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brianwelsch wrote:
I need to get a tune-up on my bike
I'm a firm believer in yearly tune-ups at the local bike shop. Where I live they run between $35 and $50. They include adjusting cables (your shifter problem), checking/replacing brake pads, retaping handlebars, and that sort of thing. Parts are usually extra.
What sort of bike do you have? I ride a Trek 1220, which is an older version of this[^].
brianwelsch wrote:
the athletes riding Tour de France
Go Lance!
Software Zen: delete this;
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Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
What sort of bike do you have?
I just have an old Schwinn Badlands. An entry level mountain bike. I do only street riding now, and will definitely look into buying a street bike if I continue riding. I wonder if I could just get street tires as intermediate and cheaper step to get a better ride.
Do you know if brake pads deteriorate much over the years? They aren't worn down, but I haven't ridden at all in the past 4-5 years, and keep picturing the pads breaking apart one day.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"People look so snooty, take pills make them moody Automatic bazootie, zero to tutti frutti" -Hollywood Freaks
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brianwelsch wrote:
I just have an old Schwinn Badlands
The first bike I bought with my own money was a Schwinn Speedster. I saved the money from my paper route for months. I still have it, hanging from hooks in my garage; I just can't bear to part with it.
brianwelsch wrote:
I wonder if I could just get street tires as intermediate and cheaper step to get a better ride
Probably not. You would need to replace the wheels to put road tires on, and that's more involved (and more expensive) than the benefit you would get. A better long term approach might be to look at a hybrid bike. Hybrids have the mountain bike riding position (fairly upright), but have narrower tires and more 'roadish' gear sets. When I started riding, I rode a Trek 700 for a couple of years. I bought it new for about $240, and sold it for $150. Hybrids are nice for casual and fitness riding, and can handle a little 'off road' riding if you're into that. They're more comfortable for people who don't like (or whose backs can't handle) the more prone position of a road bike. They also tend to be more forgiving on variable surfaces (in town: gravel parking lots, curbs, and the like).
brianwelsch wrote:
Do you know if brake pads deteriorate much over the years?
If you get your current bike tuned-up at a bike shop, they can check the pads and recommend if they need replacing. Of course they do wear, but I don't think storage or age would hurt them.
If the bike has been stored any length of time, or is fairly old, you may need to replace the tires. Tire rubber tends to deteriorate over time, especially if the bike has seen extremes of temperature. One way to check is to deflate the tires most of the way. If you pinch the tire, and you see lots of hairline cracks (along tread lines especially), that's a good sign it's time to replace them. Mountain bike tires can get away with a lot more of this condition than road bikes, since the tires are thicker and run at lower pressure.
Good luck, and keep us informed of your progress.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Thanks for the info Gary!
I probably just keep my ride maintained then until I decide I'm ready for something more serious.
I'll be on my regular Monday weigh-in report on..errr...well ... on Monday.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"People look so snooty, take pills make them moody Automatic bazootie, zero to tutti frutti" -Hollywood Freaks
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Woohoo! 2 more pounds gone! This is getting fun. If I could have, I would've given myself a high-five this morning, instead I pumped my fist into the air and said "Yeahhh!"
Then I turned and looked at my big all-teeth-bearing grin in the mirror, and told myself what a dork I was.
I didn't exercise so much this week, but I ate only when I was hungry. Novel thought isn't it?
Though I feel I could easily lapse into old eating habits at this point, I also think it wouldn't be too difficult to keep up the new habits, and better still improve upon them.
I hope Terry saw another successful week as well.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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Keep going man, keep going, No matter what, never have this "Just this one time" attitude againt junk food.
I'll write a suicide note on a hundred dollar bill - Dire Straits
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Mr.Prakash wrote:
Keep going man
Thanks!
BW
The Biggest Loser
"People look so snooty, take pills make them moody Automatic bazootie, zero to tutti frutti" -Hollywood Freaks
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brianwelsch wrote:
Then I turned and looked at my big all-teeth-bearing grin in the mirror, and told myself what a dork I was.
