Weight Loss Strategies

Lost 45 lbs, < 30 to go 

Before I begin, weight can be a sensitive subject, and I know I'm very lucky I could retire earlier than normal.    If any of this blog is salt in the wound, sincerely sorry.   Wasn't my intent. 

Mostly, I just want to figure out my weight loss success this year, and to think out loud a little about what made it possible.

Here we go...

One of the main reasons I decided to retire a few years ago was to have the time to work on getting down to a healthy weight and get rid of the stress, but I got distracted with the freedom the first couple of years, focusing more on the truck camper and cross country road trips at first.    Solved the stress half at least.   

Got a new Primary Doctor 

Surprising myself a little, I signed up with a new primary doctor after going without one for 15 years.    What's that corny pun/saying?  Living in Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.     My previous doctor retired over a decade ago, and I just let things slide.  I think not getting a new doctor was just me avoiding my weight issues.

During the initial wellness visit back in early June, after giving my family's and personal health history, I explained I wanted to lose weight and get healthier, and I gave a rough outline of my diet and exercise plan.   My new doctor gave the go ahead.   I think that's an important first step.    I'm now down to 252.8 lbs as of Nov 23rd, starting from 293 back in June.   Officially 40lbs lighter!   My recent blood work (Nov 18th) was good too.   Only the LDL and MPV values were just barely above the good range, but my doctor pinged via the mychart app saying not to worry.   Those values will come down into the healthy range as I lose more weight, and everything else was in the healthy range.   I even got my first colonoscopy done in September, no major issues found.  Yay adulting!

Mostly Bean and Lentils Diet 

My new diet plan was eating mostly bean and lentil based dishes with roasted, low-starch veggies.    Yeah, you may toot more at first, but the toots don't smell (once you're eating mostly plant based).  Long term, your digestion will improve dramatically.  It's worth it, beans have so many benefits, read this  https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-beans

Assuming you read the link above, I want to stress that bit about how beans (and lentils) support the good bacteria in your gut and why it matters so much.   From online...

Good bacteria (probiotics) in your gut help weight loss by influencing calorie absorption, boosting metabolism, regulating appetite hormones (like GLP-1, PYY), reducing inflammation, and even affecting fat storage, primarily by breaking down fiber into beneficial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, making you feel fuller and less prone to gaining weight, though effectiveness depends heavily on specific strains and individual gut makeup 

I've also been cooking everything for myself, even bread.   I can even make a decent 50% whole wheat sourdough bread now, using my own sourdough starter, also helping gut health (good bacteria).   I still use eggs and dairy in recipes, so I haven't gone full vegan.   I still eat meat occasionally too.    

Here are my other blogs about diet/food related stuff

Finding Sustainable Diet Changes, recipe list   

How to cook beans and lentils in your Instant Pot

How to roast veggies in the air fryer, more pots to clean but foolproof 

Unexpected Home Cooking Backfire 

Learned the hard way that cooking at home does not automatically mean losing weight.  

Jacqui and I have been dining out much less since Covid, from 2-3 times a week to 1-2 times a month.  We also stopped picking up subs and getting takeout, which we did all the time before Covid.    When we were both working, food high in fat, sugar, and salt was our stress relief of choice.    We often turned the leftovers into meals at home by adding some rice and veggies.

During Covid, I improved my cooking skills a lot.   I can now make really tasty stuff at home, even sushi.   Thanks Youtube!  (it's way better when you pay for no ads)  At first, I made dishes we'd get when eating out, and I ate way too much of what I was making, and the unforeseen consequence was ballooning up to 317lbs by Spring 2021.   Oops....I know.  bad.   I made the mistake of assuming home cooking automatically meant fewer calories, and I spent most of Covid wearing stretchy sweatpants.   Lesson learned.    Now I check every morning before breakfast, and record my daily weigh-ins and blood pressure on a Google Spreadsheet and it's shared with my doctor's office to stay accountable.     I'll never go months/years at a time without stepping on a scale again, and (note to self) put on some non-stretch, big boy pants occasionally!   (trousers to you Brits)

Biking and Exercise 

But back to this year,  I'm biking a lot again.    I even have a computer-controlled bike trainer up in the attic (Rouvy.com), so I can ride during the Winter or when the weather isn't good outside.    Our attic is well insulated and temp controlled, like the rest of the house.   Combining my outdoor and indoor bike rides, I've biked 2,300 miles so far this year and will definitetly hit 2500 before year's end.    Technically half what I could do in my early 20's, but I'm very thankful my joints still feel ok 30+ years later.   Super Thankful

Here's a blog with more detail about my biking and exercise in general, 

How and maybe When to Exercise when you're heavy and trying to lose weight 

Viva Longevity Youtube channel 

I've learned a lot about what's actually "healthy" by watching this guy's youtube channel  Viva Longevity    He loves reading all the latest books and papers about clinical and epidemiological diet/exercise research, and he's great at summarizing things in easy to understand ways.    The videos focus on aging well and living a long active healthy life; it can be nerdy though, consider yourself warned, like medical doctor level nerdy.       It's not the gym bro/fitness fad content that pollutes so much of Youtube.

