Blue Morning

I woke up a few minutes later than normal, right out of a dream. I don't remember what was playing in my head but the blue mood carried over. I felt down as I went through my morning routine, not even knowing why. As I walked to work the mood evaporated.

I've been dreaming more and more lately proving that the cpap machine is still working but little else. I still feel like there's some 'big' thing I should be doing or creating. Anyone up for a ride across Canada?

Today will be a rest day from the trainer, my last two 12km sessions dragged on and on. I have 60 km this month already but am looking forward to that kind of ride less and less. It would be a treat to get outside. I committed to Winter Bike To Work next Friday (the 13th, good thing I'm not superstitious) so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

It's back to the rink again this weekend. The breaks are nice but the weekends where I'm at the rink for 8 hours at this time in the year are getting old. While the executive gears up for another expansion, I've been giving more thought to scaling back to 6 teams. Far less stress over the unknowns and it allows us to offer more.

Losing weight is still a mystery and always will be. I do exactly the same thing 5 days in a row, walk 4 km, ride 12 and eat less than my daily allowed calories. For the first two days I drop a pound and a half, and then gain two over the next day. It's like watching a stock price with about as many factors causing the changes. It gets very discouraging.

• Music to walk by: Colin James - Hearts On Fire 
• Old Steel: 1972 Eddie Merckx Molteni - Kessels (Belgium)

What To Do With A Piece of History

I love the first week of a diet. The weight melts off and skipping food doesn't seem that hard when the results are so positive. It won't last but losing just over 8 lbs. in the last seven days was easy.

The cold we've been having is finally going to break so I'm looking forward to some outdoor riding. Even a few days with warmer temps and no snow would be nice.

Tonight I was invited to a meeting at the FW Gardens about its future use because Northwood is a main tenant. I think it's going to end up as a parking lot for the court house but that's just a guess. Turning it into retail space just doesn't seem realistic when so much of Victoriaville is vacant. Maybe the court house will help revitalize the south core but parking is going to be an issue. Where will Northwood end up if the Gardens is no longer available? I really don't believe we need another venue when we can't fill those that we already have. The Gardens is old but it's home.

Back to Work, Back on Track

After a long break over the holidays it was back to work this morning. With -34 on the dial and 23 kmph winds it was Defcon 5 for clothing, ski goggles et al. Only my legs felt any cold and just as I made the last bit straight into the wind. My back was actually sweating where my packsack made contact so one less layer would have worked.

I have reversed the direction my weight was going over the last five days, sticking to the Lose It app and riding as many kms as I did in all of December, 75.

On boxing day our tv box decided to stop working, Shaw tried online to fix it to no avail. They finally came on January 2nd. The tech tried everything I had already been told to try and then advised me that we needed a new $350 cable box. I said I could always call Tbay.tel and get two for nothing with a new sign up. Some how everything was working five minutes later after "one more try".  The "one more try" included an ipad and some on screen diagnostics that were not even attempted the first time. Oh the wonders of technology, and competition.

The Northwood season has one more weekend of regular season and then playoffs that are stretched out over more than two months. The Robin's Tournament grabs a whole weekend of our ice and Family Day weekend takes another. We have a meeting scheduled for January 19th to try and get some help for next season. I'm just not going to do this on my own any more.

New Year, Same Old Challenges

I've started riding in 2014 this morning after slacking off in December. Final number for 2013 is 5275 km. and I hope to top that by at last 1000 for this year.
Wish me luck as I attempt to get under 200 for the first time in I don't know how long. I'm starting the New Year 55lbs. lighter than last year but have paid the price for not riding enough and eating too much in the last month.

Back to the Grind

After two weeks of eating pretty much whatever I wanted, it was back to the 'Lose It' diet plan Monday. I managed to gain only 3 lbs. in Calgary and have shed that and another 3 already with lots of riding and not much eating. I turned down the crazy this morning and had a big breakfast. It sure was good to go below 230lbs. for the first time in probably 20 years. If you're planning to start a diet here's a suggestion. Make your initial weight something like 255lbs.. When you lose that first 5lbs. it becomes 249lbs.. Then you are halfway to the first 10. You get two bits of motivation very quickly. Helped me immensely. Those middle numbers changing really spur me on to keep going. I hope to see that first number go down sometime in October. A party will follow.

