This blog has always been a bit of a motivational tool for me. If I set a goal, and write about it here, I am accountable to you. At least somewhat anyway. Usually the first thought that goes through my head when I DNF a race, or when I finish a race well, is something like "this should make a good blog post" or, "how am I going to explain THIS?"
So, with that in mind I have decided to go public with something I have never been very good at, nor ever very concerned with.
Weight loss.
I am a stocky guy. I blame my baseball playing past. When you spend all your time squatting, you tend to develop what is affectionally knows as "baseball butt".
Tall people can hide their baseball butt.
Shorter people however, are not so lucky. But being a short stocky mountain bike racer is not always a bad thing. I can go a long time and eat less than you smaller types. Which means I don't have to carry as much food. I can carry heavier loads and not feel like the pack is pulling me to the ground on a steep climb. I don't get as cold as you skinny people, so I don't have to wear as many layers. And I can coast downhill faster, due to the extra 30-40 lbs. However, some of those advantages I would be willing to sacrifice for the pluses that come with being leaner. Like being able to climb long hills without those extra 30-40 lbs. Am I going to try and lose 30 lbs? No. Way.
Trying to losing weight usually go like this for me:
Start new diet.
2 days later I feel ornery and famished.
Give up and eat tasty stuff until I am dizzy.
Rinse. Repeat.
Here's the catch though. I have not ever really put forth serious efforts. Usually in the normal course of riding and training I am able to get down to a respectable racing weight. However, with a little extra effort I am hoping I can shed a few more pounds, get a little leaner, and maximize my power to weight ratio. Whatever that is. I hear smarter people than me using that term, so it must be important.
The question is then, how am I going to do it?
Well, simple math is how. Since simple math was the only kind I could ever do, I think it will be the most effective way to shed the accumulated winter ice cream and cookies. That is, I am going to eat less than I burn. I am going to attempt to appear smarter than I am again, by demonstrating this with a (nonsensical?) formula:
C=calories consumed
B=calories burned
W=current weight
G=goal weight
W+C-B=G
See how simple and smart that looks? Me neither.
Each day, ala the
Fat Cyclist, regardless of the content of my post, I will include my current weight. You then can heckle or encourage me as is appropriate.
The goal is to be 170 lbs ( I know, I know, you feathery types are gasping that my goal weight is still 20 lbs heavier than you are!) for the
Moab Rim Ride on March 29th 2008. So how much weight do I need to lose then? This morning I stood and on the scale, and it groaned 186. So 16 lbs between now and March 29th. By the way, I was 182 going into Camp Lynda. Somehow all those miles turned into poundage. It must have been the mass quantities of food I ate before, during and after the rides.
As a reference, last year I was around 175 for the race season. So 170 will put me 5 lbs lighter than I ever was in 2007.
Let the deprivation begin!
Read the complete post at http://www.epicriding.com/2008/01/weighing-in.html