SlimCache

This week has been a bit of a trial. It's proven hard to get into a lifestyle of sheer lax of attention toward structure or well being and then going back to calorie counting and thinking conscientiously about the things I'm eating. The whole week was kind of a mess until the last few days where I became woefully aware that I wasn't going to be able to post a loss unless I smartened up.

On the plus side I've logged more workouts this week than I have in what seems like forever. There's a lot to be happy about in that I'm getting the bike road ready and that process is proceeding in a (relatively) pain free fashion. I've also come relatively close to hitting the 2 pounds per week weight loss goal I've set for myself. If I can maintain focus this should all be very doable. More to come on the biking. I plan on beginning my "commute to train" exploits in the next couple of weeks. Stay with me.

Starting Weight : 218.6 lbs. This Week : 216.8 lbs.
Change Since Last Week : -1.8 lbs. Body Fat % : 24.2
Basal Metabolic Rate : 2121 calories BMI : 29.8

Really happy to have managed to get two workouts in today. I'm back, baby! I hit the elliptical during lunch and did a cross country session on resistance level 12. Felt fantastic. Ended up sorry I had stayed away so long.

Also managed a run after work. Unfortunately it was quite low in pace, indicating that I've lost some fitness but I guess that was to be expected. Good run with no Achilles pain.

In addition to grabbing a couple of workouts today, I've projected out a target date and expected weight for that particular date. This was a tactic that worked so well for me in the past I just couldn't ignore it when relaunching this new effort. The target date is the 17th of June, the first day of the Trek Across Maine. I'm counting again on the 2 pound per week method that worked so well for me previously. That puts me at 195 pounds to start the Trek. I've got 11 weeks. Hammer down.

Accountability does wonders for personal accomplishment. Without it, you soften, become doughy, and slip back into the same crap habits that got you into the hurtin' position you were in in the first place. I accomplished a lot with this blog toward my own personal health and unfortunately since ignoring SlimCache, I've experienced a backslide. I've experienced a loss in focus, self-confidence, and motivation and I think that's due in large part to the fact that I have no one to answer to anymore.

I recognized this while listening to a Tim Ferriss interview by Chris Hardwick on Nerdist. Great show on stand up comedy, nerd culture, and in this instance, life hacks. If you haven't heard it please check it out. Ferriss talks about how essential goals, and lofty ones at that, and accountability are to personal betterment. He himself has set the goal to run an ultra-marathon. He goes on to talk about how individuals who take iPhone pictures of their meals, for accountability sake, are more likely to succeed in their weight-loss goals. I realized this is what I did for a long time with SlimCache, and how this blog for a long time was vital and integral to my success, and I then realized that I needed to get that back.

Before going forward I should probably explain what's been going on in the year of radio darkness here at SlimCache. I successfully completed two marathons last year. I also grabbed a sub 25 minute 5K PR and finally placed in my age group. At a Thanksgiving Day 4 miler I ran 8 seconds per mile faster than that previous best 5K time. But since Thanksgiving there has been a dark cloud of motivation suck hanging just over me. I've slipped to only working out a couple days a week and I've got a nagging Achilles issue. I've experienced a weight gain. Nothing drastic but coming as far as I have it's disappointing to see any pounds go back on. I'm 12 pounds heavier than my last weigh in post a year ago. No more. Time to get my shit together.

So I set a goal! I'm going to participate in this year's Trek Across Maine, a 3 day, 180 mile bike ride from Sunday River to Belfast, and I'm incredibly pumped about it. I decided to pass on doing a marathon in the first half of this year and train on the bike. I'm planning on getting in training by driving halfway to work, procuring a parking space in the swank Marginal Way park and ride, and commuting the rest of the way. On weekends I'll go for longer rides. During this process I'll again chart my weight loss and fitness goals and report them here and on other social media venues. Please join me in the effort to once again get me together, cuz I realized I need the help of you the community. I've missed you all. Peace.

Starting Weight : 218.6 lbs. Body Fat % : 25 Basal Metabolic Rate : 2132 BMI : 30.1

I sincerely wish to thank all of those who helped me along the way. My weight-loss goals could not have been achieved without the support of this community. Since the blog has not been updated for some time I've officially decided to call it quits for SlimCache. I'll leave it up for a time to refer back to when I slip or just need some inspiration. Hopefully someone will stumble upon it from time to time and it may inspire them too. The story goes on though over at So.ME.Vegans, the new blog I've launched with my wife to cover vegan foodiness in Southern Maine. I'm excited about the newest project and hope you'll join me. It's been real. Catch you at Sugarloaf in two weeks when I run my first marathon!