Weight Loss 10

I saw one of the Bridget Jones movies, today [again]. They're fun movies, and it always blows my mind how Renee Zellweger managed to gain thirty pounds, and then lose it, more than once . . . successfully.

Yes, I know she has professional everythings helping her along, but there has to be a way that I can lose my fifteen pounds. Oh, wait! There is!

It's called my ten hour rule. I must ride ten hours a week. I haven't been doing that, but I've had good weight weeks when I hit at least eight hours. I haven't ridden this week - my week starts on Monday - so I have some catching up to do. I've been splitting wood for the last couple days, and tomorrow is another wood day. Yes, winter will be here and I want dry, perfect little cuts of wood for my stove.

I plan to start riding on Friday, again. I'm going to put in a long mountain bike ride. I might even ride to Michigan Tech and do a ride there. With the return trip, I could be out four hours. I better pack a lunch for the ride home.

Spring Training is Here

I woke up this morning with one thing in mind: long ride. I wanted to do a moderate ride for about three hours. I had three goals in mind:
1. Average about 15 mph
2. Maintain an efficient pedal stroke
3. Ride for three hours

I ate a healthy breakfast:
* Malt-O-Meal
* Yogurt with raspberries, vanilla, and chocolate chips
* Grapefruit
* 2 slices of toast
* Water

It took me longer than expected to get my lazy butt out the door, so I had a salad:
* Leaf lettuce
* Tomato
* Croutons
* Homemade French dressing

I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut it in two, wrapped the halves, filled two water bottles with Heed and left.

I didn't meet the first goal. I took it fairly easy starting out. I maintained a speed of about 17 to 18 mph for the first hour. After the first hour, I unwrapped one half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and washed it down with some Heed. I continued out of town and headed in the direction of the next town four miles away, according to the sign.

I geared down and began climbing. I knew it couldn't be far before I reached the top of the hill. I continued to climb. I concentrated on my pedaling and was afforded the luxury of being able to shift up twice and increase my speed. The hill wasn't ending, though. I finally reached the next town and realized I was still climbing. Four miles of climbing. Fortunately, I still felt good.

I decided to make the descent northward. Oh, yes. A descent. It was a long descent. I rode through two more towns, drank some Heed, and turned around to face my next climb. By the time I got to Calumet, I took out the other half of my sandwich and washed it down with some more Heed. Most of it was downhill from there. I proceeded to ride, but the sun hid and the wind picked up. It was cold. I rode into the wind until I reached the bottom of the hill. What I fail to tell myself every time is that this homestretch is also all uphill.

I did meet the second goal. I maintained a proper pedal stroke and it became second nature after climbing a couple of hills. The reason why I chose to pay attention to this is because I have a tendency to point my toes down when I get tired. I think the proper stroke was one of the reasons why my climbing was so good today. So, even though I didn't meet my mph goal, I had a very good ride.

After three hours and thirteen minutes, succeeding with my third goal, I reached home with 41.6 miles under my belt. My mileage averaged about 13 mph, which is actually quite respectable considering how many Keweenaw hills I chose to ride.

I walked in the house, had a tall glass of Ovaltine, did part of my yoga routine, and took a shower. I felt a little weak in the shower. I rushed through it so I could eat dinner. For my post-ride meal, the following was on the menu:
* Spaghetti with olive oil and spices mixed with a MorningStar Farms Chik Patty cut up
* Caesar salad with tomatoes
* Water
* Glass of Breckenridge Avalanche

Cyclists do long rides because they recognize the importance of endurance training. Riding slow and long can make you faster when combined with other training techniques. Another reason why I like long rides is that they help me meet my weight loss goal.

Looking at the details of this post, you will see that I've taken in a lot of calories. My breakfast alone equaled half the calories I should take in on a sedentary day. A long ride requires a lot of calories, though! According to Bicycling.com, I burned 2,023 calories - over 800 calories more than I should on a sedentary day*.

Ideally, I would have ridden my bike two hours after breakfast. My lallygagging made it necessary to consume another quick meal before I headed out the door. Normally, I wouldn't choose a salad for a pre-ride meal, either.

I am not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I have to work after class, so I am planning to drive to work, then bike to school and back. This way, I can drive home at night when I get out of work. If it's raining, I won't ride because it's too cold right now. However, I do feel a light ride like the one I have planned will do me a lot of good after this endurance ride.

* I base my caloric need on the Weight Watchers Points program. According to Weight Watchers, about 23 POINTS is what I should shoot for to lose weight. Each point is equal to about 50 calories (23 POINTS x 50 calories = 1,150 calories per day), and adjustments are made for fiber and fat content. More fiber = more food. Exercise also allows you to eat more food. So, no, I'm not starving . . . and yes, Weight Watchers works great. I lost 25 pounds on the program and kept it off using the program as a guideline.

