Cupcake crisis walking Crisscross a weekends review.

Cupcake crisis walking Crisscross a weekends review.

1991 schwinn crisscross calorie counting success cycling for weight loss lost 200 pounds Schwinn criss cross schwinn crisscross walking walking for weight loss zeusmeatball

Over the weekend I was offered a challenge, a challenge in the way of a couple plates of cupcakes, challenge accepted and beat. Sunday my daughter spent some time with her Grandma and upon returning to the nest she came bearing treats "Look  dad, I made these" "awesome honey!" was my reply but I was thinking Oh damn! I dodged the cupcake mines and moved on with my day unimpeded by anything that is food. Its funny because I had just told my wife on Friday that I have hit a point where food is not a distraction for me right now, I view it as fuel and nothing more which does not necessarily mean I am not tempted but it means that I am able to not react and start chowing on the contents of the cupboards when the feeling hits.

Over the weekend I stayed within my calories and got out for a nice walk with my daughters, over all it was a pretty nice weekend and now today Wify has the day off so is home with us for a long weekend. Walking was a huge part of my weight losses on the first go around so with the concept if it ain't broke don't fix it in mind walking has to be a part of this. I do enjoy walking for what it is, it allows me to think, look at the scenery and just get away from things for a time but I also view it as something that I couldn't do for very long time without being in pain so I appreciate the simplicity of just going for a walk these days. There once was a guy that actually thought "why would someone want to just walk" as he watched from his window and I look back at that guy and am sad for him. When you are limited you create excuses and reasons for why you aren't doing things and get somewhat bitter with certain things and all along its the outlook that is creating the bitterness towards a situation that we seemingly have no control over. Walking is an important thing for me and whenever I start getting down on myself I think about it for a moment and decide to go for a walk because once upon a lullaby going for a walk was not an option and I recommend it to anyone starting off on a path to better health.

This weekend also afforded me some time with my bicycles, I don't mean riding, I mean working on them. I have a 1991 Schwinn Crisscross that I picked up some time ago and though I have slowly done some work to this bike it mostly sat waiting for its turn. This weekend I decided to pull it out, install some new bars on it, remove the too small rear rack and "finish" it up so I could call it a useable bike. I would like to install a set of fenders on it but otherwise its done besides some small details like removing the discolored disk on the rear wheel etc and I think it came out pretty good too. A quick ride around the neighborhood proved that it fits me good and is a keeper for sure. If you are interested in more details on the crisscross or would like to check out another blog that I started that is more cycling related, which basically means that I only really write about bikes that I am working on or cycling news etc you can Visit Two Wheels and a Fat Guy HERE and please do!

Over all I am doing well on this restart and the weight is coming off which makes me more than a happy camper, cupcake crisis averted a bike is complete and walking for health is a key element.

Until next we meet, keep on keepin on and all that. 

As Ever
Me

Schwinn Crisscross Project and some talk from the fat guy.

Schwinn Crisscross Project and some talk from the fat guy.

1991 schwinn crisscross bike crisscross project schwinn crisscross project suntour xpress suntour xpress accushift Weight Loss

I have posted images of the Schwinn Crisscross that I bought back in January before and am doing a sort of walk through on the build up... if you want to call it that, this post will touch on that project. The last post about the bike I had picked up a set of Suntour X press shifters for it, well, I had some free time and installed the shifter that the bike needed along with a brake lever to go with it because it had one of those Shimano brake lever/shifter combo dealies on it and to top it off it was broken. I also put a rear rack on but it was taken off of another bike that I sold last year and it appears that the rack is for a 26 inch tire bike, at least if I want to add fenders it is as there is only about 1/2 inch of space between the 700c x 38 tire and the bottom of the rack. I was looking to 1.) do this project as cheaply as possible 2.) make it into a commuter type bike of sorts so that I can use it to run down to the local store for random stuff and 3.) using mostly parts that I have on hand from my "stock pile" of bike stuff. Adding fenders is kind of important to me for more than one reason so I may end up having to buy a new rack if I can't stuff a set of fenders between the rack and tire.