Weight Goal

My goal is to get under 220lbs/100kg, which at almost 6'3" is still "overweight" per the BMI chart, but I'm a big guy.   Yeah, yeah...sounds like the excuse "I'm not fat! I'm big boned!"  (South Park).    Maybe I'll keep going later, but I want a weight I can actually get to, maintain and not be miserable.    I think as you get older carrying an extra 10-20 pounds is probably a good thing.    A little belly fat helps you survive the health hiccups that come later in life.    I have zero interest in competing in races or getting 6pack abs (sorry Jacqui)

Weight Loss Conclusion(s) 

I finally learned losing weight is a lot easier when you combine exercise with eating tasty, healthy, filling, and lower calorie food.     Much easier than fasting, skipping breakfast, and/or relying on Will Power to eat smaller portions of high calorie, highly processed food.

• Find your motivation
• For me, I love biking, kayaking, and hiking more than junk food, and carrying so much extra weight was making those things less fun.
• I retired early so I'd have the time to lose the weight and get healthy; I consider it my job now.  A heart attack or stroke gets really expensive, really fast.     Do Your Job!
• Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment for "eating too much" 
• Find tasty, healthy, lower calorie foods that trigger a "feel good" response.    
• Of course pizza/hamburgers/fries taste better than a healthy lentil curry (to most people), but I feel better after eating the lentil curry.  No food coma or bloating.  "Feeling good" is addictive, and it's changed what I crave over time.  
• when weight loss stalls, you've probably lost enough weight to lower your daily calorie needs, (known as your BMR basal metabolic rate).  well done!   Time to tweak your diet again
• when changing diet/exercise, always focus on what you enjoy and can do for the long term
• Celebrate the little wins along the way, break down the big goal into smaller achievements
• probably my next milestones will be hitting 243 (50lbs!) and then 239 (officially "overweight" at 239, but no longer "obese" per BMI) 

Anyway, hopefully I've shared something useful above.    

Thank You's

A huge Thank You!  to Jacqui for supporting me during all the lifestyle changes this year.  She never complained when I went out on a ride for a few hours; actually, she usually seemed happy about it (should I be worried? jk).   She's been great about eating the bean and lentil stuff without complaint, and discreetly taking care of her own cravings when needed.   She'd just occasionally get her own lunch when out running errands or meeting up with friends.   As Jacqui told me once,  "I managed to get a PhD, I think I can feed myself! "    Topped off with a well-delivered, sarcastic, "Thank you very much..."  zinger.     But seriously, Jacqui's independence made this all so much easier for me.

Also, a big Thanks to Jeff and my parents.   I'm sure some of my texts about my weight loss project were boring and/or annoying at times this past year.  Thanks for celebrating my little milestones along the way.   The encouragement was appreciated! 

And that about wraps things up for now.    I'll blog with some updates soon.

Wishing you all Happiness, Good Health, and Success following your own path.

 

 

 

Sustainable Diet Changes and recipes

 

Diet Changes for the long run

I now eat a lot of plant-based, bean/lentil dishes with low starch roasted veggies.    

I still have a cheat meal occasionally, and I haven't banned any foods (except Doritos...they're my heroin/crack).   But in general,  if something is not good for me, like ice cream, non Dorito chips, processed cookies/candy bars, etc. I just think of them as decadent "tasting foods".    I take 1-2 bites, really enjoy the flavor and texture, stop, and then go fill up on healthy stuff.     I often just share those kinds of snacks with Jacqui.  Win Win.

It's ok to order pizza or a burger occasionally, live your life.     But over time, I've found those cravings lessen, give yourself time.    If you fall off the wagon, forgive yourself, reassess, tweak your strategy and move on.    Probably one of the main things causing cravings when you switch to a healthier diet is not getting enough protein and healthy fat.   

Stop drinking your calories.

I weaned myself off soda including diet.   Too many studies are starting to show that diet soda messes with your gut bacteria.    It helps the "bad" bacteria grow, which affects food cravings and appetite.   

I only drink beer when I'm camping. and even then just one potent Greater Good IPA type beer.  I'm active enough to burn it off, and camp fires and beer sort of go together.    Hits the spot after a day of biking, hiking and/or kayaking.

I still make a whiskey sour mix, but not to make cocktails anymore.  I add an ounce of the sour mix to 1 liter of seltzer water made via our SodaStream.    It's just enough flavor to kill my soda cravings  

Whiskey Sour Mix recipe:   using a 4 cup pyrex measuring pitcher,  stir 1/2 cup of sugar into 1 cup boiling water until dissolved, then add 1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup of lemon juice.  Mix, store in fridge.   Usually lasts me a week.   I usually just buy the big bottles of Real Lemon and Real Lime from BJ's.

One ounce of sour mix per liter is only 5 grams of sugar (20 calories).     I often drink 3-4 liters of the seltzer/sour mix per day, so it's at most half the calories of one 12 ounce can of coke which has 39 grams of sugar.   

