to give my body a little time to recuperate.

323/195.4/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Tuna fish with bacon and avocado

Lunch – Chicken with onions

Dinner – Hamburger, cheese slice and salad

Snack – String cheese and bacon

Calories – 1300

Bike Update

5 Miles

I decided to experiment with the open road yesterday to see if the wind would be as bad down on street level.

I was quite happy to see that it was not nearly as bad. I was able to ride almost the whole way with no stops. I did stop at one point because my back right where my neck meets my back felt like it was on fire.

I just stopped for a second and rubbed it a bit and headed back on my way. I was not nearly as exhausted when I got back to the apartment so getting the bike up the stairs wasn’t nearly as bad. Instead of almost killing me it only almost caused me to have a stroke. 😀

I’m not a big fan of the road ride because the road is ugly and full of cars but for now I think I will stick to the road until I build up some stamina. Once I am in better shape I can try the levee again.

It is starting to warm up here in the New Orleans metro area so I am going to try to keep my rides to early in the morning before the heat and traffic kick in.

Food prices are getting out of control!!! 😦

The hamburger I usually buy has gone from 6.98 to 8.68 in just a few months.  Green peppers have gone from 2 for a dollar to 1 for 1.44.

All vegetables have been spiraling out of control.  I’m sure gas prices are to blame for a large chunk of the recent food inflation.

I don’t want to politicize this here weight loss blog but I am fed up. We aren’t even out of the last recession and it appears we could be headed into the next one if oil keeps going up.( Yes I know technically we are out of the recession but with almost 10% unemployment and real unemployment much higher, it still feels like we are in a recession)

I’m not going to point fingers. There is plenty of blame to go around to both parties. At this point I hate them all. They did absolutely nothing when oil went to $144.00 and caused the last recession and now they are doing nothing as oil once again heads over $100.00.  The Gulf Moratorium isn’t helping matters.

I am tired of hearing that Republicans are in the pockets of Big Business. It has been clear for the last 8 years that the Democrats are also in the deep pockets of big oil. They both have done nothing to curtail prices. They haven’t even tried to stress conservation practices. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Ethanol is one of the biggest jokes in political history. Causes just as much pollution as gasoline and has the added benefit of causing beef and other products that use corn to skyrocket in price. That was a great government payoff to the corn states.

What is the solution? Heck if I know, this is a Rant not a solution thread. 😛

No Tip Today – Family medical emergency. Everything appears to be fine but I’ve been out of my apartment since this morning so I didn’t have a chance to finish the post..

Back On The Saddle Saturday

This is about how I spent Friday. I was exhausted and totally out of energy.  I said I was going to take 2 of the next 3 days off so I decided to take Friday off. No bike riding. I’ll get back on the saddle later today.

323/195.7/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken and onions

Lunch – Tuna fish with bacon

Dinner – Double burger patties with salad.

Snack – String cheese

Calories – 1300

OMG! The tuna fish was so good compared to those eggs. I have a little bacon left over so I will use that up while the avocados ripen. Yum! So glad I stopped eating those nasty eggs.

I was really feeling run down yesterday.  Probably more than I have in the last year. Could be the diet and exercise or could be I’m about to get sick.  I decided to add a few more calories to the menu. It was probably a little over 1300. I was definitely feeling better in the evening with more calories and no bike for the day.

I would certainly be feeling much better if I could fill a nice mug like this one with steaming hot community dark roast. 😦

Someone remind me why I gave up coffee for Lent at the same time I started exercising when I was already on a restrictive diet. 😀

Oh well only a 1000 days to go before I can fire up the coffee maker. I need to mark the date on my calendar.

Well, I may not be as small as that fellow but I have finally said good-bye to the 40s.

Picked up a pair of size 38 shorts today and I probably could squeeze into a 36 if I had to.

I’m not sure when the last time I was able to fit in a 38. Probably early high school. The bike riding is going to help slim me down more.  I only bought one pair of the 38s because I don’t intend to be here for long.