Protein-Packed Quinoa

I have a box of quinoa that has been sitting in my cupboard for three years. I bought it because I read that it was good for you. I never opened it . . . until the other day. I was in the mood for chicken noodle soup. The only problem I have with chicken noodle soup is that it is so watery without enough substance to it. Of course, you have to add water to condensed soup, so my solution was not to cut back on the water, but add something to it. I thought the quinoa would be a great choice, and I was right! What I didn’t know was how beneficial the quinoa could be to me as a cyclist.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal – it is much like cereal grains except it isn’t a grass – from South America. It is of great value to cyclists because it is high in protein (about 5 grams per serving) and is a rich source in amino acids – it contains all the essential amino acids. This makes it a great post-ride food that can be readily available - cooked quinoa stores quite well in the refrigerator. It is also a gem for those trying to lose weight, especially while maintaining muscle mass.

The million dollar question for most of us is, “What do you do with it?” It is not something that is found in most American kitchens and some of us lack the creativity necessary to create delicious quinoa dishes because we don’t know how to tap into our inner chef. It’s a good thing we have the Internet!


Adding quinoa to soup is a great way to make a filling and complete meal.

My creativity stopped at chicken noodle soup. Adding quinoa made it an excellent, filling, post-ride meal. It doesn’t stop there:
• Treat it like rice. Make a pilaf.
• Have it for breakfast with fruit, honey, and almonds.
• Use it as breakfast porridge.
• Make soup with it.

To learn more about quinoa and find great recipes, use the following links:
Wikipedia: Quinoa
NPR: Kitchen Window – Quinoa: A Sacred, Super Crop
Epicurious: Quinoa Search Results

Tea and Weight Loss

For many of us, spring is equated with weight loss. It is time to get rid of that winter weight, but how?

In theory, it is an easy concept: burn more calories than you take in. Putting this into practice is a different story, however. Our metabolisms are as individual as we are. Our physical compositions – muscle versus fat, endocrine function, and sex are just a few of the many factors that can affect weight loss. Sometimes, we just need to examine our lives to see what works for us.

Throughout our lives, we have heard that we should drink eight glasses of water per day. This amount changes from study to study and when considered with other foods, such as juice and milk. Getting plenty of fluids is the one rule of weight loss that seems to be what everyone can agree on. I inadvertently put this rule into practice this last month. I’ve always drank a lot of water when working out. Hard exercise makes me crave water. However, I can’t stand water when I’m sick and my throat is sore. Water makes it feel raw. I had the displeasure of working around this problem earlier this month when I had tonsillitis, and again this week with a bad cold complete with sinus problems.

Tonsillitis: Blessing In Disguise?

I spent six days resting and drinking plenty of fluids during my first and only bout of tonsillitis. I had a sore throat from day one and went to the store to buy a variety of herbal teas to ease the pain. For a week, I rested and drank tea all day. I drank at least six to ten glasses per day and my appetite lessened due to the pain. For two days, my diet consisted of soup (no solid food) and a little ice cream. After those two days, I began eating solid food out of desperation, but my throat was still sore. I chewed my food more thoroughly than I ever have and I had to prepare myself to swallow, since swallowing saliva alone was even painful. I lost five pounds that week – and kept it off.


Drinking different herbal teas may help alleviate or shorten cold symptoms. It is a great way to get the fluids necessary for fighting illness.

One Doozy of a Cold Virus
I got a slight sore throat the day after Easter. It turned into a horrible cold by Wednesday. I’m still fighting this cold and I’m fighting it with tea, once again. Unlike with the tonsillitis, I am eating solid food, and loving it. My diet consists of yogurt with fruit; spaghetti topped with pesto, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese; salads with homemade dressing; eggs (it is the week of Easter); and dark chocolate. I’ve lost three pounds so far this week, and that is without exercise. The only thing I can think of, other than eating well, is the tea. I’m drinking a lot of tea throughout the day while getting plenty of rest.

Tea and Weight Loss

There are studies showing that various types of tea are linked with weight loss, and some studies discrediting the aforementioned studies. My theory is based on personal experience: instead of searching my kitchen for in-between-meal goodies, I am filling up my tea cup and mindlessly sipping it in front of the TV. We’ve all heard that mindless munching in front of the television causes increased caloric intake. However, mindless tea-sipping is calorie free. Rather than loading on the calories, it is a major source of water. If you drink herbal teas, like I do, it may also ease your sore throat, boost your immune system with echinacea, or ease you into bedtime with calming chamomile.

