Hamster's Treadmill

[Hamster]

Gentle reader,

Really not a lot to report. The ride home last night went well, the rain that was threatening held off and I even had a slight tailwind. THE HILL just before home seems to be getting a little less steep - life is good

I know that daily weighing don't mean much but I've dropped 700 grams, not much but this is only day two.

The comments to my cycling page have been positive. I'm a little surprised with the number of people reporting pain. In most cases this will just be either technique or bike fitting.

[Rosey]

Gentle reader,

Really not a lot to report. The ride home last night went well, the rain that was threatening held off and I even had a slight tailwind. THE HILL just before home seems to be getting a little less steep - life is good

I know that daily weighing don't mean much but I've dropped 700 grams, not much but this is only day two.

The comments to my cycling page have been positive. I'm a little surprised with the number of people reporting pain. In most cases this will just be either technique or bike fitting.

I'd agree with that in most cases some though it's needing to get back in shape too. I started out biking again exactly 100lbs heavier then I am now and I changed bikes a lot till I found one that fits me right. I love my Townie Electra even with it's fat tires because I don't hurt when I ride it. Before I got it I had a Trek 800 and put a seat on it that was more comfy and still had issues. My hubby is big into bikes so he got me my Townie when we were still dating and I love it.

[Hamster]

Gentle reader,

Once again not a lot to report. The weather here today was cold with drizzle and a southerly wind. I positively hate wind, much prefer to ride in rain than in wind. I'm feeling pleased though that I still went for a ride. About 7 kms into the ride I got a flat tyre. I always carry a spare tube and the necessary tools so annoying but not an actual problem.

At least the weather forecast for next week is looking good so my commutes will be enjoyable.

In case anyone is interested this link will take you to some pictures of Charlotte. She's French and when new was a very fast bike.

http://s817.photobucket.com/albums/zz97/Hamster_album/1976%20Puegeot%20PR/


The diet today has been ok, a couple of poor choices but nothing extreme so all good. I'd like to loose a further 15 kg which should be achievable over the next 6 months. It's good to read of what others have achieved as it give me the inspiration to continue.

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader,

I’m now an entire 3 days into my new attempt to beat the weight demon. I’m down 700 grams and if this is any guide I’ll be really pleased . I’m not being overly restrictive, just cutting out heaps of junk food that adds loads of calories with no real nutritional benefit.

Yesterday I went to a bicycle swap meet, Charlotte picked up a prize . So the time I spent cleaning and polishing her chain and gears wasn’t wasted.

This morning I did my normal commute to the station. The mornings are starting to get a little lighter and maybe soon a little warmer. Hamster doesn’t like the cold.

Oh almost forgot, I’m been off the Type 2 diabetes medication now for around 6 months. Blood sugar readings are still normal – woooohooooo .

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader

So far so good, my weight is stable but daily weight movements are really meaningless so I probably should stop doing them. However the little morning ritual of standing on the scales reminds me that I have to continue to avoid eating junk.

Good news for the world’s chocoholics, now that I’ve stopped eating it a world-wide glut is inevitable and tumbling prices. Any dairy farmers supplying the ice-cream industry will soon be facing ruin.

Rode the bike to and from the station and did my regular walks. If I don’t manage to get rid of these extra kilos it won’t be due to a lack of exercise. The problem is that I need extra calories to fuel the exercise but not so many that the weight loss stops and reverses. That was my previous problem. The exercise was burning calories but I was consuming even more, hence weight gain . The trick I think is to include lots of starches, plenty of calories but not enormously so.

It’s a beautiful morning here and promises to be a lovely day .

[Hamster]

Gentle reader,

Again very little to report, I’ve done my regular walks and ridden my bike to and from the station. The diet is going along ok, no major blow-outs but I consumed a bit too much sugar yesterday as I had a major craving for sweets. It could have been a lot worse so not something to obsess over.

I am convinced that the best way to exercise is to actually not exercise. My logic is along these lines, exercise is something additional we do each day and also the very word ‘exercise’ carries with it feelings of exhaustion and painful muscles. It is however possible to lead an active life without ever engaging in actual exercise. I walk at lunchtimes, in the evening I walk past two stations before catching the train and I ride my bike.

I don’t see any of that as being actual exercise; these are just the tasks I complete as part of a normal day. This has build up slowly, when I was 128.5 kg (283.5 lbs) walking even ½ a mile was a major achievement.

[sksamboots]

I like reading your stuff. Sounds like you need to eat more and more of the good food. Lots of beans, rice, potatoes. Eat up to keep your energy up!!

