The big oak (Quercus) needs to drop some dead limbs!

I'm right there with you on the temptation thing. They are everywhere. I'm just trying not gain weight at this point. If I do that I'll be happy. lol! ... and spicy cracker mix sounds delicious.
 
I think I've resigned myself to damage control at this point. I went to see my buddy get awarded his purple heart which was great, but I rode with someone else who wanted to go to the Mexican restaurant afterwards. I had chicken and the charro beans so it could have been worse, but it was still bad.
 
I got sent out of town on short notice. I have no scale and I've been eating poorly, but I've also been busting through brush all day and it got to 91 degrees which is miserably when it was in the 40's when I left yesterday.
 
I was just considering some of your questions about your squat form a bit more when I remembered reading about your sciatica. Although I am a big fan of squats the arch you need for good squat form has a down side for you in that it turns squatting into a dangerous exercise because the arch can cause sciatica so in already suffering from it, I would suggest that you get medical clearance and not to go ATG.
 
Thanks for the advice coach! I've since watched rippetoe's starting strength video and he recommends cutting the depth if rounding is a problem.

As far as sciatica goes, it 's being fat and weak that makes it bad. I had much less trouble from it when I lifted regularly.

I've been doing awful food wise.

I will be working out and counting calories all January without weighing or measuring.

I plan to pick a weight goal that will have a road bike as a reward. Input is appreciated.
 
Welcome back Quercus! I've been feeling very Y chromosome around here of late. :)

As far as the road bike is concerned, when do you want to get it? 9 pounds a month for the next five months or so shouldn't be too unachievable. So 295? 290? Or do you want it sooner like at 310?
 
I've been giving it some thought and I think I have a good idea.

One thought was to make it 50 lbs below my start weight which would be just south of 300 at 299.2.

The other thought was to make it based on inches lost at the belly as that's the better indication of health risk and I can focus on lifting/keeping/gaining muscle mass.

So then I decided to make it whichever comes first. So, 50 lbs or 10 inches get me the road bike. This will take a while, but that's fine it's winter and I need to use my stationary bike to get my conditioning where it needs to be for enjoying the bike fully.

FYI: 50 lbs and 10 inches are roughly 50% of my long term goal. I say roughly because my long term goal is to have a belly measurement below 40", but I don't know what weight that will be for sure.
 
That's a great idea of giving yourself the bike as a reward, Do you have any specific model you're looking at?

How are you finding the christmas/new years party/food so far? :) Managing to stay away from temptations?

Steve
 
Hey Steve! I didn't do well at all with food/drink over the holidays. I'm back on track as of today.

I have no idea what bike. I've never owned a road bike or any bike above walmart grade. Something light with good brakes. I'll probably go with a lower end bike, but not the garbage I've had up until now. I've always had trouble with gearing/shifter, but I'm hoping that's due to the crappy bikes I've owned. I'm considering one with few or 1 gear. Cages not clips and something large enough for me. I'm definitely open to suggestions and recommendations.

Below 2,500 calories today and I worked outside for about an hour and a half. I'll do a few pushups too. Also day one of 31 days without weigh-in or measurement. I need to make good portions and activity a habit on there own without the scale and tape as motivator.
 
Today is day two of being back on track, one month no weigh in or measurements, and of sobriety. I know drinking is terrible for the diet and I drank a lot over my vacation. A month with zero drinks will be a challenge. It should motivate me to be more active and to eat healthier.
 
Hey Quercus, welcome to Thunderdome. I started out last year at about the same weight as you, but with one less inch in height. You can do it, man.

As for bikes, it might be worth going to a bike shop that has a big used inventory and good customer service. Tell them what you want, they can help narrow it down, and if they don't have it, they might be able to find it. I have a Trek mountain bike (4300 model) with road tires on it - not really fast but it's good for rails-to-trails and dirt roads.

Anyway, good luck and check in often!
 
Hi LJ and thanks for the encouragement!

I looked at your bike and it looks nice, but I had something closer to a road bike in mind. I really like the looks of the FX 7.2 disc. There is a Trek dealer in town and I'll go in to see what they have when I get close to my goal.

I ate right at 2,500 calories yesterday. I didn't exercise because I decided to get sick instead. I feel like crap and really wish I was at home instead of at work. Head and chest cold with earache and touchy stomach thrown in for good measure. It's going to be a long day.
 
Nice choice on the road bike as a goal. I picked up my first road bike last year after dropping the winter pounds and it's a lot of fun. Prior to investing in a road bike I picked up a used hybrid which was a good stepping stone and it's still useful to have since it really does allow you to ride on gravel but is still a big step up in the speed department from a mountain bike where you lose a fair amount of power to the suspension.
The road bike definitely takes a bit more getting used to and depending on the handlebar setup the comfort level and overall feeling of stability when riding can be a bit of an issue. I used my hybrid in a triathlon and it was a lot of fun to race people on road bikes although it was also a little demoralizing to get passed so many times.
If you do get the road bike, one thing I read about was getting slightly wider tires (I've been using 25's instead of 23's) as it gives us larger lads a more stable ride and helps avoid pinch flats or wrecking the rims.
 
My late 90s Nishiki got fixed up last year and I rode it a few times, but the saddle soreness really gets to me.
 
Saddle soreness will make me progress slower initially than my lack of fitness. Padded bike shorts help a lot as does the split saddle. I will be using a spin bike to get my butt and body used to it before I get the bike, which will certainly help.

I'm rather sick. It's either a bad cold or a mild flu. I'm hoping it doesn't get worse. I went home from work this morning and slept 6 hours. I ate like a pig when I got up, but I didn't count calories and it's the only meal I've eaten today. Yuck!

This also means that I will be missing my last chance at a deer this weekend as the season is ending. That's an empty deep freeze unless I can get a wild hog or two. Having wild game generally keeps my diet healthier as I cook more often at home and include veggies and such. I have a little venison left from last year and some duck and may get some more from friends. Hopefully I can go crappie fishing, squirrel hunting, and shoot a hog before that's all gone. First I have to stop feeling like crap.
 
Hope you're feeling better soon.

Do you hunt a lot of your own food? Is there any new seasons that open for different animals, or is it just a generic hunting season? (Hunting/Guns etc not allowed here so don't know much)

Steve
 
Thanks for the well wishes. Unfortunately it's 1:40 PM here and I just got out of bed. Feeling pretty cruddy.

Steve, there are hunting seasons for specific animals. Right now is the end of season for duck, goose, and deer. Squirrel is in season for a while longer.

I don't hunt duck or goose, but I have friends that do and they give me duck each year. A lot of them are young guys that like hunting more than eating the game. I don't shoot anything that I won't eat.

I eat a decent amount of wild game. Last year I went through 2 deer, probably 50 ducks, hundreds of fish, a dozen squirrels, and a couple rabbits. I shot one of the deer with a revolver (handgun) and the other was given to me by a friend who hunts more than he eats as were the ducks. The fish were panfish (bream), crappie, catfish, largemouth bass, and some various saltwater fish from one trip to the coast.

I would like to say that I am a biologist and environmentally conscious. If you have the intended omnivorous diet, then eating animals from sustainable populations that you kill and butcher yourself is much more environmentally sound (and healthier) than eating farm raised meat (especially beef). When I lived in Seattle I spend several years as a vegetarian. That diet is difficult to maintain in rural Texas so I try to eat meat responsibly.

Unfortunately, I am not representative of the typical hunter/gun owner in my country.
 
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