Wow! Clothes sure are much cheaper for the normal weight crowd. Only $8.00 for a pair of jeans shorts. It is so nice to be able to walk into most stores and find something to wear after 20 years at the big and tall store.

I’ve been going to Ferrara’s Big & Tall in Metairie, Louisiana forever. I’ll give those guys a nice shout out because I went in there last month just to have them measure me for my shirt size and the owner Big Al, gave me two really nice leather jackets of his that he could no longer fit in. Thanks Al.

Tip Of The Day

Hermit Mode

You don’t have to move out into the middle of nowhere like the fellow to the left but I think hermit to semi-hermit mode is very important for a successful diet, especially at the beginning of a diet.

If you are out with friends at a bar drinking beer and eating cheese fries your diet never really started and being around friends drinking beer and eating cheese fries is going to make you miserable. Plus those friends will continue to coax you into having a beer until you finally relent.

Early on, you should stick to your home and skip social engagements at all cost. Not everyone agrees with this step but missing your social life for a finite period of time is well worth the end results.

Going out to dinner with friends is just as bad as bad as going out for drinks. Until you have a full head of steam going, it is sheer folly to head out to dinner with friends. You may be able to have one good night out but the continued temptation can simply be too much for the average person.

This doesn’t mean you need to hide up in your home and board up the windows. It just means you need to limit the number of times you go out. For the last year, I’ve kept it to no more than once or twice a month. Yes it has been boring but I would rather be bored 1 year and drop 126 pounds than go out and still weigh 323.

Use your head. You know which social events you should skip and which ones you can withstand.  Make sure all your friends know about the diet so maybe they will be willing to head to healthier restaurants or have healthier food when you go to a dinner party. Also throw your own dinner party with healthier food.

The main point is that you need to avoid situations with massive temptation. I know It can’t always be done. There are some events you can’t get out of. You just need to muster all your energy and willpower at those times.

If you only go out on rare occasions like me, you can even have a treat from time to time.  My dad is taking me out to lunch for my birthday on Monday and I will eat just like I normally would. I’m not going to pick a salad. I can do that because I haven’t cheated in over a month. So the rare cheat is okay as long as it is rare.

Pick your moments to enjoy your social life but once again, if it is early in your diet you should hunker down in the bunker.

Enough ramblings from me for the day. Happy Dieting and see you guys tomorrow with my latest woes from the bike trail. 😀

The Grumpy Man

TGIF!!!

323/195.8/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Eggs, slice of cheese

Lunch – Chicken with onions and salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty with salad

Snacks – String cheese

Calories – Approximately 1200

The eggs have to go. I can no longer eat them. I’m to the point of tossing my cookies while eating them. I love them if there is tons of cheese with the eggs, but the bites that are nothing but eggs, make me ill.

I got a suggestion from a fatladysingingmysong to switch to tuna and avocados for breakfast. I’m going to check that out. Tuna is going to add a lot more sodium but I’m well below the recommended dosage so I have some room for extra. It sounds tasty and It would be something I know I would enjoy 1000 times more than eggs. Just need to check the budget and the sodium.

Bike Update

I procrastinated until the very last second. I simply could not get motivated today. I was totally exhausted and I was about to fall asleep on the couch when I realized I would have to come here and tell you I took a nap instead of hitting the levee.

I think the nap would have worked out better for me. 😀

Up to the levee I headed with wobbly legs and not much energy but plenty of determination not to let you guys down.

The wind is blowing like crazy. This time the flag wasn’t trying to hide the gale force winds from me. I decided to take a picture of the flag flapping in the wind.  Instead I got this.

WTH??? The stinking pole has the power to hide from cameras. Is the flag pole a vampire?

Well, my picture-taking skills have once again been proven to be at the kindergarten level, but that is neither here nor there.

The wind was blowing pretty hard. At half a mile, I was ready to call it a day but then I realized I would have to come back here and tell you I went 1 mile instead of five. At 1 mile, again I was ready to call it a day but once again I could see your sad faces that I only went 2 miles.

