Losing it

Hey thanks, I will have to check that out. I don't know if I could only wash my hair twice a week though, my hair is the type that gets greasy really fast. I have to wash it every day or two at the latest.

Losing weight is a pain in the butt :p And it literally can be a pain in the butt if you work it right, lol. We'll eventually get there, so just hang tight!
 
The problem with greasy hair (and skin for that matter) is that it gets to be a bit of a vicious circle. Hair gets greasy, so we wash it more, scalp gets dried out from the washing so produces more oil to compensate, so we wash even more and maybe use harsher products, scalp gets even more dried out so produces more oil ..... and so on. The trick is to find products that work with your hair and scalp, and keep it in balance with the minimum amount of washing. It took me over a year of experimenting to get it right, and in that time I suffered from greasy hair, dry hair, itchy scalp, best not to even go there really!! But there's no way I could wash my hair daily even if it would tolerate it. It's so thick it takes 6 - 8 hours to dry.

Anyway, back to weight loss. The scales have been doing weird things this week. On Saturday, they said 149. Saturday was a bit of a "pig out" day for me - I went over my quota by 114 calories, which is pretty much unheard of unless I'm taking a rest day. On Sunday, Monday and today, they've said 147. Naturally, I'm very pleased about this, but I don't get it. I keep thinking it's a temporary blip, and they'll go back up tomorrow, but they haven't done so far. I'm sure they'll go back up tomorrow, otherwise I'll be showing nearly a 3lb weight loss for this week, which is really a bit more than I should be losing. Like twice as much.

The trouble is, I can see the difficulties people get into. They start losing weight, and do pretty well really, start losing 2 - 3lb a week instead of the 1.5lb they know is sustainable. So they think, "I really should eat more to stop this unsustainable weight loss. It isn't healthy to lose that much weight, and I know I'll plateau much sooner if I let this carry on. Oh, but look at all the weight I've lost. Look at how quickly I'm losing it. If it carries on like this, I'll be at my goal weight in no time. Just think, I could easily reach my goal weight before that wedding I have to go to in August. It's not sustainable, I know it isn't sustainable. I really should eat more. But ..... Oh, well. Just one more week. I'll see what happens then." What is it about weddings, August and weightloss?

Anyway, I'm having my rest day today this week instead of tomorrow, and I'm starting to find it really hard not to exercise. L wanted to go to the gym this morning to do resistance training, and she hates going on her own, so I said I'd go and keep her company. I had to make sure I wore totally unsuitable clothes and shoes for working out, or I wouldn't have been able to resist. And I've kept looking at my bike today and thinking, "Oh, I could just ....." Tomorrow, we're doing a 12 mile cycle ride, with a stop for lunch at a pub we like the look of.

I found out yesterday that I could start cycling to work sooner than I expected. For my first 2 or 3 weeks, I'm going to be based at the training centre, which is too far to cycle, so I was going to just take the car, and start cycling when I'm fully trained and move to my permanent base at the depot. (Actually, my plan was to start cycling 45 minutes twice a day from now, pretty much, to get me in practice before I start having to do it.) Well, apparently, after the first day, where we all have to meet at the training centre, I'll be able to get a bus from the depot to the training centre, which will keep the fuel costs down. The only trouble is, I really don't want to drive to the depot - ever - because I'll realise how quick it is compared to cycling, and I'll start thinking how much time I could save if I drove. So, I might be cycling from next week. Of course, I haven't got my new bike yet, but that's a minor detail. And I also haven't cycled to the depot yet to check that I'm fit enough to do it. Another minor detail. I shall do that on Friday.

Life's just so full of these irritating minor details.
 
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Yeah about the hair thing, that does make a lot of sense. I'll have to test out diff things and see what works.

About the 3 lb loss, that's actually not bad. Losing 1-2 pounds a week is perfectly fine and if you so happen to get a 3 pounder every so often it won't harm you. Trying to lose a lot of weight every week is what's not sustainable, but you're losing your weight at a good rate and so don't worry about it. As long as you're eating enough calories for your height, weight, activity level, etc. then you'll be fine.

Good luck with getting your bike. Even if you have to drive to work at first and realize how much time you save, if you really want to lose the weight (which it sounds like you're very motivated and consitent) then you'll start cycling to work anyways. Don't think about the negative of the situation, just think that as soon as you get your bike then you can cycle to work but if you need to drive to work for a week first that's ok, that doesn't mean you won't start to cycle after.
 