Mike managed to get to Ikea and bring us the correct pieces for the bathroom cabinets. It turns out they messed up the order, not us. Does anyone need stainless steel legs for a double wide tall Lillangen cabinet? Didn't think so. And of course the cabinets are on sale this week.

Another series of flats has plagued Molly this week. Mike has Lisbeth while he's here so I had to get something back on the road. Bonnie's front wheel is at Petrie's and Eyowen is being welded. I finally got a good patch on Molly's front wheel at 10 last night and rode this morning with no issues. It's a good thing I have 4 bikes to choose from.

June saw another 711km on the bikes and I passed 2000km earlier this week. My legs feel very strong, I might just have to sign up for the Caribou Ride in September.

bike art at Cibo
the wall behind is made from various historical buildings

another shot from my turn
on Cullen watch at Cibo

May Miles and Renovations

Despite the snow and torrential rain I put 687 km on the girls in May. It would just be nice to ride and not always be cool but at least the snow is finally gone, he said looking skyward with fingers and toes crossed. I've been piling on the miles during work days and it is helping shed weight, 59 lbs this morning. Only 5 pounds to my first goal weight of 230.

The bathroom and kitchen floors are done after a crazy day where the plan changed three or four times. I was alone at work with all kinds of obstacles including no phones, orders, warranties and shipments piling up around me as I'm trying to talk to the heavily accented installer. Leveling cement won't work we need to put down some plywood, or you could take up old tile. Not right now I can't just do what you have to do. I'll fight it out with Sears when the bill comes in. The painting is ongoing. Hopefully the bathroom will be done by Thursday and the vanity in Friday. Saturday is booked for HNO meetings and Sunday is going to be a much needed day off.

Another Digit

My weigh in this morning showed 55 lbs. lost but what charged me up more is the middle digit going down. It has changed 6 times since January 1 and that puts me within 4 lbs. of the lowest point I got to back in 2008 just before the first conquer Cancer Ride.

I wasn't planning on taking the long way to work with the approaching weather but that number inspired me to risk a damp morning. Molly got the call for a fast 12km.

To all those people sitting in their cars on William Street,  just wanted to let you know that there was absolutely nobody on the bike path as I zipped under the line of cars that stretched from the Health Unit back to the entrance to the college.You could get out and walk faster than that line moves. Might be time to haul that bike out of the basement and pump the tires.

Bonnie It is

The Trek has a name, and a webpage. Bonnie after Bonnie Raitt, a favourite female guitarist who just happens to be a redhead.

Bonnie Raitt

The bathroom renovations are back on hold after a day of activity. Brian has the new fan and wiring all set and inspected. The sheet rock guy came by and checked everything out. I added in a bit of framing in a corner and then insulation and vapour barrier. Now we just have to wait til he gets the water out of his basement and projects back on schedule. Start time is set for Monday.

53 pounds lost as of this morning. I was afraid the long wet weekend without much exercise would put me in reverse on the diet front but I behaved despite everything. Since I'm doing the shopping, (I prefer guerrilla shopping or get in and out as quickly as possible) there are not a lot of tantalizing goodies in the house right now. I grab the basics and run. So even if I succumb to cravings, its crackers and cheese. Lord help me if I ever decide to gather up some ingredients and start baking.

50 Down

This morning's weigh in had me down 50 pounds since January 1. It felt pretty good flashing a first pump at 6:15am. I've been putting on the miles every day this week with 18 km in the morning before work and then another 17 at lunch with intervals at the road inside Chapples golf course. Burning 1200 calories by pedaling makes it easy to live with the restrictions of Lose It.
I decided to make the drive to Calgary in late June rather than fly. It will be cheaper and I can drag a bike with me. Speaking of bikes I found a nice deal on kijiji today. An older Trek 1000 road bike that needs just few tweaks to be a solid ride that will match Mike's bike speed wise. I plan to leave the bike in Calgary so if we fly in the future she will be there. Not sure what she'll be named yet.