 

bean/lentil based meals to fill up on fiber 

Highly recommend the following recipes from https://www.rainbowplantlife.com   

• hummus (skip the drizzle part)
• shepherd's pie (brown lentils)
• red lentil curry (mix with roasted vegetables)
• butternut squash lentil curry (I roast the butternut squash, onion and garlic )
• sweet potato lentil curry  (I bake the sweet potato separately too)
• lentil bolognese  italian
• fried tofu 
• great protein source, and tastes good with this Chili Sesame Peanut Sauce  (add at the last 30 seconds so it doesn't burn) 

I usually blend the lentil curries after they finish in the Instant Pot.   Before blending, I'll use a slotted spoon to save a few scoops to keep a little texture before blending the rest smooth.   Blending brings out the flavors more, and it gets rid of that gritty, gravel texture lentil soups can have sometimes.

I often cook 2 cups of Mexican black/pinto beans per the instant pot instructions.  I use them throughout the week to make lunch with Mission low carb wheat wraps, sliced red onions, tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheddar and hot sauce.    Weaned me off deli meat for lunch.   I put the beans and cheese on the wrap first, zap it for 30 seconds, then add the raw veggies.

When I'm feeling fancy, I'll cook 1+ 1/3 cup of dried black beans to 4 cups water per my instant pot page,  and then I use the drained, cooked black beans for this black bean patty recipe      Satisfies my hamburger cravings.  

You'll find GOYA canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican/Ethnic aisle of your grocery store.   One can is enough for the bean patty recipe 3 times over.      Or you can use what's leftover to make this Southwest sauce 

Baked beans for dessert?

I know it's a bit weird, but lately I love making baked beans for dessert.    Satisfies the sweet craving without the blood sugar crash.

No Large Pot/Dutch Oven needed!  Recipe here 

healthier rolled oat cookies and 50% whole wheat bread

To get myself off store bought cookies, I started making my own.   Google healthy tahini rolled oat chocolate chip cookies.   you'll find a recipe you have the ingredients for (assuming you make the hummus recipe above).   Example here   My trick is that I add a shot of amber/dark rum to the cookie batter.   The alcohol burns off and it adds amazing flavor.    On the other hand, when my weight loss started to stall out in October, I stopped making cookies every week and starting eating apples and other fresh fruit.    Should have done that from the beginning, but baby steps.   But the cookies are great energy bars for my longer 2-4 hour bike rides.   Cut yourself some slack as you practice new healthier habits.   Tweak when the weight loss stalls.

I also learned how to make sourdough bread.  Bread fills in the missing amino acids while eating mostly lentils and beans.    I make a 50% wheat, 50% bread flour once a week now.  makes two loaves.   Similar 50:50 recipe for home made pizza dough.    Jacqui's a happy girl; she loves her carbs.  Lots of great videos on how to make sourdough on youtube.   Go find what works for your.   The sourdough subreddit has good info too.   I condensed my favorites to a spreadsheet (of course),  sourdough spreadsheet link

To make sourdough, you'll have to buy a weighing scale that does grams, and I'd recommend a collapsible sourdough proofing box to control the dough rise temperature.      I made my own starter from scratch, takes ~2 weeks.    Finding a >70F/21.5C spot in the house is key to developing your starter.    I put mine behind the dorm fridge we use for our SodaStream bottles.   The mini-fridge compressor throws off just the right amount of heat to make the starter happy.

We also switched to natural peanut butter (BJ's brand) for our toast.  It's a lot healthier than Jif or Skippy.   It's just peanuts, peanut oil, and salt.

Yogurt bowls or Protein Shakes, not ice cream

To cut back on ice cream (it's a tasting food now), I switched to 2% FAGE yogurt.   I usually add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup, chopped walnuts and blueberries to a heaping half cup of yogurt to satisfy the ice cream itch.    Chobani is close, but FAGE is much better imho.    Plain, not vanilla.   Then you can use it in recipes too.    Like tzatziki for home made, air fryer falafel.     Yogurt is often a thickener in curries too.

At first, I ate healthy egg omelettes for breakfast, but lately, I've switched to a smoothie for breakfast.    One scoop of Orgain Chocolate Fudge protein powder (the scoop comes in the container), and one scoop of PBFit Peanut Butter powder with 16oz 1% milk.   Blend at low speed.     Sweetened Oatmilk has a lot of carbs, so maybe just mix 8oz oatmilk to 8oz water.    Per my exercise page I keep carbs minimal at breakfast, so I can quickly get into fat burning mode during my morning zone 2 exercise session.

A lot of people love home made ice cream with their Ninja Creami kitchen gadget (~$200)   There are a lot of healthy protein powder based Creami ice cream recipes.   Adding a pinch of xanthum gum powder per pint adds creaminess if the texture doesn't seem quite right.    But I tend to only indulge after exceptionally long bike rides.    Normally it's not worth the thaw and mix time the Ninja Creami machine requires each time. 

Peanut Flavored Ice cream made with navy beans  

How to cook beans and lentils in your Instant Pot

 

Cooking dried beans in the InstantPot  

The instant pot is slow, but it's hands off cooking and easy to program to an exact timing.   I do not soak dried beans overnight before cooking anymore.    It's worth cooking from dried.    Better texture, flavor and cheaper.