[Hamster]

Gentle reader,

My ride to the station this morning was glorious , I almost feel sorry for the caged-ones trapped in their smoke-boxes. The mornings and evenings are still chilly, but there is a feeling of early spring in the air.

Also in the past week I’ve lost 800 gms (just under 2 pounds). So something else to feel pleased about . I’m planning to enter in the Brisbane to Gold Coast 100 km bike ride in October, if I can keep loosing at this rate I should then be under 85 Kg which would be a good weight for the ride.

There is still some garbage food in my diet (mainly evening meal) so I’ll start working on eliminating that. This should ensure that the weight-loss continues, and perhaps even accelerates.

I have to bring Mrs Hamster into the city tomorrow for a doctor’s appointment (nothing serious) so I won’t be able to ride .

This link will take you to a picture of your humble correspondent

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbannerman ... 7220785150

With a little luck the abdominal protrusion will soon disappear.

[Ege Bamyasi]

.

[Hamster]

By the way, is that your wife with you? You look like a happy couple.

Ummm .... which do you mean? The bike's name is Charlotte and the human female is Mrs Hamster.

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader,

Great news, I stepped on the scales this morning and I’ve dropped 500 gms , that makes 1.3 kg for the week. It’s a funny thing but my weight will stay stuck for several days and then for no obvious reason it will drop. All I have done this week is to eliminate the obvious junk food.

I’ve decided to cook myself up a big batch of assorted vegetables (carrot, potato, broccoli, peas, etc). With some I’ll mix through some kidney beans, tomato and chilli and with the remainder I’ll mix through some brown rice and curry. Then freeze it and have it as my evening meal. The cooking water might even make a tasty soup.

Today will be a virtual no-exercise day as I had to drive to the station to bring Mrs Hamster into the city. I can’t even do my lunchtime walk as I am meeting a guy who I hope will buy a pair of shoes that I won as a prize but don’t fit. A rest is always good as it allows the muscles time to repair.

Tomorrow, I hope to go for a ride, if I remember I’ll take along a camera and take some pictures to share.

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader,

I promised to put up some pictures a couple of days ago. The first one is the bridge that I ride over most days. It's 3 kms long and links the Redcliffe Peninsular to Brisbane.

http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/zz97/Hamster_album/Hamster_Party/Hamsters%20Ride/DSC00969.jpg

This second picture is of my new bike. Actually it's around 40 years old but I have only just finished bring it back to life. It only has one gear and is fun to ride, but boy does it give the legs a good work out.

http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/zz97/Hamster_album/Hamster_Party/Hamsters%20Ride/DSC00974.jpg

This is the bike path through the Boondall Wetlands. The path is a bit narrow, but it's beautiful going through the bush.

http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/zz97/Hamster_album/Hamster_Party/Hamsters%20Ride/DSC00976.jpg

Yesterday, was a good day for the diet. Also I made myself a big batch of cooked vegetables and turned half into a chili and half into a curry. The curry is great but the chili was a disappointment but it's healthy and not inedible.

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader,

On Saturday I went for a ride on my recently completed single-speed bike (his name is Jack). As Jack doesn't have gears hill climbing is particularly difficult plus, the rear brake was dragging slightly so today I felt somewhat stiff and sore. Once the brake issue is fixed it will be a brilliant bike for building fitness as it just does not allow you to loaf along.

It's been a nice easy day today, a bit of shopping, a few household chores and washed and lubed the mountain bike (his name is Bruce) ready for riding to the station tomorrow morning.

Anyhow - got to go.

[sksamboots]

Love all the pictures. Thanks for sharing

[Hamster]

Gentle Reader,

Today is my main weigh-in day and I’m down 900 gms (2 pounds) for the week. Since my bike ride on Saturday my weight has been up, I think what’s happening is that exercise causes micro-muscle tears and to repair these the body increases the blood supply. Hence the weight gain. It’s happened to me before and I suspect that by Wednesday the extra water will be gone.

My legs are still a little stiff but I still rode Bruce (the mountain bike) to the station this morning. Spring is in the air and the boy magpies are starting to sing and stake out their territories. It’s still a little early for the girl magpies to be interested but very soon that will change.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie

The diet is going ok, I got the dairy intake down but cheese is still a problem to be solved. I’ve really got to give what I eat for lunch some serious thought. The big batch of vegetable I cooked up has been a success. Well to be honest the curry was a success but the chilli needs work. Next time the chilli will be great. Also I have to remember to cook the vegetables and not boil them to mush.