No More Edge

I volunteered a couple of evenings for the all Ontario PeeWee Championship this week and I have to say that in the 3 or so years since I've watched the high level 11 and 12 year olds play things have definitely changed. I worked the penalty box, or more correctly I stood at the penalty box and watched the games. In three games I only had to open the gate five times. Not the peewee hockey I remember. No edge to the game, no big hits, no chippiness, no pushing in front of the net to protect the goalie. The little speedy guys dominate the game. The Mississauga team has about ten of them and when they start to cycle in the offensive end they're like a buzz saw. As an administrator I think it's great but it sure is boring to watch at times.

On the diet front I passed the 40 lbs. lost point earlier this week. Now if the snow would just go away...again. I think I can get to my goal of 64 lbs lost easily if I can ride it off.

What Feels Good

having to add a new hole in my belt....on the skinny end

having a grease stain on the right ankle of my work pants

the end of another LMHL hockey season

My weight stopped the free fall it was on just half a pound short of 40lb. lost but then that huge bungee cord snapped me back up. I've been bouncing up and down between 34 and 38lb lost for three weeks. The last three days finally saw some consistent losses but nothing like I was seeing through January and February. Being back on the bikes is helping as I keep adding minutes and miles as my butt gets back to not feeling every bump in the roads. 

Almost Halfway

My goal of dropping 64 pounds is approaching the halfway point, 31.8 so far. I promised the girls in the basement when I lost 30 pounds it would be time for a ride but it's a bit sloppy out there for their steel skin so walking will be my main mode of transport for a bit yet. I'm getting in three 25 minute walks every weekday so by the time I get home for supper I'm at about 150 calories net for the day, supper is pretty much whatever I want but I haven't gone overboard.

Eating out at a restaurant that doesn't have a well publicized menu, therefore not available on the Lose It app makes me guess a bit but I just break down the ingredients and dump them in. The bar scanner is accurate for just about anything you can buy in a grocery store. It's been 8 weeks and I think I will stick to this plan forever, just can't see skipping the few minutes it takes every day to monitor things. I have 17 weeks to get to 230 if I stick to the plan that aims for 2 pounds a week. I can't see the weight continue to drop at the rate it has but once I get back on two wheels who knows, riding at a moderate speed burns more than twice the calories of walking. And it's at least ten time the fun.

Where Did That Come From?

I was taking a walk on my lunch hour yesterday. Some of my cold weather gear was unusable because I hadn't dried it from my morning walk to work so I was a bit colder than normal and heading straight into the wind. Without really thinking about it I started jogging. I never jog, it's just too hard on the knees etc. but off I went for about a half a km. to the far point I had planned.  Not winded or sore, just sort of shaking my head as I turned back to finish the walk. I'm feeling pretty good but jogging, I don't think so. 

Northwood playoffs are going to be a mess. Final spots in the championship will probably be sorted out with a calculator. After 3 complete rounds of the round robin there are 4 of 6 teams tied in first place. The regular season champs haven't won a game and only have one goal so far, and the second place team in the regular season has managed two ties. Brandyn's team has only 2 goals but have three shutouts to give them a share of the top spot. He played his best game of the season on Sunday checking very aggressively, at least for him. We have a two week break before it all wraps up at the end of the month. 

L'homme Avec Sept Maillots Jaunes

Click Here
This video is a very supportive statement on the Lance Armstrong situation when you think about it. It's humour at his expense but really says there is no one to pass on the 7 Tour crowns to, doping was rampant. A clean rider in the peloton was probably as likely as a mountain bike.

Is all this bad press for bike racing going to squash my enthusiasm? Maybe for the tour or watching it but for riding, I don't think so. Other than a few hours on a stationary bike I haven't put butt to saddle all winter. Every trip to the basement has me thinking about getting back on two wheels. For right now walking is working. 2013 me knows that I have to lose weight but biking doesn't have to be the only way. By the time the weather is bike friendly I hope to be down 30 pounds and then two wheels can take me the rest of the way. Right now biking is more of a carrot I'm dangling in front of my self.

20 and Counting

This morning's weigh-in saw me down 20 pounds since January 1st. What's better than the news from the scale is that my clothes are starting to fit much  more comfortably. I've only had a few lapses where cravings had me wandering to the kitchen but I've stuck to 60 calorie pudding, carrots, crackers and 100 calorie bags of popcorn. I'm finally walking at full speed. I really wish the weather would stay a little cooler than this morning. Walking in a wet mist on packed snow that is crumbling underfoot is tough on the hips.