• 1 cup of beans to 3 cups water ratio, but don't overfill the instant pot, look for the max fill line.
• full Natural Pressure release when cooking is done
• Cooking time will be 75-90 minutes total, but you can go do other things for most of that.       
• If setting up before going to work and using the instant pot delayed start, it should be safe, just shorten the cook time at least 5 minutes.
• BTB = Better than Bouillon base (1 teaspoon per cup of water, or 1 tablespoon per 3 cups water)
• cooking times below are for normal pressure 

Chickpeas for hummus, 40 minutes, no BTB,  add 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tea baking soda per bean cup.

Navy Beans, 25 minutes, also no BTB, add 1 bay leaf, and add 1/2 tea salt and baking soda per bean cup 

Red Kidney Beans, 45 minutes, adobo/smoked chipotle BTB ,  1/2 tea salt and baking soda per bean cup.  RINSE AND STRAIN after cooking!!!   Red Kidney beans have possible phytohaemagglutinin toxins after cooking.  It's mostly in the aqua faba after cooking.

Small Red Kidney beans, 35 minutes, ditto to the red kidney bean instructions above 

Mexican style beans for lunch wraps

Pinto Beans, 40 minutes,  Adobo or Smoked Chipotle BTB, dice 1/2 medium red onion, 1 clove garlic, half seeded jalapeno per bean cup

Black Beans, 25 minutes,  Adobo or Smoked Chipotle BTB, dice 1/2 medium red onion, 1 clove garlic, half seeded jalapeno per bean cup

 

 LENTILS

With lentils you can't wait for full natural release, or they'll be mush.    In an instant pot, you'll never get al dente lentils, they'll always be overcooked, but I puree my lentil curries in a blender.  no biggee.   Never strain after cooking,   if curry is too wet, saute to evaporate off water.

After cooking completes, manually release pressure after 10 minutes, 5 minutes for firmer lentils 

Rinse lentils like rice before cooking 

1 cup lentils to 1 3/4 cup water  with a teaspoon Better Than Bouillon veggie base usually

• Red/Yellow Lentils, 5 minutes normal pressure
• Black Lentils, 8 minutes normal pressure
• Brown/Green Lentils, 10 minutes normal pressure.

After cooking time completes, wait 5-10 minutes then release pressure manually, push the lever with long spoon so you don't burn yourself.   5 minutes for al dente, 10 min for fully cooked.

 

INSTANT POT TIPS:    

Technically, you're supposed to dump your measured, dry lentils/beans onto a cookie sheet to search for little rocks before cooking, but I never find any.   Probably more a problem from 20-30 years ago.   Better safe than sorry?   Maybe just check when trying a new brand?   You can pick out the broken beans, but I never bother.

I strain beans and lentils with a fine mesh strainer over a 4 cup pyrex liquid measuring jar.    Many recipes will use the bean liquid as a thickener.   They call it aqua faba 

I boil the water in my electric kettle first, pour into a large 4 cup pyrex measuring cup to the applicable amount, and I dip the measuring spoon into the boiling water first and then scoop out the amount of Better than Bouillon (BTB) I need (1 teaspoon  per cup of water or 1 tablespoon per 3 cups water).   Dipping the measuring spoon into the boiled water first sterilizes it and it helps the Bouillon base to not to stick to the spoon.  Swirl in the hot water as needed to get all bouillon mix off the spoon.    No need to fully mix, the boiling in the Instant Pot will take care of it, but it doesn't hurt to whisk until it's all dissolved if you want.

The instant pot will take 10-15 minutes to get up to pressure, and I always let it fully release the pressure on its own when cooking beans, or at least wait 20 minutes after it's done.    Natural Release helps the skins stay on the beans and keep them intact.      

Exercising to lose weight when heavy

Don't damage your joints

I got back into biking.  I lost a ton of weight bicycling during College; it works for me, but a few tweaks were needed now that I'm older and heavier.

I bought a new Salsa Fargo touring/gravel bike May 2025 that could handle my weight,  and I had my local bike shop put on shorter 165mm pedal cranks and the smallest crank gear possible, 32tooth.  If you're reading this, and you're heavy with a belly like I had (and still have tbh), please try shorter cranks.   Your belly will get in the way while pedaling.    If you lean forward at all, the tops of your thighs will hit your belly.   To compensate, you'll start tilting your pelvis, making your lower back hurt,  or you'll rock side to side on the saddle making your butt sore.

Your belly won't let you use the longer cranks properly and longer cranks put more torque on your knees.   Being at a heavier weight already stresses your knees, especially going uphill.  You can always switch back to the original cranks after losing the weight if you have that racing road biker mindset.    But honestly, for a touring bike, comfort matters more.   I like the shorter cranks.    I'm older too.   How fast do I need to ride at 53?   I don't really care anymore.  I just want to enjoy riding for as long as my body will let me.   Now, it's more how many hours can I comfortably ride, not how far I went.    

I also switched to a 30 degree rise headstem so the handlebars are higher up.   I could sit more upright, and I got a more comfortable seat to help support my weight.   A suspension seatpost helped too.    At close to 300lbs I could have tried to hike/walk the weight off, but biking was far easier on my joints.     Now that I'm just shy of 250lbs, I'm walking/hiking more and starting some very slow jogging on nearby, soft forest trails using hiking poles for stability.   Yup, I'm one of those dorks.    Take care of your joints.  Once your cartilage is gone, bone on bone grinding never heals.  It'll just keep getting worse until you have to replace the damaged joint, and artificial joints will have major limitations.     Listen to your aches.   Viva longevity had this interesting video on maintaining joint health too, click here.