I've been too long away from my diary again. The more things that are happening in my life, the less time I have to write, and the more I have to write about when I do finally get back to it.

Yesterday was another good update day. My average weight for the week was 147.3lb, which is the nearly 3lb loss I was expecting. I expect to lose a lot less this week because it's my TOM, and I'm starting my new job, so my diet might be a bit all over the place until I get myself sorted out and know what's going on. I've also lost another half an inch off my waist, and half an inch off my thighs and calves. (That's the first I've lost off my calves. Hopefully, by next winter, those long boots I bought last year that were always a bit tight will fit me comfortably.)

On Thursday, I did running properly on the treadmill for the first time. (I'm not sure if I mentioned that I tried running on it near the beginning of my exercise program and the best I could do was 1 minute at a time at 5mph.) Thursday, I did my resistance training, then got on the treadmill, set it for 30 minutes and alternated 2 minutes each of walk 4mph/run 5.5mph. The last 30 seconds of running were really hard, and the hard bit started getting earlier and earlier each time, but 2 minutes was enough time to recover, and I was really pleased with myself when I finished. I plan to keep the same intervals at first, and gradually increase the running speed until I'm at 6mph. Then I shall make the running intervals longer and the walking shorter until I'm running all the time. Once I get that far, I'll be running 3 miles in half an hour, which I'll be really pleased with. The only problems are I'm not quite sure yet where I'm going to fit it in (see below!) and running really makes my legs hurt afterwards. I'll get over the sore muscles stage, and it doesn't seem to be affecting my cycling, but it isn't very nice at the moment.

Yesterday evening, I ordered my new bike, which should be ready for me to collect tomorrow!!! That's really exciting, and if the promised rain manages to hold off until the afternoon, I'll be able to ride it home. (I'm not going to ride in the rain by choice.) I've got a luggage rack with a clip on bag that will be useful because I can just unclip it when I get to work and use it as my normal bag, and I picked some very bright lights and managed to get a free trip computer out of them. L also insisted that I get a helmet since I'll be riding a lot. Personally I hate the things and swore I'd never be seen dead in one, but I can't take risks with myself as long as my little boy needs me. Anyway, the helmet isn't too bad, and at least when I'm wearing it I won't have to look at it.

So, as of next week, I'll be cycling 20 miles a day. Oh, that's what I forgot. During the day yesterday, I did the ride to my new work on my mountain bike, and it took me 53 minutes there and just over an hour on the way back, and it was 10 miles, not the 9 I had thought it was. The time was good, and I should be able to get it down to 45 minutes pretty easily, which is what I was aiming for. (I could probably even get it down to 45 minutes on my mountain bike, but that wouldn't have been practical because the chain is still falling off occasionally.) So, 20 miles a day, 5 days a week is a total of 100 miles a week. I'm going to manage to fit in the running somewhere because I want to be able to run, but I'm not quite sure where yet!

And today, I'm going to go for a last ride on my mountain bike with no helmet :D
 
Hey Alibran - It looks like you're doing FANTASTIC with that 3 pound loss and all that exercising!!

Hope you have a great weekend :)
 
All I can say is wow! 20 miles a day for cycling, that's nuts, but at least you know you're for sure getting that cardio done!!! And I agree that a helmet is a very good idea. There's no telling what can happen, especially when you're going to be cycling that often!

Good job on the running. I can't run worth crap but I do plan on starting at some point, maybe after my UBC program.

Good luck with everything! With all that cycling and everything you're going to be doing, you'll definately hit your weight/fitness goals for sure!

Oh and by the way, congrats on the weight and inches lost!
 
And another week goes by. I have got an excuse this time. I didn't realise quite how tired I'd be working for the first time in nearly 5 months. I've managed to fit in eating and some exercise, but other than that it's been flop in front of the TV and sleep. Hopefully, I'll have more energy next week.

