A Yankee in Texas

The first day went very well. I got up took a 5+ mile bike ride, came home made a nice breakfast, took a shower, and started working.

At lunch I made a Tuna Fillet and some Brown Rice. In the afternoon I had a “100 Calorie Pak” of popcorn and for dinner Nicole and I made chicken breasts, brown rice, green beans, and we each had an ear of corn.

I managed to drink over a half gallon of water.  I am trying ease myself off drink so much soda and get closer to drink a gallon or more of water a day.

I took my starting Stats:

Weight: 302.5 pounds

Neck: 18 inches

Chest: 50.5 inches

Waist: 52 inches

My diet may not be perfect, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

– Jeremy

I was reading an article on MSN about “Weight loss Success Stories” and several of the people on their list have had weight loss surgeries. Now I don’t want to seem like I am not happy for these people because I am glad they lost the weight, but I refuse to see them as “success” stories. I mean instead of educating themselves on proper diet and exercise. Then having the will to take control of their lives they simply made a decision to call a surgeon.

I guess if that’s image you want to portray of someone successfully managing their weight so be it, but I would rather people see me lose my weight on the back of a bike and in the kitchen.

– Jeremy

I was poking around on the internet looking for more information about the Honda Rebel 250 and I found a blog by Donald Burger simply titled My Honda Rebel. In his blog Donald keeps a record of every ride he took on his Rebel from the moment he drove it home from the dealer through the first 18 months. I also found this blog particularly interesting since Donald lives in Houston. I think the blog offers a nice insight on not only the Rebel, but learning how to ride and all in Texas.

After finding Donald’s blog I started searching for interesting blogs about motorcycling. One I found that I particularly liked is called Forty Years on Two Wheels. Doug Klassen offers insight in to the world of motorcycling that can only be obtained by decades of “being there and doing it”. One post, entitled “Someday Might Slip By” clicked with me instantly. In the post Doug’s advice is get out there and do it because you never know when the opportunity is going to slip by. It’s a very inspiring post and I will try to think of it anytime I feel lazy.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy poking around these two blogs as much as I did!

– Jeremy

Ok… I have decided that of I want a motorcycle the lazy days of summer are over for me. During the last quarter of 2006 I managed to lose about 35-40 pounds. Then I got injured and repeatedly sick. Long story short is I have managed to put those 35-40 pounds back on. Needless to say I want to take that weight back off. So I think I can kill two birds with one stone. I tend to jump in to things especially hobbies or anything that sounds cool. As an example I bought a 25 foot Sailboat while having no idea how to sail. So I figure if I associate buying the motorcycle with losing weight it will not only provide me with ample time to think over the motorcycle idea and provide motivation for losing weight.

I did something similar when I wanted to buy my new kayak. I was suppose to lose a certain amount of weight before I bought the kayak, but I found a good deal before I lost the weight and I never lost the weight. This time around I am more concerned with losing the weight than getting a good deal. With the kayak I was putting money away each week. This time around however I am going to work on paying off any outstanding debts I have, which really aren’t t00 bad. Once I have everything paid off I will take out a loan for the bike. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but trust me the interest rate on a motorcycle loan is much better than on a credit card.

So my goal is to lose approx 40 pounds in the next 26 weeks, which works out to approx 1.5 pounds a week. I have figured out my basal metabolic rate (BMR) using the Harris-Benedict equation. (See the embedded spreadsheet) I also figured in my activity modifier to determine how many calories I need to consume to lose the 1.5 pounds. I will be working on developing some menus and when I have those finished I will post those. On the second sheet of the spreadsheet I figured out how many calories I will be eating at each meal. I will be eating 6 “meals” a day. This practice helps keep your metabolism high and also keeps the urge to snack under control. In the past on similar plans I have tended to have a tough time eating enough calories. It’s hard to eat 3,000 high quality calories in one day. Now 3,000 low quality calories that’s easy.

I will also be drinking a lot of water about a gallon a day to be exact. Why so much water? Several reasons… first when you are properly hydrated your body gives up whatever water it is retaining which is why my first week I will probably lose 6-8 pounds. Second if you aren’t properly hydrated your liver, which converts fat to energy, gets distracted because it has to help your kidneys out. Last but not least it’s hard to workout when you are dehydrated.

Since it’s summer I am planning on doing much of my exercising outside of the gym. I will be riding my bike, lifting some weights at home, walking, playing Frisbee with Nicole, and kayaking. I want to be consistent, but not over do it.

Well that’s a rough sketch of what my plan is… I will be flushing out more details this weekend.
– Jeremy