Northwood playoffs kicked off yesterday with the last place team in the regular season dumping the first place squad 4-0. Brandyn's fifth place Leafs team tied 0-0 with the second place team and a 2-1 nailbiter closed the day. This could be the closest playoffs we've ever had.

I finally had some time to go out with my camera and try to take some pictures. Other than a quick run to Mission Marsh without even cracking open the manual and a couple of hockey team pictures it hasn't left the case. I dropped Sal at work and headed out towards highway 130. I was thinking some farmland with the Norwesters in the background as the sun went down might be interesting. But the farther I got the less promising the sun was. It started into some clouds and the western horizon was heavily overcast. I have trouble 'seeing' what's around me. I always wish I was in Banff or somewhere more photogenic than Thunder Bay. I'm strying to train myself to see past the familiarity of everthing and appreciate it. And then the sun goes out an hour before sundown and everything just goes flat. Patience is something I have to learn as well. I took 4 shots in 2-1/2 hours.

Lost It

10.2 pounds in 11 days. I know the first ten are the easiest but it still feels great.

Losing It

After months of heading back towards the dark side of my weight issues I finally decided New Year's would be a great time to get things in order. I found an app that provides a program to 'Lose It.'

You start by putting in your age, weight, goals and how much you want to try and lose each week. The program then calculates a calorie intake that will help get you to your goal. I started with 2163 calories allowed per day and a goal of 2 lbs. per week, the maximum loss the program allows. A database of foods is included or you can enter recipes, ingredients, custom food (Canadian) or scan barcodes with a barcode scanner which I have on the phone. It has been 100% accurate with the packages I've scanned. You also enter any exercise and get extra calories back by burning some.

I started walking a mile on the 1st and have done so daily, getting 3 in yesterday. I normally only weigh myself once a week but the program kept reminding me to enter my weight so I finally gave up and punched in my 1.8 lb loss. When I logged my breakfast it had already reduced my daily allowance by 12 calories and after walking to work I was rewarded with 2 less calorie credits for the same effort. Ouch.

There is a linked website with a lot of other components. Badges for accomplishments, reports, forums and facebook links but the basics are all I'm looking for.   

I know it's only day 4 but I feel better already. Here's a couple of screenshots from my phone.

It's Time

Enough overeating, enough lazing about, enough excuses. It's time to get back to feeling good. Sciatica seems to be on it's way out, hands are no better but no worse either. I need to get more active and lose a bunch of weight, I was much happier and felt so much better before I let it all slide and then conned myself into thinking it was all because of physical ailments. Physical ailments didn't force me to up my intake when I couldn't do some of the things I enjoy to burn calories. Stay tuned, it's going to be an ugly start but drastic measures are in order.  

Arrrrgh! Wait Not Enough rrrrrrrrrrrs

walk:3km (Coldplay X&Y)
cycle:6km
2 pcs. toast w/peanut butter, coffee, beef on bun, diet pepsi, crackers & cheese, banantini, meat loaf, scalloped potatoes

Today was a typical battle at work. All week long shop jobs have been streaming in. Not like they used to when we had 3 shop guys and me doing the scheduling and ordering, but busy for the times. And what do we do this afternoon, we take 3 cars to the scrap yard on Mission Island. No you can't do that work that will make us money you have to stand at the counter and wait for the phone to ring and hope nobody wants anything cause there's no delivery for awhile. And then next week try and explain why nothing is ready. Arrrrrrgh!

Another Make Work Project

walk:3km (Peter Frampton-Frampton)
2 pcs. toast, banana, coffee, chicken stroboli w/salad, iced tea, cheese, lemon square, diet 7up/grapefruit juice, 1oz Famous Grouse

I just went thru a 3 hour ordeal trying to get coaches a records check. There's a website setup so we can invite them and they get a quick $25 return. After numerous emails to set up a league account the invitations were wrong. They came up with a $29 option. The dropdown would not work and they could not tell me what was wrong. I tried the page in explorer and it worked there. I let them know that chrome is not compatable with their site. Then cancelled all the invites, emailed everyone so they knew what was up, redid the invites and sent them again.

I gpsed my walk this morning. Reception from my pocket must have put things off a bit, check out my drunken stagger down Simpson St.

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