xc skiing and snowshoeing

I lost 6.4lbs over January.    Took a rest day yesterday (Friday) because it was super cold, but today, I plan on going skiing later after it warms up.    It's -2F/-19C right now.     It'll be 20F/-6.5C by noon.

Nothing exciting ski-wise.   Just a 2 mile flat section of rail trail that doesn't get much use by hikers or dog people.

I bought new backcountry skis (Madshus, 62 Panoramas, steel edged), and I enjoyed them for a quick outing Thursday.   They're 20mm wider than my old off track skis, but still fast enough for ungroomed classic cross country stride skiing, but the extra width helps with trails with fresh powder or other people have walked or snowshoed on.   Helps me slide over the dips and divots.

In the nearby Carlstrom Forest woods down the street from7ujm my house, I've been using my 37" long Crescent Denali aluminum frame snowshoes.    I can walk a 2 mile loop in the woods.   It's not scenic.   No views really, but good to be under the trees.    The one view you get is of a lot of dead fall in a swamp/marsh area.

https://crescentmoonsnowshoes.com/mens-powder-ski-snowshoes-denali-37-white/ 

 

First couple days I was noticing nothing other than the occasional rabbit/squirrel tracks crossing my trails.    Thursday I finally noticed some dog tracks in my snowshoe trails from nearby houses.    Good to see, and it felt nice to pack down some trail to make some puppers happy. 

 

Last Winter I also bought a smaller pair of their much smaller and lighter foam snowshoes.   Those are super fun and great for big guys walking on packed trails, either from other walkers or snowmobiles.      Half the price, more than half the weight, and they have little screw heads in the bottom so you don't slip on ice.   Super fun.   But again, they'd be useless in fresh snow IMHO.   I'm going to see if I can get Jacqui to go snowshoe with me after it warms up to 32F/0C.   I'll have her try the fun ones below

https://crescentmoonsnowshoes.com/eva-foam-snowshoes/ 

 

I did have an exciting weigh-in this morning 235.9!!!!, but I bet it'll be higher tomorrow morning.  I retain water after intense exercise, and again I'm going skiing later today.   I do my weekly weigh-ins on Sundays, my normal rest day.   Oh well.   At least I got to see 235 something.   And during my weigh-ins I'm wearing 0.8lbs of clothing too.      

I took my rest day yesterday because it was too cold for skiing/snowshoeing yesterday, only a high of 12F/-11C .      I've notice that the day after a rest day, i get my best weigh-ins.   I think it's because my body stops retaining water to help repair muscle.

In good news, I don't really feel like i'm dieting anymore.    I feel more like I've figured out a new way to eat healthy but enjoy it.    Eating a diet with more fiber and nutrients, I actually feel less hungry than when I was overeating.   It's frikkin weird!    Like a diet induced way of going on Ozempic/GLP1 shots.   The only caveat is dining out.   I don't crave it anymore.  There really aren't great healthy, dining out options, which is fine.   There's always salad I guess, and I can get lentil/bean dishes at Indian/Mexican restaurants. Dining out is too expensive now anyway.    

At BJ's, I even bought unsalted, roasted peanuts, still in their shells yesterday....AND I LIKED THEM!!!!    I used to hate the unsalted nuts.    Hate is too strong.   I just found them super bland.     Now,  they're not so bad.   Probably because I rarely eat chips anymore (crisps for your Brits).      

Per a recent Viva Longevity episode, I'm now working on upping my nut and seed oil intake.   I know peanuts aren't technically nuts, but they're very similar.    I also eat almonds, walnuts, pecans daily.   I should increase my healthy oil intake some probably.   

The guy that hosts the Viva Longevity channel was a tech guy.   Made his money and got out, but I don't think he's rich enough to be obnoxiously out of touch.   A kindred spirit.   He made enough money to retire early and spend more time doing the stuff he loves.    

 Anyhoo, he's older than me (70 something), a couple inches taller, and vegan.   But his blood work was still not good.   He's had bad numbers his whole life.   Like ridiculously high.    He recently re-tweaked his diet to eat more seed oils and nuts and BAM, amazing numbers!    The exact opposite of what the current health fad people are saying sadly.