Incorporating It into Your Day

If you are like me, you have a tendency towards laziness. If something is not convenient, you won’t do it. Warming up a glass of water in the microwave each time you want tea can be that extra step you don’t really want to deal with, especially when you do it about eight times a day. I’ve simplified this so that I also have hot water waiting for me. I run hot water through my coffee pot and let the burner keep the water hot as I drink through a few tea bags.


If you don’t have a tea kettle, a coffee pot is a great way to quickly warm up enough water for several cups of tea.

Eco-friendly note: In an attempt to be more eco-friendly, I am going to start pouring the water into an insulated carafe and unplug the coffee pot to save energy.

Successful weight loss is easier by making one change at a time. Fluid intake is extremely important to weight loss and drinking tea is a great way to increase it.

2008 Goals

The sky is blue, the pines are green, the snow is still here. To those inexperienced with life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, one might think it is still winter. Look closer, and one will see that it is over 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the snow is sliding off the roof.


A good sign of the spring thaw, icicles forming as the snow melts off of the roof.

Many of us have already started riding. All we need is a cleared off road and sunny sky to motivate us. With spring in the air, many of us are thinking about the dreaded “T” word - training. Ok, this early in the year, most of us are enthusiastic about the “T” word, and we’re very much looking forward to it.

This is the time of the year when we map out our goals and decide how we are going to meet them. I had already verbalized my goals for 2008 by the end of last year’s cyclocross season. I started out with the bigger goals, then I moved onto the little goals that will help me get there.

My Cycling Goals For 2008

• Podium finishes for all my races in my age group; first place age group finishes for the Keweenaw Chain Drive, Great Deer Chase, and Fat Tire Festival
• Lose fifteen pounds
• Become a stronger climber
• Use the bicycle as my primary mode of transportation
• Include cross-training to balance it all out

Race Finishes

I had podium finishes for all of my races last year except for Ore to Shore, when I took seventh. It is difficult to improve when your goals are the same as your results from the previous year, so instead of stating “I want a podium finish for all of my races,” I raised the bar to achieve first place in all the races I previously placed in. Realistically, I may not achieve the second part of this goal this year, so it’s a great goal to carry over to next year. I am certainly off to a good start.

Lose Weight

Last year, my goal was to lose twenty pounds, and I did it! I gained five back after about a week, and I gained ten more while on antibiotics this winter. I’ve lost the antibiotic weight already, so I’m still down fifteen pounds. In a nutshell, I am at my 2007 cycling weight.

My goal for 2008 is to lose an additional fifteen pounds. My goal was originally twenty pounds, but I feel fifteen is a much more realistic weight loss goal. I currently weigh 170 pounds, and my body loves this weight. Fifteen pounds would bring me down to 155, a weight I haven’t been for over ten years.

Losing this excess weight will do a lot for my cycling. This has been my greatest motivator. I’ve found that putting in at least eight hours a week on the bike helps me to easily achieve weight loss.

Become a Stronger Climber

Most places are fairly flat with some hills thrown in. The Keweenaw is the opposite: many hills with a few flats here and there. It is difficult to find a flat section of road to train on. For this reason, most of the cyclists in my area are very good. Even the mediocre cyclists are good by other people’s standards. We get a hill workout every time we ride. How we use those hills is what separates us.

This year, I plan to tackle the most difficult hills with enthusiasm and gratitude.

Commute

With rising gas prices and my goals of become a better, stronger rider, it makes perfectly good sense to ride my bike to work (6 miles) and school (11 miles). School will automatically give me four twenty-two mile road rides per week. With careful planning, I may lengthen that commute a couple times a week.


Even though there is still snow on the ground, the weather is warmer and some have already begun riding to work and school.

Balance My Training Regimen

Cycling alone can help you achieve a muscle imbalance thus setting you up for injury. This winter, I began incorporating a regular yoga routine along with weight training into my week. The yoga promotes muscle balance by maintaining flexibility while minimizing the possibility of pain and injury. I began an upper body weight training program to strengthen the muscles that tighten the most while cycling. I figure that a stronger upper body would minimize the muscle-tightening that is throwing my body out of alignment, because the added strength would minimize the stress (this is my own theory). It also makes climbing easier.

That’s a lot!

It may seem like I have a lot of goals for 2008. However, I really only have one pinnacle goal, while the remaining goals serve as the plan for achieving that goal. It is much easier to achieve the bigger goal in little steps. The best part? I’m making positive lifestyle changes that will benefit me not only physically, but financially as well.