Time of Day, Fueling, and Intensity Matters 

I try to exercise after Breakfast now.  Most of my working life, I worked out after dinner, usually around 7p.m.   It was early enough I could fall asleep around 11p.m.   I never had the energy to work out before work either.   This year was different.   During August, I even started doing my rides at 6:30-7a.m. to avoid the heat and humidity.

My breakfasts are now low carb , low fat, high protein.    With protein in your belly you can exercise at Zone 2, burn fat, and not break down your muscles/joints.     At least, that seems like the current consensus; I had to wade through a slog of science and gym bro content.   Any ride over an hour and above Zone 2 effort, you'll need about 200 carb-based calories per hour or you'll bonk.    Been there, done that.  Avoid bonking, it sucks.    Extreme bonking are those marathoners that stumble close to the finishing line and they crawl or get help from another runner to finish.

So, I guess the theory is that by keeping breakfast low carb & low fat, your body will shift more quickly into fat burning mode during your morning exercise session.  It really helps the weight come off, but don't go hard.   Think brisk walking or slow and steady biking for about 1 hour.   Maybe a very, very slow jog if you're already fit.    Zone 2 is described as you could talk while working out, but you don't want to talk because you'd soon get too out of breath. 

Also, I'll warn you, the first month of exercising on no carbs will feel miserable!!!  You're going to feel zombie-like, especially if you're used to the American style, dessert like breakfasts.  Take it slow; your body will get better at converting your fat stores to energy.     

The first few months, the exercise made me tired.   I couldn't get through the day without a short nap mid afternoon.  30-45 minutes usually.    I also spent a lot of time watching TV from the couch during the afternoon because I was too tired to do anything else.   If I still had to work, I don't think I could have made the transition to be honest.   It was a lot easier to form the habit of going for a bike ride around 9a.m. after morning rush hour, and going into slug mode during the afternoon.   None of that is work friendly.

I haven't and I won't go Keto/Paleo (high protein/low carb every meal/snack).  I still eat carbs with lunch and dinner.   I won't give up carbs.  I want to make long term, sustainable diet changes that I still can enjoy, and I'm not sure cardio heavy activities like bicycling are good for your heart without carbs to fuel your muscles.    Yes, your body can convert fat to blood sugar (gluconeogenesis), but that process can't keep up with more intense Zone 3-4 training.   Like sucking wind biking up long, steep Massachusetts hills.   

Indoor Bike Training

The weather won't always cooperate, so you need a backup plan.     A rainy week could derail forming good habits.

I used an older road bike that wasn't comfortable/safe to ride outside due to my heavier weight.  Roads are rough in Mass.   Found shorter 165mm cranks on ebay, installed myself.    I hooked the bike up to a discounted $500 Saris H2 trainer (Wahoo is more popular & expensive), bought a dedicated $500 mini computer off Amazon, and paid for a Rouvy subscription.    When you start, if you're heavy like I am, lower the reality setting so you can do the climbs without hurting your knees.    Don't lie about your weight.   It enrages other Rouvy riders.

What really made riding the Rouvy bike more comfortable was making a rocker plate to put the bike and trainer on.   It lets the bike tilt side to side and slide front to back a little as I ride.    It helps keep your butt from getting sore, because you're not putting all the forces right into your sit bones in a static position.    Oh, and setup at least 2 fans to keep cooler.   You're going to sweat more riding indoors. 

https://hunneyd.blogspot.com/2025/01/rocker-plate-for-my-indoor-bike-trainer.html 

Proper pushups

One of the things that has always bothered me is not being able to crank out 20 good pushups.   Doing pushups from the knees never helped me improve.    Doing  benchpresses doesn't help either.  I needed a different strategy

I found this youtube vid,   How to do more push ups the Special Forces way

I have a weightlifting cage in the attic, so when I do bench presses, there are safety catches so I can safely get the bar off of me when I go to muscle failure.   You can use those same safety catches and the bench press bar to do pushups.    No idea why I never thought to try it until I saw the video above.    A couple months ago, I started with the bench press bar about 3ft off the floor, doing 4 sets of 10, with 1 min breaks between sets every day.  Every 1-2 weeks, I'd move the bar down a catch after mastering the level I was at.    I'm now just 6" off the floor, so close to doing proper pushups from the floor.       Don't have a cage?    use 2 chairs, then 2 shorter plastic bins filled with heavy stuff to stay stable.   Etc.

I want to be able to do pushups because if I do bike cross country at some point (it's on my bucket list) I need a way to work out the upper body when touring.     It'll help me stay fit when doing truck camper cross country trips too.    When truck camping, I could bring a weighted jump rope too.

Keep your non-exercising spouse happy

Every 1-2 weeks, I'd plan a longer bike ride from our house to a lunch spot.   I'd bike there and Jacqui would meet me by car.    Win Win.   We'd have a nice lunch date, and it helped me stay motivated to keep biking.   It broke up my normal routes monotony.  I guess I'm like a golden retriever, food motivated.   Found a good variety of places, and I avoided busy roads.   Planning those rides helped me get much better at routing and planning through the Ride With GPS app; it's like Google Maps but for bike touring.

