The Motorcycle Diary

Schwa

Schwa

New member
Welcome to my motorcycle preparation diary! (Sounds better than weight loss diary, eh?)

STATS
Height: 5’11”
Starting Weight: 330 lb
Goal Weight: 200 lb
Current Weight: 280lb (Updated 7/4/09)

My Goals
GOAL # 1: Reach 200 lb – Goal weight
GOAL # 2: Reach 215 lb – Motorcycle weight. Vroom Vroom! :driving:
GOAL # 3: Reach 230 lb – 100 pounds lost
GOAL # 3: Reach 250 lb – 80 pounds lost
GOAL # 4: Reach 265 lb – My weight in 2002
GOAL # 5: Reach 275 lb - 55 pounds lost
GOAL # 6: Reach 300 lb – 30 pounds lost (Completed 3/30/09)
GOAL # 7: Begin a weight training program (Completed 3/15/09)
GOAL # 8: Maintain a weight training program for 6 months
GOAL # 9: Begin a cardio program (Completed 2/21/09)
GOAL # 10: Maintain a cardio program for 6 months
GOAL # 11: Buy a pair of pants at a NORMAL store!
GOAL # 12: Zip up my motorcycle Jacket!

This diary will chronicle my efforts to get back into what I’m calling “motorcycle shape.” I use to love tooling around town on two wheels but I've since packed on the pounds and I don’t want to hit the road again looking like these guys…

:biggrinjester:

If my long lost twin shows up I guess I’ll make an exception, but until that time I’m committing myself to weight loss.

Historically speaking 200 lb is a great weight for me given my height, my frame and my build, but I figure that I need to get down to 215 lb in order to avoid looking ridiculous on a motorcycle. Should I manage to reach that goal I’ve already promised myself a new Ducati Monster motorcycle… my current dream bike. Fortunately, unlike dream cars most dream bikes are actually realistically affordable. It will be a long road though. Here’s a picture of me in my old motorcycle jacket, and as you can see I’m a long way from even being able to zip that sucker up.



And so it begins… :driving:
 
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It has been a great week on all counts. I lost 7 pounds in total, and while I’m sure that’s mostly water weight I’m very pleased to be that much closer to my goals. On top of that, I feel great! :jump:

I purchased a digital food scale and decided to track my food and drink intake with FitDay. Counting my calories has been very revealing. I learned that if I decided to eat the way I had originally planned for this weight loss attempt I would be eating FAR too few calories. As it stands I averaged about 2300 calories per day this week which might still be too few, but we shall see. I will be adjusting as needed.

I’ve been having what I call a Frankenstein Smoothie for breakfast each morning followed by some Oatmeal when I get to work. My smoothie usually consists of strawberries, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, cucumbers, spinach, soy milk, whey protein powder and some flax seeds. It’s a real monster!

I’m going to shop for a comfortable pair of sneakers this weekend so I can start adding some exercise into my weekly routine.
 
Ug, I hate when I psych myself out.

I did just fine on my calories today but I still managed to feel like I was doing something wrong. My mind kept wandering to concerns of eating too many or too few calories. It's silly really.

I'm sure I'll feel better once I have some weeks and months of success behind me. :ack2: I plan to start my cardio program tomorrow so that will probably help. Woot!
 
Well, I didn't go all out and plan my cardio program today but I did take my dogs to the park and walked a brisk mile or so. I was hoping to take another couple of laps but my dogs were huffing and puffing by that point. But given the way they run around me and chase the ball they probably ran six miles to my one in the same amount of time.

It was a beautiful day here in Virginia and I saw quite a few motorcyclists take to the roads. It was a little depressing not to be out there with them, but it served as a good reminder of just one of many good reasons why I'm changing my lifestyle.

The worst news of the day is that my washing machine broke and no longer spins! I have some sopping wet clothes in the dryer right now and I'm hoping I can get them dry by tomorrow morning. lol, if it's not one thing it's another right?
 
I'm lovin' your story Schwa. Woo Hoo on what you've lost so far!!

I hate days when I get really down on myself, but I have to keep reminding myself that each day is a clean slate.

Congrats on getting your exercise today and walking your dogs. What kind are they?

You should post a pic of your dream bike so we can see it. I had a friend in high school that was always talking about ducati bike. I didn't keep in touch w/ him so I don't know if he ever got it. I can't wait to see pics of you on yours when you reach your goal. Keep up the good work.
 
Hey, great work so far! Starting out is the hardest part but you seem to have a great focus and you know what you want.