Full on side shot with the new/old rack and shifter/brake lever installed.

Check out the rack on her!

New X-press shifter installed and adjusted, you can see on the clamp that holds the brake on that I had to scavenge a bolt from a different lever and it is a bit too long, I will fix this eventually.

The new shifter and brake lever work great but the cable routing is a little off but will be addressed when I change the handlebars, I have a set of riser bars that I am swapping onto the bike next.

Funny enough I just happened to have a Dia Compe XCT brake lever set in my Box O stuff so it matches pretty close to the Dia Compe XCM that was on the rear brakes, I may swap the XCM to the other XCT eventually just so it all matches. I needed to cannibalize another frame that I have laying around to get a barrel nut for the brake lever and will eventually replace it with the correct nut but for now what I have on there does work and since this is a budget friendly project hey! it is what it is. Taking the bike for a quick spin down the street showed me that it shifts great and actually feels pretty good as far as fit for me goes, If I end up riding this bike around on a regular basis once its completed I may go as far as getting a better wheel set for it because of how comfortable it feels when riding. .

Some future plans for the bike.

*Fenders
*Front rack
*New seat & possibly seat post
*Pedals
*Grips
*Lights front & rear
*Handlebars
*Change Skewers/seat clamp from quick release to bolt on

Changing gears I want to talk about my weight loss for a moment, For the last few weeks I have been more than on track and the scale is reflecting that with some drops in weight that remind me or the first 6 months of my weight loss program. Feeling extremely focused with my eating staying on task has been fairly easy in the last few weeks, I can't explain it other than saying that I had a little chat with the 534 pound me and we both agreed that I can't go back in that direction. I HAVE to keep my health on the forefront of my thoughts and efforts otherwise the rest crumbles beneath the weight of all of what comes with being an obese man and like I said, I ain't going back to that life. My intake has been very much within the calorie limits that I set for myself and here is a look at the menu from yesterday.

Breakfast
7:30 AM
coffee/creamer 90

9:45 AM
2 C honey combs 220
1 C almond milk 90

Lunch
11:45 AM 3oz grilled chicken 150
1 deli slim 100
1 wedge laughing cow cheese 35

1:15 PM
1 banana 105

2:45 PM
2 slices lite rye 120
3oz deli ham 180
1 wedge laughing cow cheese 35

Dinner
6:15 PM
3 T lite Cesar dressing 90
3 T parm cheese 60
2 100 cal wraps 200
lettuce 10
4oz grilled chicken 200

Grand total of 1685 for the day.

Making my way back down the ladder I have a goal for Jan 1st, I believe it to be realistic yet challenging and posting that weigh in will be interesting how ever it plays out. Me, my bikes and the discipline that I know exists within me says that I will make my goals, not because I want to but because I NEED to and I am the only one that can make it happen.

Make good choices with intake, Exercise, drink much... This is the plan...

As Ever
Me

Jump Jump! CrissCross will make ya.... oh wait

Jump Jump! CrissCross will make ya.... oh wait

1991 schwinn crisscross bike crisscross project schwinn crisscross project suntour xpress suntour xpress accushift Weight Loss

Back in Jan of this year I picked up an old Schwinn Crisscross on Craigslist for a mere $35 and have had plans to get it riding again so that I have a bike for when I need to run down to the corner store for a gallon of milk or a Cigar and a bottle of Jack. I figure that I can do some posts about the progress of this bike so anyone interested can watch it transform from something that was ridable as long as you only want 7 gears to a decent bike good for carrying small loads around and general rolling around the neighborhood. The bike has sat dormant for the past however many months because of the shifter that controls the front derailleur which is really wiggida wiggida wiggida wack when you think about it. The problem is the old not made any more Suntour Xpress shifter that I needed to match the rear derailleur shifter was not easy to come across unless I wanted to spend top dollar and well I am cheap so it took a while. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not afraid to search out a great deal, I figure my time is my time and if I can save as much as possible either searching out deals or waiting for one to come along I am no worse for wear and I end up with some killer deals.

