This winter is really dragging on. I’ve been finding it very depressing down here in the valley where it has been drizzly and gloomy for about a week. In fact, I’ve only left the house a few times to go to the shops. No rides or walks! I did manage one session on the gym bike, that’s it. There is no excuse for not doing more of that – it is just sat there waiting to be used. I’ve been busy developing some little websites and have prioritised that over my fitness.
Well, the skies are blue today. It is cold, but I must try and get out later on. (I just rang Lisa – we both need to get some shopping so we will go together, probably ‘the long way’ via some whacking great big hill!)
Back to progress… My weight is dropping ever so slowly, just by virtue of reducing the amount of beer that I’m drinking. I am now 14 stone 13.4 pounds (209.4 pounds, 95.0 kg).
The OJ-ometer has picked up another OJ!
The 38 inch belt is still far too tight and you don’t need to see more photos of my gut trying to bust it! I’ll take a picture when it is a comfortable fit, and then another one each time I take it in a notch.
February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Progress Report | No Comments
I’m still feeling very little temptation to cycle outdoors. It was grey earlier and then it started snowing again – aargh! At this rate, my first audax ride of the year in 2.5 weeks time is under threat. (That’s the Mini North-West Passage.)
So, instead, I did another 65 minute session on the exercise bike this afternoon.
I’d forgotten to install the DVD playback software on my laptop so I stuck to listening to music on today’s session.
February 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Exercise | 3 Comments
Same comment as last week – I’m still cutting back on my beer drinking, but I haven’t upped the exercise yet so there is just another small weight loss to report.
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February 1st, 2010 | Posted in Progress Report | No Comments
Well, it couldn’t be put off any longer – I had to get back out on my bike! It had been a long lay-off and I needed to start getting fit again.
The weather down in the valley wasn’t too bad today. Cold, but not bitter, a few sunny intervals. I had intended to do about 25 miles but I’d forgotten to put the new front mech. on the Basso so I wasn’t able to set off when I’d intended to. It took a bit of faffing about to sort that out.
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January 26th, 2010 | Posted in Cycling | 6 Comments
I’m still cutting back on my beer drinking, but I haven’t upped the exercise yet so there is just another small weight loss to report.
I am now 15 stone 0.5 pound (210.5 pounds, 95.5 kg). Overall loss since starting blog is 12.2 pounds (5.5 kg).
No change to the OJ-ometer this week!
I’m going to take a picture of that tape measure round my waist every time I lose a pound below the previous lightest weight. That’s because I aim to make a stop-motion video when I finally hit my target and I want a complete sequence of photos to work from. I have however come up with a more natural way of showing my progress towards the slim waist of old…
I was having a bit of a clear-out the other day and I found an old leather belt that I haven’t been able to wear for years. When I was slim, I had to stop using it because the smallest it would do up to was 34″ and my waist was 32″ then. It has holes at one inch intervals – 34″, 35″, 36″, 37″ and 38″. I’m going to make two more holes at 32″ and 33″. My aim is to be able to wear the belt comfortably at 33″, or maybe even 32″ – without breathing in or making any effort to hold my belly in. The thing is – there is no hiding from whether the belt is comfortable or not. I think that I was subconsciously breathing in when I took some of those old ‘fat belly shots’ with the tape measure. This will be a much stricter test. It will not only encourage me to lose fat off my waist, but also encourage me to do some core strengthening exercises to hold what’s left in!
[PS I forgot to publish this post when I wrote it so I've now done it a few days late. I'll nobble the date to insert it in the right place on the blog though and I'll start taking the 'belt' pictures next week, again probably one per pound lost.]
January 25th, 2010 | Posted in Progress Report | No Comments
The weather was okay today – not too cold and we even had some sunshine. I decided to go for a little stroll with Lisa. Just one of the usual short ones – to Mytholmroyd along the Calder Valley Cycleway and back via Nest Estate and Crow Nest Wood.
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January 23rd, 2010 | Posted in Walking | No Comments
I did another 65 minute session on the exercise bike this afternoon. I stuck to a pretty high cadence and moderate resistance setting. Fairly boring, but effective.
I’ve found my missing DVD playback software and will be installing it soon so that I can do my next gym bike session watching a cycle training DVD that I have been given to review.
I tell you what – in years gone by, at this time of year I’d be looking forward to doing a 2 week cycle training camp in Spain in March. My early spring cycling holiday was the highlight of my year and I miss it. I must start earning a decent living again so I can afford to start the holidays up again. Also – I have a friend who lives in Tenerife. It would be great to take my bike out there and have a go at riding up Mount Teide!
January 20th, 2010 | Posted in Cycling, Exercise | 5 Comments
I’m just giving the new WordPress theme a go. I quite like the change from green to shades of blue – what do you think?
It might take a while to filter out some of the dodgy ads but I am trying folks. Specifically – surgery, pills and fad weight loss ads.
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January 18th, 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