At about 1.5 miles I didn’t care what you guys would think but I didn’t want to give in so I pulled over and took a little nap. 😀

Rejuvenated from my little siesta, I was able to get the full 5 mile ride in. Thanks for pushing me so hard. You guys are mean. 😛

I have decided that I won’t be doing a Saturday distance ride. Until further notice I am only going to ride 5 days a week. So I may ride today or I might not. If I ride today, then I get Saturday and Sunday off to recuperate.

I know I know I know. I am breaking  on of my cardinal rules. I am pushing myself a too hard too fast. Years of inactivity and poor shape can’t be made up in 7 days of riding a bike.

I get that. That is why I canceled the distance ride and I will be taking 2 days off each week. So I am trying to adhere to my own tips. 😀

Do as I say, not as I do. 😀

Tip Of The Day

I have a simple short tip on this glorious Friday. Vitamins. Find a good multi-vitamin and make sure you take it each day. DISCLAIMER – as long as your doctor has told you that you may take vitamins. 😛

Pretty much all diets are somewhat restrictive so you need to make sure you are getting all those necessary vitamins and minerals the body needs to…survive.

A very simple step but not one I paid much attention to in the past. I think I used to buy a bottle of vitamins but I would never actually take them daily. This time I take those suckers every day and have since day 1.

Happy Dieting, have a GREAT WEEKEND, see you tomorrow

The Grumpy Man

Tuckered Out Thursday

Biking Update

What does that look like to you? Sure looks to me like no wind.  I head out on my bike and this time I wait for a bit once I hit the levee to gauge the wind. Nothing not a bit of wind. So off I go.

Along the way I do hit a little headwind but not too bad. This fools me into thinking there will be no wind on the way back. I get to my turnaround spot at  2.5 miles and what happens? Gale force winds in my face.  Where the heck did that come from? How could it be blowing in my face from both directions? This isn’t Candlestick Park. Swirling winds?

About a quarter of the way back my legs were rubber so I pulled over to the side and had a nice impromptu sun bathing break. Just hung out listening to my MP3 player.  After a few songs, I hoped back on the bike and made my way home. As I neared my apartment I see this.

That sneaky little you know what!!! I think the flag was laughing and mocking me. 😀

That is not a real photo. I was too tired to take the real picture, but the darn thing was flapping in the wind as I got back to my apartment. As usual, hauling the bike up the stairs nearly killed me.

Road Marker 290 – 5  miles

323/196.8/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken and onions

Lunch – Big salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty with salad

Snack – String cheese

Once again I skipped eggs. Just didn’t have it in me to eat them. I’ll get back to eggs today. My kitchen was a bit of a mess and I didn’t feel like washing all the darn pots and pans yesterday before breakfast or lunch. All clean now, so I will make some eggs later.

Tip Of The Day

This is a very important step but there are actually people out there that don’t bother with it.

YOU MUST OWN A SCALE AND WEIGH YOURSELF!!!

It is of the utmost importance that you have a scale. How often you chose to weigh yourself can be debated, but to start a diet you must weigh yourself to find out how much work you have.  Once in maintenance after finishing your weight loss program, you should continue to weigh yourself at least once a week to make sure you really are maintaining your weight.

There are some people who dread the scale so much, they refuse to weigh themselves. Well, that solves no problems. You still weigh the same whether you get on the scale or not. You need to confront the problem, not pretend it isn’t a problem by hiding from the scale.

Believe me. I hate the scale. Most mornings I want to take in on my balcony and drop it off the 3rd story. I want to dance with glee as it hits the pavement and explodes, but as much as I hate it, it lets me know what is going on. It lets me know when I might need to tweak things a bit.

BUY A SCALE AND WEIGH YOURSELF. I do it every day. I suggest that you at minimum, weigh yourself once a week to keep an eye out on what is happening.

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

The Grumpy Man