The day I got it, this is as the bike stood, see its in good shape, especially for $35

Ebay to the rescue this time around I found a set of NOS Suntour Xpress accushift 6 speed shifters, the Crisscross is a 21 speed but the rear derailleur/shifter looks and functions perfectly so I only need the front shifter from this set. I got the Shifter set for $13 delivered so I am into the bike now for $48 and am planning on reselling the rear shifter on ebay at some point. I am not sure how far I will take this little project but I have been pricing wheel sets out for it and I have lots of odds and ends that I can use on it laying around in Tupperware but the plan is to keep this as budget friendly as possible and see what kind of a bike I can turn it into.

Brandy spankin' NOS shifters, soon enough the one I need will be on the bike.

Cycling has in a way kept me going, anything bicycle interests me and since I can't really do much riding if I weigh 500 pounds it keeps me in check when I am not feeling like staying on track. Taking things apart to see how they fit back together has always been something that i was into so having some bike projects is a great way to distract myself from anything that is stressful in my life and I am planning to use it as a tool to help keep me on track. Since this is after all a blog about a fat guy taking the weight off (putting it on and then again taking it off lately) I wanted to pop my menu from yesterday up here for anyone who cares to see it. I hit 1730 calories for the day which is ok since I aim for between 1700 and 1800 total for any given day, here is a look at how yesterday played out.

Breakfast
7:30 AM
coffee/creamer 90

8:45 AM
2 C Honey combs 220
1 C milk 110

11:45 AM
2 slices lite Rye 120
3oz deli ham 180
1 wedge laughing cow cheese 35

Lunch
1:00 PM
1 banana 105

4:00 PM
Healthy choice Café steamer 300

Dinner
6:15 PM
6oz baked breaded haddock 380
1 C southwest corn 120

7:30 PM
boiled egg 70

1730 total calories for the day.

Of course I had my green tea, that is something that has not changed no matter how off my eating is, I do not drink my calories! I do drink a gallon of green tea per day and another gallon of H20/Powerade zero on top of that with some Pepsi max or some other diet soda tossed in now and again... yeah yeah I'm working on getting off of the diet soda again! I went almost 3 years without it and just recently started indulging again.

Yesterdays post I got a couple comments and was going to respond but I cannot respond to comments for some reason so I need to sort that out so that I can leave comments on my own blog! My restart? yeah lets call it that, has been good so far and I am able to separate any outside stresses from my health plan, I think that focusing on my bikes is helping as well and this Crisscross project I think will give me something to focus on.

Thanks for the support and for stopping by to read the musings of a fat guy and his bikes..

Until next time.... That's all I got...

As Ever
Daddy Mac

My bikes, my obsession?

My bikes, my obsession?

1988 specialized rockhopper comp 1990 specialized hardrock 1991 schwinn crisscross 1994 trek 750 multitrack 1995 specialized hardrock sport 2009 k2 zed Murray Legacy trek 220 Weight Loss

Its a later than normal post and I have been playing around with some of my bicycles getting them ready for the spring and Craigslist. I believe that I know which ones will be kept for myself and which are going to new riders, maybe I don't but it dawned on me that I have photos of each of the bikes that I have and thought I would do a more bike kind of post since I had a minute. When I was 500 pounds there wasn't a chance in hell that I would have been able to take a spin around the block on a bike and since losing the weight I am well..I'll just say it, addicted to messing about with older bicycles. It all started with an idea and a walk through a sporting goods store, that idea ended up with me driving home with a brandy new 2009 K2 Zed in my car, from there I was obsessed with bikes again. When I was a kid I had an old Huffy Santa fe' 10 speed, that turned into a Schwinn Super le' tour which ended up getting stolen off of my back porch in the early 90's and that was the last time that I owned a bike until the K2. I thought it would be fun to post up my little collection that I have acquired over the past months since I got a couple inquiries as to "what kind of this or that" do I have lately, so here goes.