 Another side benefit of using a Garmin GPS bike computer with Ride with GPS to navigate , it has a g sensor, and I only get 10 seconds to disable it from automatically calling Jacqui for help if it senses an accident.   If the call to Jacqui fails, it calls 911.   It's linked to my phone via bluetooth.   I also shared my google location with Jacqui so she can see where I am roughly.     I accidentally knocked my bike over once triggering it, and I barely stopped it before it called Jacqui, so it works.

Jacqui and I have also been talking about getting her an e-bike, so she could join me on some easy rail trail rides   Something an hour or less with breaks and snacks.    An e-bike could be useful for her to go to the town library from home too; it's only a mile away.    There's a nice, safe shortcut through the town cemetery, and it'd actually be easier than driving, waiting in the downtown traffic queue, and parking the car.     Weather permitting of course.

Oh, and I wised up and learned to buy Jacqui snacks/sweets when I'd see something she'd like at an eclectic general store in the area.    Bribery, in the form of baked goods, are usually appreciated     

 

PB Fit powder and Navy Bean Ninja Creami Ice Cream

Sort of similar to my Baked Beans dessert idea, I found a navy bean, peanut butter ice cream recipe I like on Reddit,   

https://www.reddit.com/r/ninjacreami/comments/1mnmc0b/peanut_butter_vegan_no_protein_powder_ice_cream/ 

you'll also need a Ninja Creami ice cream machine.   https://a.co/d/2Lw2u7a     My machine has the known glitch where you have to unplug and replug to get it to work again after it sits for a day.   Or just buy an outlet switch if you don't want to do that., https://a.co/d/bFslVtu 

Tastes great for healthy ice cream, but what I like is that it's filling due to the bean fiber.  

First time I made it, I should have let the beans drain & dry more after cooking them.    Excess water in the ice cream mix makes it hard for the frozen pint jar to thaw enough to mix in the Ninja Creami.   

So strain the navy beans and then dump the beans onto a paper towel covered baking sheet.   Spread the cooked beans out and let them air dry some.   I like using this usb battery powered fan to help the air drying https://a.co/d/6HnDaE3.    I also use the fan when making my sushi rice cheat meal too.    Dry the beans as much as possible before blending with the other ingredients using a blender.  Let the blended mix settle if it aerated.    Pour mix evenly into pint jars, don't exceed max fill line

Rewrote it below and upscaled it so I can use an entire pudding packet at once.   You'll need 3 pint jars though, don't overfill them.

You can buy PB Fit Peanut Powder on amazon if your grocery store doesn't carry it, https://a.co/d/hA6tWuK 

 

1 pint

• 2.5 cups (625ml) milk 
• 1/4 cup (65g) of powdered peanut butter (PB2)
•  3 tbsp (40g) of full fat peanut butter (I used homemade)
•  1 tbsp sugar
•  1 tbsp of vanilla pudding powder (I used Dr Oetker)
•  1 cup (100g) cooked and rinsed white beans(adds creaminess+fiber)
•  1/3 cup dried navy beans makes 1 cup cooked follow instant pot instructions

3 pints (and a half)

• 7.5 cups milk
•  3/4 cup  PBFit peanut powder
•  1/2 cup and 1 tbsp of full fat, natural, smooth peanut butter 
•  3 tbsp sugar
•  1 packet vanilla pudding
•  3 cups cooked navy beans (adds creaminess+fiber) 
•  1 cup dried navy beans makes 3 cups cooked follow instant pot instructions

 

How to roast veggies in the air fryer

 

Learn how to roast/air fry veggies like Broccoli/Cauliflower.    

Sadly, I've found the only way to do it right is to steam/boil the veggies first for 3-4 minutes on the stove, which is annoying because it makes more dishes you have to wash.    When I've tried to just use the airfryer, the veggies end up burnt and undercooked.

But my approach adds having to clean the steamer/boiling pot, a strainer, and the large bowl you'll use for the ice bath.    Annoying, but I find it necessary.      It could be worth doing a couple batches to make the extra dishes worth it.    Roasted veggies reheat ok. 

So per this video, America's Test Kitchen Air Frying Vegetables   I started experimenting with steaming broccooli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts first.

After steaming 3-4 minutes , strain and the dump the veggies into a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes to stop the veggies from overcooking.   MORE DISHES!!!    ARGH!

Pre heat your air fryer/oven for 3-4 minutes while the veggies cool in the ice bath.    Strain, pick out any remaining ice cubes,  and then dump the veggies into the air fryer basket,  add 1/4 cup water, and spritz oil on the veggies, Air  Fry for 10 minutes at 375.   Toss halfway through at the 5 minute mark.   Add time in 1-2 minute increments if you want more browning.   Different veggies will vary slightly.    

DO NOT USE parchment liners in the air fryer (that means you Mom!).   It stops the air from circulating properly.     Get a nylon dish washing brush, https://a.co/d/1Ijj098 and gently scrub the teflon coated air fryer basket when you're done cooking.    

