loser

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20150106-sharon.jpg

I lost 60 pounds last year. It would be even more impressive if I hadn't gained 30 pounds last year. 

I lost about ten pounds during the first few months. I was walking almost every day. But I could only walk so much because of the arthritis in my ankle.

I said that when I lost 40 pounds, I would get back on my bike. I had 30 pounds to lose then I hurt my foot and could either sit and gain the weight back or try my bike. I tried the bike and felt so much better. Yes, there is hand pain but only when I am on my bike. The ankle pain would sometimes continue all day and even keep me from sleeping.

I lost more weight. Enough that my clothes fit again. Then they started getting loose. Once I lost 40 pounds, I found many of my clothes too big. I did not need to unbutton my bottoms to take them off. I had some shirts that were a smaller size and I started wearing them. I even found a stash of brand new clothes I could now wear. Most of the new clothes are sleeveless workout shirts but there are a few I can wear now. There are a couple of knit short and knit pants that are OK to wear around the house.

I would love to buy a new wardrobe but don't have the money and hope to lose more weight. I did buy some clothes for work and then had to buy more once those grew too loose. I got some shorts on clearance and a couple pairs of jeans to wear on my days off.

One of the big problems is finding a bra. I don't have the boobs that come with being fat. I found some bras I wore years ago and they worked. They were stretched out some but looked better than sport bras. With machine washing, the underwires twist and poke and break. Now I really new new ones.

I was a little disappointed that no one has noticed or said anything. I saw Bridget in the beginning of December and she noticed. (It probably helped that I was wearing work clothes that fit.) I shouldn't need a pat on the back, but I do. I do not have any "before" photos of me in a full body pose. But I can see it in my face.

december cycling recap

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December biking is the saddest looking month since I began riding in April. I rode 151 miles.

Week 1
Work is taking a toll on my biking. I just don't have the motivation or time to ride more than one loop. I rode 61 miles. 

Week 2
The cold killed my riding this week. I don't have the gear to ride when the temperatures are below 50°. I did reach 2000 miles for the year but only rode 20 miles this week. 

Week 3
The cold eased off and I managed 4 short rides before work. Work leaves me achy and tired. Cycling relieves many of the aches. I rode 40 miles.

Week 4
My work hours changed and I couldn't ride before work. I should have ridden on Christmas but I got lazy. I only managed 2 days of riding, 20 miles.

Week 5
Another short week of riding because of work. Though I did get out and ride on New Year's Day, it doesn't count for my December goals.

Work is really active. I work on my feet and walk a lot. I expected to lose weight with this new activity. I didn't. I tried to eat well at work. I did until the support breakfast. I made the mistake of eating a chocolate chip muffin and couldn't stop the carbs. I only lost 3.8 pounds. I lost 60 pounds this year. 

Year to date: 2080 miles

november cycling recap

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The MUP is still closed. The pipeline work is done but now there is a new development going in and they have it blocked about halfway down the road.

The MUP is still closed. The pipeline work is done but now there is a new development going in and they have it blocked about halfway down the road.

November has 5 Saturdays. I biked to Flatwoods. It was cold and windy. I had planned on doing 2 laps and 30 miles. But then the wind got very strong. At one point, I felt like I was just pedaling to stay upright. I decided not to push it and only did one loop and rode home. The way home was against the wind.

Week 1. I rode my bike everyday. Some days felt like a struggle until I realized I was biking harder than I needed to. Saturday was cold and windy again. I decided to skip Flatwoods and ride north, into the wind. I rode towards Zephyrhills. State Road 54 does not have a dedicated bike lane but the shoulder is wide enough. I only managed 26 miles. Perhaps next week I will go farther and maybe explore some of the developments. I rode 93 miles.

Week 2. Andy decided he wanted to ride bikes after school but before dinner. We went out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday I rode my 820 so I could ride slower. On Thursday, I got my first flat since I started biking again. A long wood screw embedded itself into the rear tire. I was 2 miles from home. I decided to try to replace the tube instead of walk home. It took a while but I finally got it replaced. I couldn't pump enough air into the tire but I hobbled home. I took the wheel to Oliver's. The man said it was still rideable but I could feel it and didn't trust it. It cost me $50 for a tire, 2 tubes (one as a spare) and their labor. They had a heck of a time getting the new tire on my rim. The weather was crappy on Friday but I rode because I wanted the miles. I couldn't ride Saturday because ANdy had Special Olympics Fall Classic bowling in Orlando.I finished with 91 miles.