The one that started it all my K2 Zed, this was a birthday gift from my wife in June of 2009 I was very self conscious about getting back on a bike because of my size and I even had my father pop off a quick picture of me sitting on it in the store before I bought it for that reason. This picture is exactly how I got it and there have been some changes to the bike since then but I figured it was a good shot so there she is, I started off riding about a 3 mile loop near my house and ended last year with 20 mile runs on the local rails to trails.

I picked this 1991 Schwinn Crisscross up just last week for a decent price and the frame is my size, its a really comfy position when I am on it and I will not be getting rid of this one any time soon. The plan is to upgrade a couple things and make this my secondary ride, or for when I am going to be doing more riding on the street than the rail trail.

From what I can tell this is a 1994 Trek 750 multitrack, I like the way it rides and it fits me but is a little small but it does adjust to a comfortable fit. I was thinking that if it adjusts down to closer to my wife's size that I would give it to her but it may be just a tad too big for her but since she hasn't checked yet I don;t know if it would work, my guess is that it will be just a bit too tall for her. This will likely be up for sale in the spring unless wify ends up liking it but she is more of a hiking kind of gal so chances are it will be on the list of craigs eventually.

I haven't looked into the year too much on this one, its a Trek 220 mountaintrack and is a kids bike, I suppose a small woman could ride it too but its more geared for kids. I thought about giving this one to my son as an upgrade to his bike but his is brand new (a year old) and he didn't seem to like this one so much when I brought it home so again it will probably end up on Craigslist at some point.

This is a 1995 Specialized Hardrock Sport, this frame is way too small for me but the bike is like new! if Wify does want a bicycle this will likely be the one that I make more comfortable for her. There is not a lot that I can say negative about this one besides a broken grip shifter that still works, I rode this one around the lake last week when it was warm and if it was my size I would keep it for sure. I am replacing the grip shift and it will go onto the list of craigs unless wify fancy's it once I have it 100% with the new grip shifter on it.

This one for whatever reason is very cool to me and I can't figure out my attachment to it! its a 1988 Specialized Rockhopper Comp and other than some spots that could use touch up paint rides awesome! I think that its all of the work that I put into it to get it looking good, this thing was covered in dirt, grime and all of the chrome bits were covered in a light rust. I spent more than a couple hours cleaning her up and was the first of my "addiction" after the K2, perhaps that's where the attraction is. It has new tires on it as it sits now (the tires in this image are gone) and its all cleaned up and ride ready, its a bit small for me but it is comfortable, more than likely it will go up for sale come spring but I don't want to let this one go.

Just a small unknown year Murray Legacy, this one will definitely go up for sale come spring, its too small for me, my son doesn't dig the looks or the only 10 speeds and ita gotta go so I can make room for more new old bikes.

Early 1990's Specialized Hardrock sport, I picked this one up last spring and cleaned it up, tuned it up and sold it to my brother in laws girlfriend, She seemed happy with it, I am happy that it got sold so win win for everyone. I was able to sell a bike so this proves that I can do it! so Wify knows that I have it in me to actually let go of a bike and our basement is starting to look like a bike shop between all of the parts I have accrued and the eight bikes that live down there currently not to mention the one in my bedroom.

I may have traded addictions or perhaps just found a hobby that helps me nurture a healthy lifestyle, either way I enjoy playing around with bikes and I like riding them even more. None of my bikes are the end all of high end two wheeled vehicles but they have all in their own way helped me to stay on track in one way or another along the way. As far as hobbies go I will take this one over my Playstation and Final Fantasy 11 online any day but it wasn't the case once upon a time and I am still a Final Fantasy geek even if I don't play online anymore.

