I had been in decent shape between commuting to work on my bike and doing family karate a few times a week. I was fat fit.
In February, I had lost all of my winter holiday weight that pushed me up into the 190s, and I was back down to within my normal weight range of 184-188. That's about what I weighed last November when I had a humiliating bonk on a 10-mile mountain bike ride at Fall Moab. I knew I had to make some changes to finish a 100-mile self-supported mountain bike ride in one day.
I changed my eating and exercise behavior. (I guess this is another way of saying "I went on a diet" but going on a diet makes me thinking of eating tasteless food and using infomercial equipment.)
Here's the plan:
- Normal breakfast. Bowl of cereal with fruit.
- Spin ride to work 15 mile route, audiobook.
- Small lunch. Soup or salad.
- Banana or apple before ride home.
- Ride home from work 12-mile route, no bus. Interval bursts twice a week, music.
- Eat anything for dinner, no second helpings.
- No grazing in the evening.*
- Only one dessert a week.*
- No finishing kids' food.
- One longish ride on the weekend. 60-mile road ride or 3-hour mtb ride.
- Karate class 4-5 hours a week.
* These were the two hardest and most important changes for me.
That's it. I don't feel hungry, and if I get food cravings, I delay gratification by thinking how good the next meal is going to be.
I've lost 20 pounds in the last two months. I weigh about 165 pounds. As a point of comparison, when I did Leadville in 2008—the last time I was serious about losing weight and getting into biking shape—I never got below 172 pounds.
Positives
- It's much easier to ride up hills.
- I should be able to do the White Rim Trail without bonking.
- If you're in good shape, you're immortal.
Negatives
- I like eating donuts whenever I want, and I feel deprived if I can't.
- I seem to have more lines in my face and neck.
- Moobs are less humiliating when the rest of your body is fat.
- I sometimes miss the feeling that I can eat whatever I want whenever I want because I exercise a lot and don't mind being 15-20 pounds overweight.
Coming up next: RAWROD Report in May
