Aufwiedersehen to the SPARE TIRE!!!

The average automobile tire weighs 20 pounds.

I've heard my entire life the statement "he's got a spare tire" when talking about some man's waistline. Well, now I know why they call it a "spare tire"....



Because it weighs at least 20 pounds if not more depending on the size of a guy's gut. The tire also, for me, represents coming full circle because I weighed my current weight from high school all the way until I was about 40. Then, well....

I hate boring everyone with the details, but here goes.

I'm 6'4", 52 years old and not only have I lost one spare tire, but I have actually lost TWO!!!!





Being tall, one can easily hide in the "skinny fat" syndrome even if you have some extra girth. Why? The height and clothing does a decent enough of a job to disguise reality and you go around in life without people calling you overweight or fat. In other words, it was easy to hop in that boat on the River DeNial for the ride this past decade.

In spite of running marathons, biking, playing basketball, staying in really good shape and keeping my weight in the 165-175 area until I got close to 40, I ballooned up to 212 pounds in 2003-4 when I moved to America after living and working overseas for a decade +. The lack of daily walking, and commuting on the bike that I was used to doing in a big city in Europe, combined with generous portions in the US and all the things I hadn't been able to eat while living overseas for so long had me quickly grow to this...

212

That's my peak. The most I had ever weighed in my life!!! 212 pounds. Waist of 36". And the Doc put me on cholesterol lowering medication to boot due to my age and family history. OUCH!!! WTF was I doing and thinking?!

In an effort to pull myself out of it, I started racing mountain bikes and training to race mountain bikes to get the weight down and try to get back into shape. First, I fought and whittled myself down to 202. Then I dropped another 10 to make my first spare tire loss at 192. This 20 pound loss and to maintain it actually took me a few years...



Then I had to take my shirt off for work in an opera role I was singing (Maximilian in Candide) where the character is sold as a female slave in the story, so I trimmed to 188 as I had to appear in the dress as well as with my shirt off earlier in the opera...



Taking my shirt off on stage was nothing new to me as it was routine as Don Giovanni in European performances when I weighed 175, but at 188 I was a bit self-concious about it. Luckily, the San Francisco Chronicle was very kind about my rich voice and physique. But there were some love handles and MOOBS going on!!!

The typical yo-yo for me was to get down in the 180's during the summer months for mountain bike racing where I thought I looked pretty svelte. Then, I would gain about 10+ pounds or so in the off-season between October and January. Every year was like that.

This year, on January 6th after a holiday skiing vacation I said enough is enough. It's now or never.

I set out with 4 goals this year and wish I had stepped out of my boat on the River DeNial years ago. But, c'est la vie.

My 4 goals were...

1. Get lighter for mountain bike racing because I had hit my genetic limits of how hard I can pedal. The only way to get better and go faster up the mountains and hills was to get lighter as my engine was tapped out. It's the age old power to weight ratio. And racing against guys who are 140, 150, 160 isn't easy when climbing hills are involved and you weigh 180.

2. Knock out that remaining "spare tire" of visceral fat that I could hide under my clothing, but is "oh so devasting" to men's health.

3. This goal ties in with goal #2: knock out enough of the spare tire to get my cholesterol numbers down and in control so I can go off the medication. I was having side effects of confusion/memory issues and wanted off the drug.

4. Get my overall self in shape using weights, cardio, and actually counting calories for the first time in my life using the MFP App on my iPhone. Hey, it was my first Smart Phone that I got in December when I traded in the old flip phone. ;-)

I hate pictures in the undies like everyone posts here, but it's the only way to show reality. So here goes.

187 on January 6th and not happy about the tire I've got stored around my waist...

187 1/6/14

I set my profile up here at MFP with the goal of dropping 1 pound per week. I also began my usual 12 week base training period for the summer mountain bike racing schedule. So I had the combination of 8-12 hours a week of cardio/weights, and running a caloric deficit by tracking what I ate. And patience.

My initial goal was 175 as I really didn't know where or what I was headed to for a final weight target. I hit my 175 goal 12 weeks later and snapped another shot...



Ah, what the heck! I changed my Ticker to a new goal of dropping to 170. I kept at it and hit 170 a few weeks later.

Opera singers do not have to be FAT...!!!!



I kept going and just recently hit...

168.2

So I fired up the iPhone for a shot to compare...

168

52. 168 pounds. Waist of 30-31. Lean and Mean and ready to race my mountain bike machine...

Sub170

I'm allowing my body to settle into a good racing weight and will no doubt bounce around between 165-170 as I dial things in and see what it feels like on the bike (so far it feels great!!!!). Who knows? But if I haven't reached my ideal target yet, I'm sure not far from it.

I will be getting a new blood test this month to see how the cholesterol numbers are doing, and another test a few months from now. The Doc and I will guage what to do based on the results to see if my new weight, new shape, diet, and exercise are enough to keep me from having to take the medication, or if a lower dose may do the trick if needed. My preference is to be off of it and I'm going to fight hard for that with my food selections.

That's my spare tire(s) story and I am very happy and pleased to have said good bye to...

20poundtire

Time to race...