Best of luck to you :), I'm sure you'll be back riding before you know it
 
Thanks for the support, guys :biggrinjester:

Jesca - I have a chocolate lab and she's wonderful. The other dog is a weimaraner that belongs to my best friend, but I see her and take care of her so often that I sometimes slip up and refer to her as "my dog."

Per request here's a link to a pic of the bike I have my eye on. Gotta love Italian design. *drool*



In other news, it was another good day today all things being considered. It's been about 8 or 9 days since I changed my eating habits and I have yet to feel like I'm being deprived of food in any way shape or form. But hey, that's probably because I'm not! 2000-2300 calories makes for a ton of food when you're not eating junk. lol

Thus far my favorite thing about tracking my calories is that it keeps me from unnecessary snacking. Just today I found myself slicing 10 loafs of this amazing looking bread in preparation for a work lunch. Every time I ended up with a small end piece leftover from the slicing I could hear this voice in my head shouting, "Eat it, dummy! It's just a tiny piece of delicious bread!" But without my digital food scale on the premises there was no way I was going to commit to the consumption an unknown quantity of calories! God forbid!

lol, okay, I know that eventually I'll need to chill out and accept that sometimes I'm going to have to eat things without access to a scale or nutrition facts. But hey, it's working for me at the moment. :coolgleamA:
 
I went out with a buddy of mine for a few drinks last night. The bar we go to has a massive micro brew menu but I stuck with Miller Lites in a 12 ounce bottle so I could accurately input my calorie intake later that night. My buddy told me I'm turning into a fitness nerd. :) I’m looking forward to my next weigh in date on Friday to see where I stand.

So this random bald eagle was sitting in a tree outside my workplace when I arrived this morning. It was beautiful! I live in Richmond, VA at and didn't even know bald eagles lived in or passed through the area. Very cool. For some reason it reminded me that Benjamin Franklin once pushed for the turkey to be chosen as the national bird of the United States. Too funny.

I’m headed out with a group of friends tonight to make fruit smoothies and watch our favorite show. Any other LOST fans out there?

Oh, and don’t forget! Tomorrow is Darwin Day! :hurray:
 
Happy Darwin Day!! Woot!

I'm excited for my weigh-in tomorrow morning. I only weigh myself once per week to spare myself the emotional ups and downs of the scale's ups and downs.

Even if the loss is small I'll be happy. My pants are already starting to feel kinda baggy, and I'm wearing some of the shirts that I used to avoid because they were always just a little too tight. I still can't zip up my motorcycle jacket of course, but hey, little by little I'll get there. :biggrinjester:
 
Hey amigo, your journal caught my eye... Guess What ? I am that long lost twin... lol, well not really...

But I'm a big guy with a motorcycle at least... And yup, Love th emonster too , but I'm married with college kids so its a honda shadow for me right now...
 
I just went through you posts again, couple of questions:

Are you doing any exercise? If so what kind of stuff are you getting into? Is it a regualr routine?

Looked at your profile a bit too, love your debate subjects... looks like you will fit right in here...


BTW, I was raised on European bikes, Brit ones in particular, but all of them showed up at my house on any given weekend. My Dad had a collection of Nortons, Triumphs, even a Vincent... Had buddies showing up on Ducati Darmahs, Moto Guzzis.. you name it.
 
Woo hoo! Today is my weigh-in day and I'm down 4 pounds since last week putting me at 318. :hurray: 200’s are in sight!

Kureransu – Thank you for the support. Much needed and much appreciated. :)

Reluctantcabbie – Nice to hear from you. I learned to ride on a friend’s Honda Shadow and almost purchased one shortly there after, but I found a great deal on a used Honda Nighthawk and went that direction. The Nighthawk ended up being a great first ride. Very forgiving, comfortable, and fun to zip around in. I’m a little jealous of your experience with that kind of variety of European bikes.

To answer your question regarding my exercise activity, I can’t say that I’ve started up a routine of any kind yet. I’ve been more active around the house and in the community but I need to kick things up a notch. Fortunately I have most of what I need right here at home left from a time when I worked out regularly. I have a full set of olympic free weights, a bench, a cage, several bars, dumbbells ranging from 2lb to 80lb, a treadmill and a recumbent bike. The treadmill is kinda cheap though and the belt tends to stick a little when someone of my weight hops on it. As for the bike, the extra cushioning on my backside pushes me forward to the point that my knees smack into the digital display screen as a ride. Not a pleasant experience.