I cook as many veggies as will fit in the air fryer without overcrowding the veggies, there needs to be air gaps to roast things properly.   

I know all the steps I just described are a PITA, but roasted veggies dramatically lessen that weird bitter taste.   You'll start to crave roasted veggies when done properly.

Deconstructed Instant Pot Baked Beans

 

Instant Pot baked beans, no Dutch Oven needed 

I occasionally make this Baked Beans recipe , and I mostly make it for a week's worth of desserts now, but I go about it slightly differently.

I apologize for the sacrilege of not using a dutch oven in my approach. 

I wanted to cut down on the amount of grease in the beans (vs the linked recipe above).   My way requires less stirring too, and it only takes about 30 minutes of active cooking work.   90 minutes cook time total, assuming you time everything well.    It can even be quicker if you setup the beans to cook while you're at work.    Then you can get everything done in about 30 minutes after you get home.   . 

You'll need the following

• a non-stick fry pan big enough for 1 cup of diced onions.  Medium to large so moisture can release.
• a regular size cookie/baking sheet with a decent raised edge (1/2 inch minimum) 
• an oven big enough for the cookie sheet 
• aluminum foil large enough to completely cover the cookie sheet including the raised edges 
• a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot.
• a tablespoon and 1 cup size measuring cup 
• disposable paper towels or a container for the bacon grease after it cools  

We're going to cook the dried beans in the Instant Pot, fry the onions in the pan, bake the bacon first, and then crisp up the entire baked beans mix using the same foil covered baking sheet at the very end. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups/ 16oz / 1 pound of dried navy beans
• 2-4 bay leafs, salt, baking soda (for the instant pot bean cooking)
• 8 oz bacon  
• 1 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 

 Cooking Instructions

1. Cook 2 cups of dried navy beans per my instant pot page.    It'll take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes, start to finish.    
• You can set this part up before going to work, program delayed start so it's ready when you get home.   Reduce the bean cook time 5-10 minutes because they'll be soaking for a few hours first. 
2. After setting up the instant pot,  oven bake at least 8oz bacon (half a pound) on an aluminum foil covered cooking sheet at 400F for 20 minutes, no convection, middle rack position. Bake until crispy.   
• Lay each piece of bacon out flat on the foil, with space between the slices.  You'll need slightly less time for thin bacon, more for thick.   Bake until the white fatty part of the bacon has fully rendered.
3. Start warming up a large, teflon fry pay on stove.  Medium to Medium Low Heat   
4.  5-10 minutes after starting the bacon, remove the baking sheet briefly to harvest a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease.  I usually tilt the sheet into the frying pan after making a funnel with a corner using the foil.   
5. Use the 2-3 tbsp of bacon grease to saute the 1 cup of onions until golden brown, don't burn the onions, reduce heat if needed, transfer the cooked onions to a small bowl.      Using the grease to saute adds a ton of flavor to the bake beans later,  please don't use regular cooking oil.
6. When the bacon is crispy, remove baking sheet from the oven, transfer bacon to paper towel covered plate, pat bacon dry with more paper towels.   Leave the foil on cookie sheet, let it cool 5-10 minutes.   Then either transfer the grease to a container for future cooking,  or use paper towel to absorb all the grease and toss towels in trash.   Leave oven running at 400F  
7. Wait for instant pot to finish and for all the pressure to naturally release, open lid. Remove bay leafs with a fork.   Over a 4 cup pyrex or shatter proof bowl strain the beans capturing some of the aqua faba bean water.  
8. Add drained, cooked beans back to instant pot bowl, or a regular big mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix all the other ingredients
• caramelized onions
• crumbled bacon, I crumble it by hand, by folding and squeezing the paper towel around it. (get your aggression out!).   IMHO if you have to cut it up, you didn't crisp it long enough.
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider
• add some aqua faba if mix seems dry.  Should be slightly wet/soupy before final baking step 
9. Dump and scrape out the bean mix and spread to an even thin layer on the foil covered bacon baking sheet,  put sheet back in the oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes to caramelize.    
10. Remove sheet from the oven and Enjoy!   Transfer to a pretty dish if you want, but it will be scorching hot.   It'll cool faster if you leave it on the sheet. for 10-15 minutes 

My variation makes the recipe healthier.   Still sweet and salty, but way less greasy.   Infused with a wonderful bacon flavor without the congealed grease in the baked beans after it cools in the fridge.   I usually eat about 2/3 cup cold after lunch and dinner for dessert lately.  It satisfies my sweet craving, but it's high fiber and filling.

Quabbin ride with Jeff

 

Quabbin Ride with Jeff

I met up with Jeff for a gravel ride on old dirt roads on the northeast side of Quabbin; the huge reservoir that supplies Boston with its drinking water.   There's an old town you can still bike/walk to.    All the homes are gone, so there are just stone foundations remaining.   They need to update the photos they had posted of the homes, the Sun had faded all the photos pretty severely.   I'd guess the photos get replaced every Spring; we were just there too late in the tourist season.

Jeff was on his new Lectric ebike with big 4.5" wide fatbike tires https://lectricebikes.com/products/xpeak-high-step-ebike,  and I was on my "acoustic" fatbike (no electric motor just me) with the narrower rims I bought for it with still cushy, but faster  3" plus size tires.    So if power output and rider weight were equal, my bike would be faster.   