We are all dorks here and that's a good thing! DORKS RULE
brianwelsch wrote:
I ate only when I was hungry. Novel thought isn't it?
It actually goes against our evolution - we are a species who has always been starving and constantly searching for that next meal - pigging out on the lucky days when we had food and going hungry for the days we had none took us up to only an eyeblink ago on an evolutionary timescale.
So it really is a novel idea! But it is also a very smart idea. Even better is to do the mind numbing daily calorie allotment and plan out your meals and eat on schedule. I use a modified version of this - I skip a scheduled meal if not hungry, but refuse to eat in-between if I am hungry. I'll wait to the next shceduled meal and eat only thet - even if it is just a small plate of salad. After being fed your hunger shuts off after 15 minutes or so.
It is also really good to force water through you all day long. At least a gallon every day. It keeps your kidneys efficient and able to filter your blood properly - otherwise the liver picks up part of the load and its bile-production capacities are diminished so your food doesn't get digested as well and all sorts of unpleseant things occur.
Constant water drinking also burns calories. You get no calories from the water, but your kidneys burn calories and if the water is cold you also burn calories just from the heat transfer of getting the ice-cold water up to body temperature.
So drink a gallon or more every day!!!!
I am down to 279. This makes 32 pounds gone in 54 days. 79 more to go!
Good job on your steady progress!!!!
//placeholder for witty verbiage
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TWO ** pant * HUNDRED * gasp * FIFTY * wheez *** THREE
Clocked in a good 25 miles of walking and cycling this week. It's been a blast! It's amazing how different my view of the neighbor has become since travelling around without a car. Meeting people, taking in the smells and sounds, it's really cool.
I did a much better job of sticking to my diet this week, I'm happy to say. Those SlimFast shakes, while by no means as delicious as sugar encrusted deep-fried apple pastries, go down easily.
I feel bad now if I don't do exercise every day, and my energy level overall is going up. Man, I should started this years ago.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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253!
:APPLAUSE:
brianwelsch wrote:
It's amazing how different my view of the neighbor has become since travelling around without a car. Meeting people, taking in the smells and sounds, it's really cool.
Yeah - I noticed the same thing. Sometimes I realize that I have a goofy smile on my face when I am walking. I usually head out around 8 PM and take a nice walk through some old residential neighborhoods with huge trees that touch in the middle over the streets with really nice lawns, gardens and houses. Lots of nice people on the street also taking walks and a few people I have seen on multiple occasions and we smile and wave to each other. There is a Jewish temple in the neighborhood and on Fridays there are always lots of people walking home from temple and I have had some nice conversations - I learned that driving is operating machinery and thus would be a breaking of the Sabbath so that is why there are so many people walking.
brianwelsch wrote:
I did a much better job of sticking to my diet this week
Very important! Don't think - throw out all of your non-diet food.
I trashed my salt, sugar, candy, etc.
When I go grocery shopping I get the same things each week:
1 Head of lettuce
2 onions
3 tomatoes
10 Lean Cuisine dinners
1 box of 6 Slim-Fast snack bars
1 box of 6 Slim-Fast shakes
1 box of 4 non-breaded chicken breast patties
1 loaf of wheat bread
1 Litre of Diet Cola
Fat free italian dressing (if needed)
That's it!
Average around 1000-1200 calories a day.
How do you lose weight? Simple - eat less than you burn
You are doing great - don't stop now - I think we are on the verge of the exercise and feeling better being a self-reinforcing behaviour and that equals a fundamental lifestyle change.
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My typical groceries are:
1 gal. 1% low-fat milk
several bananas, apples, and either a pkg. of grapes or strawberries
bag of mixed greens
1 cucumber
carrots
shredded cheddar cheese
8 cans low-carb Slim-fast shakes
5 low-carb Slim-Fast snack bars
some type of fruit juice
skinless chicken patties
pasta
coffee
I'm taking in about 1600 calories per day, and burning an avg. of 500 calories per day due to exercise. My seat belt fell flush with my belly today, instead being covered up by it.