Still, I have no excuse not to be exercising. I’m planning on putting an easy routine on paper this week so I can put it into action.
 
good job with the gains....er...losses! Yeah it'll be interesting to see what numbers you but up when you start working out. I have have noticed that in a lot of journals people count calories. That's something i never thought about doing. I am glad it is working for you. I still find it funny that we started out the same weight and lose the same amount (although i am 3" shorter). Like its been said before, you see the weight start to come up once you get into that routine.
 
Yes, counting calories has been a big big help.

Case in point, this morning I wrote down what I had for breakfast and what I packed for lunch but I didn't calculate the calorie content because I was running late and figured that chore could wait until I arrived home. Well, as it turns out I only consumed about 700 calories today between breakfast, lunch and snacks when I usually shoot for twice that amount by this time of day. I'm on a 2300 cal/ day plan so I guess I have a big dinner ahead of me! :banghead:

I have found that if I'm not diligent about tracking my calories when I'm trying to lose weight then I inevitably eat far too little even though I think I'm getting enough food. There are programs out there that make calorie counting easy if you're computer literate... and you're here so you must be. :)
 
Thought I'd share what a standard day looks like for me in the way of food intake.

Breakfast:
- Smoothie with strawberries, banana, blueberries, apple slices, cucumber, spinach, flax seed, soy milk and whey protein powder. I have one of these every morning. I weight everything, usually comes to 350-380 calories.

Snack:
- Oatmeal with half cup of soy milk.

Lunch:
- Black beans, onions, garlic and corn in a whole wheat pita pocket.
- Salad with spinach, mixed greens, 1oz sunflower seeds, 1/2 ounce almonds, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Snack:
- Celery and baby carrots, or 5oz of grapes.

Dinner:
- Mushroom burger on a whole wheat bun with steamed broccoli.
- Glass of red wine.

I've been eating like this for 2 weeks and I feel fantastic. :D
 
Hey there...

Love the name of your diary, it totally caught my eye...

and yes I agree as first state in your intro, the name is much better than weight loss something:D!!!

Loved your pics, ka i laughed my ass off at the first one!!!

Your pic, your cute:)

and that bike OMG...how beautiful is that!!!I wont get into my personallity here as you dont know me yet (will refrain from what is on teh tip of my tongue) but boy oh boy...that is one sexy bike...

Spinach in your smoothie, eeewww can you taste it...I use to have a smoothy every mornign and it made me feel good to maybe i should restart...

You should be feeling fantastic....your menu looks good!!!

I had to come in and read your diary loved the name!!!
 
Schwa said:
Thanks for the support, guys :biggrinjester:

Jesca - I have a chocolate lab and she's wonderful. The other dog is a weimaraner that belongs to my best friend, but I see her and take care of her so often that I sometimes slip up and refer to her as "my dog."

Per request here's a link to a pic of the bike I have my eye on. Gotta love Italian design. *drool*



In other news, it was another good day today all things being considered. It's been about 8 or 9 days since I changed my eating habits and I have yet to feel like I'm being deprived of food in any way shape or form. But hey, that's probably because I'm not! 2000-2300 calories makes for a ton of food when you're not eating junk. lol

Thus far my favorite thing about tracking my calories is that it keeps me from unnecessary snacking. Just today I found myself slicing 10 loafs of this amazing looking bread in preparation for a work lunch. Every time I ended up with a small end piece leftover from the slicing I could hear this voice in my head shouting, "Eat it, dummy! It's just a tiny piece of delicious bread!" But without my digital food scale on the premises there was no way I was going to commit to the consumption an unknown quantity of calories! God forbid!

lol, okay, I know that eventually I'll need to chill out and accept that sometimes I'm going to have to eat things without access to a scale or nutrition facts. But hey, it's working for me at the moment. :coolgleamA:
Click to expand...



ahhhhh chocolate labs are my all time favourite dogs!!

anyway...found your diary & just wanted to say hi :)
 
Thanks Cinderelly, and nope, I can't taste the spinach. The sweetness of the fruit and berries over powers the bitterness of the veggies.

So I woke up highly motivated this morning with big plans of starting my cardio program. I did some early morning grocery shopping, took my dog to the park, made some lunch, and then ... fell asleep, lol. :banghead: It was a long nap too! Oh well, nothing to beat myself up over.

I'm thinking of purchasing a new upright exercise bike. I used to love them back when I was exercising regularly. I might do a little window shopping tomorrow, even though it's so embarrassing to try out exercise equipment at this weight!
 
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