Birthday Shuffle Sixth Edition - Day 16

the first one...

It's amazing how easy it is to feel as if you can't do something.

It's also amazing how many people will make you feel bad 

about something as you're doing it.

Like Meghan Trainor says,

"Yeah it's pretty clear I ain't no size 2..."

And, I can pretty much say you start to feel

very vulnerable when you put on those

cycling clothes for the first time. 

     

Which is why I like songs like today's shuffle pick

"Titanium" by David Guetta & Sia

  

Just when you're starting to feel frustrated

and as if you aren't really accomplishing anything

this song will come on...

And those people making fun of you on your bike

don't matter, because in your head you're thinking,

"Yeah, but can you do this...?"

or this....?

Cause I can...

and I did....

and I do...

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

Fire away, fire away

Ricochet, you take your aim

Fire away, fire away

You shoot me down but I won't fall

I am titanium

You shoot me down but I won't fall

I am titanium..."

#losethepannus

Technically, it's the panniculus,

but most medical folk know it as the pannus...

And, some time in March of this year

I decided to finally wage a strong battle against it.

So far, I think I might be winning...

Earlier that month, I came back from two back to back trips:

one to New Orleans and another on a two week cruise.

If either of those doesn't scream out LOTS of GOOD FOOD to some of you, 

then you've got some traveling to do.

But, I digress...

Much to my chagrin, after these two trips despite my best efforts

to get in lots of walking and, at least, an occasional trip to the workout room,

I came back to find none of my clothes fit me comfortably.

Even my scrubs were a bit on the tight side.

So I did something I've only done like 4 times in my adult life...

I weighed myself.

Now, I like using kilograms because as a physician we

use the metric system all the time.

Plus, when you see 70kg on a scale, it doesn't seem so scary.

Imagine my consternation when I made the conversion from

kilos to pounds (multiple by 2.2)....!!!

Yikes!!

I was very close to the 200 pound mark.

When did that happen??

And, how did it happen so easily??

Well, I am sure this had a lot to do with it,

but now I really needed to do something about it...

So I bought a bike:

Now, I know nothing about bikes, so all I asked for was:

something that was a road bike, not a mountain bike

something that didn't weigh a lot

something that was middle range in price

and something that would be durable.

After trying out different models and seats,

I ended up with a Fuji Absolute

So I went on my first ride in Folsom where I stay when I work in Sacramento...

I planned out a route and thought,

seriously, how hard could five miles be?

Almost immediately I thought I was going to die

either from a heart attack or due to my thighs exploding

from the strain...

and I hadn't even gotten to the hilly part yet.

But I made it through that ride... 

note that GoogleMaps says

I should make the ride in 30 minutes... 

yeah, right...

Not fully discouraged, I kept riding and came up with the hashtag

#losethepannus

both as a tongue-in-cheek inspiration for weight loss, but also because

having something hitting/resting on the top of your thighs

when you're riding is not conducive to good cycling form

and definitely slows you down.

So I rode:

And, I rode:

And, I rode:

Building up some distance...

And pushing myself farther:

Then came the hills.  I christened this one

"Lung Vomit Hill"

The distance wasn't so long, but check out the grade at the beginning..

I seriously was going to raise my arms above my head 

and cheer when I made it to the top!

But my lungs and thighs were on fire,

and I think I might have been hallucinating the 

"Rocky" theme song at that point.

Once I was back home on the coast, I took to our local country roads...

And found that I had a perfect route for some interval training...

And, then, I became "that person" 

You know, the one that takes their bike on vacation...

And, I challenged myself to this ride...

At the top... ouch...

which screamed for this hash tag

#anotherlungvomithill

Then I went and did it... 

I bought bike shorts.

I was starting to consistently ride close to 10 miles,

and I started to notice around mile 7 that my butt was getting kinda sore.

So, I made the investment.  And, my ischial tuberosities thank me...

As I've progressed in distance, my DH has become

part of my support team.  He offers to drive me places

so that I can get in a longer ride...

Like cycling down the Avenue of the Giants...

There were some challenging hills on that route...

He also challenged me by offering to buy me lunch...

if I rode my bike into town...

the extra 30 minutes on my time is because of

Loleta Hill which is

#anotherlungvomithill

but those extra 1097 calories burned were so worth it

because let's be honest...

I love to eat..!

A couple of days ago, he dropped me off on the highway

so I could do this ride from Scotia to home...

Those three bumps you see below on the elevation chart 

are the "Three Sisters"

with yet another "Lung Vomit" hill...

So, after three months, the pannus is slowly shrinking,

clothes are fitting better again,

I've been able to work off a lot of recent personal stress,

and my bike and I seem to suddenly be getting invited to a lot of places.

Locally, there's a 30 mile ride through a lot of the same

routes I've been riding while at home which I've challenged 

myself to do in October.

My best friend from college has challenged me to

do a 50 mile ride with her in January in a town just east of San Diego...

and, I actually registered for it...!