I can definitely tell the lifestyle change coming on. I think a solid 2 months will ingrain the habits enough to last.
Congrats on your 4 lbs. drop!
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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Slow and steady, right? Man, I feel like a tortoise.
The good news is I finally got exercise to be a regular part of life this week, with over 14 miles of walking and some light weight lifting started. The bad news is I gave into temptation eating-wise.
Actually, I didn't really give in, so much as I failed to plan out my meals and do any proper grocery shopping, leaving me vulnerable to picking up quick non-nutricious(sp?) meals.
Hopefully, I will succesfully put the two pieces together this week. I have plenty of fruit and salad and chicken and yogurt and slim-fast at home now. No pizza, or Mrs. Freshleys Cherry Pies from the vending machine.
I do feel great, though, and my heart rate has gone down considerably. Before I started, my heart rate would typically be in the mid 90's without doing anything, and now it's around 80. My heart beats a little extra due to a heart murmur, but 90's is ridiculous, no?
So health improvements are being realized even if I'm not losing as fast as I'd like.
Here's to another week. :apple:
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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Well, I'm down to 289. I couldn't have done without throwing out all of my bad food. You can't eat it if isn't there!
It is great to hear about your pulse rate going down. I should also be monitoring that.
If I can keep losing at this rate, I'll be down to my goal in time to jog to the voting polls to pull the lever for Kerry
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Slow going, but at least it's in the proper direction.
I enjoyed a birthday celebration with food too delicious pass up, and a small welcome home celebration with my parents. I can't deny myself those moments, but I do need to learnto make up for them with extra exercise and/or cutting back on the other days.
I've got 3 nice loops near my apartment mapped out for walking. Roughly 1.5 / 2 / 3 miles each. I've got some longer loops in mind for bike riding, but haven't measured them yet.
Also, I quit the gym, which might sound contrary to my reaching my goal, but the thought is this. The gym is boring and expensive. My changes will have to include more constant activity throughout my day, rather than a sterile environment removed from my normal living. Also, the money I'm saving will go towards equipment I can use at home. New shoes, some free weights, etc.
Anyway, here's another pound. good riddance.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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I lost 7 pounds this week! WHOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Sweat it out! Don't give up!
brianwelsch wrote:
I enjoyed a birthday celebration with food too delicious pass up, and a small welcome home celebration with my parents. I can't deny myself those moments
Nor should you!
Another losing (read winning) week behind us!
Glano perictu com sahni delorin!
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7 lbs. is fantastic! I'm shooting for 253 Next Monday.
One thing I've noticed in the past two weeks is that I've started seeing myself as somebody more fit, who is wearing the fat. I think that describes it right.
It's like the fat doesn't belong there, maybe like what Michaelangelo saw in the marble before he got chipping away the rock that didn't belong to David.
Congrats, again!! Keep up the good work!
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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brianwelsch wrote:
One thing I've noticed in the past two weeks is that I've started seeing myself as somebody more fit, who is wearing the fat. I think that describes it right.
It's like the fat doesn't belong there,
That is the mindset shift! Once you make that shift then the rest is easy
I think that is why most people fail when they try to lose weight. THey still think of themselves as a fat person - you know like some people are white, some people are female, some people are children and some people are fat - and so they are already doomed to failure because subconsciously they think of themselves as a fat person. Seeing yourself as a trim, fit person who for some reason has this ridiculous fat tissue hanging off them moves you towards removing the excess baggage so you look "right".
That is a big difference.
Glano perictu com sahni delorin!
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Well, I have to admit, seeing as I didn't actually lose any weight, I was tempted to just try a silent retreat, and pretend this was never a goal. Maybe I could delete my posts, and no one would know...