It's been years since I changed a flat and had to read the directions. Getting the tire off the wheel is the hardest part.

It's been years since I changed a flat and had to read the directions. Getting the tire off the wheel is the hardest part.

Week 3. I began working this week. I had to reduce my biking on the days I worked. Cycling is important to keep riding even though I  am walking a lot more for work. Cycling doesn't hurt and it gets the blood flowing to help heal the aches and pains of walking all day. I rode 87 miles this week.

There is another construction block along my usual route so I switched my route. The road is busier but it doesn't bother me. More cars = less pedestrians.

There is another construction block along my usual route so I switched my route. The road is busier but it doesn't bother me. More cars = less pedestrians.

Week 4. I only rode 3 days this week. It rained twice and I had to work at 6am on Black Friday. Riding helps me forget about the pain of working. I finished the week with 42 miles.

I rode 340 miles this month. I lost 10 pounds.

august cycling recap

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I started the month trying to burn more fat. I used my new Wahoo Tickr with the Wahoo Fitness app on my iPhone. I tried to stay in zone 2 which is supposed to burn more fat. It was relatively easy and I rode a bit longer to make up for the lower speed and less effort. 

The scale didn't move. 

I started riding longer on Saturdays and did not eat back the exercise calories. Still, the scale didn't move.

I felt good about the mileage I was doing but getting frustrated at the lack of weight loss. When the boys started school, I started riding an hour a day. Still the scale didn't move.

Andy & I only did one evening ride. It rains a lot in the summer especially in the evenings. ANd if it doesn't rain, it is usually too hut and humid.

I began to think it was stress keeping the weight on. I am worried about replacing the income that is going to be reduced in September when Ryan turns 16. As much as cycling helps me relax, I still worry the other 23 hours.

With the longer rides, I need to address some problems. My hands tingle all the time. My feet start to tingle at about 50 minutes. I thought about going clip less again. I even tried on my old pair of shimano SPD shoes but they are tight. (My feet spread out when I got pregnant.) I wasn't sure I wanted to back to clip less pedals. I read some things online and asked in Bike Forums. Many cyclists are fans of clip less pedals. Some believe that platform pedals are just as good. I decided to try the Ergon pedals and ordered then from rei. While I waited, I tried riding with my Keen sandals and found them better than my sneakers.

When the Ergon pedals arrived, I was eager to try them out, I went to install them and found them incompatible with my cranks. The Ergon pedals are secured through the back and my cranks are solid. My road bike has holes as do the boys' bikes. I didn't want to go back to the cage pedals because my shoes slip too much. I took off the MTB pedals from Andy's old bike. They have pins which hold the shoe securely to the pedal. I noticed the difference right away. My foot did not slip. I just needed to find the right position because adjusting while pedaling is near impossible. I still get some foot pain if I ride longer than an hour and will look for stiffer soled shoes later.

I got a couple of new bottle cages. I found some nice cages from King Cage that will accommodate the Klean Kanteen insulated bottles.

t need some work done on my bike. I would like to do something about the handlebars. I think the narrower bars would help with the tingling and perhaps some new grips. I also need the chain and cassette replaced. I don't want to be without a bike so I kept thinking about getting my road bike ready. I took it into Oliver's expecting it to need new tires and a tuneup. I was hoping for less than $200. The tech put it on the rack and took a look. The gears are not working and need to be replaced. And if they replace the gears, they have to remove the bar tape which means it needs to replaced. Along with the new tires and a tuneup, the estimate was just under $400! I was not expecting that. I really don't have the extra money to spend on this. I have reduced to lunch time outings to once a week.

The scale seemed to be stuck all month. Then on the last day, I lost 4 pounds. Huh? I think the scale is wonky.

I finished the month riding 296 miles.