 Again he was VEGAN, but his overall cholesterol was still 280 mg/dL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg_oDjern20 

 Look at his numbers now

His oldest Triglyceride numbers were when he was down to 185lbs and doing Ironman Triathlons.   He stopped racing due to AFIB risks.    As he started to put on weight, he tried low fat, high carb diet for awhile and the triglycerides and cholesterol spiked.

In his video above he really does a wonderful job explaining why there's so much misinformation.    A lot of it is the same old story the USA has been cursed with,  "Grifters grifting".    Glorified carpet baggers.        Sometimes it's a doctor meaning well but just not having the background in causal statistics to know better, but oftentimes, it's just a photogenic, extroverted doctor/health expert looking to make a buck.

 People get hurt and taken for a ride.     And then we all sit back and wonder why Trump supporters don't trust the experts.    THIS IS WHY!!!!

 Maybe as AI improves, we'll be able to use AI to filter through the mess.    But for now, AI doesn't really have true intelligence yet.    It's insanely good pattern recognition (better and far faster than human abilities), and it will regurgitate answers it finds most often.    

 So why would i put so much trust into a single youtube channel?    He doesn't make money on it.  He's not pushing books, he's not selling supplements or protein powder.   He does it because he nerds out on it.   He's retired, it's not even his job.    Any money made, goes back into the channel's production costs.    Also, if you open the description on his videos, it's all linked to the books and research he uses.

The problem is his channel isn't filled with attractive fit people and he's not paying for bots to push his content.    I fear it'll never break through, but I'm thankful to have found it.    Even if at times it feels like it's just me.

 

 

unsticking the weight loss

I'm getting better at tweaking things when my weight loss gets stuck.

I had 5 days in a row last week where my weight wasn't budging.   At first I was ecstatic at seeing a 230 something weight on the scale, but then the worry crept in.   I was plateauing again.    But after a few small changes, I just ended up with one of my best weeks in a while, ending at 237.8 lbs!

 

First of all....sometimes you're going to indulge in more pizza, bread, desserts, etc. than one should.  It happens, move on.   Maybe my relief at seeing a 230 something weight was triggering some snacking, idk.    I also think sometimes if you're lacking nutrients, it pushes your body to snack more.  

 I tried to get out of the rut by doing longer rides on my indoor weight trainer.   This was dumb...   I have to keep reminding myself that losing weight solely by trying to burn it off is NOT sustainable.  In fact, it usually just makes you binge on higher calorie stuff.     And I STILL need to find a comfier seat for the indoor bike, my poor butt.   

I realized I'd been cooking the same dishes for a month, so I think I just needed to change things up a little.  

Not having indian food in a while, I made a tikka masala, using a 1/2 cup of regular fat coconut milk instead of the recipe's heavy cream.   But here's the real kicker. no chicken/tofu.   I just used the instant pot to cook a cup of dried navy beans instead.     I thought the creaminess of navy beans might go better with the sauce than when I tried chickpeas.   Sure enough, tasty!     Maybe a future youtube video I'll make.

Upping my low calorie, high fiber intake helped me to stop overeating my 50% whole wheat sourdough, and BAM! weight loss back on track.     

I also made some home made (Greek) tzatziki sauce to replace the ranch dressing I used when snacking on raw broccoli or celery.    Actually, I started snacking mid afternoon more consistently and I found i was eating less at dinner.

I also have started having an apple or grapefruit at the end of each meal.

Less hunger, more weight loss.     It's frikkin weird!

And no Mom, I'm not overdoing it  (lol, jk).   I only lost 2.2 lbs this past week.   Which is still < 1% of my body weight.     I'm sure it'll slow down again, my goal is 1 pound per week until I get below 220.

In retrospect, what made me the most happy this past week is that I got the weight loss going again by actually upping the amount I was eating.   Just stuff like tofu, apples, grapefruit, raw celery/broccoli.   Cheap at our local BJ's warehouse.

Feels good. 

Currently ahead of my 1lb/week plan again, due to this past week's success.   Using a BMI for 6'2" I'll no longer be obese once I'm under 233.    BMI Healthy weight will likely never happen, < 192 lbs.   BMI is for average build, so I'll be happy with middle of the "overweight" range.      Ideally I want to hover around 215, with a new, permanent max weight of 220 (once I see 220, back on diet until 215).   I'll get there by June if I stick to losing 1lb/week

 

 

 

 

weighing 230 something!

