Maybe This is the Year I Should Take a Break?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
35 Days Until Bolder Boulder

Saturday had been a good day for me, despite my atrocious run in the morning. I ate less, supported the 9HealthFair at the stunning, new Erie Recreation Center by attending, got some work done, spent time with my daughter, and went to bed at a decent hour. I also skipped the chips, soda, and ice cream – unlike Friday when I indulged in Goodtimes burgers, fries, onion rings, root beer, and custard (not exactly a training table meal) – but I did knock off a bag of Cheetos. I swore it would be my last.

Surprising even myself, I had gotten six hours of sleep and already felt noticeably better. Even with the poor run I had completed yesterday, when combined with eating fairly well, my weight had gone down from 221 on Friday to 217 on Saturday. Today I was at 214 so I was making good progress. I was pleased with the drop but reminded myself I was in the “easy zone” when it came to weight loss. The first 15 or even 20 pounds should be easy. Then it would get tough.

Today I decided to ride a stationary bike for one hour and rest. I had a cast-off LifeCycle bike I had purchased from the Boulder Valley YMCA but rarely used it. I figured I would try to ride it for 60 minutes at its top level (Level 15) on days I did not run. I was tired from yesterday’s run, however, so I didn’t have a hard time convincing myself to take the day off so I did.

The bike was fragile though so I had to use it gently. It was about to break in two different places and also was making a loud “clicking” noise. These were good reasons for the Lafayette YMCA to pitch the unit. I felt sorry for it and thought I could make it work so I bought it and took it home as if I had rescued it from the Humane Society.

My major activities of the day were helping my daughter with her homework, caring for our four dogs, and getting organized for a three-hour meeting of my television research and production team in Denver. We met at Pint’s Pub a couple times each month and that definitely had the potential to be my Waterloo. The menu at Pint’s was fabulous. Located just a block west of the Denver Art Museum, Pint’s was a great place to meet people and enjoy the food and beverages offered by the establishment.

Typically, I would have chili cheese fries, a special hamburger, and seven or eight large glasses of iced tea and lemonade. With a few other items, I often would have to be rolled out of the restaurant after a 10,000 calorie “meal.” Today I was good. I had their cheese and cracker platter (sliced squares of Havarti cheese, a sectioned Granny Smith apple, and a giant one-foot diameter water cracker) and a large salad. I even moderated the number (4) and composition of the Arnold Palmers to make them 75% tea and only 25% lemonade rather than 50-50. I was a good boy. We would see how good my weigh-in is tomorrow. I wasn’t holding my breath…