And, who knows, maybe a year from now, I'll be able to ride a part of the 

Tour of the Unknown Coast as a cyclist and not just as medical support... 

Pedal Pushing

I went and did it...

I invested in a bike,

and helmet,

and pocket holder,

and a couple of other accessories that were just for fun.

Now understand that as an ED doc,

I see a lot of the bad that can happen when you're out riding...

But, I also understand the health benefits

of getting off your butt and doing something...

So I am...

Today, my first 5.6 mile foray took along 

the American River Bike Trail

which has some 30+ miles of trails...

I thought I was going to puke my guts out after 

the first hill just getting to this point...

We'll just work our way up slowly, shall we...?

#1579 - On eXercise...

I was looking back through some prior posts, and I came across this photo...

St Lucia 03/2013

which is actually connected to the link that I will share

tomorrow from last year's challenge.

Fast forward to January of this year where I was actually

heavier than I am in this picture, and suffering

the effects of the extra weight while trying to hike in Yosemite.

I made a promise to myself to never be that heavy again,

and I bought my Fitbit which I have

discussed on a recent post.  Which one...?

Hmm...?

My lifesaver...!

And, I talked earlier as well about counting calories

and how much fun that has been... not!

But, now I am finally starting to see some results.

You see, working in "pajamas" on a daily basis

makes it real easy to gain weight and not even realize it.

You just let out the drawstring on your scrubs from

time to time, and you don't think about it

until suddenly your pants are tight across the seat

and you worry about ripping them when you bend over.

Plus, you have that set of "fat clothes" that fit comfortably

no matter what.

No problem, right?

Wrong.

Over the course of the last couple of months

since I've been counting calories and making a concerted effort

to get more exercise, I'm noticing that suddenly

I am sleeping better

I don't get heartburn

I can just about keep up with my dogs

Dixie encouraging me up the hill...

I am enjoying doing more with my husband

(I used to balk at the idea of going for a walk on the beach)

and now I actually want to eXercise...

on a treadmill some days

The view from my treadmill

Rainy, like most days, so easier just to eXercise inside

and...

I had to buy new scrubs...

Smaller, actually tapered womenly scrubs

that aren't just a square with arms...

And, while on vacation, I was able to fit into some of my

"thinner" clothes.  White pants and a breezy top I ridiculously bought on sale

and never thought I would actually fit into.

But now I do...

And, I hope it will be looser soon...!

2013 A to Z Challenge Post:

X is for eXasperation

#1728 - On Fitbit

I wrote on a previous post how a hike in Yosemite

convinced me that it was time to start

working on my health and getting back into shape.

So I did some research, and around that time

a great review came out on a techie website I follow

Gizmodo.  It talked about something called a Fitbit.

Around the middle of January it came, and I have worn it ever since.

At first, I basically used it just for keeping track of 

my steps and distance.

Then, as I stated in that an earlier post,

I started using the Fitbit to it's full potential.

And, after about 2.5 months the results are finally starting to show

and in a good way...!

Slow and steady with a goal date of November...

We'll see how it goes...!

2013 A to Z Post

F is for Frenetic

#1789 - On Calories

I've always had a love/hate relationship with my body.

Although it's always been a mostly

"if you loved me, you'd love all of me"

kind of attitude.

Then earlier this year my husband and I went to a conference

in Yosemite and I faced this trail...

After huffing and puffing uphill for 45 minutes

and thinking that my heart was going to explode

even after multiple stops to rest

I knew I had to make a drastic change.

So I bought a FitBit.

We'll talk about that on another day...

can you guess which one...?

Regardless, along with counting steps

one of the features is a calorie counter.

I didn't think much of it initially as I cut down

on my eating and measured my daily steps.

With no success.  WTH?!?

So I started playing around with the calorie counter

and kept track of every meal.

And what I realized is that my calorie intake count

went way beyond my burned calories.

Upon further investigation, I found out

this little watchband can set a daily calorie goal

based on how fast I want to lose X amount of weight.

I didn't go uber restricted, nor the way easy, 

I chose moderately difficult

with a goal to lose the weight by November.

So it set these goals.  A 750 calorie deficit.

Woah!

Day one: I did a bit of juice fast just to try things out

Day 6: Came out just about even

Day 12: Ok, seriously, the pizza spoke to me; come on,

man can't live on kale alone

Day 17: Wait, what? If I exercise I get to eat more..!

And here's where it matters most...

In case you're confused, I do my weight in kilograms;

it's doesn't sound so bad when I do it that way

(divide pounds by 2.2)

and, all I care about is the downward slope...

What will you do today....?

I have my game plan set....

**based on age, weight, height and sex your

basal metabolic rate is set and you can 

add activities like driving, or shopping

or yardwork throughout the day

Need a kickstart?  Read my recent post

on eating right...

2013 A to Z Challenge Post:

C is for Cats