First time I've weighed 230 something since 2000!      What's the big deal?   I just posted about losing 50lbs a week ago.   I guess I just like to celebrate/mark the milestones.    Keeping myself motivated.    Side note, I also wear at least 0.8 lbs of clothing when I weigh in, so I'm actually well below 240.    I keep my scale in the kitchen so I can't avoid it;  and I don't want to flash the neighborhood during weigh-ins.

Also, I waited until I weighed < 240 for at least 3 days straight before posting this.   My lowest weight was 239.4 (or 238.6 el bucko after subtracting the 0.8lbs).   I'm going to keep pushing until I get under 220, so I'm no longer medically "obese"     I find it funny that I feel driven to only being "overweight" medically speaking, but it's a goal.   I'll take it!   LOL  

 

Last time I remember seeing a 230 something weight was way, way back in 2000.  (in the year 2000,  in the year 2000!!!!  Conan O'Brien reference)  I was visiting Jacqui down at Chapel Hill, UNC when she was getting her PhD.   At the time, I remember stepping on the scale in her bathroom and being bummed at seeing 234 something.   Not upset enough to actually change anything, just remember the feeling of being disappointed I'd let myself gain the weight back after all the work I did the last couple years of college.   Back in Mass, I hadn't even bought a scale for my house yet.    

 

During my solo years in Mass was when I really went off the rails, weight-wise.  It's all on me.    To be honest, I think the same thing would've happened if Jacqui went to school in Mass.    I had a job where I could go out to eat during lunch 2-3 times a week, and I piled on the weight at the Chinese/Indian all you can eat buffets, and nearby Italian place (Ziti's).    I was just enjoying food way too much.     It was my reward/stress relief of choice, and I spent the last couple decades drifting between 250-275lbs most of the time because I kept indulging that vice.

 

I think part of my new found motivation is that I'm jut too old to eat poorly (and too much) and still feel ok.   It finally started making me feel unhealthy, and occasionally flirting with going over 300lbs was going to shave years if not decades off my life. 

 

I recorded some specific weights in my spreadsheet where I could remember specific milestone weights.   Double click on the screenshot below to make the photo bigger.   The couple of decades, I'd gain at least 20lbs over Winter and lose most of it over the Summer.    As I've gotten older, I slowly stopped losing as much as I'd put on.  The only exception was 2018.   That was the year I was finally org'd out of AZ, so I wanted to look better for interviews while I still had a job; plus I needed to get my blood pressure down to get the good pain meds for a dental implant.  Lidocaine raises BP.   During the first extraction, I only got the less effective stuff.     All I'll say is Ouch, and that I definitely had extra motivation to drop weight that year.   But the motivation was fleeting.

  

 

 

I've blogged about it before, the HUGE difference this time around is that I've finally improved what I eat.   I'm now following the Mediterranean diet, like the following food pyramid.    It doesn't literally mean eating Greek/Italian regional dishes.   To me it means eat fruit, low starch veggies, and beans/lentil based dishes most of the time.    I'm not losing weight by fasting until Lunch like I did back in 2018 to lose weight over Winter.

 

 6 months on the new diet I feel great, and with my new stable of healthy dishes, it feels far easier to maintain and keep going.   I now have a quiver full of high fiber meals that are filling.   for recipes click here     I will say the only downside is when I travel.   I haven't figured out fast food options that fit well with my new diet, but if I have my truck it's easy to cook/bring stuff along.

 

I'll also say if I was working full time still, it would have taken me way longer to figure this stuff out.   It takes time to learn how to cook this stuff and to find recipes you like.   And it's kind of antithetical to how most Americans eat.    You'll feel like you're on your own, most likely

 

 

 

 

Finally, I've cropped the photo below a bit, I had major bed head.   The joys of balding.  the wispy hair I have left now likes to stand straight up after I roll out of bed.   Sorry the photo is a little blurred too, not important.   This red jacket was super tight last Winter.     I could barely zip it up.   I looked like a stuffed sausage.    The poor zipper has hanging on for dear life.    Now, the jacket is nice and loose.    I've lost 6 inches off my waist per my belt.