That's my fleet? stable? pile O bikes, some I will keep, some will be sold in order to buy more bikes, this is my hobby and it is in fact an integral part of how I am able to keep the weight off. When You love what you do for exercise its not hard to go out there and do it every day, I even for some odd reason miss it if I can't get to the gym and take a ride on a spin bike or a stationary bike, it suits me.

That's all I got for tonight.

As Ever
Me

Day 1098.. Thats alotta days!

Day 1098.. Thats alotta days!

1991 schwinn crisscross 1992 schwinn crisscross bicycling schwinn crisscross Weight Loss

Here here! another year has come to pass and I find myself still chugging along with the choice to live cleaner and healthier at the fore front of my way of life. My blog has always been written from the perspective of a 500 plus pound guy that needed to lose weight to stay alive, to be able to do things that the mere mortals of the world take for granted each and every day and over the course of the last three years I have changed everything about my life. Coming to the realization that I am not 500 pounds any more has been harder than I expected but I think that I am coming around to the fact that I don't get out of breath from the most remedial tasks and that feeling has become the "norm" finally. Losing more than 200 pounds and keeping it off for the last couple years is an amazing feat of determination in my opinion but pushing through a comfort zone has to be a priority for me and the plan is as you know if you have read along is to hit my goal of 275 this year hopefully before April.

My new acquisition, early 1990's Schwinn Crisscross as i picked it up.

Other than a FD shifter that needs some love this bike is in amazing condition, of course the fella could have bypassed wiping it down with WD40 before I got there but hey! I need to go through it anyways so it will get a bath either way.

Helping me achieve that goal is my bicycling hobby, I call it a hobby at this point because I currently own seven bikes ranging from mountain bikes mainly to hybrids and even a road bike. When I bought that first bicycle back in June 2009 I never anticipated it becoming the beginning of a new addiction hobby. Accruing enough bicycles to ride a different one each day of the week wasn't a thought and I am sure my wife had no idea that our house would be full of bike parts and whole bikes when she got me that K2 back in June. Come spring I shall thin my herd significantly utilizing the list of Craigs to move a few to new homes and hopefully make some happy riders for this years riding season. Having a hobby that keeps me moving and allows me to get out there and really enjoy my workouts is nothing but a positive and anyone that knows me knows that I like making things my own so getting a bike on the cheap and refurbishing it is fun for me. This weekend I happened upon a bicycle on Craigslist that I thought the price was decent enough so I emailed the lady and it turns out that the frame was my size and it is sort of a hybrid/cross bike so long story short it was added to the fleet.

I am noticing that I have more posts mentioning bicycles popping up so I may work on a "bicycling" section for those posts to be search-able as I have got a couple hits/emails on the blog because of the bike stuff I have posted. My workouts have completely changed from when I started which through evolution is normal I suppose, where I was only able to walk for 20 minutes and about 1/3 of a mile at a go now walking a distance of 5k is just something that I do because its nice out on that day! My first ride on my mountain bike was about a mile and I had to pull over to ponder whether I should name my bike "Prison sex" because of the apparent violation that took place during said ride and here I am expanding my rides out to about 20 miles these days. I am no where near the same person physically as I was when I first sat down behind my lap top and wrote out my first blog post a defeated 534 pound man who couldn't think of anything else so common sense had to be the plan. With all of that said its time to get back to basics with ye olde blog and I am going to start posting my menu's and workouts more often again as I did in the beginning, I liked having my entire week out there for me to look back on as well as any of you fine people who care to take a peek.

So much has changed for me since making the decision to drop the weight from my bones, coming from a place where walking up a flight of stairs was a chore to where I am now going to the gym 5-6 times per week and riding my bikes 15 to 20 miles per day in the warmer months. Looking into that mirror that leads back to my former 500 pound self from time to time forces me to never forget why I gotsta keep on keepin on until I get where I set out to go and though I don't think that I will ever forget that fella I do know that I never want to wear his shoes again.

The end has come to this episode of as the fat guy turns...

As Ever
Me