 

It was a good match.    Jeff actually slowed his ebike assist down to just level 2  vs level 4-5 he's been riding solo.   Level 2 made him put in a little more effort, which he said he liked.    He worked up a good appetite for lunch after we finished our ride.   Also, the battery range of his ebike greatly improved.   I had to ride faster than I normally would to keep up with him.     We did a big loop and some out and backs.   Had some surprisingly good climbs.    There was one long climb where I headed out 5 minutes early while Jeff took more photos and ate a snack.    Worked out well.   I was able to do the climb at my normal slower speed and not blow my legs up.

 

The terrain isn't that flat near the reservoir, which I suppose makes sense with the reservoir being man made.   It was a more challenging day than I'd expected; I had a blast.  Jeff had fun too.  We'll ride together again.    Jeff was even talking about getting headsets for our handheld GMRS radios so it'd be easier to communicate when riding.

On the final leg back, we had 3.5 miles of two lane, paved road heading North to the green arrow square in the map below (where our vehicles were parked)   Jeff hates riding on roads where cars pass at high speed; I just tune it out.    So, I told Jeff to just crank up the assist mode on his bike and do that last stretch speedy.    He dusted me, lol.    Splitting up was the right call.  My bike computer has a return to start feature, so Jeff doesn't have to worry about me getting lost.   Separating, I was able to do the climbs slower and just relax to my music, which was good, I was riding on fumes at that point.    After getting back, I devoured my healthy lentil-based shepherd's pie.   Truck Camper Microwave ftw!    I can't explain to you how awesome food tastes when you've finished a ride, your body's exhausted, and you're sitting in a comfy camping chair.   Heaven!

 

Next time, I'll pack more snacks for sure.   I packed enough for when I ride solo, not enough for pushing hard.   Actually, I really enjoyed the motivation to ride faster than normal.   I just need to pack more "fuel" when I ride with Jeff, so I don't bonk.    Having as much riding experience as I do, I can tell when my blood sugar is low, so I just slow down so my body can convert body fat to fuel and keep my muscles going.    Avoids bonking unless it's also super hot out and I sweat out all my electrolytes.    It was only 50F/10C out so sweating wasn't a problem. 

 

More ride photos at bottom of this blog, but here's the map of our ride. started and ended the ride at the green arrow marker.    Forgot to completely end the ride until i heard it beep in the truck, so ignore the red marker.  Also that's why it was a weird straight line to the red marker.  I didn't fly there on Jacqui's broom .

 

 

Finally! Weight Loss Hiccups Breakthrough 

I think i finally figured out why my weight jumps up for a couple days after a long, hard bike ride.   I finally googled the right question.   I guess the body will retain water on its own to help your muscles heal.   I thought it was from ingesting salty stuff while riding, but I've been careful to not drink Gatorade or eat super salty stuff when riding.    Now I know my body's going to retain fluid just to repair muscle tissue.   Who knew?

 

Friday after the ride, I was super careful to not give into the greasy pizza cravings I was having after having a beer with Jeff at the Stone Cow Brewery.   I just made myself a slightly larger than normal (for me) home-made hummus wrap and ate some air-popped popcorn for a snack when I was still super hungry later that night.  So as you can imagine, I was bummed to see my weight jumped up from 256.5 to 257.7 Saturday morning AFTER being careful to not pig out after the ride.

 

Making things a little more frustrating, I also made some diet changes last week before the ride (eat more fruits and veggies, eat less "healthy" home made cookies and slightly smaller lentil soup/curry portions).    It worked!!!!   I finally had broken out of the 258-260lb rut I was stuck in during all of October.    

 

Saturday, I just rested all day.  I was pretty worn out after the ride Friday.    Was happy to see the weight dropped a little to 257.4 Sunday morning after a do-nothing, sit on the couch rest day.    Still felt a little bummed.    After all, I had woken up hungry Saturday morning and STILL my weight was up over a pound.   Sunday I just did a leaf cleanup session around the house, which did involve walk-behind bagger mowing everything, and lots of walking for a couple hours, but nothing that strenuous.

 

Imagine my shock to see my weight dropped back down to 256.1 lbs this morning.    Apologies if TMI, but I had zero constipation issues; everything was fine over the weekend.    If anything, I peed a lot last night.   Which finally prompted me to google the right question, "retain water for about 2 days after intense exercise"  and VOILA!   See below

  

 

I finally understand now.    This has been a frustrating pattern all Summer since I started cleaning up my diet and riding my bike a lot more.   When I'd do the occasional long ride (3 hours plus) to the point my body would want to just lie still for a couple days, my weight would oddly go up 1-2 lbs for a couple days to then suddenly drop to lower than before I did the ride.    Now I finally understand why!        

 

Anyway, enough weight loss blather.   Here are some photos from the ride.   Remember you can double click on the photos below to start a slideshow view.   Arrow keys on keyboard to scroll, or tap on thumbnails if using a phone/tablet.

 

 

 

I envy this guy's resting place.  He has a gorgeous view of the reservoir.   The scenic shots are right near him.