Bike Season is Back!

I rode my bike to work today. I rode yesterday too. It looks like this is going to be a nice week as far as the weather goes so I'm going to try and make the most of it and get some riding in.

Also, the bus I ride out to Liberty Lake from downtown has changed its route. It is now a true Express. It leaves Liberty Lake and heads right downtown. No more stops in the Valley. It takes the Division Street Exit which offers more convenient options for me and it parks in a better spot at the Bus Plaza.

All in all, I am very pleased with the changes. It adds joy and excellence to my morning and afternoon bike rides. And as you may know, I support both joy and excellence.

214ish

I had a Doctor's appointment on Monday. Nothing but a follow up with my G.P. I felt fine and the visit went smoothly. We talked a little bit about diet and alcohol consumption. I'm to be limited to two (2) units of alcohol a day. That's two beers, or two glasses of wine or a beer and a wine or a wine and a beer or a cocktail and a...I think we all understand the meaning of two. Unfortunately, I am familiar with the meaning of three as well...a number I practice with much more often than two. It's something to work on.

I bring up the doctor visit and my feelings of well being because the next day, yesterday, Tuesday, I felt the onset of an outbreak of the dreaded gout. The rich man's disease. It wasn't bad yesterday and I bought some cherry juice and drank that but it didn't really do the job. In fact, I had a miserable night and have stayed home from work today.

I'm waiting for a call from the Doc now. Whether they are going to fit me in with an appointment or just call in a prescription is yet to be determined. I hope they come up with something because it really hurts to walk.

The gout is in my big toe on my left foot.

I'm going to go off now and try to make myself useful. We shall see how that works out.

211.0

I am maintaining the weight and not really following the diet anymore. Easter is Sunday and then beer is back in the program on a regular basis. Then the weight will be much harder to maintain.

The new thing I have started now is push ups. I do push ups in the morning and then just before bed. I've just started so don't expect an impressive number. In fact, I don't really want to say how many push ups I can do right now. Let's just say it's more than ten but not as many as 14.

211.9

So far, 207 pounds on March 9th is my lowest number. I have floated back up above 210 and am finding it difficult to get back down. Possibly because I am not following my diet regimen as strictly as I could and/or should.

One interesting thing I have discovered is that I can hold a pound and a half of urine. Maybe more!

The other interesting thing I have learned is that the scale weighs differently depending on where on the floor it is placed. It's never off by more than a pound but in these trying weight loss times...every pound counts.

212.3

It was not a good weekend for weight loss. Frankly, I don't know exactly where everything went south...or north, since the numbers went up.

I had a great workout on Satuday morning. I rode my bike down to the Y and I swam. The swimming was brutal since it's my first time back in the pool in quite a while. I managed to swim 13 lengths of the pool. A mile is 66 lengths.

I ended up riding about 6 miles that morning, but it did include a stop at Dolly's Cafe. But I was a good dieter there, having three eggs and wheat toast and coffee with Splenda.

I'm going to be very careful this week and really watch my food intake. And, I better be for gettin' some work outs in.

207.1

I tried an interesting experiment this morning. I got up and weighed myself, posting 208.7 pounds. Then I moved over the the toilet region of the bathroom and stood there for my morning pee. When I re-weighed myself, I was a pound and a half lighter. It makes me wonder how much I could lose after a nice, healthy B.M.

208.8

Not bad! I only gained a half pound. I shall return to a being a good boy and following the South Beach specs. It looks like it's going to be a nice day so I'll schedule a nice walk at lunch time.

I should also point out that things seem to be okay with the heart. I no longer feel the flutters and the exercise is definitely showing results. My stamina is improving. I look forward to seeing how I'll do on our up coming ski day.

I need to mention the death of a friend. Jill Gotzian died on March First and I attended her funeral on Tuesday. She was a couple years younger than me and friends with my sisters growing up. Her sister Debbie was in my class.

The Gotzian Family has an M.S. gene running through their blood. Out of six kids, the oldest sibling Jim has it and Jill had it too. They are both confined to wheel chairs.

They don't know exactly what happened to Jill. Her brother Hap woke her up that morning and when his wife returned to help get her dressed, she was out on the floor. 911 was called and they revived her but she had been without oxygen too long.

Jill was a teacher at All Saints Catholic School for over 20 years. The funeral was at St. Aloysius Church which is a beautiful, ornate cathedral. The place was packed, well over 500 people and when the Priest asked Jill's present and former student to stand, nearly half the room stood up. Very impressive.

I'm noting this because it's tough when one of your contemporaries dies. It brings back the whole fragility of this mortal plain. Additionally, I saw a crap load of people at the funeral that I haven't seen in years. That's the up side of death. It brings people together.