I created a kind of progress pic. It's not perfect--I should take another one wearing the same clothes and at the same angle and lighting, as it is very reminiscent of deceptive ads that use camera tricks to make it look like people lost more weight than they did--but it is motivating if nothing else. There are a couple saving graces here. I didn't use my first weigh-in for the "before" because my arms are crossed in front of my chest and make me look more frumpy than I am, and I am also wearing a shirt in the second pic that I wasn't wearing a while because it, to be cliche, "makes me look fat" (in contrast my "Let's Get Weird" shirt is in fact one I wear a lot trying to hide my weight). For the numbers, though, that's about a twenty pound difference. I'm happy with that.
I decided maybe a month ago I wanted to take up biking again. Where I live I'm in the position where I'm out in the suburbs but I'm a very short drive away from most places I go. I remembered being in college and since I hate buses and didn't have a car I biked basically everywhere and figured it would be a good idea for me to acquire a bike. I listed one on Amazon just in case that was a little under $100 but I really wanted to get one locally, so I started scouring thrift stores. Couldn't find one. Then I remembered my parents used to cycle so I called my mom to ask if they had any; it turns out my uncle had brought one over.
This led to an interesting and fulfilling repair project. I have been really into repair as praxis lately, patching clothes, fixing things instead of replacing them, etc. I had that problem where I'd sit on the bike and the tire would smoosh, to the point where I literally Googled if I was just too fat to ride a bike (considering my uncle and father are both considerably heavier than me and rode this bike, it was a silly and unduly self-conscious thing to think). The responses I found to this question were all very good, explaining that if it becomes a problem I just need to replace the wheels with ones that had more spokes, and I found that the tires were just old and needed to be replaced. Since I'm at the middle of my pay cycle I opted to only replace the back tire for now, and will replace the front tire Friday. I also cleaned up and oiled the chain, fixed lights onto it, and checked the innertubes for leaks. I also replaced the valve caps and made sure to use the appropriate tire pressure, and finally I had a bike. I did all of this watching YouTube videos and using what little knowledge I gained from my parents in the fifteen minutes we were looking at the bike. I realized that the last time I cycled regularly I didn't do a lot of very basic things; I could adjust the seat and handlebars, but I didn't know how to do things like replace the chain or change a tire.
My parents were kind of weird about it in a way... like my dad asked where I was biking with it and he warned me that it's a mountain bike when I said just general use, shopping, going to the movies, going to the park, etc. I actually never had a road bike before, I've always had mountain bikes, so this is normal to me. I was also relieved that I could still competently ride a bike, since I haven't in almost a decade (this was also a silly thing to believe, considering "it's like riding a bike" is the metaphor for "you're not going to forget how to do this thing). Another side note: I got a helmet based entirely on the fact that it accommodated a ponytail.
The next steps after I get my paycheck are going to be to replace that front tire and get storage on it. They have cool baskets that you can fix to the front of the bike that you can pull off to use as, for instance, a grocery basket. I need to measure the handlebars to make sure it fits, though, because it is after all a mountain bike and not made for that sort of thing.
I went on a weeklong camping trip a couple weeks ago with my girlfriend. I had tried to balance out the fact that she eats a lot of things that I don't, but failed moderately. So there were maybe three or four meals during the trip where I ate stuff I really shouldn't have, and the trip home was a mess, like the next morning after the trip I found I'd gained a lot of water weight. I'd planned one of my DietBets specifically to have a final weigh-in four or five days after this trip thinking I'd lose weight on it, because I was so active and was expecting to eat so well, but that's how it goes I guess. I did manage to eek my way through by using my general water weight removal strategy of cutting carbs and drinking my breakfast shake. Every morning I drink a protein shake made with the following:
- 1 cup coffee
- 1 serving whey protein
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1-2 tablespoons whole coconut butter (I used to use fractionated coconut oil but this tastes so much better)
- 1/3-1/2 teaspoons pine pollen
- A couple squirts stevia extract
- Occasionally I'll add some plain yogurt
I put it in a 28 ounce blender cup and shake it up (the heat of the coffee melts the coconut butter), then add ice to entirely fill the cup and shake some more. Since I go to work very early in the morning I tend to stick it in the fridge, then when I wake up it's nice and cold and most of the ice is melted. Since I add so much ice it stretches it out and makes it very filling. Anyway, I added the coffee for flavor but it's also great for getting rid of excess water weight (of course, you should drink water to make sure the "excess" part of that sentence remains accurate and you're not just dehydrating yourself).
I was worried about the coffee but on days I don't drink this shake I still feel alert, so I'm going to put it in the not-a-problem bin.
Maybe next year for said camping trip (I do intend to go every year for the forseeable future) I will take the ingredients for this shake along. We had a lot of problems making coffee on the grill, though, so maybe instant coffee. In fact, maybe I'll just make my own powdered shake mix with instant coffee.
Anyway, that's about it for now.
Happy Trails,
-- Jackson