The job is going OK. I'm suffering more from mental tiredness than anything. The frustrating thing is that I didn't manage to cycle at all in my first week. My bike wasn't ready to collect until Tuesday evening, and by that time I was starting to get tired, and I was going to have to get up at half past five to cycle ..... I had to get up at half past five on Thursday morning anyway because we had to be in Plymouth by nine. So, cycling wise it wasn't a very successful week. I did manage to get out on the new bike on Wednesday after work, and cut 7 minutes off my fastest time on one of my favourite rides (and that was having already done it once at a slower pace with L), so I'm pleased with the bike. I did 16 miles on it today, and a lot of that was round the lanes, which tend to be much steeper than the main roads, and got back feeling tired, but not exhausted.

I went to the gym on Tuesday and Friday evenings. On Tuesday I had my first try at HIIT, which was interesting. The highest I saw my heart rate was 172, but that was about 15 seconds after I'd stopped running because it took the treadmill that long to register it, so I guess it went to at least 177, which is 95% of my max heart rate. I'm not sure that I want to do it again in a hurry. I mean, I didn't enjoy it, but I did get a feeling of satisfaction afterwards ..... after I'd stopped feeling sick. I'd rather stick to "lighter" interval training, so I shall save HIIT for days when I'm really short of time! I've also been doing my normal running again. I did the 32 minutes of alternating 2 mins 4mph/2 mins 5.5mph again yesterday evening, and it went really well. I felt as if I could have run for longer - I think I've got my breathing sorted now - but I'm going to increase the speed first. I want to get to 6mph running speed before I increase the running intervals. Then, when I manage to run the whole time, I'll be running 3 miles in 30 minutes. (I might have already said that.) I'll be running again tomorrow when I do my resistance training - I'm trying to keep that at 3 times a week - so I shall set the running speed at 5.75mph.

Sam went back to the vet for another blood test on Thursday, and the news isn't very good. The enzymes in his liver are even more raised now, so he has to go back next week for a liver function test, which is 2 blood tests about 2 hours apart, with a meal in between. Poor baby. He's been terrified of the vet's since his last blood test, when they took him away to do it. On Thursday, I insisted that I stayed with him, and he didn't take his eyes off me the whole time. I'm trying to work out how I can go with him next week, but it's going to be difficult to sort things out around work.

Since work was so tiring last week, I've decided I'll cycle on 3 days next week. Probably Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, so I can go to the gym with L on the other evenings. Otherwise, if I aim to cycle every day, and I find I'm too tired, I'll feel really disappointed in myself.

I found last week very hard because I didn't manage to get in the amount of exercise I wanted. L's worried that I'm showing signs of anorexia because I'm becoming so "obsessive" about exercise - I only suggested I could try standing on the bus when one of the others was driving, so my muscles were constantly working to balance me - even though I'm still overweight and I really love my food. Personally I don't think I'm getting obsessive, and since L's suffered from eating disorders in the past, I think she imagines them where there isn't a problem. The main thing is, I really enjoy exercise. When I was running yesterday, I was actually enjoying it while I was doing it, and that's something that's only happened with cycling before.

I'm enjoying my job, I'm enjoying my exercise, and I'm still losing weight - another 1.2lb last week. If we could find out what's wrong with Sam and get him completely healthy again, life would be perfect.
 
So sorry to hear about your dog -- was that from the bad pet food? I was worried like crazy about our Corgi, but the food we give him was never on the recall list.

If you didn't like the "pure" HIIT, you might enjoy the soundtracks from .

I think some people might call me obsessive, too. But sometimes you get in a "groove" and you don't want to screw it up. As long as it's healthy, I don't see anything wrong with that!
 
Hey, I'm also sorry about your dog. I hope everything goes well for the liver function tests.

It's ok that you didn't get in all the exercise that you wanted. Work does take a lot out of you, and especially if it's mental exhaustion. That's what happened to me and it got me in a rut for a long time, at least you didn't let it do that to you!

About the whole obsessed/anorexia thing, as long are you are eating enough calories, then you'll be fine. I think I'm obsessive over this as well. Changing your lifestyle takes a lot of thought and commitment and you want to make sure you do the best you can. So to others who don't have to deal with that kind of thing they might take it as obsessive. I want to exercise everyday, and some days I want to do more than just my cardio kickboxing or resistance training, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm definately not anorexic because of it, I still eat enough (and still not always good food, but that's ok.) So, just maybe explain to L that yes you are focused on this but you are eating the required calories (I'm assuming you are) and to not worry. Sometimes it just takes some explanation and reassurance :)

I hope you'll feel less tired from work and are able to do your cycling more!
 
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