But, you know I've got to admit my failure this week and make a greater effort this coming week to get rolling. There are plenty of excuses for why I didn't do any exercise this week, but they don't change the facts.
I won't make any big declarations of change, because that's usually alot of hot air. I will however make greater efforts to stick to my plans. change is hard.
I hope Terry saw greater success this week than I did.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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Don't lose heart! I gained 2 pounds.
That's right - I *GAINED* 2 pounds
I have been eating only 900-1200 calories per day, walking 45 minutes a day 5 days a week at a very rapid pace. I switched to the BowFlex 3-day on, 1 day-off 1 hour per day plan, I drink a gallon of water per day - I cut out fruit juice because of the natural sugars and I still GAINED 2 POUNDS?!?!?!
I don't get it. I am beginning to think that the $20 scale I bought at Sears that has a supposed max weight limit of 300 pounds may not be totally accurate. I have been on this diet for over 3 weeks now. I lost a lot of weight right at the beginning and now - nothing.
I don't care - I will drive-on. It may take a while to see results, but DAMN - how could I gain 2 pounds?!?!?
Don't give up Brian!!!!!!!!!
Glano perictu com sahni delorin!
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brianwelsch wrote:
Unbelievable! How could you not have dropped another 4-5 pounds? Your body may be going through an adjustment period, or something like that. Switching over to lower intake mode and higher efficiency. The human body is amazing at adjusting to new conditions.
Maybe that is it. The weird thing is that I am almost never hungry. I went from Friday night to Sunday afternoon and only ate some bread sticks on Saturday night. I wasn't trying to fast, I just never felt hungry. I feel like I have lots of energy. Maybe my body is starting to use my fat for energy and so it isn't signalling hunger? But if that were true you'd think I would have lost weight....
I am buying a good scale:
http://www.safehomeproducts.com/SHP/HH/AMCells_Scales.asp#WWS[^]
I don't trust those scales you buy at a store. I can step on mine and weigh in at 300, wait an hour and be 297, wait another hour and be 301!
Glano perictu com sahni delorin!
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I'd been mulling over my belly for awhile now. I tried everything from wishing it away to trying to convince myself it was endearing part of who I was.
About a week or two ago, I started walking and bike riding to get myself into a new healthier lifestyle. Then I read Terry's Bowflex post[^], and decided it was time to become serious about giving my heart a break and looking more attractive to the ladies.
So I offered Terry a friendly competition, which he has accepted. He will lose a significantly greater total of 110 lbs. to my 50 lbs. Though 58, would be more accurate as of last Friday (258 lbs.).
So I'll announce my weight progress here each Monday morning, and may the biggest loser earn bragging rights and enough money for new clothes.
BW
CP Member Homepages
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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My calves ache from a great 4 mile hike yesterday morning.
I purchased a book listing calories/carbs/fat for 40,000 food items this weekend, and began planning a realistic new diet.
I'm [not] big on TV dinners, low-carb/fat drinks or snack bars, so I'm trying a more natural diet including more fruits and veggies, yogurt, lofat milk, salads w/ chicken, tunafish, etc... I'm also allowing myself 2 meals per week where I can eat with little regard to being healthy. Can't forget to enjoy life you know.
I expect to modify my diet from time to time as I realize its effectiveness and feasibility.
BW
CP Member Homepages
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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The game is afoot Brian
How tall are you BTW? We may have the same amount of weight to lose proportionately.
I've got my thread started on my message board also. I'll post a link to your's from my main thread.
How does weekly reporting on Mondays sound?
Regardless of who loses more weight, we will both win!
Glano perictu com sahni delorin!
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I'm 6'1".
We can go by percentage of target loss as our gauge if you want.
I guess you'd be around 10% of target, and I'm almost 0.5%. That should level out soon though I hope.
Terry O`Nolley wrote:
Regardless of who loses more weight, we will both win!
Absolutely!
Man, I can't remember the other side of 240 let alone 200. It'll be well worth the effort when we get there.
BW
The Biggest Loser
"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"
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